Author: Akin Naphtal

South African e-commerce startup, Yebo Fresh, an order-to-delivery service providing townships with fresh groceries and food, has raised a ZAR78 million (US$4.5 million) pre-Series A equity investment, as well as a Jobs Fund grant. Launched in 2018 in the garage of founder Jessica Boonstra’s home, Yebo Fresh is an online shopping service for township communities, delivering groceries to areas that are generally unserved by most formal retailers. READ ALSO: Kenyan Fintech Firm JUMO Appoints Joe Mucheru as President European Deep Tech Deals Raised $17.7 Billion in 2022, says Report SITA, Zamna Technologies Partner to Digitise Travel Processes for Airlines, Airports,…

Leading Kenya-based fintech firm JUMO has appointed Joe Mucheru as president of the company.According to a statement, Mucheru will support the company to deliver its growth goals, navigate the regulatory landscape, and build the firm’s presence across Africa. Mucheru served as Kenyan Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs, appointed by then President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta. He held office from 2015 to 2022, where-after President William Ruto named Eliud Owalo as the country’s new Cabinet Secretary for ICT. Mucheru joined Google in 2007 where he led the delivery of strategy, business planning and operations and…

The UK has officially its ARIA science research agency with five new board members, heavily weighted towards the life sciences. This comes as the UK government is reported to have received a draft of the semiconductor strategy that has been in preparation for several years. This is also important as political issues have kept UK researchers and companies out of new projects in the EU’s Horizon research programme. The agency, modelled on DARPA in the US, aims to create ‘transformational. research programmes through a budget originally intended to be £800m. The agency has been designed with a unique level of…

Europe’s deep tech startups closed off 2022 having brought in around $17.7 billion, down 22% on the year but still 60% above 2020 trends, according to a new data report. The report, published by Dealroom, Lakestar and Walden Catalyst Ventures, puts forward an argument that, in the second half of last year, European deep tech was the second best performer on a sector-by-sector basis; energy was first. The data is borne out by investor sentiment. An LP survey included in the study cites deep tech as investor’s number two pick for innovation, trailing only societal impact models, or “Planet Positive”…

In a bid to enable enhanced trust and assurance around the identification of passenger data for airline and airport operations and government border agencies, SITA, an IT solutions provider for airlines, has partnered with Zamna Technologies, a travel identity company.Zamna’s solution uses a decentralized blockchain based model to transform how passenger data, such as passport, visa, and health information, is verified and handled, bringing security, ease, and efficiency benefits for travelers, airlines, airports and governments. The first deployment will be focused on AACO’s 30+ airlines. Instead of passengers presenting travel documents repeatedly to every touch point, each time they fly,…

The report of the Gross Domestic Product has shown a growth of 2.9% in the fourth quarter, albeit, at a much slower pace than the 3.2% of quarter three. Accompanied by a decrease in weekly jobless claims, the U.S. economy has shown slowed growth and remaining optimism. Yet, with the positive outlook threatened by the potential of a looming recession, the crypto sector’s response becomes an interesting narrative. The hope could spur a rally in the coming days, but caution is the ideal state when considering how quickly the narrative can change. There is no understating that the recently disclosed…

In celebration of the Data Privacy Day, Apple Inc. has launched a new set of educational resources designed to help users take control of their data. In a recent statement by the company, it said, “As threats to the privacy and security of personal information are on the rise, a new “Today at Apple session will educate users on how they can safeguard their data. Apple has also partnered with Apple TV+ Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed in ‘A Day in the Life of an Average Person’s Data’ to drive more awareness. READ ALSO: Governor Hochul New York Announces Zinc8…

Governor Kathy Hochul has announced Zinc8 Energy Solutions, USA, a leader in the long-duration energy storage industry, will relocate its $68 million manufacturing facility and U.S. headquarters to Kingston, Ulster County at the former Tech City, IBM Ulster campus, now known as iPark 87 business park. Zinc8 Energy Solutions develops innovative battery technology that uses zinc and air as fuel. Zinc8 has committed to creating up to 500 jobs, complementing New York State’s national leadership in growing the green economy, spearheading efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and prioritization of combating climate change. The company’s location to Ulster County supports…

The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) has chosen Peter O’Halloran, the long-time CIO of ACT Health, as its next chief digital officer. O’Halloran announced his appointment to ADHA in a LinkedIn post. “Between now and February 27, I am madly trying to close out a few key deliverables at ACT Health”, O’Halloran wrote. READ ALSO: US- Indian launches Alliance to boost number of women in STEM and workforce IBM Partner MBZUAI to Launch an Advanced AI for Climate and Culture Amazon Web Services Launches New Local Zones Location in Nigeria “After 17 years working in the public health system (13-plus…

Terra Drone, a Japan-based company that builds drone software, hardware and uncrewed aircraft traffic management software, has raised $14 million in Series C funding from Wa’ed Ventures, the venture capital arm of Saudi Aramco. This marks the VC firm’s first investment in Asia, and brings Terra Drone’s total raised to $97 million since its inception in 2016. It declined to comment on its post-money valuation. According to sources familiar with the situation, the startup was valued at more than $200 million in March last year when Terra Drone closed a $70 million Series B. READ ALSO:Dell Technologies Acquires Cloudify for…