The Dakar Network Angels network launched this month, making its first investment in francophone Africa to cleantech venture Coliba. The Ivorian startup—that uses a mobile app to coordinate waste recycling—will receive mentorship and a minimum of $25K in seed funds. The deal is part of Dakar Network Angels’ mission of convening experts and capital to […]
View More Dakar Network Angels begins startup investments in francophone AfricaCategory: Rocket Internet
Passbase is building a full stack identity engine with privacy baked in
Digital identity startup Passbase has bagged $600k in pre-seed funding led by a group of business angel investors from Alphabet, Stanford, Kleiner Perkins, EY; as well as seed fund investment from Chicago-based Upheaval Investments and Seedcamp. The 2018-founded Silicon Valley-based startup — whose co-founder we chatted to briefly on camera at Disrupt Berlin — is […]
View More Passbase is building a full stack identity engine with privacy baked inAfrican e-commerce startup Jumia files for IPO on NYSE
Pan-African e-commerce company Jumia filed for an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange today per SEC documents and confirmation from CEO Sacha Poignonnec to TechCrunch. The valuation, share price, and timeline for public stock sales will be determined over the coming weeks for the Nigeria headquartered company. With a smooth filing process, Jumia will […]
View More African e-commerce startup Jumia files for IPO on NYSENigeria’s Gloo.ng drops consumer e-commerce, pivots to e-procurement
Nigerian startup Gloo.ng is dropping consumer online retail and pivoting to B2B e-procurement with Gloopro as its new name. The Lagos based venture has called it quits on e-commerce grocery services, shifting to a product that supplies large and medium corporates with everything from desks to toilet paper. Gloopro’s new platform will generate revenues on […]
View More Nigeria’s Gloo.ng drops consumer e-commerce, pivots to e-procurementOn-demand logistics startup Lalamove raises $300M for Asia growth and becomes a unicorn
Lalamove, a Hong Kong-based on-demand logistics startup, has closed a $300 million Series D round as it seeks expansion across Asia. In doing so, the company has officially entered the unicorn club. Founded in 2013 by Stanford graduate Shing Chow, Lalamove provides logistics and delivery services in a similar style to ride-hailing apps like Uber […]
View More On-demand logistics startup Lalamove raises $300M for Asia growth and becomes a unicornGrab raises $200M from Thailand-based retail conglomerate Central Group
Grab’s fundraising push continues unabated after the Southeast Asian ride-hailing firm announced that it has raised $200 million from Central Group, a retail conglomerate based in Thailand. Central’s business covers restaurants, hotels and more than 30 malls in Thailand, while it has operations in markets that include Vietnam and Indonesia. Its public-listed holding companies alone are worth more […]
View More Grab raises $200M from Thailand-based retail conglomerate Central GroupIn emerging markets there are no copycats, just budding entrepreneurs
Every year I teach an MBA course at Stanford about the exciting opportunities for tech investors and entrepreneurs in developing economies.
View More In emerging markets there are no copycats, just budding entrepreneursLazada, Alibaba’s Southeast Asia e-commerce business, gets a new CEO
Alibaba has reshuffled the leadership at Lazada, its e-commerce firm in Southeast Asia, after CEO Lucy Peng — an original Alibaba co-founder — stepped down to be replaced by Lazada executive president Pierre Poignant after just nine months in the role. Alibaba owns more than 90 percent of Lazada but it has been involved in the business […]
View More Lazada, Alibaba’s Southeast Asia e-commerce business, gets a new CEOEasyship, a Stripe for global e-commerce shipping, raises $4M
Easyship, a Hong Kong-based startup that aims to make international shipping for e-commerce as easy as payments, has closed a $4 million Series A round. The company was founded in 2015 by former Lazada duo Tommaso Tamburnotti and Augustin Ceyrac, and ex-banker Paul Lugagne Delpon. From their time with Lazada, the then-Rocket Internet -owned e-commerce site […]
View More Easyship, a Stripe for global e-commerce shipping, raises $4MLatin America is the next stage in the race for dominance in the ride-hailing market
Nathan Lustig Contributor Nathan Lustig is an entrepreneur and managing partner at Magma Partners, a seed-stage investment fund in Santiago, Chile. More posts by this contributor Latin America’s Groupon Mafia A new era for startup investing in Latin America As the number of competitors in the ride-hailing industry dwindles, geographic expansion is emerging as the […]
View More Latin America is the next stage in the race for dominance in the ride-hailing marketKorean hotel firm Yanolja moves into Southeast Asia with $15M investment in Zen Rooms
Zen Rooms, the budget hotel network startup founded by Rocket Internet, had faced the deadpool earlier this year after a prospective funding deal collapsed, but now the business appears to have found a home. Korea’s Yanolja, a popular motel brand that has branched out into app-based hotel bookings, has made a strategic investment that could see it […]
View More Korean hotel firm Yanolja moves into Southeast Asia with $15M investment in Zen RoomsMallforAfrica and DHL launch MarketPlace Africa global e-commerce site
Jake Bright Contributor Jake Bright is a writer and author in New York City. He is co-author of The Next Africa. More posts by this contributor Nigerian logistics startup Kobo360 accepted into YC, raises $1.2 million Breaking down France’s new $76M Africa startup fund MallforAfrica and DHL are giving African merchants a global stage. This week […]
View More MallforAfrica and DHL launch MarketPlace Africa global e-commerce site