Applications now Open for Jack Ma’s $10-million Africa Netpreneur Prize, South African Sport-tech Startup, Fancam, Raises $100,000 from Stadia Ventures and More

Hi guys,

Welcome to another edition of the Big 5 daily, where we bring you the compilation of the biggest news in Africa.

Let’s go!

We have news that applications for Jack Ma’s $10-million Africa Netpreneur Prize is now open to African entrepreneurs, and will close on June 30, 2019. The prize is an initiative of the Jack Ma’s Foundation and will run through the next 10 years. Entrepreneurs from all industries are welcome to apply. Interested? Apply here

Next on the Big 5, Fancam, a South African sports-tech startup was selected to take part in the Stadia Venture’s Accelerator programme. The Stadia Ventures Sports Accelerator helps sports and e-sports startups develop, by offering them equity investment of $100,000, mentorship and connections to top sports business executives in the United States.

Uber has launched Driver Care in South Africa – a private healthcare platform that cares for driver-partners and their families. The package comes with; consultations from a general practitioner, daily drug prescriptions, eye care benefits and free access to emergency private services for traumatic events. The driver care service is however voluntary for driver partners at a $15 purchase fee, with additional charges for dependent adults and children under 21 years of age.

Moving on, Oracle Global Startup Ecosystem, in collaboration with the Government of Ghana announced the Ghana Oracle Digital Enterprise Program to support technology-enabled startups and entrepreneurs across Ghana. The program plans to support 500 local startups through access to Oracle’s Cloud technology, mentorship, workshops, business enablement, and support resources.

Finally, on the Big 5, RxAll, a Nigerian startup that tackles the global problem of counterfeit drugs, received €100,000 ($113,000) Global Challenge prize from BNP Paribas, Hello Tomorrow’s global partner in Paris.  The startup built the RxScanner, the world’s first drug authenticator, to test the quality of drugs using a portable nanoscanner and mobile app in 20 seconds.

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