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  • April 15 2023
  • BM

Twitter does not exist anymore

Lire en français Read this email in French. Editor’s Note Week 15, 2023 Read time: 5 minutes In this edition, we curated crucial news from across Africa, such as Nigeria’s burgeoning carbon market, Swvl’s third delisting warning, Kenya’s data abuse crackdown, and more! Enjoy! Pamela Tetteh Editor, TechCabal. Editor’s Picks Twitter does not exist anymore Twitter Inc, the company, has ceased to exist as a standalone company and has been merged into an entity called “X Corp”. #plottwist Learn more. Meet the OPay Mafia OPay ex-employes have been on a startup spree, cooking up not one, not two, but about seven tech ventures in Nigeria, all within a mere five years since OPay touched down in the country. Learn more. Cassava to invest $250 million into SA’s economy Cassava Technologies pledges to invest $250 million to contribute towards positioning South Africa as an attractive investment destination. Learn more. Kenya fines two companies for data abuse Kenyan loan company, WhitePath Company Limited and workspace provider Regus Kenya are feeling the heat for not playing by the data protection rules. Learn more. Lazerpay shuts down Lazerpay, a web3 and crypto payment company, is shutting down months after the startup’s founder shared that the company was having trouble raising money. Now, its IP is up for sale. Learn more. World Bank invests $390 million in Kenya’s Digital Economy Kenya believe it? The World Bank Group Board of Directors just gave Kenya a digital high-five with a whopping $390 million in financing for its Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project. Learn more. TC Daily Get the most comprehensive insights and stories about Africa’s tech and business ecosystem. TC Daily goes out every week at 7 AM (WAT). Mastercard’s Fellowship admits 12 SA edtech startups Mastercard’s Edtech Fellowship has handpicked 12 game-changing startups. The startups will get equity-free funding worth over R1,000,000 (~ $540 000), product quality evaluation and certification, skills development, coaching and mentorship, market research and access. Learn more. AstraZeneca supports MedSol’s AI cancer detection Global pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has announced that it is partnering with South African healthtech firm MedSol. MedSol’s AI technology can detect breast cancer in seconds. Learn more. Swvl’s fresh problems Low on cash and high on losses, Egypt-born mass transit startup Swvl has received its third delisting warning from Nasdaq. Per the warning, dated March 31, Swvl has 180 days—or until September 25—to raise the value of its publicly held shares above $15 million. Learn more. Healthlane switches lanes Following its six-month operational pause, Healthlane is changing its business model and discontinuing usage of its on-site laboratories. The company is seeking to reinvent itself after a phase of operational struggles and allegations against its founder. Read more. Who brought the money this week? Victory Farms, a Kenya-based aquaculture startup, raised $35 million in a Series B round led by Creadev. Other participants in the round include Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund (ARAF), DOB Equity, Endeavor Catalyst Fund, and Hesabu Capital. The company’s founders and angel investors, including Joseph Rehmann, Steve Moran, Kamran Ahmad, and Hans den Bieman, also invested. South African agri-tech startup, FarmTrace, also closed an undisclosed amount of funding from Secha Capital and Hassium Capital to expand its operations as a cloud-based management solution for farmers. What else to read this weekend? SA startup founders tackle EV mobility amidst weak national grid Former Chipper Cash VP moves to EBANX Africa Next Wave: Crypto’s quick-money promise for Africa is collapsing Why Infinix Note 12 is still popular in 2023 Share TC Weekender Written by: Ngozi Chukwu Edited by: Pamela Tetteh 18, Nnobi Street, Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria Unsubscribe from TC Weekender

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  • April 14 2023
  • BM

12 SA edtech startups selected for the Mastercard Foundation Edtech Fellowship

Non-profit organisation Injini has announced the first cohort of 12 edtech startups participating in the inaugural Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship.  Injini is part of an Africa-wide network of partners implementing the Mastercard Foundation Fellowship to support growth-stage EdTech startups as they seek to improve learning outcomes.  “We saw many promising applicants during the selection process for our Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship Program,” stated Krista Davidson, Executive Director of Injini.  “It was not an easy process to narrow down the applicants from hundreds to these 12 Fellows, as there are many impressive EdTech solutions operating and making a real difference to learners across the country. We are confident that we will be able to work with each one individually to grow their impact and improve educational outcomes in South Africa.” The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship is an initiative of the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) which partners with technology and innovation hubs and EdTech accelerators across Africa to support promising, growth-stage EdTech ventures with the potential for scale and impact.  Launched in 2019, the Fellowship supported 12 African EdTech companies from 7 countries in its first year.  Collectively, these companies have reached over 800,000 learners to date. The Fellowship will provide the selected startups with direct funding support worth over R1,000,000 (~ $540 000) in equity-free venture funding, product quality evaluation and certification, intensive skills development, coaching and mentorship, bespoke market research, and market access through Injini’s network of stakeholders across the education innovation landscape. The selected startups are: Afrika Tikkun Bambanani strives to provide South African children with access to quality education by standardizing the ECD curriculum. The organization collaborates with renowned researchers and educators to equip children with specialized educational tools.  Ambani Africa through the use of augmented reality, animation, and gamification, has successfully developed learner-focused products for language learning. They offer a free language app that currently offers six African language options. BuzzKidz Buzz-in-a-Box (BIAB), is an EdTech solution that helps South African teachers provide creative arts education to learners. Backed by research on play-based learning, the platform offers a comprehensive curriculum covering music, drama, and dance. Click Learning is an NGO that helps underserved primary schools in South Africa improve foundational literacy, numeracy, and digital skills through the deployment of relevant online programs.  Code4Kids is a program that enables teachers to teach coding, robotics, and other ICT skills to students from Grades 4 – 9 through pre-made, curriculum-aligned lessons. Code4Kids offers multiple coding languages such as HTML, CSS and Javascript in a fun and easy-to-learn environment. Digify Africa is a chat-based learning platform that delivers interactive micro-learning through WhatsApp to low-income users in Africa. Lessons are accessible to learners wherever and whenever they want and at their own pace.  FunDza Literacy Trust is a ‘library on a phone’ where readers, writers, and course participants can connect with FunDza through a mobile-friendly and data-light site. The platform publishes reading and writing materials that ignite a love of reading, specifically aimed at teens and young adults who have never previously identified as readers. Matric Live is a multifunctional education app with interactive lessons, gamification of learning, and an exam simulation feature for practising exam-like questions. Reflective Learning is a data-driven solution that helps teachers identify learning gaps and provides personalised learning pathways to empower learners to catch up on their backlogs. Resolute Education provides robotics and coding programs for schools and tertiary institutions. These programs follow the CAPS curriculum, include SACE-accredited teacher training and support, offer cost-effective robotics kits, and an LMS for educators and learners. Yenza offers smart career technology that combines the latest in psychometrics, data science and intelligent design to intuitively guide and recommend successful career pathway journeys for individuals.  12. Zaio is an online platform that provides highly interactive educational content on digital skills like coding, including on-demand live support, at a fraction of the expected cost.

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  • April 14 2023
  • BM

Why Infinix Note 12 is still popular in 2023

The Infinix Note series is one of the brand’s high-end devices. Despite being released in 2022, the Infinix Note 12 is still making waves in the industry.  The Infinix Note 12 boasts a powerful performance and an impressive camera system, making it the perfect device for anyone who wants to stay connected and productive on the go. In this article, we will explore some of the key features and benefits of the Infinix Note 12, taking a closer look at why it’s still in high demand.  Design and display The Infinix Note 12 has a sleek and elegant design, featuring a 6.7-inch Full HD+ display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. The screen is stunning, clear, and has an excellent color reproduction that makes it perfect for gaming, watching movies, or surfing the internet. It also has a high refresh rate of 120Hz, which provides a smoother and more responsive experience when scrolling through your social media feeds or playing games. In terms of design, the Infinix Note 12 has a slim profile and a lightweight body that makes it easy to carry around. It also features a fingerprint scanner on the side that provides quick and secure access to your device. Additionally, it has a triple camera setup at the back, which adds to its aesthetic appeal. Performance Another reason this particular Note Series may linger longer in the Android demand curve is its incredible performance. The Infinix Note 12 is powered by a Mediatek MT8781 Helio G99 (6nm) chipset, which is known for its excellent performance and power efficiency. This chipset is paired with 8GB of RAM, which ensures that the device can handle multiple apps and tasks with ease. It also has 128GB of internal storage, which provides ample space for storing all your photos, videos, and other files. One of the key features that make the Infinix Note 12 stand out is its gaming performance. It comes with a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, which delivers smooth and lag-free gaming performance even for the most demanding games. It also features an advanced cooling system that prevents the device from overheating, even during extended gaming sessions. Camera For folks who are looking for cameras that can compete with high-end Samsung or Redmi phones, you have a sure bet in this Note version. The Infinix Note 12 comes with a powerful camera system that includes a 50MP, f/1.6, (wide) PDAF primary sensor, a PDAF 2MP, f/2.4, (depth) QVGA ultra-wide-angle lens. This camera system is perfect for capturing stunning photos and videos, whether you’re taking portraits, landscapes, or close-up shots. The device also features a 16MP front-facing camera that takes excellent selfies and provides clear and crisp video calls. Additionally, it has a range of advanced camera features such as Super Night mode, AI scene detection, and slow-motion video recording, which further enhances its photography capabilities. For video recording, you can shoot top notch videos with its Quad-LED flash, HDR, panorama and 1440p@30fps video capacity for both front and back cameras.  Battery life The Infinix Note 12 comes with a massive 5000mAh battery that provides excellent battery life. This battery can last for up to two days on a single charge, even with heavy usage. It also features 33W fast charging technology, which ensures that the device can be charged quickly, allowing you to get back to using your device in no time. Software The Infinix Note 12 runs on Android 12, which is the latest version of the Android operating system. This provides access to a range of new features and improvements, including enhanced privacy and security features, better performance, and improved user interface. It also features Infinix’s XOS 10.6, which adds a range of additional features such as Smart Gestures, Game Mode, and Multi-Window support. Price The Infinix Note 12 is competitively priced, making it an excellent choice for anyone who wants a powerful and feature-rich smartphone without breaking the bank. It offers excellent value for money, with its powerful performance, impressive camera system, and long battery life.  In Nigeria, you’ll be able to cop this phone for anything from  ₦130,000 – ₦150,000. Final thoughts on the Infinix Note 12 Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who enjoys mobile gaming and photography, the Infinix Note 12 has something to offer. Though pretty high in price compared to the Infinix Hot or Smart series, it’s definitely impressive when compared to brands like Google Pixel, Samsung, Huawei providing the same specs.

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