Hello Guys,
Here is a compilation of the Big 5 Daily!
Jack Ma, the founder of the Alibaba Group announced that he was looking to empower African startups by allocating &10 million over the next 10 years for the development of digital startups. The Prize will host a grand finale pitch competition in Africa where ten finalists from across the continent will compete for a share of US$1 million in total grant prize money. Applications will be open to entrepreneurs from across the continent starting from March 27th, 2019.
Next, the Financial Sector Deepening Africa (FSD Africa) and others have launched the Innovation for Financial Services 2019, a challenge for a US$130,000 Startup grant in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is a competition for businesses and entrepreneurs that aim to promote the development of innovative, relevant and value-adding financial services and payment solutions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
See also: Amazon Launches PayCode in Kenya, Telecoming, Ubongo Partner and More
We also have news of Troidini Ventures; a founder-first incubator that provides founders with early-stage funding, market research, business development and world class advisory to help companies scale. It is investing $20k, 10% Equity for startups in Africa. For more information, visit the website.
Shoprite cross-border money remittance product has reached R1 billion mark in January. This is after just three years of it being implemented between South Africa and Lesotho. The remittance is used by people who send money across borders to friends and families living in another country. This service is available in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho.
To round up our stories, news have it that MetLife Foundation and Visa have partnered to fund the Inclusive Fintech 50 competition. This aims to recognize the world’s top 50 early-stage fintech startups that contribute to financial inclusion in the world. Startups will be assessed by a panel of more than 20 industry experts and investors on inclusive solutions and innovations in their business models. Deadline for application is March 8, 2019. Click here to apply.
We wish Nigeria peaceful elections as they go out to vote their preferred candidate on Saturday, February 23, 2019. See you next week.