byOuut - startup news, analysis for emerging markets around the world

Sign in Subscribe

$2M Milken-Motsepe Prize Seeks AI-Driven Innovations

$2M Milken-Motsepe Prize Seeks AI-Driven Innovations

A new $2 million equity-free prize has been launched to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and smart manufacturing solutions that address Africa’s industrial challenges. The Milken-Motsepe Prize in AI and Manufacturing unveiled at the 2025 Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, is backed by South African

Targeted Investment Fuels $844 Million Boost for African Startups in Q2 2025

Targeted Investment Fuels $844 Million Boost for African Startups in Q2 2025

Startups across Africa raised a total of $844.51 million in the second quarter of 2025, according to data from Launch Base Africa. Unlike the fast-paced, high-valuation deals seen in 2021, Q2 investors are focusing on economically essential sectors such as logistics, power, mobile money, and health tech. E3 Capital,

Data Privacy Compliance a Major Challenge for Ugandan Startups, Survey Finds

Data Privacy Compliance a Major Challenge for Ugandan Startups, Survey Finds

Ugandan startups are facing significant hurdles in meeting the requirements of the country’s Data Protection and Privacy Act, with many struggling to move from awareness to actual implementation. The issue came to the forefront during a recent forum at the National ICT Innovation Hub, where startup founders, regulators, and

BuuPass Raises New Funding from Yango Ventures for Africa Expansion

BuuPass Raises New Funding from Yango Ventures for Africa Expansion

Kenyan mobility startup BuuPass has received a strategic investment from Yango Ventures, a move expected to accelerate its efforts to digitize long-distance travel across the continent. The amount of the investment remains undisclosed. The funding comes from Yango Group’s newly launched $20 million corporate venture fund, which targets startups

Stanbic Bank Bets on Startups with $100 Million Funding Drive

Stanbic Bank Bets on Startups with $100 Million Funding Drive

Stanbic Bank Kenya, the sixth largest lender in the country by assets, is preparing to raise $100 million (KES12.9 billion) to finance startups across East Africa. The bank aims to channel the funds through its Catalytic Fund, focusing on supporting startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in key

Flutterwave Cuts Workforce in Kenya and South Africa Amid Profitability Push

Flutterwave Cuts Workforce in Kenya and South Africa Amid Profitability Push

Flutterwave has laid off half of its staff in Kenya and South Africa as part of efforts to reduce operational costs and edge closer to profitability. The restructuring comes as the company prepares for a potential public listing and follows a previous round of layoffs in 2024, when Flutterwave reduced

Liquify’s $1.5M Raise Targets Faster Invoice Payments for African Exporters

Liquify’s $1.5M Raise Targets Faster Invoice Payments for African Exporters

Ghana-based fintech startup Liquify has secured $1.5 million in seed funding to support its mission of easing cash flow challenges for African SME exporters. The funding round, which was oversubscribed, aims to help close Africa’s estimated $120 billion trade finance gap. “The average bank process takes over 10

500 Kenyan Startups to Benefit from New UK Deal

500 Kenyan Startups to Benefit from New UK Deal

Kenya and the United Kingdom have signed a renewed five-year Strategic Partnership that will significantly boost investment in Kenya’s digital economy, startups, and small businesses. Even though the deal is structured around four key areas: trade and investment, green growth and climate action, science and technology, and peace and

Pan-African Startup AXIAN Telecom Secures $600M

Pan-African Startup AXIAN Telecom Secures $600M

AXIAN Telecom, a pan-African telecommunications and digital services provider, has raised $600 million through a bond issuance set to mature in 2030. The bond, priced on June 25, 2025, attracted strong global investor interest, with the final coupon fixed at 7.250% and a yield of 7.375%, lower than

Senegal’s Wave Secures $137 Million in Debt Funding to Expand Across West Africa

Senegal’s Wave Secures $137 Million in Debt Funding to Expand Across West Africa

Senegal-based mobile money platform Wave has raised $137 million in debt financing to accelerate its mission of making financial services more affordable and accessible across West Africa. Founded in 2018 by Drew Durbin and Lincoln Quirk, Wave has grown rapidly to serve more than 29 million active users each month

d.light Secures $300 Million to Expand Solar Financing for Off-Grid Communities in Africa

d.light Secures $300 Million to Expand Solar Financing for Off-Grid Communities in Africa

Solar energy startup d.light has secured over $300 million in new capital to purchase consumer receivables. The Stanford-founded company is set to scale the distribution of solar home systems across underserved areas in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Nigeria. The new funding will support the company’s goal of reaching

Ethiopia’s Remittance Startup Smilepay Launches Global Money Transfer Service

Ethiopia’s Remittance Startup Smilepay Launches Global Money Transfer Service

Smilepay, a digital remittance startup backed by Kazana Group, has officially launched its global money transfer service after securing regulatory approval from the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE). The platform, now live, provides individuals and businesses with a streamlined way to send money to Ethiopia from anywhere in the world.

South African Crypto Startup Momint Shuts Down

South African Crypto Startup Momint Shuts Down

South African Web3 and crypto startup Momint, once seen as a pioneer in the country’s NFT and tokenized asset space, has officially announced it is closing down. The company cited rising operational costs, limited user growth beyond its initial base, and a tough funding environment as the main reasons

Nigeria's Intron Expands Beyond Healthcare to Courts and Call Centers in Africa

Nigeria's Intron Expands Beyond Healthcare to Courts and Call Centers in Africa

Nigerian health tech startup Intron is now expanding into sectors like court transcription and call centers, with live deployments already underway. The startup’s Sahara voice AI suite has outperformed major global platforms, including Google, Microsoft Azure, AWS, and OpenAI, in recognizing African speech patterns. Intron’s technology is actively

Africa’s Fintech Startups Rebound as Early-Stage Funding Recovers in 2025

Africa’s Fintech Startups Rebound as Early-Stage Funding Recovers in 2025

Africa’s fintech sector is showing signs of recovery after a sharp funding decline between 2022 and 2024. Early-stage fintech startups raised $1 billion in the first half of 2025, marking a 40% increase compared to the same period in 2024. This rebound comes after a 52% drop in venture

The Perception Gap: Why Africa’s Startups Struggle to Scale and Win Global Trust

The Perception Gap: Why Africa’s Startups Struggle to Scale and Win Global Trust

Across Africa, a quiet revolution is unfolding. Tech startups once celebrated as disruptors have matured into market-shaping giants with fintech platforms processing billions, drone networks delivering lifesaving medical supplies, and B2B infrastructure firms digitizing entire industries. Yet, despite their growing scale and impact, many of these companies remain overlooked or

Mastercard Partners with Enza to Boost Fintech Payment Solutions in Africa

Mastercard Partners with Enza to Boost Fintech Payment Solutions in Africa

Mastercard has struck a partnership with payment solutions provider enza to unlock faster and easier access to payment services for Africa’s growing fintech sector. The collaboration will give fintech startups across the continent a direct path to Mastercard’s global payment network via the enza platform. This is expected

Zambia’s Caantin Raises $4M to Scale Voice AI for Banks and Fintechs

Zambia’s Caantin Raises $4M to Scale Voice AI for Banks and Fintechs

Zambian startup Caantin is raising $4 million to scale its AI-powered voice infrastructure and expand beyond Africa into new markets, including Latin America. Initially focused on general AI solutions, Caantin pivoted to voice-first call centre automation six months ago. Caantin currently generates nearly $1 million in monthly revenue and projects

Ethiopian Startup Better Auth Raises $5M to Reinvent Authentication Infrastructure

Ethiopian Startup Better Auth Raises $5M to Reinvent Authentication Infrastructure

Ethiopian-founded startup Better Auth has raised $5 million in seed funding to advance its open-source authentication platform. The company, founded by Bereket Engida and Kinfe Michael Tariku, is focused on enabling developers to build and own their authentication systems without relying on expensive, centralized platforms. The startup’s flagship product

Shoptreo Secures New Funding to Expand Nigeria’s Artisanal Exports

Shoptreo Secures New Funding to Expand Nigeria’s Artisanal Exports

Nigerian e-commerce startup Shoptreo has raised fresh funding to scale its operations and boost global access to locally made artisanal products. While the exact amount remains undisclosed, the round was led by early-stage investor Rebel Seed Capital, which typically backs startups with investments between $10,000 and $50,000. Shoptreo

Kenya’s BURN Secures $80 Million to Scale Clean Cooking Solutions in Mozambique, DRC, and Zambia

Kenya’s BURN Secures $80 Million to Scale Clean Cooking Solutions in Mozambique, DRC, and Zambia

Kenyan clean cookstove manufacturer BURN has raised Sh10.4 billion ($80 million) in financing from the Trade and Development Bank (TDB) Group to support the expansion of clean cooking solutions in Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Zambia. The funding package, a combination of debt and results-based financing,

PaidHR Secures $1.8M to Expand Payroll and HR Solutions Across Africa

PaidHR Secures $1.8M to Expand Payroll and HR Solutions Across Africa

Lagos-based HR-tech startup PaidHR has raised $1.8 million in seed funding to build a comprehensive salary, benefits, and payments ecosystem for African businesses. The round was led by Accion Venture Lab, with participation from Zrosk, Chui Ventures, and Zedcrest Capital. Founded in 2020 by CEO Seye Bandele and CTO

South African Government Unveils B2C and B2B Platforms to Boost Local Trade

South African Government Unveils B2C and B2B Platforms to Boost Local Trade

Proudly South African (Proudly SA) is set to launch two e-commerce platforms aimed at strengthening the local economy and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Developed in partnership with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), the platforms Shop Proudly SA and the Market Access Platform (MAP) will officially

Google’s AI Accelerator Taps Innovators from Three East African Nations

Google’s AI Accelerator Taps Innovators from Three East African Nations

Google has announced the selection of 15 startups for the ninth cohort of its Google for Startups Accelerator: Africa program. The companies, chosen from over 1,500 applicants across the continent, are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to address pressing challenges in sectors such as logistics, agriculture, healthcare, compliance, and finance.

Young African Innovators Shine at AYuTe NextGen 2025

Young African Innovators Shine at AYuTe NextGen 2025

Four young agricultural technology entrepreneurs have been named winners of the AYuTe NextGen 2025 competition, a platform aimed at advancing youth-led solutions in African agriculture. The competition, which drew over 100 applicants from 10 African countries, focused on scaling innovations that benefit smallholder farmers. Finalists competed in two key categories: