Category: STARTUPS

Banks remains top cybercrime targets globally

Dianne Jacobs
Cybersecurity

As digital technology develops, the business organizations continue to experience more transformations and disruptions exposing themselves to more opportunities and threats. Attacks against the finance industry are becoming increasingly sophisticated and highly targeted. The economic crime has as well gone digital as every sector of commerce digitalizes. According to a U.S. cybersecurity report released by IBM, the financial-services industry ranked third in number of cyberattacks in 2015, after health care and manufacturing. Reports also indicate that there were 2.46 million cyber incidents and 2.11 million victims of cyber crime in…

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American Startup wants disrupt traditional insurance models using smart tech

Editor

Mobile technology continues to smart its way into every service available, Insurance insutry is yet to be disrupted. The on-demand economy, which uses smartphone technology to immediately fill consumer needs, has changed the way people order food, a car, or a place to stay. Now, technology start-ups are targeting the next business frontier – insurance – offering coverage with the swipe of an app. Trov, a San Francisco Bay Area firm that provides smartphone-based on-demand insurance for individual assets, like computers or cameras, for any duration, launched in the UK…

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U.S. tech look to Africa for developers

Andela

Tech companies founded in the United States are setting up software development centers in Nigeria and Kenya, where a number of young developers has led to growing tech communities. Microsoft has launched its Microsoft 4 Afrika initiative, aiming to help empower African youth, entrepreneurs, developers and others to make their ideas a reality. Steve Case, the AOL founder, and his wife Jean, Generation Investment Management and Sir Richard Branson have provided $19 million to Kenyan pay-as-you-go energy start-up M-KOPA Solar. Andela, which has attracted $24 million of funding from a scheme led by…

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European Union privacy officials asks Facebook told to stop exploiting WhatsApp data

WhatsApp launches end-to-end encryption on messages for all its users

European Union privacy chiefs said Facebook must stop processing user data from its WhatsApp messaging service while they are investigating the privacy policy changes the company announced in August. The Article 29 Working Party, made up of privacy chiefs from across the 28-nation EU, told Facebook it had “serious concerns” about the sharing of WhatsApp users’ data for purposes that were not included in the terms of service and privacy policy when existing users signed up to the service, according to a statement e-mailed on Friday. European privacy watchdogs don’t…

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Can Blockchain Technology improve digital piracy in Africa?

The digital content market has rapidly become less regional for piracy not to be prevented, even in parts of Africa where the distribution in such format is maturing. Globally there’s been a shift from traditional media and content industries to new digital media technologies. This has changed the distribution and consumption of creative content with the emergence of new digital platforms like Netflix and iROKOtv. “In Africa, there is a demand for US and European content, and when distribution rights don’t keep up with demands, it fuels piracy,” says G-J…

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Second 7000 USD Seed Funding for STEM Initiatives announced by Miss.Africa

Staff Writer

The Miss.Africa initiative from DotConnectAfrica Trust has announced a second offering for its annual Seed Fund  for Tech initiatives in Africa led and founded by Women. In the first round, the Miss.Africa Seed Fund, a sum of Seven Thousand United Stated Dollars (USD 7000) received an overwhelming number of applications of over 90 applicants from more than 18 Countries in Africa across the African continent and anticipates a big turn of applications for the 2016 phase. As statement on the announcement by Sophia Bekele CEO and Founder DotConnectAfrica Group noted that…

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QnA: Five critical questions, How industry experts view development of Internet of Things

Editor
Google

How do industry experts view the development of the Internet of Things, and what would they change? The Internet of Things (IoT) is evolving rapidly. In these short videos, McKinsey’s Michael Chui poses five critical questions about its development to experts ranging from MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito to Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group deputy director Dan Kaufman to Cloudera cofounder and chief strategy officer Mike Olson to O’Reilly Media founder and chief executive officer Tim O’Reilly. An extended and edited transcript of their comments about the development…

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Andela Receives $24 Million From The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

Dianne Jacobs
Andela

Andela announced yesterday that it had banked $24 million in a round that was led by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which is Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan’s fund. Additionally, Andela had also received a new investor, GV( formerly known as Google Ventures, CNN Money reports. Andela is a startup that trains Africa software developers and places them in international companies such as Google and IBM. Currently it has offices in Lagos and in Nairobi. The selection of software developers is rigorous and very selective. Applicants are taken through skills and…

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Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Becomes the 475th City To Get Uber

Dianne Jacobs
Uber Africa launches Uber Cash in partnership with Flutterwave

After beginning operations in Kampala, Uganda and Accra, Ghana. Uber officially launched in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania yesterday. Uber had earlier on announced their intention to expand to three African countries. The launch of operations in Tanzania marked the accomplishment of Uber’s goals. Tanzania becomes the 475th city to get Uber and the 5th African nation to enjoy the Uber services. Uber is celebrating the launch by giving Tanzanians free rides through the code, ‘Move Tanzania’. Tanzanians can enjoy six free rides over the course of three days. Uber’s existence…

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Ghana Is The Next Country To Receive Uber After Uganda

Dianne Jacobs
Uber Africa launches Uber Cash in partnership with Flutterwave

Just a few days after Uber opened operations in Kampala, Uganda, ItNewsAfrica reports that Ghana will be the next country to receive the service. Accra, Ghana’s capital city will join Uber’s growing network in Africa, a good choice since the city boasts a population of 2.27 million people and a thriving economy. The large population will now have access to efficient transport through Uber. Alon Lits, the General Manager for Uber Sub-Saharan Africa said that: “Accra is bustling, connected city that Uber is proud to be launching in. It’s rapid…

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