Author: Akin Naphtal

At a time when cyber security is top of mind for many firms, Google announced it was paying $5.4 billion to acquire security intelligence company Mandiant, giving it access to security data gathering capabilities, as well as a team of hundreds of security consultants. The company will become part of Google Cloud upon closing. Google Cloud head Thomas Kurian pointed out that companies were facing unprecedented security threats, especially as the war in Ukraine rages, and Mandiant gives the company a platform of security services to add to the Google Cloud platform. “This is an opportunity to deliver an end-to-end security operations suite and extend one of…

Video-sharing site TikTok and streaming giant Netflix have limited and cut their services respectively in Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. TikTok said it had suspended live streaming and new content from its platform as it assesses tough new laws to crack down on “fake news” about Russia’s armed forces. Netflix said it was pulling out in protest at the invasion. Visa, Mastercard and PwC also joined the list of western firms cutting ties. TikTok, which has around 36 million users in Russia, said its move was about ensuring the safety of its staff and users. Since Friday, anyone who…

Global financial transactions are facilitated mainly by payment processors such as Visa or Mastercard. They are responsible for communication between banks and fintechs to settle transactions for consumers and businesses swiftly. Africa has it different. It’s not a predominantly card continent. Telecoms and banks lead the majority of online financial transactions carried out in the region via mobile money wallets and bank accounts. But here’s the challenge: While both systems tend to work well when users make transactions within their unique environment, there’s no interoperability for transactions between them. An alternative payment network with connected wallets allowing a mobile money user to transact…

The startup ecosystem in Africa has until now been dominated by Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Egypt (the Big 4), countries that continue to receive the bulk of venture capital and other forms of investment. However, the situation seems to be slowly changing as noteworthy startups begin to rise from other countries within the continent and investors scout for fresh opportunities to spread their risk outside the Big 4. Uganda is one of the countries creating ripples in high-profile tech programs like the Y Combinator accelerator and Google’s $50 million Africa Investment Fund, launched in October last year targeting early-…

The world over, the popularity of telemedicine spiked during the COVID pandemic, growing 78 times in April 2020, a few months after the disease struck, according to a McKinsey study. In some parts of Africa, it was a great opportunity for telemedicine to make new inroads. But in Uganda, the industry had already taken off, albeit slowly, through Rocket Health, a startup working to transform the delivery of medical care using technology. Launched in 2012, Rocket Health offers online medical consultation, collection of samples, and delivery of medicines. They also have a USSD service for those without internet connection. After nearly a…

Uganda’s Rocket Health, a telemedicine and last-mile healthcare provider, has closed a US$5 million Series A funding round to accelerate its technology roadmap and geographical expansion to the different regions of Uganda and into Kenya. Founded in 2012, Rocket Health is the number one telemedicine player in Uganda, offering an end-to-end healthcare experience to over 25,000 individual patients. The startup’s solution leverages technology to provide four integrated services – 24/7 teleconsultations, medicine delivery, home sample collection for laboratory diagnostic testing and physical specialist clinic consultations. Rocket Health’s US$5 million Series A is led by Creadev, an evergreen investment fund backed…

Egyptian B2B marketplace Mowarrid has been acquired by Saudi B2B e-commerce Sary as the latter expands its footprint across the MENA region. Founded by Ahmed Essam in 2018, Mowarrid is focused on the B2B food and grocery markets, and allows more than 10,000 retailers to digitally procure all their needs across a variety of more than 1000 products on its platform. Saudi equivalent Sary, meanwhile, connects MSMEs with the biggest international brands and regional players, and has reached more than 350,000 customers and served over 40,000 businesses in 15 cities across Saudi Arabia. It closed a Series C round in…

Egyptian legal ed-tech startup Kouncel has raised a US$1.2 million pre-seed funding round to help it scale. Founded this year by Ibrahim Saleh, Kouncel is an online video education platform for lawyers, offering courses on topics like arbitration, legal drafting and intellectual property based on different jurisdictions. The funding round, which will be used to help the startup reach more users both in Egypt and across the wider MENA region, featured participation from Zaldi Capital, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Academy for Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT), and Egyptian entrepreneurship development project Tanmia wa Tatweer. Of the amount raised,…

South African startup Vula Mobile, a medical referral app and online platform which hosts a network of health professionals, has partnered with leading medicines firm Novartis to improve eye care services in Sub-Saharan Africa. Through the Vula Mobile digital platform, primary health care workers can get connected with specialists to enable faster assessment of eye conditions and to optimise the way patients seek care in the rural outskirts. The strategic partnership with Novartis aims to empower primary care facilities in providing service for adequate eye care, improve the quality of referrals to specialist centres and assist health administrators in making…

Egyptian startup Homzmart, the Middle East’s leading furniture and home goods marketplace platform, has announced the acquisition of Berlin-based technology company MockUp Studio as it bids to add to its product offering.Hard-launched in early 2020 by Mahmoud Ibrahim and Ibrahim Mohamed, Homzmart is a digital platform connecting home goods and furniture manufacturers and brands with end consumers.Homzmart’s platform and its end-to-solutions enable both retailers, including the likes of IKEA and Home Centre by helping them easily reach customers, and consumers who have a hassle-free, one-stop-shop shopping experience, with greater choice and flexible financing options.The startup closed a US$15 million Series…