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MainOne’s Nerds Unite 2019 conference is themed “Accelerating Digital Transformation”. This invite-only tech conference targets MainOne’s global, enterprise and start-up ecosystem. It will feature over 20 global and African speakers who will provide insights about tech disruption in Africa and the role of connectivity and cloud services in driving growth. Be part of the conversation by registering here.

Tabassum Qadir, CEO of South African equity crowdfunding platform Uprise.Africa, has announced that the company is considering 159 applications for new campaigns totalling nearly R1 billion (~$74 million). So far Uprise.Africa has run only a single campaign, for Drifter beer, which last year raised over R 3.8 million (~$280K) from 196 investors.

Dignited reports that Chinese OEM Xiaomi is setting up a local arm in Africa. The company has been distributing its devices in Africa since 2015 via local partnerships and will be looking to take on fellow Chinese brands Tecno, Itel and Infinix. Transsion Holdings, which owns Tecno Itel and Infinix, already has the largest share of the African low to mid range smartphone market.

Naspers and a South African unit of Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp. are in talks to sell their joint venture in the country to fiber-optic infrastructure company Link Africa, MyBroadband reports. The sale will be managed by Investec and Link Africa has offered 450 million rand ($33 million) for the deal, the report says.

Nigerian diagnostics startup Stack Dx has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from early-stage fund Microtraction to help it expand its market share. The startup provides molecular diagnostic services to patients, doctors, and hospitals.

Zimbabwean footballer Khama Billiat’s phone was reportedly hacked, according to a Techzim report. The hackers have demanded a $10K ransom and are threatening to release the footballers private photos online. This comes after similar attacks in recent weeks against footballers Peter Ndlovu and Willard Katsande, both of whom ply their trade in South Africa just like Billiat.

South African startup The Sun Exchange, a blockchain-based solar micro-leasing marketplace, has concluded its initial coin offering and raised just over $1 million, 20% of its targeted $5.4 million raise. In a 18 January blog post, Sun Exchange said it had raised $1,068,205 and allocated 28,485,478 Sunex Tokens.

Paystack wants you to learn How Online Card Payments Work in Nigeria. And so, they’ve created an illustrated e-book with a step-by-step breakdown of what happens when you pay online using your debit or credit card. Also in the book are regulations guiding online transactions in Nigeria and a glossary of card payment terms you should know. Go download your FREE copy here.

Applications are still open to African cryptocurrency and blockchain startups for the Binance Labs Incubation Programme, which offers access to funding and support. The programme offers seed investment of at least $120K and access to mentors, networks and other support resources. If you are interested, apply here. Deadline is January 30.

From TechCabal

+ The Challenge for Healthcare Innovators In Nigeria Is To Do More With Less

+ How To Become Sub-Saharan Africa’s First Google Developer Expert in Machine Learning: A Robert Thas Story