Jane Egerton-Idehen (MD/CEO, Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd – NIGCOMSAT) 📸wikipedia The Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) has introduced an Acceleration Program whose target is startups and tech businesses leveraging satellite technology to address everyday challenges across various sectors. These sectors include, but are not limited to, space-tech, agri-tech, fintech, ed-tech, health-tech, and cybersecurity. Says Jane Egerton-Idehen (MD/CEO, NIGCOMSAT): “It is no secret that bootstrapped startups and tech businesses are the brides of investors this season. The funding landscape has shifted, and access to capital is no longer as straightforward as it used to be. Consequently, businesses may find it challenging to…
Author: Admin
At the recently concluded CES 2024 (one of the most powerful tech events in the World), Elon Musk’s Tesla announced its 2024 Model X Plaid, an electric SUV that can fly. The Model X Plaid has four electric motors that generate a combined 1,200 horsepower, and four retractable wings that allow it to take off and land vertically. The vehicle is able to reach speeds of up to 300 mph in the air, and has a range of 500 miles on a single charge. Tesla says that the Model X Plaid is the ultimate transportation solution for the modern world.…
Katy Digovich (Co-Founder & CEO, Minutia) Social entrepreneur, Katy Digovich is Co-founder and CEO of Minutia, an American cell therapy startup working towards the transplant of insulin-producing cells combined with nano-sensors to contribute to a functional cure for Type 1 diabetes. Digovich’s company, Minutia, is now is working to make beta cells that not only secrete insulin but also know when not to produce insulin when there are already high levels of glucose. An outpatient procedure delivered just below the skin into a Type 1 diabetes patient’s forearm would be a game-changer, since those patients today rely on continuous glucose…
BlueInvest – a European Commission initiative launched in 2019 with the aim of acceleratig new ocean-based technologies and solutions that unlock innovation and investment opportunities in the sustainable blue economy – is set to host BlueInvest Africa 2024. Scheduled to take place in Kenya on July 3-4, 2024, BlueInvest Africa is specifically targeted at registered African businesses already engaged in various sectors of the blue economy, including start-ups. It also aims to engage African Small, Micro, and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMMEs) officially established in an African country that possess innovative ideas with potential for further commercial development within the African market. At this second iteration of BlueInvest…
Adeoluwa – the Nigerian-born, Montreal (Quebec)-grown and Regina (Saskatchewan)-based Afropop singer – has surfaced with a cinematic new single “4,5,6.” Defined by a sleek guitar riff and heartfelt lyricism, “4,5,6” is an ultrasmooth ballad in the same irresistible love-struck vein of early 2000s R&B. Influenced by a wide variety of artists ranging from Tina Turner to Adekunle Gold to Stevie Wonder, ADEOLUWA refers to his unique, genre-bending sound as experimental Afro-fusion. The result is a musical style that transcends borders and a deeply personal, high energy stage presence that has earned him the nickname “The Greatest Showman” within the DIY…
(L): Kevin Conroy (CEO &Co-founder, Bature Brewery, Nigeria) 📸 @KevinConroy Kevin Conroy (CEO &Co-founder, Bature Brewery) has announced that Bature Brewery – Nigeria’s first craft brewery – will be expanding by scaling its production by 500%, and positioning its taproom for an increase in space and experiences. Bature Brewery took off from the nation’s capital, Abuja, in 2017 and now operates a brewery and taproom from Victoria Island in Lagos. Team Bature Brewery 📸 @KevinConroy Says Conroy: “Bature Brewery has been a start-up in an economy dominated by large corporates; it has been a journey of passion, dedicated to crafting…
Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi (Saudi Minister of Commerce) Saudi Arabia has introduced six new visa types, known as ‘Premium Residency products,’ to attract skilled professionals and investments to enhance the country’s status as a global hub. Interested parties can apply directly through the government’s online portal. The Premium Residency program has six categories, each with different requirements and durations: Entrepreneur Business Investor Property Investor Privileged Residency Established Talent Exceptional Competence All categories of applicants will reap the following benefits: Residency in Saudi Arabia, including for parents, spouses, and children under the age of 25 Freedom to move between facilities…
Christian H. Kaelin (Chairman, Henley & Partners) Global leader in residence and citizenship by investment, Henley & Partners, have released the global 2024 Henley Passport Index, in which an unprecedented six countries share the top spot with visa-free access to a record-breaking number of destinations. Four EU member states — France, Germany, Italy, and Spain — join Japan and Singapore in boasting the most powerful passports in the world, with their citizens able to visit an astonishing 194 destinations out of 227 around the globe visa-free. The two Asian nations have dominated 1st place on the index (which ranks all the…
Bruce Nsereko Lule (General Partner, Seedstars) Seedstars Africa Ventures has received a $30 million capital commitment from EIB Global, an arm of the European Investment Bank, which becomes the first major institutional investment for its first Pan-African venture capital fund. The new commitment follows a $8 million investment from the fund’s anchor investor French private equity firm LBO France. The fund targets to close at between $80 million and $100 million to back seed and series A startups, and offer follow-on funding up to Series B, bridging an extensive capital gap, and supporting startups beyond accelerator programs. The VC firm’s…
Jack Ma (Founder, Alibaba) Leading platform for global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce and part of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group (AIDC), Alibaba.com, is set to launch its latest Smart Assistant features powered by artificial intelligence (AI) at CES in Las Vegas, NV from January 9-12, 2024. The Smart Assistant, an AI-powered global sourcing tool, is an intuitive personal guide to sourcing that helps small business owners discover new opportunities, stay up-to-date on trends, seamlessly track orders and more in a single, efficient touchpoint. It caters to both newcomers and seasoned entrepreneurs in the dynamic world of global commerce. First announced at CES and coming…