Startup food delivery Yumi Foods fed another $8M

Yumi foods

Babies have options these days when it comes to what goes in their mouths. No more is it just the standard mush in a jar. Now they have got everything from pouches to organic purees delivered right to their parents’ door and Yumi Foods is one of several startups cashing in. The company has just announced that it raised another $8 million from several of Silicon Valley’s household names, including Allbirds, Warby Parker etc. But it’s a tough and saturated market full of products all vying for mom and dad’s attention, and that’s not…

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Brex Building its Brand using Podcasts and Billboards

Brex

Corporate card and financial product startup Brex is best known as an enabling platform for businesses, with a focus on startups. The three-year-old company, which is reportedly valued at $2.6 billion, initially spread the word about its offerings through word-of-mouth referrals. But that’s quickly changing. As it grows its customer base, Brex is taking a mass market approach to marketing reminiscent of direct-to-consumer startups like SoFi, TransferWise and N26. Since April, it’s been running a biweekly a podcast called Brex in the Black. It’s opened a lounge co-working space for customers in the Bay Area, and last year, it reportedly spent $300,000 on a…

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Green Energy: Is it too late to tame Climate Change?

Airlines

Wind and solar energy have become significant participants in primary energy mix, with the new electric battery storage technology poised to remove the continuity of solar and wind energy to provide uninterrupted day and night, all weather grid supplies. Battery storage combinations of up to 100mw capacities have been achieved. Last month a game-changing solar energy concentration technology was unveiled by Heliogen, a startup company backed by Bill Gates capital. It will concentrate solar energy to a temperature as high as 1,000 degrees Celsius by aligning large mirrors on a…

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Ethena Startup creates a Sexual Harassment Software

Ethena

Ethena, a software startup, is making it easier to customize sexual harassment training for employees. The company is aiming to make the delicate topic of sexual harassment training more engaging and less uncomfortable for both employees and executives. It believes that something as important as sexual harassment training certainly should not be a cookie-cutter experience. Instead, the software, which is currently set to be released in January of the new year, promises to offer a unique educational experience for each employee and one that just might make them look forward…

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Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey will be moving back to Africa for at least 3 months in 2020, new home?

platform hint job Twitter CEO Voice Tweets Gryphon

Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter and mobile payments company Square, tweeted his farewell to Africa on Wednesday, but announced that he would return and temporarily move to the continent for at least three months in 2020. JHe uggested that he may move to Africa for at least three months next year. Sad to be leaving the continent…for now. Africa will define the future (especially the bitcoin one!). Not sure where yet, but I’ll be living here for 3-6 months mid 2020. Grateful I was able to experience a small…

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Uber loses London operating licence due to a pattern of failures

Uber London

The online taxi app platform Uber has ljust ost its licence to operate private hire vehicles in London after authorities found that more than 14,000 trips were taken with uninsured drivers. Transport for London announced the decision not to renew the ride-hailing firm’s licence at the end of a two-month probationary extension granted in September. Uber was told then it needed to address issues with checks on drivers, insurance and safety, but has failed to satisfy the capital’s transport authorities. TfL said on Monday it had identified a “pattern of…

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Miss.Africa Digital program announces the fourth round winners of its prestigious Africa focused seed fund

Miss.Africa Digital program announces the fourth round winners

Miss.Africa Digital, a DCA Digital Academy, pioneering Pan-African program of DotConnectAfrica (DCA) Trust, has published the winners of the fourth prestigious Africa-focused seed fund award. Since its inaugural round, the organization has now covered a total of 12 African nations KampaBits of Uganda a youth based organization that exists to positively change the lives of vulnerable youth in Uganda was the 2019 Grand Prize Winner while BasaliTech, Lesotho and Ace Commmunications, from The Gambia both took the second category prize. The Women-In-Tech seed fund award is now in its fourth…

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West African Market on the radar after Kenya’s Twiga Foods bags $30M Goldman Sachs boost

Kenya’s Twiga Foods has raised a total of $30 million from lenders and investors led by Goldman Sachs. Top American investment bank Goldman Sachs is the latest to acquire a stake in Kenyan start-up Twiga Foods following a Sh2.44 billion ( $23.75 million) deal that will help the agro-based firm spread across the country and Africa. The B2B food distribution company financed $6.25 million of the funding in convertible debt and $23.75 million in equity, classified as a Series B round. IFC, TLcom Capital, and Creadev joined Goldman on the…

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Singapore based Credit scoring fintech company, CredoLab, launches in Kenya

credit scoring fintech company, CredoLab, launched in Kenya

Alternative credit scoring fintech company, CredoLab, launched in Kenya recently is lined to drive financial inclusion by credit scoring more people, especially those who are new to bank and credit. CredoLab announced that it is in negotiations with the large financial institutions, digital banks, credit bureaus, consumer lenders and retail operations in Kenya. Michel Massain, Sales for Europe and Africa at CredoLab says, “With the trend in Kenya of banks shifting from traditional banking halls to digital platforms, our alternative credit scoring technology is perfectly timed to help lenders provide…

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Andela to lay off 400 staff across Africa, confirms $50M in revenue

Andela

Africa-focused tech talent accelerator Andela will cut 400 junior engineers across Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria, Chief executive and co-founder Jeremy Johnson said the move will impact junior engineers as the company focuses on boosting its senior talent. “This shift in demand also means that we now have more junior talent than we are able to place,” he said in a statement. “This is a challenge for the business, and for these junior engineers who want and deserve authentic work experiences that we are not able to provide.” Approximately 250 junior…

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