Google has announced the launch of a $50 million “Africa Investment Fund,” which will be invested in African startups. The tech giant made its plans known at a virtual event, where CEO Sundar Pichai announced its intentions to commit $1 billion over the next five years in tech-led initiatives on the continent. Chosen companies will also be provided access to Google’s employees, network, and technologies to help them build products. In three years, the accelerator program has supported more than 80 startups in seed to Series A stages, providing equity-free mentorship and
Google for Startups has announced the next 50 recipients of its Black Founders Fund, unveiling the next slate of trailblazers who will be receiving $100,000 in non-dilutive funding. This is the second batch the giant tech firm has supported. All 126 of them hail from all over the United States, including Georgia, Texas, New York, Alabama, California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida, Hawaii, and Missouri. Last year, Google for Startups gave 76 Black-led startups up to $100,000 in non-dilutive funding – meaning founders did not give up any ownership in their company in exchange for
Nigeria’s one-click checkout platform OurPass has raised $1Million during its pre-seed round to help it scale its business across the country. The West Africa e-commerce market is still heavily reliant on cash on delivery, according to a recent survey conducted by Jumia. As of 2019, 70% of Nigerians said they prefer cash on delivery options to make online payments. But for those who do try to buy online – yearly, about 75% of shopping carts are abandoned because of how difficult the checkout experience can be with long forms and
