Hardware Incubator, Savant, Set To Launch Venture Fund
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| Uber or Taxify? Which do you prefer when moving around Lagos? Take a moment to answer our survey, and let your voice be heard. It’ll take you less than a minute. We promise. We’ll send you results of the survey after it closes. |
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| South African cryptocurrency firm Coindirect has raised about US$ 1.1 million in an investment round led by Concentric, with participation from Blockchain.com and MakerDAO. The end-to-end cryptocurrency platform allows customers to trade cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum using their own local currency in the emerging markets. |
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Cape Town-based hardware incubator Savant, has announced it will launch its own venture fund after raising US$7.8 million from the SA SME Fund. The Savant Venture Fund will invest primarily in pre-revenue, market ready hardware technology companies with IP-driven competitive advantage, and local and international market opportunities. Since launching in 2005, Savant has worked with companies like Leatt Corp and Snuza, which have scaled operations across the globe.
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| The Kenyan government is trying to build a database and are asking citizens for their DNA samples among other things. The plan has alarmed digital advocates and civil libertarians who say it raises questions over human rights, ethics, and possible breaches of privacy. This Quartz article explains more. |
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Long-serving Telkom chairman Jabu Mabuza, is stepping down from the JSE-listed telecommunications board at the end of May, more than seven years after he assumed the role. He will also step down as an independent non-executive director. Sello Moloko, currently an independent non-executive director, will assume the position from June 1, a statement form the company has said.
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| Applications are now open for the Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020. Applications are welcome from across the African continent from January 30 till May 30. Originally focused on energy, the Prize has broadened its scope to find solutions that address global sustainability priorities. Interested? Apply here. |
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| Chief Executive Officer of MTN Irancell, Alireza Ghalambor Dezfouli, is set to retire after spending a little over a decade at the telecommunications company. MTN said in a statement on Thursday that he will be replaced by Bijan Abbasi Arand. |
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| South Africa’s national roads agency, SANRAL, and Smart Road Technologies have established a think tank, Technical Innovation Hub (TIH) in Cape Town. The [digital] space will allow young intellectuals to be mentored by senior professional engineers on how to use technology to improve transport and road user technology. |
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| A Gartner, Inc report says global sales of smartphones to end users stalled in the fourth quarter of 2018, totaling 408.4 million units— a growth of just 0.1 per cent over the fourth quarter of 2017. Apple recorded its worst quarterly decline (11.8 per cent) since the first quarter of 2016, |
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– Kay.
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