A Soweto startup’s unlikely journey from gadgets to AI healthcare
When Seati Moloi launched Khoi Tech, an AI-driven wearables for health startup, in Soweto, South Africa’s largest township, in 2020, few would have imagined that a startup known for making wireless earphones and smartwatches would one day be pitching healthcare technology to British investors. But from June 8-12, Moloi returned to London Tech Week for a second consecutive year, not to showcase consumer gadgets, but to present AI-powered health and workplace wellness technologies developed in Soweto. In a small office far from the venture capital corridors of Sandton and Cape Town, Khoi Tech is attempting something few African startups have achieved: building a globally competitive healthtech company from township roots. The startup, which first gained attention for its Afripods wireless earphones and Afriwatch smartwatches, is now developing AI-powered employee wellness, remote patient monitoring and driver fatigue management platforms for businesses and healthcare providers. Its evolution from consumer electronics maker to enterprise healthtech startup reflects a broader shift in African innovation, where township-born companies are increasingly building technologies designed not only for local markets but for global problems. “To represent South Africa at London Tech Week for a second consecutive year is both an honour and a responsibility,” Moloi told TechCabal in an interview on Friday. “It is a powerful reminder that world-class innovation can emerge from township communities such as Soweto and compete on any global stage.” Founded in Soweto and backed largely with internally generated revenue and founder reinvestment, Khoi Tech initially built its reputation through consumer devices such as the Khoi Afripods true wireless earphones and the Khoi Afriwatch1 smartwatch. The products helped establish the company as one of the country’s emerging home-grown consumer technology brands. But by the time Moloi arrived in London this year, the company had evolved far beyond wearables. “While our initial focus was primarily on hardware products such as the Khoi Afriwatch1 and Khoi Afripods1, we returned in 2026 with an expanded portfolio that included business solutions addressing real challenges in healthcare and the mining sector,” Moloi said. Today, Khoi Tech develops an ecosystem of devices, software applications and software-as-a-service platforms aimed at improving health, safety and operational efficiency. Moloi stated that the township company’s employee wellness platform uses connected devices and analytics to help employers monitor workforce wellbeing and productivity. The company’s remote patient monitoring technology enables doctors and healthcare providers to track patients outside traditional clinical settings, while its driver fatigue and health management platform uses biometric data and proactive alerts to improve safety in logistics and transport operations. “We didn’t succeed despite being from Soweto; we succeeded because we are from Soweto. The environment forces you to iterate rapidly, understand hyper-local logistics, and build absolute resilience into your business architecture from day one,” he said. The Soweto-born founder said Khoi Tech also developed sports analytics tools that provide real-time biometric and performance data to teams and coaches, as well as family wellness platforms that consolidate household health information to encourage preventative care. Artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly sits at the centre of these offerings. “At Khoi Tech, we are integrating AI into our health-tech solutions to transform large volumes of health and wellness data into meaningful insights,” Moloi stated. “By leveraging AI, we aim to enable proactive health monitoring, early identification of trends and risks, and improved decision-making for healthcare providers, employers and policymakers.” The transition from consumer electronics to enterprise health technology appears to be resonating internationally. As one of nine South African startups selected by the UK-SA Tech Hub, in partnership with Telkom and Disraptor, Khoi Tech used London Tech Week to engage investors, government officials and potential technology partners. According to Moloi, the company is now in serious discussions with several venture capital firms and has established partnerships with technology companies from elsewhere in Africa as it explores expansion opportunities across the continent and potentially into the United Kingdom. Yet building a global technology company from the famous Soweto township that is home to South Africa’s two renowned Nobel Peace Prize winners, Nelson Mandela and archbishop Desmond Tutu, has not been without challenges. “Operating outside traditional technology hubs such as Sandton and Cape Town can present challenges, including reduced access to investors, business networks and support ecosystems,” Moloi said. But he believes being rooted in the famous township has also given Khoi Tech a competitive advantage. “Being founded in Soweto has given us a unique perspective and a strong understanding of the challenges faced by underserved communities,” he told TechCabal. “This proximity enables us to identify real-world problems and develop practical, affordable technology solutions.” For Moloi, Khoi Tech’s journey is part of a larger ambition to prove that Africa can create, own and export world-class technology. “Africa must move beyond consuming technology to creating and owning it,” he said. True scale demands moving beyond surface-level integrations to robust execution. We’ve filtered the noise out of Moonshot 2026, optimising the conference strictly for high-calibre connections between startup founders, global financial operators, enterprise leaders and individuals rewiring Africa’s technical frameworks.Get 20% off Early Bird tickets for a limited time.
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Why Agnes Aistleitner trusts founders’ discipline more than genius
The first thing you notice about Agnes Aistleitner, a partner at Africa-focused venture capital firm First Circle Capital, is that she answers questions as though she has been thinking about them for years. Her opinions are tempered by the time she has spent listening to founders, watching businesses succeed and fail, and learning which assumptions hold up in reality. We meet at Artcaffé in Village Market, inside Nairobi’s diplomatic zone, where aid workers, diplomats, founders, and investors walk in and out of meetings that may, or may not, change the future. Aistleitner speaks directly, laughs easily, and answers questions without the fog that clouds VC. An Austrian by birth, she now divides her life between Nairobi and Kampala, searching for founders worth backing and convincing investors to place bigger bets on Africa. Before we begin the interview proper, we spend several minutes catching up on the sluggish investment climate, the difficulty of raising money in today’s market, why elections always make capital nervous, and whether Kenya’s politics this time will once again freeze decisions. She orders hibiscus tea with samosas. I settle for hot chocolate and a croissant. Then she glances at her watch. “I try not to eat after four,” she says, before breaking into a laugh that suggests the rule is occasionally negotiable. The coincidence catches me off guard. It is a discipline I have also been trying to cultivate—sometimes successfully, often not. For someone who spends her days deciding which founders deserve funding, Aistleitner speaks remarkably little about money. She talks about discipline, learning, persistence, and showing up when companies are failing rather than disappearing. Our conversation begins where all interesting journeys do, not her career, but with home. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You grew up in Austria and built a career that eventually brought you to East Africa. What part of the world did you discover in Nairobi and Kampala that you couldn’t find back home? I’ve been in many countries—Jordan, Ukraine, Japan— and I felt like I wanted to spend some time here and see what’s going on on the continent. What I found in Kampala and Nairobi was a kind of rawness and possibility that is harder to find in Austria. Austria is great. It is beautiful, stable, organised, with a very high quality of life. But because so many systems already work, there is less space to feel that you can build something from scratch and have it matter. In East Africa, the gaps are visible. That can be frustrating, but it is also energising. You see problems everywhere, but you also see people building around them, through them, despite them. I guess you can ascribe this to youthful curiosity; Uganda and Kenya are great, and Austria is great. When you visit Austria now, what feels foreign to you? And when you return to East Africa, what reminds you that you are still an outsider? When I go back to Austria, what feels foreign is how structured and predictable everything is. I appreciate it more now than I did when I was younger, but it also feels a bit strange. There is a certain order to life, to careers, to institutions, to expectations. Culturally, I’m so direct that people find me abrasive at times. East African culture reminds me a lot of Japan in weird ways. Communication is very indirect. And then, of course, I am a Muzungu (caucasian). That reminder follows you around whether you like it or not. It does not matter how long you have lived somewhere or how much you care about the place. You are still seen through a certain lens. I think the mature thing is not to be offended by that, but to understand it, keep learning, and not assume belonging is something you can simply declare for yourself. What did your parents imagine you would become when you were young, and how different is that life from the one you ended up living? Well, I come from a very simple background, grew up on a farm, my father is a roofer and mechanic, and I didn’t really meet my parents’ expectations for life. I’d be sitting as a hairdresser, admin, or office worker somewhere near my hometown. But it’s okay. What I did get from that background was very valuable. I learned how to work hard early. I learned that nobody is coming to save you. I learned that if something needs to get done, you do it. And I learned not to look too much for validation from other people, because when you come from a background where your ambitions do not make sense to the people around you, you either stop or you build the internal muscle to keep going. Agnes Aistleitner speaking at Ars Electronica Festival 2024. Image source: First Circle Capital You spend your days evaluating founders. What is the most important quality you’ve seen in great entrepreneurs that never appears in a pitch deck? It’s always about the ability to grow as a person, persistence, and that drive to learn and improve. Great entrepreneurs are learning machines, but they put in the work; you’ve got to put in the work. A lot of founders are smart. Many are charismatic. Some are very good at fundraising. But the ones who become truly great are the ones who keep improving. They become better managers, better sellers, better capital allocators, better communicators. They grow into the company before the company outgrows them. And then there is persistence. Not motivational-poster persistence. Actual persistence. The kind where you wake up after something went badly, and you still do the next thing that needs doing. Venture capital is often described as a business of conviction. Tell me about a moment when your conviction cost you something—money, reputation, or sleep. I actually think “conviction” is sometimes the wrong way to frame venture capital. VC is a probability distribution business. You are looking for enough shots on target where the upside is
Read MoreApple just raised prices: See which devices cost more now
Table of contents Which Apple products got more expensive? Full Apple price increase breakdown Which Apple products are still at the old price Why Apple raised its prices Is the iPhone affected too? What about prices outside the US? Should you buy now? How long will prices stay high? Sub Heading 2 Apple raised prices on several of its devices on Thursday . The price hikes hit the Mac, iPad, Apple TV, HomePod, HomePod mini, and Vision Pro lineups. Apple says the increase is tied to a global shortage of memory and storage chips, driven by the huge demand for AI data centres. This article breaks down every affected product, the old and new prices for each, and what it means for you if you were planning to buy an Apple device soon. Which Apple products got more expensive? Apple’s online store briefly went offline on Thursday morning and came back up with new prices already in place. Here is the full list of products affected. Mac: MacBook Neo MacBook Air (13-inch and 15-inch) MacBook Pro (M5, M5 Pro, and M5 Max) iMac Mac Studio (M4 Max and M3 Ultra) Mac mini (M4 Pro) iPad: iPad (A16) iPad Air (11-inch and 13-inch) iPad Pro (11-inch and 13-inch) iPad mini Other devices: Apple TV 4K HomePod HomePod mini Vision Pro The increases range from $30 to $1,300, depending on the device. Full Apple price increase breakdown Here is exactly how much more you will pay for each device now, compared to the old price. Apple did not change the storage or memory on any of these models, so you are paying more for the same hardware as before. Mac price changes iPad price changes Apple TV, HomePod, and Vision Pro price changes Apple had already discontinued its cheapest Mac mini back in May, before this latest round of increases. Today’s price hike affects the higher M4 Pro Mac mini configuration, which moved from $1,399 to $1,599. Keep the two changes separate when you compare prices. Which Apple products are still at the old price Some Apple products were left out of this price increase. They include: iPhone (every current model) Apple Watch AirPods Studio Display and Apple Pencil So if you want an iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods, or Studio Display, you can still buy them at the old price for now. Why Apple raised its prices Apple blamed the increase on a shortage of memory and storage chips. In a statement, the company said the rapid growth of AI data centres has created a huge surge in demand for memory and storage, and that it has never seen prices rise this fast. Apple added that it had protected customers from the cost increases for as long as it could, but has now reached a point where it needs to raise prices on some products. CEO Tim Cook had already warned this was coming. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal on June 17, he described the shortage as a “hundred-year flood” and said he had never seen anything like it in over 40 years on the job. The shortage stems from chip makers such as Micron, Samsung, SK Hynix, and Kioxia shifting more of their production to high-bandwidth memory used in AI servers. That leaves less memory for everyday devices like laptops, tablets, game consoles, and smart speakers, which pushes prices up. Is the iPhone affected too? The iPhone was left out of this round of price changes, but that could change soon. Analysts expect Apple to raise iPhone prices later this year, most likely when the iPhone 18 launches in September. Estimates on how much more you might pay vary widely. JPMorgan expects an increase of around $50 Evercore expects an increase of around $100 Counterpoint Research expects an increase of $150 to $200 TechInsights expects an increase of as much as $270 on some models Apple is not alone here. Other companies have already raised prices because of the same memory shortage. Microsoft raised Xbox console prices, with some models going up by $150 Samsung raised prices on its Galaxy S26 lineup Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer, and ASUS have raised laptop prices, too Sony and Nintendo have also raised prices on their gaming consoles What about prices outside the US? The increase applies to Apple’s online store worldwide, including the UK, where the MacBook Neo went from £599 to £699. For African markets like Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Ghana, there is no confirmed local price change yet. Apple does not run direct stores in these countries. Instead, devices are sold through authorised resellers like iStore, and local prices depend on currency exchange rates, import duties, and reseller margins, in addition to Apple’s own pricing. This means prices in these markets could rise eventually, but the change will likely take time to show up, layered on top of the usual currency and import cost shifts you already see locally. Should you buy now? If you want a MacBook or iPad, buying now could save you money for a short while. Some retailers, like Amazon, still had old prices live during Prime Day, which ends on June 26. Once that sale ends, expect prices everywhere to match Apple’s new numbers. Apple’s Back to School promotion is also expected to return around July 1, which often includes free AirPods or gift cards with select purchases. That could help offset some of the new pricing if you are a student. If you are after an iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods, or Studio Display, there’s no rush since those prices have not changed. Just keep in mind that more increases could come later this year. How long will prices stay high? Experts expect the chip shortage to continue for years. Chip maker Micron expects tight supply to continue beyond 2027. Intel’s CEO has said relief is unlikely before 2028. Some analysts think the pricing pressure could last until 2030. This means the new Apple prices might be here to stay, even after
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The global debate over AI warfare is coming to Nairobi
Much of the conversation about artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa has focused on talent, startups, research, and infrastructure. The continent could soon find itself in more consequential conversations, like how AI will reshape warfare. The debate is significant because Africa remains one of the world’s most conflict-affected regions. The continent accounted for over 40% of the world’s armed conflicts in 2025. As AI becomes embedded in military systems—from surveillance and targeting to autonomous drones—Africa will be among the first places to face the consequences of these technologies. On Tuesday, Kenya was confirmed as the host of the Fourth Summit on Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain (REAIM), set for April 2027. The summit is the world’s leading forum on military AI governance, bringing together governments, defence officials, technology companies, and researchers to debate the technology’s military applications. “Our discussion explored how Kenya can build practical connections between the REAIM process and the AI Action Summit, particularly around responsible AI, security, dual-use technologies, capacity building, and the role of states in shaping concrete implementation pathways,” Kenya’s special envoy on technology, Phillip Thigo, posted on his LinkedIn after meeting Reto Wollenmann, deputy head of Swiss Section for Arms Control and Disarmament. AI on battlefields AI is moving into defence faster than governments are developing rules to govern it. That governance gap extends even in other sectors, including finance, healthcare, and education. AI adoption has outpaced the creation of comprehensive legislation to govern its use. Across the world, militaries are already using AI to analyse intelligence, identify potential targets, coordinate logistics, monitor cyber threats, and support battlefield decision-making. Autonomous drones have become a defining feature of modern conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East. Defence planners increasingly view AI as a strategic capability on par with satellites, cyber weapons, and advanced missile systems. Africa is largely absent from the development of these technologies. But it will not be absent from their consequences. That reality helps explain why Kenya’s appointment as host is more significant than just another international conference coming to Nairobi. Previous REAIM summits have been hosted in The Hague, the Netherlands (2023), Seoul, South Korea (2024), and A Coruña, Spain (2026). For the first time, an African country will help shape discussions around technologies that could influence global security for decades. The timing is also notable because military AI governance remains unsettled. There is no global treaty governing autonomous weapons. Further, there are no internationally accepted laws that define the role humans should play in AI military systems. There is also no consensus on accountability when an autonomous system causes civilian harm. The world’s major powers agree that safeguards are needed, but disagree on what those safeguards should look like. As a result, military AI remains one of the few major technological domains where the rules are still being written. Africa’s role in military AI Historically, Africa has entered such conversations late. The continent played a limited role in shaping Internet governance. It had little influence over the development of social media platforms despite becoming one of their fastest-growing markets, according to Geopoll. It has often adopted digital systems designed elsewhere, only to spend years responding to their unintended consequences. Military AI presents an opportunity to avoid repeating that pattern. The issue is not simply weapons. Much of the technology being discussed at REAIM has dual-use applications. Computer vision systems used to identify military targets can also power mass surveillance. Facial recognition systems deployed for security purposes can be used for civilian monitoring. Predictive analytics designed for intelligence gathering can influence law enforcement and border management. This only means that the distinction between military and civilian AI is becoming blurred. For African governments, that raises a different set of questions. How should states balance security and privacy? What safeguards should exist around AI-powered surveillance? And how should governments regulate technologies that are simultaneously commercial products and national security assets? These questions are urgent as governments across the continent, including Kenya, Uganda, Egypt, and Nigeria, expand investments in digital identity systems, surveillance infrastructure, and cybersecurity. The military AI debate is therefore becoming part of a conversation about state power. Africa’s security realities may also give the continent a perspective that differs from those of major military powers. The United States, China, and Europe focus on state-on-state competition and geopolitical rivalry. Many African governments are more concerned with terrorism, piracy, insurgencies, organised crime, and border security. AI systems developed for conventional warfare may not be suited to these environments. Likewise, governance frameworks designed for wealthy countries with strong institutions may not translate easily into regions where technical expertise, regulatory capacity, and digital infrastructure remain uneven. Kenya’s significance That creates an opportunity for African countries to influence the evolution of global military AI governance. Kenya has already been positioning itself for that role. The country co-hosted REAIM 2024 in Seoul, South Korea, sits on the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Body on AI, helped advance the first UN General Assembly resolution on AI, and has hosted regional consultations to increase African participation in military AI discussions. What appears to be happening is that Kenya is attempting to establish itself as a bridge between advanced economies, developing frontier AI systems, and emerging markets that will eventually adopt them. However, the significance extends across the continent. For much of the AI boom, Africa’s role has largely been framed in terms of inclusion. The discussion focused on how the continent could gain access to computing resources, attract investment, develop local talent, and ensure African languages are represented in AI systems. Military AI introduces a different conversation about governance, sovereignty, and ultimately, power. Countries that influence AI governance today may shape international security for decades. In the same way early internet governance decisions shaped the digital economy, decisions made over the next few years could determine how autonomous weapons, AI-enabled surveillance, and algorithmic decision-making are regulated globally. The countries present when those decisions are made will have an advantage. The countries absent from the conversation may
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Cardano shifts from blockchain pilots in Africa to deciding what gets built
After years of funding blockchain pilots, startup programmes and public-sector projects across Africa, Cardano, a global blockchain company that operates the cryptocurrency ADA with $5.45 billion in market cap, is turning its attention to a less visible question: who decides what gets built, funded, and prioritised across the ecosystem. Founded in 2017, Cardano built its presence in Africa through its startup programmes, digital identity projects, and government partnerships, including a widely publicised education credentials initiative in Ethiopia. Blockchain companies, as part of their distribution strategy, typically back developers and sometimes provide funding, such as grants, and resources to enable them to build on their networks. Several blockchains build developer ecosystems through ecosystem-building, a community-driven strategy. Others, including Stellar and Sui, have taken a similar approach. Cardano, which has previously supported early-stage crypto startups through accelerators, now wants to perform open-heart surgery on the model itself, restructuring the process that comes before writing cheques. Cardano is placing governance at the centre of its Africa strategy, allowing community members to vote on which ecosystem projects receive funding, how it allocates funding, and which high-potential projects should be prioritised. Other blockchains have invested heavily in ecosystem-building, but Cardano believes giving communities greater influence over decision-making will help it attract and retain builders over the long term. “The gear shift is real, but it’s less about commercial strategy and more about governance maturity,” Alex Maaza, the Ecosystem and Enterprise Growth Lead at the Cardano Foundation, the Swiss-based non-profit entity that oversees the blockchain, said. That thinking is most visible through Project Catalyst, Cardano’s community funding programme. The initiative allows participants to submit proposals and vote on which projects receive funding. According to Maaza, around 150 Africa-related projects have received between $2.5 million and $3 million through Catalyst, spanning agricultural traceability, education, humanitarian coordination, and off-grid energy. Project Catalyst started as a grant programme where community members voted on which projects received funding. Cardano has since expanded that voting system to include decisions about treasury spending and the network’s future development. “We spent years prototyping decentralised decision-making through Project Catalyst,” said Maaza. “Since 2025, that model has evolved into direct on-chain governance, with token holders voting on how to deploy the Cardano treasury.” The move is part of Cardano’s effort to make governance a defining feature of the ecosystem. Cardano Foundation wants developers, entrepreneurs, and community members to decide how treasury funds are spent, which projects receive funding, and how the network develops over time, rather than leaving those decisions to a foundation or a small group of developers. Cardano’s governance model addresses a question that has followed the crypto industry for years: can blockchain networks genuinely distribute decision-making, or does influence ultimately remain concentrated among a small group of participants? Critics argue that voting power in many projects often rests with large token holders, even when governance systems are designed to be community-led. Cardano believes participation can extend beyond token ownership alone. More than 700 developers, founders and community members helped shape Cardano 2030, the network’s long-term roadmap, Maaza said. Who decides where the money goes? Until recently, Project Catalyst was the primary funding mechanism available to startups building on Cardano. According to Maaza, Catalyst funding supported accelerator programmes run by organisations including the SDG Blockchain Accelerator, Draper University, Techstars and CVh Labs. The programmes are managed by those organisations rather than by the Cardano Foundation. The Foundation also launched the first cohort of its own accelerator programme. In total, 70 startups participated in the programmes in 2025, according to Maaza. The ecosystem has also introduced new funding structures, including the Cardano Builder DAO and the Draper Dragon Ecosystem Fund, known as the Orion Fund. In April, the fund launched with a reported $80 million focus on real-world assets and institutional decentralised finance (DeFi). Cardano says this approach is already influencing how it runs programmes in Africa. Maaza pointed to the Cardano Africa Tech Summit (CATS26), held in February, as an example. Rather than operating as a traditional conference, the event brought together more than 500 developers across 12 African cities to build projects and participate in ecosystem activities before culminating in Nairobi. He added that the community funded the programme and gave local builders a greater role in shaping its outcomes. Enterprise adoption remains a major objective “There’s only one blockchain where Africa, or any geography or industry, can genuinely shape the roadmap rather than just receive it,” Maaza said. That view is shaping the Foundation’s engagement with regulators as African governments develop frameworks for digital assets and blockchain businesses. Maaza cited Kenya’s Virtual Asset Service Providers framework as an example of the regulatory clarity many enterprises have been waiting for before making long-term commitments. Cardano still tracks familiar industry metrics such as monthly active users, transaction volumes, and total value locked (TVL). Maaza said another measure matters just as much: whether people building within the ecosystem have a meaningful role in deciding where resources go. “The goal was never to bring Cardano to Africa,” he said. “It’s to build something with Africans that they actually own a piece of.” Cardano has spent years bringing blockchain projects to Africa, but it is now handing part of that process to the people building on the network, a change that will become visible not in governance votes but in the businesses and services that emerge from them. True scale demands moving beyond surface-level integrations to robust execution. We’ve filtered the noise out of Moonshot 2026, optimising the conference strictly for high-calibre connections between startup founders, global financial operators, enterprise leaders and individuals rewiring Africa’s technical frameworks.Get 20% off Early Bird tickets for a limited time.
Read MoreMunich-based startup brings AI-powered business tools to African small businesses
Knowlix AI, a Munich-based artificial intelligence startup, has launched an AI-powered business platform designed to help small businesses across 29 African countries and other global markets manage customer relations, invoicing, inventory, projects, and other operational processes. The company said the product combines business software, intelligent automation, and AI-driven execution to help businesses spend less time on administrative tasks and more time building their businesses. The launch comes amid growing optimism about AI’s economic potential in Africa. A report by the GSM Association (GSMA) suggests that AI could increase Africa’s economy by $2.9 trillion by 2030, driven by greater access to data, computing infrastructure, and digital skills. While Knowlix AI does not yet have customers on the continent, it has launched with support for 29 African countries, including Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Egypt. The company said businesses in those markets can operate on the platform from launch rather than wait for localisation to be introduced later. Knowlix AI is launching globally with a free trial and paid plans starting at $24.90 monthly. For African markets, Knowlix AI said it has built support for local tax configurations, currencies, accounting standards, and legal requirements. “For decades, the software that runs a company was built for the largest companies on earth. Not because small owners didn’t need it, but because they could never afford to set it up,” said Francesco Wiedemann, co-founder and CEO of Knowlix AI. “Knowlix AI sets itself up and runs the back office, so a small business can operate like a Fortune 500.” Founded by Peter Meie and Wiedemann in 2021, Knowlix AI is built on an open-source software foundation, which the company said enables it to support localisations in multiple jurisdictions. At the core of its platform is what the company calls an AI Teammate, an assistant that can draft quotations and invoices, convert meeting notes into tasks, prepare inventory reorders, and automate routine business processes. The AI Teammate operates within predefined guardrails, with business owners retaining final approval over critical actions before they are executed. The company said the assistant learns how a business operates over time, adapting to its workflows, communication style, and preferences. “Knowlix AI adapts to how each business actually works, rather than forcing a standardised workflow,” Wiedemann said. “It learns the language and working style of each business individually, so whether you’re automating customer emails or marketing campaigns, it follows your guidelines rather than a fixed template.” The startup enters a market with existing productivity and business-management software providers, including global players such as Odoo, Zoho, HubSpot, and Microsoft, alongside African startups building software for SMEs, such as Moniebook, Orda Africa, and Trembi. Knowlix AI is betting that integrating AI directly into everyday business operations, rather than standalone tools, will appeal to small businesses looking to automate routine operations.
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Why Opera-backed MiniPay wants Africans to spend stablecoins
When MiniPay launched in 2023, it had a simple pitch: help users access and move stablecoins cheaply. Three years later, the Opera-backed stablecoin app has a new priority: making those stablecoin balances more useful. On Tuesday, the company launched a Visa debit card in partnership with payments giant Visa and Gnosis Pay, the stablecoin payments platform developed by blockchain company Gnosis, allowing users in emerging markets and Africa—where it operates in major markets such as Nigeria and Kenya—to spend stablecoin balances anywhere Visa is accepted. The move signals how the stablecoin market is evolving. After years spent helping users acquire, hold, and transfer digital currencies, companies are now focusing on making those balances spendable in everyday commerce. For MiniPay, the card is an attempt to move beyond being a wallet and become part of how users pay. “The clearest signal is user demand. A card has been one of the most consistent requests from MiniPay users because it solves a problem that local payment options alone cannot fully solve,” a MiniPay spokesperson told TechCabal. Several startups, including Bitnob, Juicyway—which plans to launch a stablecoin-linked card—and Onboard Global, have launched card products that connect multi-currency balances, including dollar stablecoins, to traditional payment networks. Others, such as Rach Finance, are building infrastructure to enable consumers and businesses to spend and accept stablecoins easily. MiniPay was among the earliest stablecoin products to gain traction in Africa. After launching as a mini-app in the Opera browser, it later expanded into a standalone product, integrating with local payment rails such as M-PESA in Kenya and OPay in Nigeria. Yet, the company said local payment rails solve only part of the problem. “Local rails are important, but they are fragmented by country and provider,” the Opera spokesperson said. “Cards are different. They travel better. They work online, across borders, and in many real-world spending contexts where local payment methods may not.” With MiniPay stablecoin-linked cards, users can directly spend their stablecoins at local retail stores or online e-commerce checkouts, without needing to convert those funds to fiat currencies using M-PESA or OPay. MiniPay has now surpassed 16 million activated wallets, according to Opera, up from 15 million reported in Q1 2026. In May, Murray Spark, Opera’s senior director of business development, told TechCabal that the majority of MiniPay’s users are concentrated in African markets. Across Africa, stablecoins are being integrated into mainstream financial use cases, including remittances, freelance payments, savings, and cross-border transfers. A report by YouGov, a UK-based research firm, and BVNK, a UK-headquartered stablecoin payments company, that surveyed 4,658 crypto users across 15 countries, found that Africa had the world’s highest stablecoin ownership rate. Among crypto users surveyed in Nigeria and South Africa, 79% held stablecoins, while 71% said they were interested in using a stablecoin-linked debit card. This backs Opera’s thesis. The company said its MiniPay users already spend stablecoins through Mini Apps to buy airtime, data bundles, rewards, and gifts. The company noted that MiniPay has processed over 500 million transactions since it launched. “MiniPay was built to make stablecoins useful in everyday life, not just to hold or send, but to spend,” Jørgen Arnesen, Opera’s executive vice president for mobile, said. “What makes this launch especially meaningful is that it helps connect users in high-growth markets to global commerce through a simple, reliable dollar-based card.” The partnership also gives Visa a foothold in one of the fastest-growing segments of Africa’s payments market. As stablecoins gain traction for retail use, global payment networks are racing to connect those digital‑dollar balances to existing merchant infrastructure. Globally, the broader crypto card market, driven by stablecoin-denominated spending, has scaled rapidly, with monthly transaction volumes rising from about $100 million in 2023 to $1.5 billion by 2025, according to US-based analytics firm Artemis. That is an annualised run-rate of about $18 billion. Visa controls an estimated 90% of that crypto card market, Artemis noted, beating competitors such as Mastercard. The global payments giant has deployed a partnership-led strategy, where it plugs into leading stablecoin exchanges and wallets, co-brands cards, and routes spending through its existing merchant and issuer network. “Visa is focused on expanding the utility of digital currencies through familiar and secure payment networks,” Cuy Sheffield, Visa’s head of crypto, said. “By connecting MiniPay’s stablecoin ecosystem with Visa’s global merchant footprint, we are helping give users in high-growth markets a practical way to participate in global commerce.” Africa, compared to Western markets where crypto- and stablecoin-linked cards have achieved deeper mainstream penetration, is still in an early build-out phase. That gives Visa an early-stage advantage. By partnering with high-volume stablecoin venues, it can push more of these cards to last-mile users, driving distribution and everyday adoption. For African partners, the upside depends on whether the unit economics work. Interchange, foreign exchange (FX), and on- and off-ramp costs must leave enough margin for issuers and platforms, not just global networks. With the launch, MiniPay is signalling that the next phase of competition will not be dominated by platforms that enable users to buy, convert, or transfer stablecoins, but by those that make these digital assets useful at retail stores. True scale demands moving beyond surface-level integrations to robust execution. We’ve filtered the noise out of Moonshot 2026, optimising the conference strictly for high-calibre connections between startup founders, global financial operators, enterprise leaders and individuals rewiring Africa’s technical frameworks.Get 20% off Early Bird tickets for a limited time.
Read MoreAbimbola Bajomo found product management while solving a workplace problem
Abimbola Bajomo grew up around money. Not the kind of children tucked into piggy banks, but the kind discussed over dinner tables by adults responsible for moving them. Her mother worked in banking operations. Her uncle was a banker. So is her brother. Conversations about cheque clearing and customer complaints were normal in the house. “From when I was a child, I have literally known nothing more than money,” Bajomo says. “I remember going to the bank and watching how they used to manage it. It was fascinating.” Yet for years, she resisted the gravitational pull of finance. As a teenager, she wanted to be a lawyer and applied to study Law at the University of Lagos, one of Nigeria’s most sought-after universities. After failing to gain admission, she enrolled in Redeemer’s University, a private Christian university in Ede, Osun State, southwest Nigeria, to study Sociology in 2011. She graduated in 2015. “I just picked sociology because it seemed like something close to law,” she says. “I really didn’t know what the course was about. I just picked it, and I got in.” During her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Nigeria’s mandatory one-year service programme for graduates, in 2015, she was posted to the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State in southwest Nigeria. There, she assisted a professor researching Nigeria’s school feeding programme. Her work involved everything from nutrition and health outcomes to religious considerations and implementation strategies. The work demanded a level of rigour she had not encountered before. “You would write something, and they would tell you to go back because you hadn’t gone deep enough,” she recalls. Over time, she came to appreciate the discipline, a lesson in attention to detail she still relies on today. In the same year, her mother encouraged her to apply for banking jobs. She sat for recruitment tests for banks, including Access Bank and First Bank, two of Nigeria’s largest commercial banks. “I dreaded it,” she says. “Everybody in my family was a banker.” But when the offer from ESQ Trainings Limited, a Lagos-based legal training organisation, came in, she took it. She had always wanted to carve her own path, and working in a legal organisation felt like the right way to do it. After NYSC, she joined ESQ in 2016 as a Learning and Development Specialist. The firm ran professional programmes for lawyers and the ESQ Nigerian Legal Awards, an annual event that recognises outstanding achievements across Nigeria’s legal profession. The role brought her closer to the legal profession she had once hoped to join. Reviewing legal briefs and regulatory documents became a regular part of her work, a skill that would later prove valuable in the heavily regulated payments industry. But something else was already forming. She found herself constantly asking how processes could be improved, whether she was organising programmes or managing submissions. The accidental product manager The ESQ Nigerian Legal Awards, she says, was a lot of work. Law firms submitted lengthy briefs detailing their work and achievements, and judges reviewed the entries before deciding the winners. The process was largely manual. Submissions arrived through email. Documents moved back and forth between organisers and judges. Tracking everything required significant coordination. Bajomo began wondering if there was a better way. “The first digital submission platform that the organisation had was designed by me,” she says. “I used PowerPoint to design what it should look like.” At the time, she thought she was simply helping to solve an operational problem. Then somebody she met told her that what she was doing was product management. For the first time, Bajomo had a name for what she had been doing instinctively. Until then, she had assumed careers in the tech sector were reserved for computer science graduates. Curious, she began researching product management. The more she learned about the discipline, the more it appealed to her. In 2017, she attended her first product management training, organised by Product Folks, an Indian product community, virtually. The sessions introduced her to concepts she had never encountered before. Determined to learn more, she says she started teaching herself. Money was tight, so she relied heavily on free resources. A friend who worked in cybersecurity regularly sent her courses and learning materials. She enrolled in programmes from Product School, completed courses on LinkedIn Learning and Google. When a designer repeatedly delayed marketing materials for the firm’s learning programmes, Bajomo says she taught herself Canva and began creating the designs. She also became increasingly involved in the firm’s digital transformation efforts, helping to automate internal processes and designing an e-learning platform for its training programmes. By the time she left ESQ in 2019, she says she had become “a full-blown product manager.” When payments found her In 2020, Bajomo joined TrainQuarters, a Lagos-based e-learning platform, as a product manager. The company helped creators, businesses, and organisations sell digital products, including ebooks and video courses. As the platform expanded, many of its customers wanted to sell to audiences outside Nigeria. That meant integrating payment solutions capable of processing transactions across different countries. Bajomo says she worked on integrating payment providers, including Paystack, Flutterwave, PayPal and later Stripe, to enable those transactions. “It was mind-blowing,” she says. “It was beautiful.” The role marked her first deep exposure to payments, introducing her to international transactions, card systems, and encryption. “That was how the growth kicked up, and the whole thing just kicked in,” she says. In 2022, after she left TrainQuarters, she joined Gokada, a Lagos-based logistics company, as a product manager. There, she worked across both the customer-facing app and Geops, the company’s internal operations platform. “My experience in Gokada allowed me to understand operations,” she says. “I gained a lot of operational knowledge that exposed me to how settlements worked and the spending processes within organisations.” In May 2023, Bajomo said she left Gokada and joined Remita Payment Services, a Nigerian payment technology platform, as a
Read MoreAlliance-backed fintech Daya raises $2.4 million to build stablecoin payment rails
Daya, a Nigerian startup building stablecoin-powered payment infrastructure for African businesses, has raised a $2.4 million pre-seed round to expand its cross-border payments network and deepen its stablecoin-based financial services. Hivemind Capital, a New York-based digital asset investment firm, led the round with participation from Lattice Fund, a crypto-focused venture capital firm; Alliance DAO, a New York-based crypto accelerator; Aptos Foundation, an independent entity that supports the US-based Aptos blockchain network by issuing builder grants and developer resources; and Globelink Investment, a Singapore-based investment company. “The round was oversubscribed,” Tomiwa “Aleph” Lasebikan, Daya’s co-founder, told TechCabal. “Right now, we’re heads down focused on building and shipping for our users and delivering on the promises we made to our investors and early backers.” The funding comes seven months after Daya emerged from the Alliance DAO ALL15 cohort and positions the startup among a growing group of Africa-focused fintechs, including Yellow Card and Juicyway, betting that stablecoins can become a mainstream rail for cross-border business payments. Founded in October 2025 by Lasebikan and Paul Joe, Daya helps businesses receive dollar payments, settle transactions using stablecoins, and move funds across borders through a combination of regulated banking partners and blockchain-based settlement infrastructure. The funding also shows investor conviction in African stablecoin-based fintechs like Daya. It is part of a broader shift in financial services as stablecoins move beyond their origins in cryptocurrency trading and find adoption in business payments, treasury management, and international commerce. According to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, stablecoins settled about $28 trillion in transaction value globally in 2025, with much of that activity tied to economic use cases such as payments and remittances. For African businesses, it enables them to settle international payments without routing through correspondent banks, which can cause delays and increase costs. Stablecoin-based infrastructure aims to reduce some of that friction by using blockchain networks as settlement rails while relying on regulated financial institutions for fiat onboarding and withdrawals. Daya’s platform allows businesses to receive payments through dollar-denominated accounts provided by banking partners, settle those funds in stablecoins, and either hold them, make international payments, or convert them into local currency. The startup has been building partnerships around that model. In June, Daya partnered with Aptos Foundation and Dubai-based crypto exchange HashKey MENA to pilot a stablecoin settlement corridor connecting businesses in Africa and the Middle East. The partnership enables African businesses to settle transactions with counterparties in the Middle East using stablecoins, while receiving and paying out funds in local currencies at either end of the transaction. Businesses can access virtual US dollar (USD), Hong Kong dollar (HKD), and Chinese yuan (CNY) accounts, convert local currencies into dollar liquidity, hold funds in stablecoins, and manage payments and treasury operations on the same platform, according to Daya. The startup said it has been growing more than 40% month-on-month in 2026. According to Lasebikan, several businesses now use its platform for cross-border payments and treasury management, although he did not specify how many businesses the startup currently serves. “We’re focused on iterating with our products and continuing to learn,” Lasebikan said. “We already partner with a core group of businesses and are helping them simplify their cross-border payments and treasury processes. The pre-seed enables us to learn faster and serve our users more broadly.” Investors are betting that businesses across Africa need a simpler way to access global financial infrastructure. “Many teams still stitch together local banks, domiciliary accounts, FX desks, OTC [over-the-counter] relationships, crypto ramps, payment processors, spreadsheets, and manual approval flows,” Lattice Fund wrote in a June 24 statement announcing the raise. “The result is delayed settlement, opaque FX [forex exchange], trapped working capital, compliance drag, and limited visibility into where money is at any point in the transaction lifecycle.” With the funding, Daya plans to expand its payment corridors, compliance infrastructure, and partnerships with local and global financial institutions as it seeks to build what it describes as a financial operating layer for African businesses moving money across borders.
Read MoreGoogle Pixel 11: Release date, price, and specs for every model
Table of contents When is the Pixel 11 coming out Google Pixel 11 specs Google Pixel 11 Pro specs Google Pixel 11 Pro XL specs Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold specs What’s new in AI What is Pixel Glow How much will the Pixel 11 cost What’s still up in the air Google’s Pixel 11 lineup is on the way, and the leaks have been piling up since March. You can expect four phones this time: the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. All of this comes from leaks for now, since Google hasn’t sent an event invite or confirmed a single spec yet. The sources behind most of this information have a strong track record, so this outlines what each model is expected to offer, along with price and release date estimates so far. When is the Pixel 11 coming out Google hasn’t picked a date yet, at least not publicly. But the pattern from the last two years points to August. Pixel 9: announced August 13, 2024 Pixel 10: announced August 20, 2025 Both events were called Made by Google. If Google keeps the same rhythm, expect invites to go out in late June or July, with the event itself landing sometime between mid- and late August 2026. Expect the regular Pixel 11 and both Pro-sized models to be announced together, with the Pro Fold following later. Last year’s foldable shipped weeks after the rest of the lineup, and the same gap is expected again, pushing the Pro Fold’s release closer to October 2026. Google Pixel 11 specs The standard Pixel 11 is shaping up to be a smaller step up than the Pro models, but it still gets a few meaningful hardware changes. Display: 6.3-inch OLED screen, 120Hz refresh rate, peak brightness up to 2,200 nits Chip: Tensor G6, Google’s first chip built on a 2nm process Modem: a new MediaTek modem, replacing the Samsung modems Google has used for years RAM and storage: leaks point to 8GB or 12GB of RAM, with 128GB or 256GB of storage. This would be a drop from the Pixel 10’s flat 12GB, and it’s the spec drawing the most pushback online Camera: a new 50MP main sensor paired with an ultrawide lens Battery: rated around 4,840mAh Colors: black, green, pink, and purple It’s still unclear if the base Pixel 11 gets Pixel Glow, the new light feature on the back of the phone. More on that further down. Google Pixel 11 Pro specs Step up to the Pixel 11 Pro and the upgrades get more interesting. Display: 6.3-inch OLED, smooth 1 to 120Hz refresh rate, brightness up to 2,450 nits Chip and modem: the same Tensor G6 and MediaTek modem as the base model RAM: rumours split this into 12GB and 16GB options, down from a flat 16GB on last year’s Pro Camera: new main and telephoto sensors, carrying the codenames Bastet and Barghest Pixel Glow: yes, this one gets the new RGB light array built into the camera bar, replacing the temperature sensor Battery: rated around 4,707mAh, smaller than the Pixel 10 Pro Face unlock: the under-display face scanner Google has been working on reportedly isn’t ready yet, so you’ll still rely on the fingerprint sensor For reference, the Pixel 10 Pro launched at $999. Google Pixel 11 Pro XL specs Display: 6.8-inch OLED, 1 to 120Hz refresh rate, brightness up to 2,450 nits Chip and modem: identical to the Pro RAM: 12GB or 16GB Camera: the same upgraded sensors as the Pro Pixel Glow: included Battery: rated around 5,000mAh, the largest in the lineup Charging: 25W wireless charging, the fastest of the four phones The Pixel 10 Pro XL started at $1,199. Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold specs The Pixel 11 Pro Fold usually arrives later than the rest, and this year looks no different. Release: expected around October 2026, weeks after the other three phones Thickness: 10.1mm folded and 4.8mm unfolded, both thinner than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold Inner screen: about 8 inches, with a 120Hz refresh rate Outer screen: about 6.4 inches, useful for quick tasks without opening the phone Camera: a redesigned camera bump with the flash and microphone now built into the cutout Chip and modem: the same Tensor G6 and MediaTek modem as the rest of the lineup Battery: rated around 4,658mAh, smaller than last year’s model Colors: a green option and a darker shade, based on leaked wallpapers The Pixel 10 Pro Fold launched at $1,799. Some reports suggest the Pixel 11 Pro Fold could land anywhere from $1,699 to nearly $2,000, especially with memory chip prices climbing this year. What’s new in AI Google confirmed Gemini Intelligence back in May. It’s the headline AI feature for this generation, built to handle tasks across several steps on its own, like booking something or building a shopping list from a note. To run it, your phone needs a flagship chip, at least 12GB of RAM, Gemini Nano version 3 or higher, and several years of guaranteed software support. That last requirement creates an odd problem. If the base Pixel 11 really does ship with 8GB of RAM, it would fall short of Google’s own minimum for its AI feature. Either that leak is wrong, or Google’s newest phone won’t be able to run its newest AI tool out of the box. Beyond Gemini Intelligence, leaks point to a few camera features for the new lineup: Speak-to-Tweak, which lets you edit photos by talking to your phone instead of tapping through menus Sketch-to-Image, for turning rough drawings into images Cinematic Blur at 4K and 30 frames per second Better low-light video, even in near-dark conditions None of these are confirmed for the Pixel 11 specifically yet, and some may require the same 12GB of RAM and Gemini Nano v3 that Gemini Intelligence uses. What is Pixel Glow Pixel Glow is the most talked-about new feature this cycle. It’s a small array of RGB lights
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