Jiji acquires Cars45 to move beyond classifieds. 2 other things and a trivia

This line-up of stories will help you discover the latest happenings around the tech world, today.

1. Jiji acquires Cars45 to move beyond classifieds

Nigerian company, Jiji, has, Monday, announced acquiring car marketplace, Cars45.

Jiji, which is one of Africa’s largest marketplaces for classifieds, acquired the startup for an undisclosed amount.

Cars45, since its founding few years ago, has been sold multiple times, changing leadership frequently to become a repeatedly acquired company.

Going by records, Cars45, in 2017, raised $5 million from Frontier Car Group (FCG), a Berlin-based company, making FCG the largest shareholder and parent company in the Nigerian car business.

Jiji, founded in 2014, is a Nigerian online marketplace that provides buyers and sellers with an avenue to meet and exchange goods and services.

Today, vehicles listing is the second most popular category on Jiji, with over $3 billion worth of listings out of the platform’s total listing of about $10 billion.

Tech Trivia: Which of the following was named Picaboo at launch?

A. Instagram
B. Snapchat
C. Picmix
D. Telegram

Answer: See end of post.

2. Nigerian matchmaking startup launches updated version Vybe 2.0

Vybe, a Nigerian dating startup, has launched its version 2.0 as it plans to expand their market presence even further into Africa.

Founded in 2019, Vybe is a digital matchmaking platform that allows Africans to make true connections.

Led by its cofounders: Moronke Anifowose, Adetolani Eko and Osagie Omonzokpia, the initiative was launched after the founders identified the nuances in African dating.

According to the team, they designed the platform to give Africans access to dating app features that address those nuances.

Before Vybe, Africans had access to less than 40% of the top 10 dating apps in the world and generally, these platforms are too generic to solve the peculiarities of online dating in Africa.

READ ALSO: SAIS invests $5000 in Five African startups. 2 other things and a trivia

Speaking on the startup’s core and vision, the startup’s COO Anifowose stated that the hope is to digitize the process of dating in Africa.

He said: “We have identified key differences between how Africans look for potential partners versus how it’s done in the west and we’re focused on digitising that experience.”

3. Ghana’s Insurerity Digital launches venture to improve insurance onboarding

Ghanaian fintech startup Insurerity Digital has launched as a Software as a Service (SaaS) provider.

The startup is on a mission to provide convenient, affordable and secure insurance solutions across Africa.

Although founded in 2019 by Foster Adorkor and Richard Adarkwah, Insurerity is now launching after developing cloud-based solutions that focus on bringing efficiency and convenience to the insurance onboarding process.

For the startup, this will include bringing automation to business processes or building client-centric, friendly insurance products.

According to local media, the startup uses automation and algorithms to create and provide cutting-edge digital solutions for insurance entities seeking to digitise their business processes for efficiency and business growth.

Tech Trivia Answer: Snapchat

When Snapchat launched in 2011, it was named Picaboo, but in 2012, it was renamed to Snapchat.

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