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Tag: Kola Aina

  • Shyllon Museum & Ventures Platform Launch A Landmark Three Year Collaboration Blending Public Art, Innovation, And Entrepreneurial Learning At Pan Atlantic University

    Shyllon Museum & Ventures Platform Launch A Landmark Three Year Collaboration Blending Public Art, Innovation, And Entrepreneurial Learning At Pan Atlantic University

    …A university-wide entrepreneurship engagement programme and a first-of-its-kind national art commission of ₦10m combine to empower Nigeria’s next generation of innovators.

    The Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA) at Pan-Atlantic University and Ventures Platform (VP), one of Africa’s leading early-stage venture capital firms, proudly announce a bold three-year partnership that brings together art, innovation, and entrepreneurship to inspire and shape the next generation of Nigerian thinkers, makers, and builders.

    Launched as part of Ventures Platform’s 10th anniversary, the initiative combines two complementary pillars, both unfolding over three years from 2026: a structured student engagement platform designed to deepen entrepreneurial development within the Pan-Atlantic University ecosystem, and a futures-focused public art commissioning programme called the Ventures Platform–YSMA Futures Art Award.

    Powering the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs

    At the heart of the collaboration is a student engagement component embedded within the University’s educational curriculum. Through a series of guest lectures, masterclasses, and practical sessions, Ventures Platform will provide students with direct access to experienced investors and operators, including members of the Ventures Platform team. These engagements are designed to move beyond theory—offering practical insights into building scalable, high-growth ventures and navigating real-world entrepreneurial challenges.

    Facilitated by YSMA as a bridge within the University, this component aligns with Pan-Atlantic University’s commitment to experiential learning, extending the Museum’s track record of supporting academic programmes through Object-Based Learning and interdisciplinary engagement.

    The Futures Art Award: Public Art as a Platform for Innovation

    Complementing the educational component is the Ventures Platform–YSMA Futures Art Award, a pioneering annual commission supporting the creation of public-facing sculptures. The award invites artists to imagine and explore ideas around innovation, the future, and public engagement through large-scale work.

    Each year, an artist will be selected and funded with the sum of ₦10m to develop a permanent outdoor work within the YSMA sculpture garden and campus environment. More than an award, this initiative reinforces the role of creativity and cultural imagination in shaping entrepreneurial ambition — symbolizing curiosity, bold thinking, and the courage to build. 

    Together, these two components reflect a shared belief that innovation thrives where creativity, enterprise, and culture intersect. For Ventures Platform, this aligns with a long-standing approach to backing not just companies but also the systems, talent, and environments that enable innovation to thrive. Partnering with YSMA, a premier university museum in the country, brings this belief to life by combining artistic experimentation with entrepreneurial exposure in a way that invites artists and students alike to imagine, build, and engage with the future. 

    Kola Aina, Founder and General Partner, Ventures Platform highlighted the significance of the collaboration saying, “At Ventures Platform, we see every day how innovative thinking can expand access and solve hard problems — but we also recognize that progress is driven as much by imagination as it is by execution. As we mark our 10th anniversary, this initiative reflects our commitment to intentionally designing environments where the next generation of founders can emerge — equipped with clarity, capability, and conviction to build for the future.”

    Noting the importance of this collaboration, Jess Castellote, the Museum Director, said, “This collaboration reflects our belief that museums are not just spaces for preserving the past, but platforms for shaping the future through public engagement. The Futures Art Award empowers artists to experiment at a scale that reaches the public, while the educational component strengthens YSMA’s commitment to the experiential learning vision of the university. By bringing together art and entrepreneurship, we are creating new ways for both artists, students and our visitors to engage with the systems and ideas that will define our world.”

    Enase Okonedo, the Vice Chancellor of Pan-Atlantic University commended the educational component of the partnership, “This initiative speaks directly to the Pan-Atlantic University’s commitment to experiential learning and interdisciplinary education. It creates a meaningful pathway for our students to engage with industry leaders while also exposing them to the critical and creative thinking that drives innovation. It also enhances our standing as a world-class institution committed to producing well-rounded graduates, equipped with both creative and entrepreneurial capacity.”

    Artists and students are invited to engage directly with the initiatives. Details for the Futures Art Award call for entry are as follows:

    Call for Entry – Futures Art Award

    • Applications Open: April 2, 2026
    • Applications Close: May 18, 2026 (6‑week window)
    • Who Can Apply: Nigerian & Non-Nigerian artists based in Nigeria, working across sculpture and installation.
    • Focus: Experiential, participatory, and technology‑informed public sculptures engineered for long‑term outdoor display with harsh weather‑resistant materials.
    • How to Apply: Visit museum.pau.edu.ng/articles/call-for-applications-the-ventures-platform-ysma-futures-art-award for eligibility, guidelines, and submissions.
  • “Collecting Now” Exhibition opens at The Shyllon Museum Of Art, Pan-Atlantic University

    “Collecting Now” Exhibition opens at The Shyllon Museum Of Art, Pan-Atlantic University

    The Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA) at Pan-Atlantic University is proud to announce the opening of Collecting Now: Perspectives on Contemporary Art Collecting in Nigeria on Saturday, October 26, 2024. This groundbreaking exhibition offers a unique insight into the personal and curatorial journeys of six influential Nigerian art collectors, whose passion, vision, and dedication have been instrumental to shaping the landscape of contemporary Nigerian art.

    Recognizing collectors as vital figures in the art ecosystem, the exhibition features works from Prince Yemisi Shyllon, Kola Aina, Gbenga & Aisha Oyebode, Dotun Sulaiman, Adeniyi Adenubi, and Eyamba Dafinone. Leading the group is foremost collector, Prince Yemisi Shyllon, whose transformative contributions to the museum and the Nigerian art world have helped elevate the status of Nigerian art on a global scale. His collection, along with those of the other collectors, provides a fascinating exploration of what, why, and how they collect, revealing the personal philosophies behind their collecting practices.

    “Collecting Now isn’t just about displaying beautiful artworks; it’s about exploring the vision and passion of six remarkable collectors,” said Dr. Jess Castellote, Director of the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art. “These collectors are not just buyers; they’re patrons and storytellers, playing a vital role in shaping what contemporary Nigerian art looks like today and how it will be remembered tomorrow. Their collections are a reflection of their deep commitment to supporting artistic expression, preserving cultural heritage, and shaping the future of contemporary Nigerian art.”

    The exhibition presents over 80 carefully curated works, spanning painting, sculpture, and mixed media. These works reflect the multiplicity of voices within contemporary Nigerian art, offering visitors a rare opportunity to engage with the diverse tastes and curatorial visions of the participating collectors. As “gatekeepers” of artistic expression, these collectors have played a pivotal role in elevating Nigerian art, not only within the country but also on the international stage.

    “The Collecting Now exhibition offers more than just a view of contemporary Nigerian art; it delves into the profound impact we have, as collectors, in shaping the artistic canon,” added Mr. Kola Aina, Chairman of the YSMA Advisory Board and a participating collector of the exhibition. “The discerning choices of collectors help to preserve our cultural heritage and promote the vibrant expressions of African art.”

    Collecting Now runs from October 26, 2024, to February 28, 2025. The public is invited to the opening reception on Saturday, October 26, at 02:00pm at the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, Pan-Atlantic University. Admission is free.

  • Remedial Health raises $12 million to deliver financial services for neighbourhood pharmacies and drive deeper growth in Nigeria

    Remedial Health raises $12 million to deliver financial services for neighbourhood pharmacies and drive deeper growth in Nigeria

    Remedial Health, a healthtech startup that develops solutions to make Africa’s pharmaceutical value chain more efficient, has secured $12 million in an equity and debt funding round to deepen the penetration of its services in Nigeria and support the delivery of targeted financial services to drive business growth across the country’s pharmaceutical sector.

    The $8 million Series A equity funding round was led by US-based venture capital firm, QED Investors and co-led by Ventures Platform, who have now invested in Remedial Health at every funding round since the pre-seed stage. This investment also represents Ventures Platform’s first Series A investment. Ycombinator, Tencent and Gaingels also invested after participating in previous rounds. The $4 million debt funding was led by a consortium of local and international financial institutions.

    Across Africa, 85 percent of retail medicine purchases happen at micro-enterprises, typically neighbourhood pharmacies) and Proprietary Patent Medicine Vendors (PPMVs). For store owners, 90 percent of their wholesale purchases happen in open markets that are largely unfit for consumables and medicines. Store owners also have to endure expensive and time-consuming weekly order cycles that typically amount to two working days to access the inventory they need to stock their shelves. These realities, combined with a predominantly paper-based approach to managing operations, present various challenges that make it difficult to maximise profitability.

    Remedial Health operates at the intersection of healthcare, supply chain management, technology and financial services, delivering the digital procurement infrastructure to power effective healthcare distribution for Africa’s 1.2 million pharmacies. Starting in Nigeria, Remedial Health has built an effective operating system for pharmaceutical buyers and suppliers, working with more than 300 manufacturers and serving more than 5,000 hospitals, pharmacies and PPMVs across 34 of Nigeria’s 36 states, with regional hubs to enable a seamless experience across the country. 

    Store owners can access more than 8,000 vetted products via the mobile app, with same-day delivery and inventory financing to minimise cash-flow friction for routine orders and maximise sales opportunities. The startup also provides facility financing, payment solutions and inventory management solutions that makes it easier for store owners to run their business more efficiently and profitably. For pharmaceutical manufacturers, Remedial Health provides an effective route-to-market for their products, as well as data-driven insights into local markets that can be leveraged for more effective planning and decision making.

    This new funding will enable Remedial Health to deepen the reach of these services across Nigeria and deliver more game changing solutions to drive greater efficiency across the pharmaceutical value chain. 

    According to Samuel Okwuada, CEO and co-founder of Remedial Health, “We are delighted to have raised these funds, particularly with the wider context of the global funding downturn and the wide range of economic headwinds in Nigeria. Our continued growth has put us in a strong position to deliver our mission of creating a tech-enabled, pharmacy-centred healthcare network and we are looking forward to leveraging these funds to achieve more success.”

    Gbenga Ajayi, Partner, Head of Africa, QED Investors, said “The success that Remedial Health has enjoyed to date is an indication of the market gap that exists, and the value they provide in providing effective holistic services to thousands of pharmacies across Nigeria. QED is particularly excited about the embedded financial services opportunities within the vertical — the ability to provide payments, embedded lending and other fintech solutions to this underserved but very crucial sector. The Remedial Health team is perfectly positioned to solve this problem because of its unique positioning as a partner across the entire pharmaceutical value chain and the unique backgrounds of the founders as both seasoned phama operators and technology professionals. We are very excited to be on this journey and to support this next phase of the company and to bring our fintech DNA to bear in what is an already positive growth journey.”

    Kola Aina, Founding Partner of Ventures Platform, said “We are incredibly proud to have been part of Remedial Health’s journey since the earliest phase of the company’s development. This partnership exemplifies our mission to support  category leaders before they become obvious. Remedial Health’s dedication to improving Nigeria’s pharmaceutical value chain is critical  and their success in securing this $12 million funding demonstrates their remarkable growth and the management’s tenacity over the years. Our investment in this round represents our continued belief in their mission to deliver financial services to neighbourhood pharmacies and drive deeper growth in the pharmaceutical sector.” 

  • NGX Appoints Advisory Panel on Digital Technology Products

    NGX Appoints Advisory Panel on Digital Technology Products

    As it advances on its digital transformation agenda, Nigerian Exchange Limited has set up the NGX Digital and Technology Products Advisory Panel. The Panel would provide a forum for the Exchange to interact with the capital market community and the fintech ecosystem to enhance and increase NGX’s digital product offerings.

    Responsibilities of the Panel include but are not limited to providing insight into product innovation and proposing ways to increase technology listings on NGX; recommending ways to boost data and digital market liquidity; providing thought leadership by developing whitepapers, creating frameworks and making recommendations; and a host of advisory matters like market trends, risks and sentiments. Recall that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the Rules for Listing on the NGX Technology Board in December 2022. The creation of the committee is part of a continuous process to further scale the capacities of NGX in the technology ecosystem. 

    “Technology and innovation are the driving forces of progress, and at NGX we are committed to leveraging both to transform the Exchange into a leading force of product development in the capital market,” says Dr Olufemi Oyenuga, Chief Digital Officer, NGX. “With the establishment of the committee, we are poised to explore new frontiers, pool groundbreaking ideas and strategies, unlock exciting opportunities for the future addressing creativity, innovation and sustainability.”

    Appointed to the panel are Tope Kola-Oyeneyin (McKinsey); Iyin Aboyeji (Future Africa); Kola Aina (Ventures Platform); Idris Saliu (Ceviant); Fope Adelowo (Helios Group); Richmond Bassey (Bamboo); Tayo Oviosu (Paga); Wale Ayeni (International Finance Corporation); Ahmad Zuaiter (Jadara Capital Partners LLC) and Adedeji Olowe (LendsQr).

    NGX, as the sustainable exchange championing Africa’s development, recognises the potential of diverse viewpoints and aims to leverage the extensive networks of experts across the budding technology ecosystem and the capital market in designing breakthrough frameworks to position itself for global competitiveness.

  • Lagos Govt, Eko Innovation Centre Chart Course For Startup Funding, Empowerment of Tech Entrepreneurs

    Lagos Govt, Eko Innovation Centre Chart Course For Startup Funding, Empowerment of Tech Entrepreneurs

    … As Pantami, Others Point out Imperatives of Startup Bill

    In a bid to address one of the critical challenges of businesses, especially among startups, the Lagos government and Eko Innovation Centre including other experts at the Art Of Technology Lagos 3.0 held recently in Lagos have offered tips on how start-ups can get funds. They also used the platform to empower innovative Tech Entrepreneurs and young innovators with equity investment and other support initiatives to thrive in the business space

    The two-day hybrid conference curated by Eko Innovation Centre held 3rd and 4th of December, 2021 at the Oriental Hotel Victoria Island, had as its theme “Funding and a Connected Lagos”. In attendance were the crème de la crème in government and other experts in the technology ecosystem who spoke on investment readiness, intellectual property, startup bills and other regulations, and policy formulations for tech startups in the tech ecosystem.

    Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, Nigeria’s Minister of Communication and Digital Economy who spoke at the event via a virtual platform commended Lagos and Eko Innovation Centre for making the state the Silicon Valley of Africa stating that it would continue to support the state in its quest to achieve much more.

    He explained further that technology deployment is changing the world, stating that the ICT sector was instrumental for the country’s exit from recession. He, therefore, urged startups to deploy technology to ease their operations in the interest of growing their business remarkably

    In the same vein, he said the government is determined to support the growth of startups and businesses especially with the many government agencies working closely to fund and grow the business landscape.

    Also, he pointed that the country has the highest number of venture capitalists and pointed that the Startup bill currently up for consideration by the federal Executive council, would further help accelerate the growth of Startups when made to the law.

    Noteworthy, asides from Pantami, some of the experts at the conference stated that they are optimistic that the bill when it becomes a law will contribute to the creation of an enabling environment for growth, attraction, and protection of investment in tech startups.

    On his part, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Executive Governor, Lagos State said that his administration has been deliberate about deploying technology to make governance seamless and has been funding the technology space in line with its smart city agenda which has further helped the state to be the 5th largest economy in Africa.

    He added that from traffic management to security it is deploying technology to make the state better and as regards supporting businesses with funding, he explained that the Lagos State Science Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC) raised the bar in assisting the state in achieving its smart city agenda of making Lagos a 21st-century economy to transit to a smart city through the application of science and information technology and by also providing grants to innovators.

    Art of Technology (AOT) Lagos is the largest tech conference in Nigeria which brings together key stakeholders from the public and private sector to discuss policies and initiatives that will pave way for the evolution of a smarter, digital, efficient, and competitive Lagos.

    The event also had experts in the technology space, business, and financial sector. Some of the keynote speakers who dissected the theme and subthemes are Ola Williams, Country Manager, Microsoft; Dr. Andrew S. Nevin, Financial Services Leader & Chief Economist (PWC, NG); Olukayode Pitan, MD/CEO, Bank of Industry; Kola Aina, Founder, Ventures Platform; Tomi Davies, Collaborator-In-Chief, TVC Labs; and Aishah N. Ahmad, Deputy Governor, Financial Systems Stability Directorate, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) among other experts who will be speaking during panel sessions.

    Some of the decisions from deliberations are calls for more government and private support for startups through funding, friendly policies, leveraging technology, adopting sustainability in business, taking the opportunity of sectors they belong among others.

    Meanwhile, in a segment of the event titled Collaborate Lagos, 8 startups pitched their products for a chance to receive up to $100k in equity investment from Eko innovation Centre. Collaborate Lagos is an initiative that seeks to give visibility to the best startups in Lagos. The selected startups pitched to 8 judges, 50 VCs, and a global audience.

    Recall earlier before the event, the Curator of Art of Technology Lagos 3.0 and Founder of Eko Innovation Centre, Mr. Victor Gbenga Afolabi, had reported that “Over the years, we get blown away by the number of startup entries for Collaborate Lagos. This year we had 168 top quality applications and we are lucky to have the best minds to help with the difficult task of selections. The startups pitching this year are Drugstore.ng, ThinkBikes, Healthstack, Eko Carbon Exchange, Retailar, Vinsighte, EonsFleet and SabiTeach. These Creative ideas are designed to address local issues and eye global expansion. Good luck to the selected few”

    However, after the pitching, the judges three of the startup emerged winners. SabiTeach clinched third place presented N250,000, Retailar emerged second with 500,000 and Vinsighte clinched the first position with N1,000,000. Also, beneficiaries of LASRIC grant were also presented with cheques at the event.

    Afolabi said the African startup ecosystem has witnessed tremendous growth over the last few years. Albert, a lot of startups in Africa still finds it difficult to secure funds for their businesses which is the reason for the two-day conference. “Our conference had made decisions that have impacted Lagos State in Irreversible ways.”

    The two-day summit was building on the success of last year’s event which recorded a large turnout both physical and virtual, adding that its impact has been a phenomenon.

    He recalled that the maiden edition was held in 2019 and recorded over 2,000 participants in attendance, noting that one of the key successes was the launch of the Lagos Innovation Masterplan which has continued to guide the Lagos state government in achieving its SMART City agenda.

    Also, the second edition hosted about 8,700 participants and witnessed the launch of Startup Lagos as well as Eko Open-source projects, with key participation from over 30 countries worldwide.

    Noteworthy, Governor Sanwo-Olu raised the bar for government participation in Tech with a seed funding of 250million Naira to grow the Lagos Tech community at the maiden edition of AoT Lagos.

  • Feature: Setting Africa up for a Post-Mao China type economic revolution, the Zedcrest perspective

    Feature: Setting Africa up for a Post-Mao China type economic revolution, the Zedcrest perspective

    By Adedayo Amzat

    The People’s Republic of China was officially founded in 1949, but the economy didn’t really find its feet until the start of economic reforms in 1978, after the topsy-turvy turbulence of the two periods of “The Great Leap Forward” 1958-1960 and the “Cultural Revolution 1966-1976.”

    What changed in China? Emerging from decades of war before the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Soviet style socialism became a focal point of governance, largely due to the expected nationalistic tendencies arising from periodic civil wars and at least two main war programs against regional arch nemesis, the Empire of Japan. Socialism led to mixed results with massive state-controlled investments in Industry.

    However, the lack of private incentives and public disillusion with Marxist-Leninism led to misallocation of resources, and an eventual collapse of the system. Sustainable growth didn’t really start until the advent of Deng Xiaoping as the Supreme leader of the People’s Republic of China from 1978. Despite being a socialist republic, Deng unleashed a culture of innovation and market-economy reforms, the eventual bedrock of the tremendous economic development of China till today, taking GDP size from 50 billion dollars in 1960 to 14.3 trillion dollars in 2020, an economic miracle by all standards.

    When we started Zedcrest in 2013, our conviction was that Africa was exactly where China was in the early 80s and despite continuing struggles, has the opportunity to develop continent-wide growth in a similar fashion as China. All it would take is focused leadership, a more connected continent and an explosion of Innovation across the continent. We then set our vision along those tenets, with the dream to build a core of African-wide financial services businesses and a satellite of Investment portfolios. Seven years later and achieving domain leadership in the financial markets, consumer lending and now Investment management, we have now turbocharged both our continental ambition in our core businesses and in our early stage investing initiatives to support Innovation across the continent.

    Officially starting in 2019, we have invested rapidly to test our hypothesis and make up for lost grounds. Investing directly and in partnerships with co-investors and syndicates, we have backed 30+ early stage businesses with cheque sizes ranging from $25,000 to $250,000 (US Dollars). With the potential of the continent becoming more established with the surging interests from larger and seasoned global investors, we have joined the likes of Idris Bello at Afropreneur, and Kola Aina at Ventures Partners as “discovery investors”, investing early enough and helping founders through the rough periods of market and business validation.

    A STOPLIGHT ON SOME KEY INVESTMENTS
    Koniku – ‘Intelligence is Natural’ led by Osh Agabi, is building sensing and thinking machines, with synthetic neurobiology at its core. Koniku’s flagship device, the “Koniku Kore” is a wetware device that can detect and interpret smells and process that data for use in aviation security, policing and medical research. A future where diseases and threats can be detected by the power of “smell” is one envisaged by Koniku.
    The company recently announced its partnership with global aircraft manufacturer, Airbus.

    Koniku’s work for Airbus is in aircraft and airport security. Both companies are co-developing solutions for detecting biological hazards, and spotting chemical and explosive threats. Airbus will install Koniku’s Konikore; a small device that looks like a jellyfish. The device can perform the bomb-sniffing roles that have come to be associated with police dogs. In the best conditions, Konikores are expected to detect substances within 10 seconds.

    Bankly – Banking the Unbanked
    We met Tomi and Fred in 2019, and immediately connected with the glint in their eyes. Despite the explosion of Fintech services, most digital banking products are built almost exclusively for the about 30million already banked people. Who is working on bringing the remaining 50million adults into the digital world? This is where Bankly’s work becomes very important. We led the pre-seed round of Bankly in 2019 and it has been beautiful to see their work blossom.

    Working with agents, Bankly has built custom solutions to onboard unbanked users onto its digital platforms, leading with savings as product.
    Bankly recently concluded a seed raise of $2million, led by new investors Flutterwave and Vault.
    Bento Africa – The Operating System for Salaries and Lives

    Formerly known as Verifi, the leading payroll software solution firm has made a lot of progress in the last two years while also rebranding its name to Bento Africa. Bento believes that Salaries are the operating system that life is built upon and has partnered with other startups like Nigerian edtech startup, Schoolable; property rental platform, Kwaba; consumer lending firm, Zedvance among others to enable its users do more.

    TalentQL: Boosting the Competitiveness of African Talents
    Understanding the importance and value of tech talent in Nigeria and the diaspora, TalentQL, one of Zedcrest’s portfolio companies is creating a diverse and sustainable pipeline for tech talent for companies anywhere in the world.

    TalentQL recently got accepted into Techstars Toronto. The African-focused talent recruitment and outsourcing company joined nine other startups in the accelerator’s class of 2021.

    Other portfolio companies are:

    …Driving the Next Generation of Fintech Solutions

    Onepipe
    Working with open banking frameworks, Onepipe is an aggregator of Application Software Integrations (APIs) into a standardized gateway, offering businesses the opportunity to be a one-stop shop for digital financial services with one integration.

    Spektra
    Prince Boakye Boampong is building a unified alternative payment network that does not require a bank account for over 1billion Africans with Spektra. Essentially, he is building Alipay, but for Africa.

    Tanda
    In funding Kenya startup, Tanda, Zedcrest is supporting the founder, Geoffrey in promoting financial inclusion by converting neighbourhood dukas (micro-retailers) who account for over 70% of consumer purchases across Africa into a one-stop shop for basic financial services.

    Lenco is building a better banking and expense management experience for businesses across Africa

    Indicina is building the Africa’s credit infrastructure by enabling the much needed risk innovation

    Kaoshi is leveraging Open Banking API technology to unlock cross border finance, specifically the finances of the diaspora to their home countries.

    Julaya: Starting out of Francophone Ivory Coast, Julaya is building the digital account for African small and medium-sized businesses.

    Fintor: The Los-Angeles based company turns real estate investment opportunities into micro-equity shares starting at around $5 to make investing in real estate available to everyone.

    Thundr: A mobile-first equities trading platform that is designed to make investing easy for both green and expert investors alike. The YC-backed startup is pioneering commission free investing in Egypt.

    Yoello is a payments platform building infrastructure that connects banks and payment networks to merchants’ consumers.

    SUDO: An API platform that enables you instantly issue physical and virtual cards with more control & flexibility at scale

    ….Revolutionising Healthcare

    Helium Health is a startup leading the digitization of Africa’s medical industry by providing a suite of cutting-edge technology solutions for all healthcare stakeholders in emerging markets. The startup raised $8million in 2020 to fund its African wide expansion.

    Amara Medicare aims to revolutionize the 3-in-1 services of Ophthalmology, Dental and ENT practice.

    Lora DiCarlo is changing the world by empowering individuals to embrace their sexuality with positivity and confidence, with technology that solves our most important sexual health and wellness issues. The company announced the coming on-board of Cara Delevingne as co-owner and creative advisor.

    Contraline is a medical device company developing a long-lasting, non-hormonal, and reversible male contraceptive using advancements in hydrogel technology.

    Bypa-ss is digitizing healthcare information exchange between healthcare providers to deliver best quality of care to their patients.

    ….Building the Future of Education
    Abwaab: Founded in 2019 by former Uber, Careem, and Mawdoo executives, Abwaab’s online platform enables secondary school students in the Middle East & North Africa to learn different subjects at their own pace with the help of engaging video lessons and interacting with tutors, test themselves using tests and quizzes, and track their performance using different tools. The company just completed a $5.1million seed round and is now live in Jordan, Egypt, Saudi, and Palestine.

    Utiva: Utiva is building talents for the future of work. With Africa needing to retrain a generation of workers to adopt the required skills set for the digital economy, Utiva is leading this mission by combining remote learning models with instructor-led approaches to help people acquire the skills they need to make a transition into new tech roles.

    ….Building Logistics Infrastructure

    Freterium: Moroccan startup, Freterium is giving superpowers to logistics team with its AI-driven platform. Freterium’s cloud-based transport management platform offers the easiest and most automated way for manufacturers, retailers and logistics firms, to manage their daily road freight shipments.

    SOTE: Based in Kenya, Sote is building the digital logistics infrastructure for Africa. SOTE’s mission is to grow the GDP of the continent by facilitating growth of trade. The company provides a combination of ERP solutions, underwriting models, and software driven supply chain services across the continent.

    FLYR Labs FLYR’s cirrus platform is a modern and cutting edge Revenue Operating System (ROS) for the airline industry.

    XTI Aircraft Company is a cleantech aviation company developing the world’s first hybrid-electric long-range vertical takeoff airplane.

    ….Providing Basic Human Needs & Improving Sustainability

    Zenfix is providing savoury and nutrient dense foods in Nigeria.

    Zumi Africa: Zumi is revolutionizing the apparel supply chain in Africa by connecting apparel wholesalers and retailers in a transparent, affordable marketplace.

    Tagaddod is a renewable Energy and Waste Management company, started in February 2013 and operating in Egypt. Currently focusing on clean fuels, Tagaddod is working on Biodiesel production from Vegetable Oils.

    ….Providing Enterprise Services

    Simpu helps businesses start and nurture quality relationships with their customers. With a one-tap experience platform, businesses can interact with customers across multiple channels in real-time.

    Appruve builds identity and financial solutions for firms to verify data they collect from their customers across their lifecycle. Appruve provides verification services around identity and financial profiles, fraud detection and management.

    Youverify is building trust in Africa by helping businesses and individuals confirm identity and physical addresses. Using artificial intelligence, Youverify confirms a user’s identity document and compares it with their facial biometrics. This information can be cross-checked against more than 300 databases locally and globally.

    Adedayo Amzat is the Group Managing Director of Zedcrest Capital Group, the foremost financial solutions powerhouse.
    The group focuses on: Securities & Currency dealing through its Inter-dealer broker business (Zedcap partners). Asset Management through its SEC-licensed “Zedcrest Investment Managers”. Consumer and small business lending through “Zedvance Finance”. He is a renowned financial market expert and is one of the pioneers of the securities market in Nigeria.