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: Nigeria’s Startup, Candle, Wants to Modernise How Brands Buy, Measure and Optimise Ads Across Africa
Africa’s billboard advertising industry is undergoing a transformation, as adtech platforms seeks to bring data, automation and accountability to a space long defined by guesswork. At the centre of that shift is Candle, a digital infrastructure platform developed by Alpha & Jam Africa.
Candle aims to modernise how brands buy, measure and optimise out-of-home advertising across the continent.
Founded by Samuel Ajiboye, the platform is positioning itself as a bridge between traditional billboard networks and the precision targeting commonly associated with online advertising, offering advertisers real-time insights into who sees their campaigns and how they perform.
“Scheduling for Candle is cloud-based. You can upload your campaign online and see it go live. It is a self-service platform that is as easy to run as a Facebook ad. Once you can run a Facebook ad, you can run an ad on the Madison or any board powered by Candle,” Ajiboye explained.
Other Tech News Stories You Should Read:
Memories AI Partners Nvidia to Build ‘Visual Memory’ for AI Wearables and Robotics. Read now.
Denodo Introduces New Data Platform to Help Enterprises Scale Generative and Agentic AI. Read now.
Cloaked Raises $375 Million to Help Users Take Control of Personal Data Across Platforms. Read now.
On Startup Spotlight:
Kenyan Fintech, Hurupay, Plans to Use Stablecoins to Fix Africa’s Freelancer Payment Delays
Thousands of remote workers experience delay payments, accounts being flagged, and funds taking weeks to arrive. Hurupay, a Kenyan-founded fintech startup, is building its business around solving that friction.
Launched in 2023 and now incorporated in the United States, the company provides virtual foreign currency accounts backed by stablecoins, allowing African freelancers to receive international payments and convert them into local currency with fewer delays.
Since January 2025, Hurupay says it has processed more than $50 million in transactions and has reached marginal profitability, signalling early traction in a highly competitive market.
Founded by Chief Executive Officer Philip Mburu, Chief Technology Officer Allan Okoth, and Mugambi, the startup initially focused on traditional cross-border remittances. However, by late 2024, the founders concluded that the segment was too saturated to support meaningful differentiation.
“When you create a Hurupay account, we give you a dollar account, a euro account, and a pound account,” Mugambi said. “Freelancers in emerging markets can then receive payments from platforms in the US or Europe as if they were residents of those countries, and once the money lands, they can withdraw it locally.”
Quadri Adejumo brings you all the details. Read here.
Also Read:
Bumpa and Flowcart Secure Strategic Backing as Jobtech Alliance Bets on Africa’s Informal Commerce Engine. 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
