Kenya’s Pariti raises $2.85M led by Harlem Capital to develop startup ecosystems in emerging markets

Pariti, the Kenya-based community-led marketplace building the digital infrastructure for startup ecosystems in emerging markets, has raised $2.85 million seed, the company confirmed to TechCrunch today. The round was led by U.S.-based Harlem Capital. In Africa, it’s the first deal of the diversity-focused fund that secured $134 million for its second fund earlier this year. […]

Eclipse Foods inks deal with Whole Foods for its plant-based ice cream

With demand for plant-based meat alternatives at an all-time high, Eclipse Foods is no doubt hoping to do for ice cream what companies like Impossible and Beyond have managed for the hamburger. Pre-pandemic, the company announced select retail availability in New York and its native San Francisco, and now it’s expanding coverage with a high-profile […]

Oxygen, a neobank for freelancers and small businesses, in talks to raise funds at over $500 million valuation

Oxygen, a startup that is bringing digital banking services to freelancers and micro- and small-sized businesses, is in talks to raise a new round at a valuation of over $500 million, two sources familiar with the matter told me. The San Francisco-headquartered firm is in advanced stages of talks to raise about $70 million, the […]

Nigeria’s Helium Health acquires Qatar’s Meddy in rare Africa-GCC deal

Nigeria-based health tech startup Helium Health has acquired Meddy, a Qatar-headquartered and UAE-based doctor booking platform for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition, termed “a great deal” by Helium Health CEO Adegoke Olubusi on a call, is unusual in the sense that it overlaps two regions that rarely do in tech: Africa and the Gulf Cooperation […]

Zepto, a 10-minute grocery delivery app in India, raises $60 million

Two 19-year-old entrepreneurs, who previously collaborated on a number of projects including a ride-hailing commute app for school kids and left Stanford last year to pursue a new startup, said on Sunday they have raised $60 million to disrupt India’s overcrowded and highly-competitive grocery delivery market. Glade Brook Capital led Zepto’s first institutional financing round, […]

ShipBlu bags $2.4M for its e-commerce and fulfilment service in Egypt

African e-commerce fulfilment startups backed by Y Combinator seem to be piquing investors’ interest this year for their niche e-commerce play. Summer batch graduate ShipBlu is the latest on that list and confirmed to TechCrunch that it has raised $2.4 million in seed funding. The company, founded by Ali Nasser, Ahmed ElKawass, Abdelrahman Hosny in […]