Author: Staff Writer

Founders Factory Africa, Africa’s most hands-on early-stage tech investor, has seen one of its portfolio companies,  BuuPass, finalise its acquisition of Quickbus, a significant player in the bus ticketing service sector in Nigeria and South Africa. BuuPass is a B2B2C mobility marketplace that enables users to search, compare, and book their tickets through the BuuPass, the Buupass app (available on Apple and Android) and a USSD system that can be used on any mobile phone. Founded in 2016, BuuPass has sold over 6 million travel tickets and generated over $100 million in total value of goods sold. Its current platform…

Google has announced the opening of applications for the 8th cohort of its Google for Startups Accelerator Africa programme. This cohort will have a strong focus on startups leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to address critical challenges and unlock new opportunities across the continent. Startups are the lifeblood of innovation, driving economic growth, creating jobs, and solving some of society’s most pressing challenges. In Africa, digital transformation is accelerating rapidly and startups play a vital role in shaping the continent’s future. from fintech and agritech to healthcare and education. The Google for Startups Accelerator Africa is a…

Phos, the global leader in software point-of-sale (SoftPoS) orchestration for businesses, has partnered with the leading cloud platform for global card processing, Silverflow, to help businesses leverage a best-in-class solution for accepting contactless payments directly to mobile devices.  “This partnership marks a significant step forward for our business. By combining our expertise with Phos, we’re providing a comprehensive and ready-to-deploy solution that streamlines the go-to-market process for our clients,” said Anne Willem de Vries, CEO and Co-founder of Silverflow. ” We’re confident that this collaboration will unlock tremendous growth opportunities within the omnichannel payments landscape.” The partnership combines Phos’ innovative…

The South African Breweries (SAB) today announced the first edition of the SAB Talent Challenge. The programme seeks to turn traditional talent attraction practice on its head through this progressive challenge, as a recruitment tool. Participants will engage in a multi-phased journey solving real-life business problems. All young graduates between the ages of 18 – 30 years are invited to take up the challenge and apply. The country is currently experiencing high levels of unemployment, which predominantly affects the youth. The StatsSA Quarterly Labour Force Survey from Q4 2023 indicates that over 44% or 4.7 million young people are unemployed.…

Jaguar will offer enthusiasts and collectors in South Africa an opportunity to own one of two exclusive limited-edition F-TYPEs, inspired by iconic 1960s racing E-TYPES. Just 150 examples of the F-TYPE ZP Edition will be the last internal combustion-engined sports cars designed by Jaguar. These 423kW supercharged petrol V8 F-TYPEs feature specially curated interior and exterior details by the personalisation experts at SV Bespoke. Janico Dannhauser, Product and Pricing Manager, JLR South Africa, said: “The E-TYPE has captivated drivers and fans for decades, securing iconic status with its proportions and performance. The F-TYPE is poised to become the future classic…

IBM unveiled the 2024 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index shedding light on a burgeoning worldwide identity crisis as cyber adversaries intensify their focus on leveraging user identities to infiltrate enterprises on a global scale. This pervasive trend extends to the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, where the predominant method of cyber assault against organisations involves the exploitation of valid local and cloud-based accounts, as reported by X-Force. This underscores the imperative for robust user access and control measures within enterprises. In 2023, cybercriminals increasingly favoured “logging in” over traditional hacking methods to breach corporate networks, marking a shift in tactics…

Africa Data Centres, a division of the Cassava Technologies group, today announced the launch of its exclusive channel partner programme, ADC Channel. This programme is designed to establish colocation and ecosystem partnerships, empowering members to expand their product portfolio & offerings alongside their market presence including an expanded data centre footprint. ADC Channel presents a unique opportunity for global carriers, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), system integrators, Data Centres, Mobile Network, Content Developer, telecommunications companies, network infrastructure operators, hyperscalers and others to deliver state-of-the-art, sustainable and cost-effective digital solutions to their clients. The primary objective of ADC Channel is to foster…

With the rise and convenience of e-commerce platforms, South Africa has seen a surge in online shopping – from tech gadgets and computers to clothes and kitchen appliances. This growth in online retail has paved the way for a new contender in the market: e-commerce megastore, Temu. Owned by the Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo, Temu made its debut in the US in 2022, expanding into select European countries in 2023, and entering the South African market in 2024. Competing with established players such as Ali Express, Wish and Shein, Temu has become a forerunner in an already competitive e-commerce market,…

IBM today announced new storage capabilities that give clients choice and control in the data centre to maximise performance. A new IT life cycle management option called IBM Storage Assurance provides access to IBM FlashSystem hardware and software innovations to help protect clients’ investments from day one. IBM Storage Assurance supports the new IBM FlashSystem 5300 also announced today, as well as the FlashSystem 7300 and FlashSystem 9500. According to recent research from TechTarget’s Enterprise Strategy Group, 48% of companies expect to increase their IT spending in 2024. At the same time, IBM sees that organisations are looking for opportunities to maximise their spending without sacrificing…

IBM announced today plans to buy HashiCorp, a leading multi-cloud infrastructure automation company. The companies have entered into a definitive agreement under which IBM will acquire HashiCorp for $35 per share in cash, representing an enterprise value of $6.4 billion. HashiCorp’s suite of products provides enterprises with extensive Infrastructure Lifecycle Management and Security Lifecycle Management capabilities to enable organisations to automate their hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Today’s announcement is a continuation of IBM’s deep focus and investment in hybrid cloud and AI, the two most transformational technologies for clients today. “Enterprise clients are wrestling with an unprecedented expansion in infrastructure and applications…