Hi, welcome to Tech This Evening, an After-Work Tech Newsletter from Techparley Africa. Sure, there is a lot to unpack right now. Sit back, while I walk you through.
Top Story: African Cities Innovation Fund Launch $75k Grant to Startups Solving Real Urban Challenges – What You Should Know
The Judith Neilson Foundation, an Australia-based philanthropy group, has partnered with the Million Lives Collective (MLC) to launch the new African Cities Innovation Fund, aimed at accelerating tech-enabled urban solutions across Africa.
The initiative was introduced at the International Development Innovation Alliance (IDIA) global summit, hosted at CcHub-backed iHub in Nairobi, and will offer grants of up to $75,000 to cross-sector teams developing digital tools and infrastructure models to address challenges in transport, climate stress and access to essential services.
Rather than supporting single startups, the organisers said the fund prioritises collaborative projects that bring together civic organisations, technology ventures and public agencies.
“Across the continent, innovators, community organisations, entrepreneurs, artists and public sector actors are already finding and scaling new ways to improve mobility, expand access to resources and services, strengthen local economies, create safe and vibrant public spaces, and build resilience to climate and economic shocks,” Jite Phido, Senior Program Manager at the MLC and Results for Development, said.
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How to Respond to Negative Press or Crises Publicly: A Step-By-Step Guide for Startups. Read now.
On Startup Spotlight:
Why Vendy’s New Payment Infrastructure Could Redefine How Africans Buy on WhatsApp
Africa’s soaring population of social media users and online shoppers has accelerated the rise of social commerce, an ecosystem where buying and selling happen inside chat apps rather than traditional e-commerce platforms. Nigerian startup Vendy is one of the most ambitious entrants attempting to power this shift.
Founded in 2022 by Kayode Disu and Peter Ekunkoya, the Y Combinator–backed company wants to become the de facto payment infrastructure for Africa’s social commerce economy, beginning on WhatsApp before expanding to any chat interface where transactions occur.
While Vendy currently presents as a WhatsApp storefront with catalogues, carts, and a clean shopping interface, its long-term ambition goes far beyond enabling sellers to showcase items.
“The infrastructure for chat-based commerce in Africa is still missing,” said Kayode Disu, Vendy’s CEO. “We’re building the UPI for Africa starting on WhatsApp.”
Quadri Adejumo brings you all the details. Read here.
Also Read:
How Nigeria’s Bottomline Assist Is Proving that Africa is the World’s Next Outsourcing Powerhouse. Yakub Abdulrasheed brings us the details, here.
Quote of the Day:
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is equivalent to magic.” – Arthur C. Clarke.
Thank you for joining me yet again this evening. Stay safe, and see you tomorrow for the next tech newsletter.
Best, Quadri
