Estopini was recognised for its innovation, practical scalability and strong socio-economic impact. Pan-African technology group Liquid Intelligent Technologies has named township-focused logistics start-up Estopini as the winner of its latest Youth Tech Pitch-a-thon. It says the challenge underscores the growing impact of youth-led innovation in addressing real-world challenges across South Africa. The Pitch-a-thon, hosted virtually,…
Yazi, a South Africa based research technology startup that operates through WhatsApp, raised its first institutional funding round at a pre money valuation of 30 million rand, or about $1.6 million. The round was led by 3 Capital Ventures, an early stage venture firm created by investment manager Allan Gray. The company did not disclose…
From left: Lucas Johnson-Barker and Jurgen Stroebel (representatives from 3CV), Timothy Treagus, CEO and co-founder of Yazi, and Mzwandile Sotsaka, CTO and co-founder of Yazi. AI-native research platform Yazi has raised its first institutional funding round from early-stage venture firm 3 Capital Ventures (3CV) at a pre-money valuation of R30 million. Founded in Cape Town…
Francois van der Merwe, founder and CEO, Otinga. South African start-up Otinga has adopted a rapid, execution-led approach to AI implementation, which it argues will help businesses overcome challenges they experience in attempting to innovate with AI. The company wants to help organisations avoid ‘innovation theatre’ – a term widely credited to Silicon Valley entrepreneur…
One year after the AI Summit in Paris, the international community will meet again this week in New Delhi for the Global Summit on Artificial Intelligence, whose objective will notably be to support the diffusion of AI uses in developing countries. In Africa, AI and Tech investment remains concentrated in the “Big Four” – South…
Innocent Mutimura, newly appointed country manager of Paratus Rwanda Pan-African telecommunications operator Paratus Group opened its doors in Rwanda recently and is now pleased to announce the appointment of Innocent Mutimura as its country manager. Mutimura comes to the position with a wealth of relevant experience gained across the East African region, having held senior…
While online retail in South Africa surged past R130-billion in 2025, now accounting for nearly 10% of total retail spend, the growth of digital grocery delivery has far outpaced the transparency of those platforms. According to research from World Wide Worx, shoppers are increasingly moving online, yet a new service called We Need Milk argues…
Nairobi — Kenyan startups secured 50 funding deals last year, the highest in Africa, according to the latest Germany-Africa Investment Report covering 2015-2025. The report by the Africa Investment Bridge initiative shows Nigeria followed with 34 deals, Tanzania with 24, South Africa 19 and Ghana 17, reinforcing Nairobi’s position as East Africa’s leading innovation hub….
Self-service and free-to-use Platform ZA is now available to South African tech founders. (Image: Supplied) Technology start-up and investor network Startup Club ZA has unveiled an online platform that facilitates access for the local tech ecosystem. This, as founders struggle to access the right people, meaningful visibility, credible opportunities and trusted resources in a coordinated…
Apple has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli start-up working on artificial intelligence technology for audio. Apple did not disclose terms of the deal for Q.ai, which was backed by venture capital firms Matter Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins, Spark Capital, Exor and GV, formerly known as Google Ventures. The deal valued the start-up at about US$1.6-billion, according…
