| Join innovators, thought leaders, founders, investors, policymakers from across South-South/South-East (and from the wider Nigerian Startup/Tech Ecosystem) in Uyo (South-South Nigeria) as the two regions meet to network, have startup & tech conversations and have fun. With over 60 parallel sessions (spread over 4 days) and over 5,000 participants, #StartupSouth is reputed as the biggest Startup/Entrepreneurship conference in the South-South/South-East. Attending the conference is free but registration is required. Register to attend here. There’s an opportunity for exhibitors here. |
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| In case you missed it, Uber has finally launched its boat services in Lagos months after announcing plans to expand its service offering in Africa. The service, UberBOAT, is being operated in conjunction with the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA). The launch kicks off with a two-week pilot comprising a 2-boat fleet that will ferry users to and from the Ikorodu Ferry Terminal on the mainland and Five Cowries Terminal on the island. The launch of the service is Uber’s first foray into boat transport in sub-Saharan Africa. |
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| RiseUp, a Cairo-based platform that connects startups to resources, has acquired Middle East and North Africa (MENA) focused online startup community StarterHub for an undisclosed sum. Founded in August by Amr Hussein, its 2,000 strong group hosts discussions on investment, strategies, tools, legalities and ecosystem news, among other topics. The acquisition is said to potentially open up a large entrepreneurship network, business resources, events, as well as mentorship sessions. In August, RiseUp acquired MENA-focused tech publication Menabytes, including trackMENA, a data platform that tracks startups, investments and related events in the ecosystem, for an undisclosed amount. |
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| TechCabal is putting together a map of the African renewable energy industry. If you have a renewable energy startup or you are a technology company doing significant work in the industry we would like to hear from you. Please fill out this form, it’ll only take a few minutes. |
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| The premise of the #JollofRoad trip our friends at Zikoko have undertaken is to explore the culture of countries in West Africa in its entirety and to document these findings on the go in film, images and stories. 14 countries, 80 days, and a team of five. The team is currently in Cote d’ Ivoire and here’s one thing it shares in common with Nigeria – Biafra, only that this time, it is an actual location in Abidjan and Fu’ad went looking for some backstory about how this place came to be. Visit jollofroad.com every day to catch up on all the stories from the road! |
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| Global early-stage startup competition, Seedstars World, is coming to Mauritius. In partnership with Turbine and Africa Leadership University, Seedstars will host its first pitch event in the East African nation on October 17 following training sessions for startups selected to be a part of the first cohort. Seedstars is inviting startups that have raised less than USD$500,000 in funding, built a minimum viable product, ideally with existing traction and the potential for regional and global scalability. Here’s a link to apply to be selected. |
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| Looking for avenues or activities to connect with tech communities around you? Here is a list of events happening this week in Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zimbabwe. |
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| Kenya’s Safaricom has reportedly changed the logo of its mobile money platform M-PESA in honour of Kenyan marathoner Eliud Kipchoge who made history this weekend by completing a 42km marathon in under two hours. The new logo has the five letters spelling Kipchoge’s first name, “Eliud” and the numbers “1:59”. Kipchoge completed the race in one hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds. On Saturday October 12, Safaricom offered free internet services to Kenyans to livestream the race. More than 3 million Kenyans signed up to watch the race live. The new logo of Kipchoge who is a Safaricom ambassador will stay for 7days in honour and support of the athlete before reverting to the original logo. |
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| Malawian healthtech startup and social enterprise Ocliya has won this year’s Seedstars Lilongwe pitching competition. Ocliya beat Mbera Enteprise, Cross Africa Tech, 365 Energy, Afrineur, Angle Dimension, Maziko Fintex, Aid Your Community Consultancy and Elior Health Systems to first and will now represent Malawi at the Seedstars Africa Summit in Johannesburg this December. Ocliya provides a range of physiotherapy services and links patients to different health personnel. |
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| The 4th edition of the Nigeria Fintech Week holds from October 28 to November 1, 2019. The conference will present numerous opportunities for fintech startups to get access to global funding and uncover Nigerian fund sources. Learn more here. Secure your seat by registering on the website or send your inquiries to enquiries@nigeriafintechweek.org. |
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That’s it for today,
Have a productive week!
– Kay
Remember to share TC Daily with your friends!
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