Author: Kaluka wanjala

TLcom Capital has confirmed that Partner Ido Sum is leaving the firm after 14 years.  Sum contributed to the firm’s expansion across Africa’s startup ecosystem during his time at TLcom. He also played a role in strengthening the firm’s regional presence through its offices in Nairobi and Lagos. If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. TLcom Capital was founded in 1999. The firm manages the TIDE Fund I and TIDE Fund II, with the latter closing as one of the continent’s largest early-stage funds. These funds have supported startups in a number…

Access Bank and the National Bank of Kenya (NBK) have announced the introduction of a joint service integration. This integration will allow customers from either bank to access in-branch services seamlessly across more than 100 branches countrywide. The initiative marks a significant milestone in the ongoing integration process following Access Bank Plc’s acquisition of NBK from KCB Group earlier this year. Customers of both institutions can now walk into any branch, whether Access Bank Kenya or NBK, and carry out core transactions such as viewing account details, making deposits and withdrawals and transferring funds. Both banks assured customers that their…

Safaricom Home Fibre is one of the internet service providers in Kenya. It provides fast and reliable connectivity to homes. If you are thinking of getting connected, this guide provides an overview of everything you need to know. It includes steps to take to check coverage in your area, available packages, speeds, installation process, prices and a few frequently asked questions you may want answers to. What is Safaricom Home Fibre? Safaricom Home Fibre is a high-speed internet service that uses fibre optic cables to deliver fast and stable connectivity directly to homes. This is different to traditional mobile data…

Kenya’s ARC Ride has secured a $10 million financing commitment from Mirova. Mirova is an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers dedicated to sustainable investing. This debt facility will fund the deployment of 600 battery-swapping cabinets and 25,000 batteries in Kenya. If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. The deal comes just four months after ARC Ride raised $5 million from British International Investment (BII). This shows how confident investors are with the company’s Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) model. Different types of investors with the same goal While the BII investment brought catalytic development finance…

Bonto Kenya, a licensed money remittance provider (MRP), has shut down less than 3 years after entering the market. The fintech was founded by Yoann Copreaux and officially handed back its Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) licence in August. This makes it one of the fastest closures in the sector in recent years. If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. In a LinkedIn post, Copreaux explained the decision and pointed to several challenges that made the business unsustainable. These include collapsing FX margins, low remittance fees, a Tight compliance environment and an…

MediaTek has unveiled its latest processor, the Dimensity 9500. The company says this is its most advanced mobile platform yet. This processor will be a direct competitor to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. The MediaTek Dimensity 9500 will be powering the OPPO Find X9 Series as well as the next flagship devices from Xiaomi and vivo. “The MediaTek Dimensity 9500 is engineered to super-charge the next wave of flagship 5G smartphones,” said MediaTek in a statement.  The MediaTek Dimensity 9500 uses a third-generation All Big Core CPU design that combines a 4.21GHz ultra core, three premium cores, and four…

Flutterwave has announced leadership changes, with Prashant Kalia joining as Chief Risk & Compliance Officer. He has decades of experience, having previously worked at Stripe, American Express, and more.  If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. Prashant Kalia replaces Mo Bammeke, who has served as Chief Compliance Officer for the past five years. Mr Bammeke will now take the role of Chief Regulatory & Data Protection Officer. “At Flutterwave, staying at the forefront of a secure and compliant digital payments ecosystem means building the right team and culture to drive success,” said…

Britam BetaLab has announced the Regional Startup Challenge 2025.  Applications will close on September 30, 2025, so time is limited. This program aims to identify and scale some of East Africa’s most promising growth-stage startups. The initiative is open to legally registered companies in Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania. The challenge is seeking startups in Series B funding stages or beyond. The startups should have existing products and established revenue streams. They should also have been operational for at least two years. Eligible solutions span fintech, insurtech, healthtech, agritech, consumer tech, and retail/supply chain. According to BetaLab, preference will go to…

M-KOPA has hit a major milestone by crossing 3 million active customers mark. The company is also reporting 90% improvement in the quality of life among its customers.  In Africa’s informal sector where most people earn their income daily and often without access to banks, services like M-KOPA fill an important gap. Traditional lenders typically ignore these earners, but M-KOPA has already deployed $2 billion in credit to give them access to essentials like smartphones, healthcare and even electric motorbikes. CEO Jesse Moore summed it up neatly, “When we ask customers, ‘does M-KOPA make your life better?’ 9 out of…

Airtel Africa’s Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven Spam Alert service has flagged more than 205 million spam SMS messages across 13 markets in the last six months. Kenya has recorded the highest volume at 68 million. The service was introduced earlier this year in Kenya and other African countries to automatically label suspected spam messages with the prefix “SPAM Alert” and provides real-time updates directly to subscribers’ inboxes. Customers do not need to install any additional apps, making the service more accessible across both feature phones and smartphones. Kenya was followed by Tanzania with 47 million flagged messages and Zambia with 33…