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40 startups in Senegal have secured a combined investment of US$2 million in amounts between US$10,000 and US$100,000.  A combination of equity, debt and convertible note, the funds are a product of the government’s financing vehicle, Délégation de l’Entrepreneuriat Rapide (DER), designed to boost the local tech scene. Formed in early 2018, the Senegalese government has tripled the size of the budget dedicated to the digital economy, following the success of the funding program and also opened an innovation hub. The 40 startups come from a wide range of subsectors, from e-commerce and fintech to music streaming and ticketing platforms.

Apply for the Zurich-based Kickstart accelerator programme, focused on African startups working in the cybersecurity, fintech, edtech, health tech, food and retail and smart city technology space, before May 17.

South Africa’s e-learning revenue is expected to exceed US$490 million by 2023, ITNews Africa says. According to a recent research report, revenues in the currently nascent and highly fragmented sector has increased at a positive double-digit CAGR between 2013-2018 and is projected to continue until 2023 at over 12%. The segment is dominated by Open Courseware in demand from corporates, government institutions and home users. The introduction of technologies like AR and VR is expected to shape the future of South Africa’s e-learning segment.

Technology startups with innovative and disruptive solutions for the emerging industrial automation era are invited to enter this year’s Nokia Open Innovation Challenge (NOIC) before June 30.

Senegal telecom, Sonatel, has announced its acquisition of 91.6% stakes in Gambian Internet Service Provider, XOOM Wireless. The acquisition, which is in partnership with TERANGA Capital, will see Sonatel consolidate its leading position in the telecommunications sector in West Africa, where it operates in Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone.

The University of Limpopo, in partnership with SAB Foundation, has launched the University of Limpopo Student Seed Fund to encourage and support student-owned social innovation enterprises. The SAB Foundation has pledged up to R400 000 which will be managed and disbursed by the newly launched Fund. Entrepreneurs registered at the university can apply before June 30 and selected businesses will be allocated up to R15 000 as well as receive business coaching and mentorship.

10 winners have emerged from among 500 applications made from over 30 sub-Saharan Africa countries after a pitch competition organised by the African digital content springboard and incubation platform, Digital Lab Africa (DLA). Entries ranged from animated and virtual content to video games. Each winner is set to receive R42 000 and a tailor-made incubation programme to accelerate their project development. Winning projects include Trvlr, a VR film from Zimbabwe and Sunkambe, a music financing platform from South Africa.

Founders have until May 15 to apply for the Cape Town-based venture builder Akro’s 20-week acceleration programme which is funded by the SA SME Fund.

Learn practical designs, concepts and processes using Sketch at the Practical Design Thinking Workshop on May 25 in Lekki, Lagos state. Reserve a spot, if you’d like to attend.

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