Startup – MBJ LONDON

The New Scene for African Startups

mbjnew — Sun, 24 Sep 2017 22:26:20 +0000

The continent of Africa has recently awoken from a dormant period of untouched business. The scene for African Startups has improved as it entered the mobile tech landscape as an emerging market and a potential goldmine for tech investors. The countries of Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa are slowly creeping into the modern tech landscape. The continent is home to PesaPal, a Kenyan company often given the moniker “Africa’s PayPal”. Similar to PayPal, PesaPal’s consumers are able to shop, pay bills, and buy mobile phone credit. Historically, Africa has been plagued by disease, war, and corruption. These negative aspects have allowed social good enterprises to enter the Africa market. With the help of skilled strategic bloggers and engineering experts, Nairobi-based startup Ushahdi developed crowdsource data to gather further information about post-election violence in Kenya in 2008. Today, the startup has evolved into a non-profit technology company, used by individuals and companies alike to fight for social good in 100+ countries around the globe.

The post The New Scene for African Startups appeared first on MBJ LONDON.

Swedish Startup Helps Neglected News Items

mbjnew — Thu, 10 Aug 2017 21:29:15 +0000

The team at Newstag, a Swedish startup based in Stockholm, aims to change the way we consume news content. The mainsteam media often ignores particularly needy news cases. However, Newstag strives to shed light on the variety of issues whilst joining forces with charities in order to allocate funds and gain exposure. Newstag has recently formed a partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) – the platform will increase awareness particularly on human rights issues worldwide. The Newstag site allows its users to customise the news they’d like to read and focus on stories from specific countries or regions. We’re glad to see startups that are formed for social good and encourage philanthropy amongst young entrepreneurs.

The post Swedish Startup Helps Neglected News Items appeared first on MBJ LONDON.

When World Aid Meets Startups

mbjnew — Sun, 08 Jan 2017 22:29:38 +0000

Breaking through the startup norm in 2011, GiveDirectly provides a one-of-a-kind World Aid service – offering money directly to African families in extreme poverty. The team at GiveDirectly utilizes publicly available data coupled with sophisticated technology to pinpoint families in remote villages living well below the poverty line. GiveDirectly has donated $15M since their launch; they strive to disrupt the philanthropic world and ensure that the donations are given directly to the recipients. The startup’s timing in penetrating the African market was crucial – the continent’s revolution in mobile banking, particularly in Kenya and Uganda, has boomed in recent years. Surprisingly enough, the average sub-Saharan African is 60 times more likely to have a mobile financial account than a European.

The post When World Aid Meets Startups appeared first on MBJ LONDON.