Startups across Africa raised over $345 million in May 2025, marking more than double the amount raised during the same month last year, according to a report by research firm Briter. Despite the surge in capital, the number of deals and participating startups fell. Fintech emerged as the leading sector,

Kenyan solar energy startup Solar Panda has entered the Southern African market through the acquisition of Vitalite Zambia Limited. The deal adds over 100,000 new customers to Solar Panda’s existing base, significantly boosting its presence in Africa, which previously included operations in Kenya and Senegal. “This acquisition represents

Startups in Kampala are being encouraged to integrate intellectual property (IP) protections into their business models from the outset, as a key strategy to safeguard innovation and attract investment. This message was central at the Intellectual Property Awareness Clinic held at the National ICT Innovation Hub, a gathering that brought

Meta has launched the Llama Impact Accelerator, a startup-focused program aimed at strengthening open-source AI innovation across Sub-Saharan Africa. Targeting early-stage ventures, the initiative will support the development of AI tools that address the region’s most urgent socio-economic challenges, including agriculture, health, education, and public service delivery. Meta is

Salus Cloud, an AI-native DevOps startup founded in 2024 by Andrew Mori, has raised $3.7 million in seed funding to scale its platform across Africa, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. “We built Salus so a fintech can focus on loans, an e-commerce company on logistics, not

Kenyan agri-tech startup Twiga Foods has temporarily suspended its Nairobi operations for two months as part of what it calls the “final stage” of a business transformation aimed at reshaping its role in the country's retail ecosystem. Twiga is using the break to relocate from its current hub

Ten Kenyan startups have secured a spot in the regional finals of the prestigious Startup World Cup. The competition, held during the Kenya Startup Festival and organized by the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA), attracted over 160 applicants from across the country. The Startup World Cup, organized by Pegasus Tech

Ethiopian food delivery startup beU has recorded May as its first profitable month after nearly four years of operation. The company, which launched in June 2021, has invested $4 million in infrastructure and operations to establish itself as a dominant player in Ethiopia’s competitive on-demand delivery sector. With an

The Finance Bill 2025 has proposed significant tax reforms that could reshape Kenya’s startup landscape, including the removal of deferred taxation on Employee Share Ownership Plans (ESOPs). If passed, employees will now be taxed when their shares vest, rather than when they sell them, a move critics say could

Kenya attracted Ksh82.5 billion (USD 634 million) in startup funding in 2024, reaffirming its position as Africa’s top destination for venture capital, according to the Kenya Innovation Outlook 2024 report. This accounted for 29% of all startup capital raised across the continent, ahead of Nigeria, Egypt, and South

Ethiopia’s Council of Ministers has unanimously endorsed a long-delayed Startup Proclamation, setting the stage for a significant policy shift aimed at formalizing and boosting the country's emerging tech startup ecosystem. The draft law outlines a framework tailored to early-stage, tech-driven businesses. It offers targeted incentives such as

Climate technology startup Tera, based in Kisumu, has become the first African project developer to secure independent validation on the France-based Riverse carbon registry. Founded in 2024, Tera uses sugarcane bagasse, a fibrous byproduct of sugar production, to produce biochar, a substance that stores carbon and enhances soil fertility. The

Latin American payments giant dLocal has announced plans to acquire AZA Finance, a Nairobi-based cross-border payments startup, although the acquisition remains subject to regulatory approvals. The two companies initially partnered in February to co-expand their offerings through cross-selling. Now, dLocal, which is valued at over $5 billion and headquartered in

Nigerian fintech Moniepoint is poised to expand into Kenya’s financial sector following regulatory clearance for its proposed acquisition of a 78% stake in Sumac Microfinance Bank. The green light from the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) positions Moniepoint for a strategic entry into East Africa’s high-growth digital finance

Pan-African telecom operator AXIAN Telecom has acquired an 8% minority stake in Jumia, the e-commerce platform. The stake acquisition was disclosed through a Schedule 13D filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. AXIAN Telecom, which operates across several African markets, described the investment as part of its broader

An Ethiopian technology startup, MyCharge Technology PLC, has unveiled a new power bank rental and sharing service aimed at creating an on-demand mobile charging infrastructure in Addis Ababa. Users can rent power banks from more than 60 stations across the city after registering on the app. The power banks can

Lagos-based fintech startup Fincra has received approval from the Bank of Tanzania to operate as a licensed payment service provider, marking a major step in its expansion across Africa. The licence allows Fincra to offer its suite of financial infrastructure products, including virtual accounts, payment APIs, payment links, and checkout

A startup co-founded by students from Uganda’s Makerere University, alongside peers from UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University in the U.S., is developing an affordable home-based diagnostic tool to detect preeclampsia, a life-threatening pregnancy complication. The company, Kalia Health, emerged from a university classroom project and is now gaining

Addis Ababa-based startup Beemi has raised an undisclosed amount in seed funding from Renew Capital to expand its mobile-first livestreaming platform across Africa. The investment will help the company scale its interactive features, strengthen creator monetization tools, and build strategic partnerships with content creators and brands. Founded in 2023 by

Wingu Africa, East Africa’s first carrier-neutral data centre operator, has secured $60 million in funding from Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) to scale its operations and strengthen digital infrastructure across the region. The funding comes amid rising demand for secure and interconnected digital services driven by cloud adoption, enterprise digitalization,

Cardano has officially launched the CV Labs Cardano Accelerator, a 10-week startup program aimed at advancing blockchain solutions built on its ecosystem. Hosted in Switzerland, the accelerator features nine early-stage ventures, two of which are focused on addressing key challenges in Africa. The program is designed to help startups go