Author: Akin Naphtal

Products and services that benefit life on Earth put a new spin on technology developed for space. This includes inventions at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. NASA engineers and scientists often develop new technology during the course of their mission work. And while the origin of the technology is often to help explore the solar system and beyond, NASA’s Technology Transfer program is bringing them back down to Earth by licensing them to companies and entrepreneurs. The licensees then create new products and services, called “spinoffs” that benefit the economy, protect the environment, and even save lives. There are…

At MWC 2022 Barcelona, Safaricom, Close the Gap and Huawei received the Global Mobile GLOMO Award in recognition of the TECH4ALL DigiTruck project’s outstanding contribution to the UN’s sustainable development goals. The DigiTruck project was launched in Kenya for the first time in 2019. It was launched by Huawei in collaboration with international NGO Close the Gap, Kenya’s Ministry for ICT, Computer for Schools Kenya, GSMA and operator Safaricom. The project aims to bring digital technology to resource-poor regions and enable people to receive quality education and improve their lives. By the end of 2020, the project had provided services…

A digital Iron Curtain may be descending on Russia, as President Vladimir Putin struggles to control the narrative about his war in Ukraine. The Kremlin has already moved to block Facebook and Twitter, and its latest step in that direction came Friday as the government announced plans to block Instagram in the country, as well. But despite Putin’s efforts to clamp down on social media and information within his borders, a growing number of Russian internet users appear determined to access outside sources and circumvent the Kremlin’s restrictions. To defeat Russia’s internet censorship, many are turning to specialized circumvention technology that’s been…

Meta is facing prosecution in South Africa, after the country’s competition regulator, the Competition Commission found as uncompetitive its intention to block the government’s startup GovChat and #LetsTalk from using its WhatsApp Business API. The watchdog, which has been investigating claims of unfair conduct against the startup since March 2021, referred Meta (formerly Facebook) for the prosecution to the Competition Tribunal, which adjudicates complaints of restrictive practices and abuse of dominance. In its referral, the regulator recommends that Meta is made to pay the “maximum penalty” – a fine of 10% of the US company’s local turnover. The commission alleges…

Nigerian prop-tech startup Spleet has raised a US$625,000 pre-seed funding round to help it roll out a new product that provides tenants with affordable loans to help them pay their rent. Founded by Tola Adesanmi in 2018 from the need to find rentals with flexible payment options in Lagos as opposed to the usual one or two year upfront payment options, Spleet allows homeowners to rent to vetted individuals, while also helping people easily find places to stay. The startup enables landlords to verify and vet tenants, and also automates rent collections. Spleet has now raised US$625,000 in an oversubscribed…

South African payments company Yoco has acquired Cape Town-based fintech and Web3 software development agency Nona Digital to accelerate its roadmap by bringing a team of highly-specialised fintech product and technology professionals into the Yoco team. Yoco builds tools and services to help small businesses accept card payments in-store and online, access loans, and manage their day to day activities. The startup has become the preferred payments partner for over 150,000 small businesses across South Africa, processing more than US$1 billion in card payments per year. The company, which secured US$83 million in Series C funding last July, has just…

Nigeria-based mobility fintech startup Moove has raised US$105 million in an oversubscribed Series A2 round to scale to seven new markets across Asia, MENA, and Europe over the next six months. Founded in 2019 by British-born Nigerians Ladi Delano and Jide Odunsi, Moove is democratising vehicle ownership in Africa by providing revenue-based vehicle financing to mobility entrepreneurs. By embedding its alternative credit scoring technology onto ride-hailing, e-logistics and instant delivery platforms, Moove can use proprietary performance and revenue analytics to underwrite loans to drivers that have previously been excluded from financial services. Over three million rides have been completed in…

Lagos-based buy now pay later (BNPL) startup Klump has raised a US$780,000 pre-seed funding round to help it launch its flagship “Pay with Klump” product with select partners, offering BNPL solutions to customers and businesses. Founded in 2021 by Celestine Omin and Olufunbi Falayi, who have combined experience building products with Konga, DealDay, Paystack, Andela, Amazon and H-E-B, Klump offers customers the option to buy and receive their purchases right away and spread the payments over four equal installments. With its proprietary credit eligibility and fraud detection engine, Klump is able to make an informed credit decision on a customer…

Nigerian financial super app Yep! has raised a US$1.5 million pre-seed funding round as it launches its solution in five African countries. Founded last year by Olaoluwa Awojoodu, Airende Ojeomogha, and Garry Ottosen, and headquartered in Lagos and San Francisco, Yep! is a financial super app focused on leveraging technology to deliver seamless financial services and solutions to Africans. Its core offerings include Yep! Consumers, which will be available for retail customers, and Yep! Business, open to MSMEs, merchants and enterprises. The startup has raised US$1.5 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Greenhouse Capital as it launches its…

To understand the new smart watched and other pro devices of recent focus, we should look to Silicon Valley and the quantified movement. Apple’s Watch records exercise, tracks our moves throughout the day, checks the amount of time we are stood up and reminds us to get up and move around if we have been sat for too long – let’s not forget Tim Cooks “sitting is the new coolness” line. To its detractors, love at first sight must be an illusion – the wrong term for what is simply infatuation, or a way to sugarcoat lust. Best Chromebook: Google…