Seven women-led startups are among the twelve ventures selected for the 2025 Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship cohort, a program run by Nairobi-based incubator iHUB. Launched in 2023, the Fellowship supports early-stage education technology startups through a combination of equity-free funding, mentorship, and business development support. This marks the first time

Conduit, a fintech startup focused on transforming cross-border payments through Stablecoin technology, has secured $36 million in Series A funding to fuel its expansion across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The round was co-led by Dragonfly and Altos Ventures, with additional backing from Sound Ventures, Commerce Ventures, DCG, Circle Ventures,

Tanzanian fintech startup Mixx by Yas has announced a strategic partnership with UBX and the Savings and Credit Cooperative Union of Tanzania (SCCULT) to digitize financial services for SACCO (Savings and Credit Cooperative) members across the country. Under the agreement, Mixx by Yas will serve as the exclusive digital payments

Kenya’s electric mobility landscape has received a significant boost with a $5 million investment in ARC Ride, a local startup offering battery-as-a-service (BaaS) solutions for electric two-wheelers. The financing, led by British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution, is set to accelerate the rollout of 5,

COREangels MEA, a regional investment network, has unveiled a $10 million fund aimed at bolstering early-stage tech startups across the Middle East and Africa. The initiative, developed in collaboration with PTS Holdings and the Arab Academy for Science, targets startups with a strong focus on financial technology. The fund was

Kenya’s Medbook has been named one of Bloomberg’s “25 African Startups to Watch in 2025,” spotlighting its growing role in reshaping healthcare delivery through artificial intelligence and localized digital tools. Co-founded by Dr. Polly Okello, a pediatric nephrologist, alongside Chris Maranga and Sieka Gatabaki, Medbook offers a digital

Kenya’s startup ecosystem has climbed to the 58th place globally in the latest Startup Blink report, reclaiming its position as Africa’s second-leading hub after three years at third. The country outpaces all African peers except South Africa, continuing to dominate the East African region with a startup score

Safaricom is betting big on artificial intelligence, unveiling a $500 million investment to build AI infrastructure across East Africa over the next three years. At the Connected Africa Summit 2025 in Diani, Safaricom’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Cynthia Kropac, outlined the company’s vision for an AI-driven economy built

Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink, is rapidly expanding internet access across Sub-Saharan Africa, but Kenya has experienced the steepest drop in Starlink speeds on the continent, according to Speedtest Intelligence data for Q1 2025. Since its mid-2023 launch in Kenya, Starlink quickly gained popularity, especially in rural and

Ghana, Rwanda, and Singapore have launched a digital payments system to simplify and lower the cost of cross-border money transfers across Africa. The initiative, dubbed the Next-Gen Digital Payment Infrastructure, was previously known as Project 54. It is a collaboration between the Bank of Ghana, the National Bank of Rwanda,

Tanzania has restricted access to the social media platform X following a cyberattack on government accounts. The internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported on Tuesday that major Tanzanian internet service providers, including Halotel, Airtel, Liquid Telecom, Habari Node, and Vodacom, blocked access to X shortly after the Tanzania Police Force’s

Kenyan buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) startup Watu Holdings has reported a significant 84% decline in profit, dropping to $1.2 million (KES 157 million) in 2024, according to financial disclosures by Car & General, which holds a 29% stake in the company. This contrasts sharply with the $7.6 million (KES 985

Wingu, East Africa’s first carrier-neutral data centre operator, has joined forces with the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute (EAII) to foster a thriving AI startup ecosystem in the country. The collaboration aims to accelerate innovation by identifying and supporting promising AI startups that demonstrate potential for growth and alignment with

Africa’s B2B e-commerce sector has moved closer to greater integration as MaxAB-Wasoko, the continent’s largest retail and supply chain super app, has acquired Fatura, a prominent Egyptian B2B e-marketplace. The acquisition was completed with EFG Finance and as part of the deal, EFG secures a substantial equity stake

A Kenyan student-led startup, Signvrse, has broken into the global tech scene after securing a top-three finish at the 2025 Microsoft Imagine Cup, one of the world’s most competitive platforms for student innovation. Signvrse is the brainchild of four students; Anthony Marugu, Branice Kazira, Gheida Abdala Al Mashjery, and

Kenyan digital mobility firm BuuPass has been honoured by International Explorer, a leading global travel and tourism authority, as Africa's most innovative online travel booking solution. The award recognizes the company's efforts in streamlining and digitalizing travel across Africa, particularly by addressing long-standing issues in the

Qualcomm Incorporated has unveiled the 10 startups selected for its 2025 Make in Africa cohort, with Kenya emerging as a key player in this year’s lineup. The program, now in its third year, is part of the broader Qualcomm Africa Innovation Platform, which aims to nurture Africa’s deep-tech

Ride-hailing company Bolt introduced a new flight tracking service aimed at improving the experience for customers scheduling airport pickups. The new feature allows users to link their flight information directly to their ride booking for smoother coordination and reduced wait times. The service automatically adjusts the pick-up time if a

Twiga Foods, a Kenyan B2B e-commerce company, is overhauling its business model by acquiring controlling stakes in three local FMCG distributors—Jumra, Sojpar, and Raisons. The move marks a pivot from Twiga’s earlier capital-heavy approach, where it managed its own farms, delivery fleet, and supply chains. The company is

High-potential startups in Rwanda have a fresh shot at securing non-dilutive funding as the third cohort of the develoPPP Ventures programme officially opens applications. Spearheaded by DEG Impulse GmbH, in partnership with VC4A and Impact Hub Kigali, the initiative continues its focus on supporting businesses that advance sustainable economic, social,

Moroccan web hosting firm Nindohost is extending its footprint across the continent, launching operations in 13 African countries. With nearly 20 years of experience in Morocco’s digital ecosystem, Nindohost will now offer cloud hosting and cybersecurity services in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’

Kenya's ICT Authority (ICTA) has shortlisted 130 Kenyan technology startups as investment-ready, ahead of the Connected Africa Summit set to take place later this month. The startups were selected from a pool of 250 applicants registered under the Huduma Whitebox Programme, a joint initiative by ICTA and the