For the first time in a generation, and largely due to the global coronavirus pandemic, poverty levels have increased, disproportionately impacting countries with large low-income populations, like South Africa. And with the current global political volatility and uncertainty, we may feel as though the light at the end of the tunnel is a long way off.
Acumen Software, creators of the service delivery management platform My Smart City, has acquired a 25 percent share of commerce PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) provider Kinektek. This move will enhance the My Smart City suite of public service offerings with additional value-added services (VAS).
Lipa Payments, a South African-based FinTech start-up, is bringing the “Tap to Pay” experience to Africa’s informal sectors with its software solution that enables merchants to accept contactless payments directly from a mobile phone.
Cape Town - A digitally innovative innovative My Smart City platform aims to assist with service delivery issues that municipalities are struggling with. City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said as part of the City’s open data strategy, the City made its service request API available to responsible external organisations such as Acumen, which allows external organisations to build their own apps and link these to the City of Cape Town, provided they comply with the City’s security requirements and use the API responsibly.
Mandla Money was recently named the best in the University of Cape Town’s (UCT’s) Leopards Lair 2021 Student Entrepreneurship Competition. This is an annual event hosted by Akro Capital in association with UCT student run organisations Invest Society (Invest Soc) and UCT Entrepreneurs Society.
Are you a University of Cape Town (UCT) student with entrepreneurial flair and a big idea but stuck about what to do next? Leopard’s Lair is waiting for you. This annual Investment Society (InvestSoc) competition has up to R240 000 worth of prizes to be won to help students further their business idea or start‑up.
The venture capital firm has appointed Makhathini to lead its next growth phase
The executive directors of South African venture capital firm Empowerment Capital Investment Partners say they are optimistic about the opportunities that exist in offering digital solutions that address societal challenges.
Racial reconciliation appears to have been put on the back burner in SA but improvement in racial inclusion will strengthen the economy.
Venture capital firm Empowerment Capital on February 1 announced that it hadapproved and placed a total of R162-million into 13 South African start-ups between July 2019 and February 2021, with R32.5-million approved for placement in three new ventures in the coming weeks.
SA's economy may have been ravaged by the pandemic and years of sluggish growth, but small to medium-sized start-ups are still springing up, especially in the technology and fintech sectors. South African venture capital group Empowerment Capital Investment Partners - founded in 2015 by Anton Baumann and Mark Fitzjohn - said its investment companies Andzani Ventures, Imvelo Ventures and Thuthuka Nathi Ventures approved and placed R162m into 13 local start-ups between July 2019 and this month, with a further R32.5m "approved for placement in the coming weeks" in three new companies.
Strategic investment in our SMME sector can help restructure our economy and provide real growth www.businesslive.co.za
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