Author: Kaluka wanjala

Maad, a Senegalese startup, has announced the close of a $3.2 million seed funding round consisting of both debt and equity. Maad is one of the fastest growing tech & logistics platform for informal retailers in Francophone Africa. This seed round saw the participation of Seedstars International Ventures, Reflect Ventures, OuiCapital, Launch Africa, Voltron Capital & Alumni Ventures. Proparco and local banks participated in the debt financing. Maad’s solution allows retailers to order products from a one-stop shop, with reliable delivery, competitive prices while benefiting from working capital loans. It uses its distribution infrastructure to offer additional high-value services to brands:…

Jumia has announced the appointment of Vinod Goel to be its Regional CEO for East Africa. He will head operations in both Kenya and Uganda as direct CEO. He takes over the role from Charles Ballard who left the ecommerce platform for Twiga Foods. Before leaving Jumia, Charles had been the CEO for close to a year. Before his recent appointment, Vinod was the CEO of Jumia Uganda. He helped turn around the business both in terms of significant top line growth and achieving sharp unit economics. He has been with Jumia since 2020. He joined as the Head Global…

Bolt has partnered with the Kenya Red Cross to support flood victims across Kenya through a new category on its app, the “Flood Assist” category. Bolt will initially contribute Ksh 5 million, with a total goal of raising KES 10 million through this category. 5% of each ride’s revenue from this category will go towards supporting the victims of the recent floods.The donation seeks to help those impacted by recent floods, which have caused significant loss of life, displacement, and damage to property and infrastructure. Linda Ndungu, Country Manager for Bolt Kenya, stated, “As a mobility company rooted in the…

Last week, Showmax 2.0 was officially launched in Kenya. With the launch of Showmax 2.0, the video streaming platform partnered with companies like MTN in South Africa, Safaricom in Kenya, and Infinix in Nigeria. If you have been looking for ways to pay your Showmax subscription with M-Pesa, the steps are simple and straightforward. Keep in mind that M-Pesa is just one of the payment options but you do not have to use it if you do not like it.  Pay for Showmax Subscription with M-Pesa You can change to a different payment method later if you wish to do…

In the ever-changing world of sports, betting has brought excitement as well as ethical dilemmas. As sports betting becomes more popular, people are worried about how it affects the integrity of games. Melbet and other platforms have made themselves important players in this field by offering complex bets that need to be monitored closely if fairness in competition is to be maintained. This has led to a greater understanding of the global interdependence between sports and gambling. The Emergence of Sports Betting Sports betting has come a long way from being just another hobby; it is now an international industry…

Africa Tech Summit (ATS) London 2024 will be held at the London Stock Exchange on June 7th, 2024. The15 tech ventures that will join the ATS Investment Showcase 2024 have also been announced with 4 of them coming from Kenya. The ATS London Investment Showcase provides ventures with the opportunity to present their businesses to leading African tech investors, corporates, and industry stakeholders in attendance from Europe, USA and Africa. The 2024 venture cohort will cover a broad range of sectors including fintech, entertainment, blockchain, cleantech, climate tech, energy, agritech, health tech and telecoms. The ATS London Investment Showcase 2024…

Showmax 2.0 has officially relaunched in Kenya as it also drops four new Original titles in May. Showmax 2.0 launched in other market including Nigeria and South Africa a few weeks back but the Kenyan relaunch was delayed a bit. Speaking about this, Showmax GM in East Africa, Emma Gichonge, acknowledged the strategic investment between MultiChoice and Comcast that gave rise to the new Showmax.  “It’s incredible to think that just over 12 months ago, Showmax embarked on a brand-new chapter in our story, and today we’re on the other side of what has been a significant change,” said Gichonge. “The…

Binance’s number one commitment is to protect users and help keep the ecosystem safe from bad actors. Recently, Binance’s Investigations team worked with The Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD), an agency of the government of the Netherlands responsible for investigating financial crimes, in a gambling platform exit scam where Binance helped freeze millions of euros. Reported by FIOD, the suspect was arrested on April 29 for suspected fraud, embezzlement and money laundering and the investigation is focused on a large-scale scam surrounding the alleged gambling platform, ZKasino. “ZKcasino presented itself as a gambling platform and blockchain casino. Investors were led…

Google has opened applications for the 2024 cohort of its Hustle Academy. Google Hustle Academy is a program that seeks to accelerate the growth of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across Sub-Saharan Africa. In the 2024 Cohort, Google has added business-focused AI training integrated directly into the curriculum. Google has acknowledged the importance of SMBs in Africa’s economy and the challenges they face. Some of these challenges include accessing funding and developing the essential skills needed to grow their businesses. According to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), 40% of formal SMBs in developing countries have an unmet funding need of…

 Check Point has unveiled its 2024 Cloud Security Report. The report exposes a critical surge in cloud security incidents, marking a significant increase from 24% in 2023 to 61% in 2024 (a 154% increase), highlighting the escalating complexity and frequency of cloud threats.  The latest survey from Check Point reveals a concerning trend: while most organizations continue to prioritize threat detection and monitoring, focusing on known vulnerabilities and patterns of malicious behavior, only a mere 21% emphasize prevention. This is particularly alarming as companies struggle to keep pace with rapid technological advancements, including the speed of DevOps and the deployment…