In the news

Right from the launch of its first product in 2020, Kenyan insurtech Lami Technologies set out to increase insurance penetration in Kenya and the rest of Africa. It began on this path by building and distributing an end-to-end digital insurance platform and API that allowed businesses in different sectors to create tailored insurance solutions for their customers.

Startup-focused news and research company Disrupt Africa will next month release its Nigerian Startup Ecosystem Report 2022, providing readers with a deep-dive into the country’s tech startup landscape.

Right from the launch of its first product in 2020, Kenyan insurtech Lami Technologies set out to increase insurance penetration in Kenya and the rest of Africa. It began on this path by building and distributing an end-to-end digital insurance platform and API that allowed businesses in different sectors to create tailored insurance solutions for their customers.

E-commerce across Latin America exploded in the past two years, but against an infrastructure that wasn’t prepared for all of that activity. During this time, startups have taken up the challenge to bolster the infrastructure needed for packages to get to their end destination quickly and cheaper.

Founded in 2017 by Rasha Rady and Doaa Aref, Chefaa is an e-pharmacy platform that provides an end-to-end healthcare experience. The startup offers compliant, ethical and patient-centric services to users through several services, including its main platform and an app.

The undisclosed amount of funding comes from Newtown Partners and Global Brain, as well as GMS Capital Partners, and will be used by Chefaa to further expand its network and launch in new markets.

Haulio, Southeast Asia’s fastest growing digital container haulage platform, announced that it has raised US$7 million in a Series A funding round. The company will use the funds to drive stronger haulage capabilities, enhance service quality, elevate product engineering and development, reinforce talent acquisition and scale Haulio’s continued regional growth.

The funding round was led by Temasek unit Heliconia Capital with participation from new and existing investors across the globe including Singapore. Among the new investors were Ondine Capital (China), Cornerstone Ventures (Taiwan), FuturePlay (South Korea), Newtown Partners via the Imperial Venture Fund (South Africa), and corporate executives from XA Network.

While crypto assets will continue to dominate the headlines, these VCs have laid a solid foundation for growing businesses that will transform society.

Newtown Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm that actively invests in emerging, disruptive technology startup businesses. Founded and run by internationally successful entrepreneurs, Vinny Lingham and Llew Claasen, the company investment strategy has an entrepreneurial focus that goes beyond investment.

Imperial announced an investment in and partnership with Lori Systems to expand its cutting-edge e-logistics technology solutions across Africa. This strategic partnership is the first of its kind at this scale and scope on the African continent. Lori Systems is the leading e-logistics platform in Africa and seamlessly coordinates haulage in frontier markets. The Imperial Venture Fund, managed by Newtown Partners – a US venture capital firm – recently concluded an investment in Lori Systems to support its growth in East and West Africa.

Nigerian startup Field Intelligence has announced that it has closed a $3.6-million Series-A funding round to fund the further roll-out of its product Shelf Life, a supply chain finance platform for pharmacies in Africa. The round was led by Blue Haven Initiative, with investors including Newtown Partners via the Imperial Venture Fund and Accion Venture Lab.

Imperial, has partnered with venture capital firm Newtown Partners to launch a corporate venture capital fund who is looking into disruptive start-ups in the logistics industry, they have introduced an initial investment of $20 million. Joining CNBC Africa for more is Mohammed Akoojee, CEO of Imperial and Llew Claasen, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Newtown Partners.

Pandor extends her thanks to Vinny Lingham and Llew Claasen’s Newtown Partners, which has exited SweepSouth in this round of funding with a more than 10x return on their original investment since coming on board.

Newtown Partners and LionPride Investment Holdings on Friday 1 April announced plans to raise R500 million for a co-managed section 12J Technology Investment fund at the 12J Marketplace Conference.

South African online marketplace SA Florist has rebranded to Bloomable, with the aim to redefine itself in the market and expand its focus beyond flowers. Newly appointed MD, Melissa Cumming says, “People think we’re a florist, but we’re not. We’ve been dubbed ‘Uber for florists’ in the past, which is a good way to explain what we do.”

Llew Claasen and Vinny Lingham speak about their decision to invest in Augmentors, and the future possibilities of augmented reality technology in an article published on VentureBurn.

Senior Partner James Kilroe, and Blockchain Analyst Seamus Hennessy, discuss how DApps have struggled to achieve adoption and how they can overcome this in an opinion piece published on Bitcoin Magazine.

Business Insider South Africa interviewed Michael Deon and Kyle Haffenden at Comic Con Africa, they discussed the soft-launch, the token sale all the work it’s taken to get the game where it is today.

In a solar initiative approved by the Ugandan Government and the Ugandan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Dala has partnered with CleanPath Emerging Markets Uganda (CP-EM Uganda) who are developing a  gigawatt-scale solar program for Uganda to create a blockchain-enabled clean energy economy.

Augmentors CEO, Gert Kruger, discusses why indie games are important for the growth of the gaming industry as a whole in an opinion piece published on GearBurn.

Dala has officially announced a new multi-chain strategy that will include Stellar, the technology behind the seventh largest cryptocurrency (lumens) by market cap. Dala is looking to create the most decentralized financial system available by bringing together top blockchains and protocols.

Brainstorm magazine sat down with the co-founders of Augmentors – Michael Deon and Kyle Haffenden – and the CEO, Gert Kruger, to unwrap their story, their statistics and their successes.

CoinDesk exclusively reveals the statistics of Wala, proving that a little ingenuity and an effective embrace of a nascent technology can make cryptocurrency a better payment mechanism than any of the traditional options many citizens of African nations currently have.

CryptBriefing.com lists Augmentors among the 6 best blockchain games and why they will get better. Other games mentioned include CryptoKitties and Magic Academy.

Technology and financial services, combined, have the power and the potential to eradicate endemic financial exclusion, a blight that still affects 3.5 billion people worldwide. That potential will only be realized when fintech startups moving with creative agility to meet consumer needs, combine forces. And that is what Wala and FINCA want to do.

The startup has already sold $33m in Civic tokens (CVC) – eight days before the official offering was to take place. “We don’t want the vanity headlines, where it all happens in pre-sales and behind the scenes…

The Civic token sale is the latest successful token sale to launch and raise $ Millions within hours but the structure is radically different from any before it. It showed thought, intent and transparency…

SweepSouth, a Cape Town-based start-up company that uses technology to provide on-demand and regular home cleaning, has concluded its Series A financing round…

When original creator Michael Deon and his partner Kyle Haffenden pitched their concept on Shark Tank South Africa for the first blockchain-based augmented reality (AR) mobile game…

Bitcoin’s oldest trade organization has voted in a new executive director. Weeks after outgoing executive director Bruce Fenton notified the board his term was nearing conclusion, the Bitcoin Foundation has named Llew Claasen to the position…

Bitcoin Foundation board member Vinny Lingham has announced that he has stepped down as CEO of the popular mobile gift card service Gyft to pursue a new business venture. Based in Palo Alto, Civic has already…

For bringing online flower power. The ramifications of SA Florist’s business go further than one may think. Aside from being an online platform for ordering flowers…

Newtown Partners portfolio company SweepSouth is the first South African startup to be accepted into the 500 Startup accelerator program in Silicon Valley…

Digital marketing agency Clicks2Customers, founded by Llew Claasen and Vinny Lingham, merges with DQ&A of The Netherlands to form an agency with R1.5 billion in global annual billings…

Vinny Lingham selected as one of the investors for the first season of South African version of Dragon’s Den Angel investment reality TV show…