Ladda to lead Africa to Seedstars 2020/21 Grand Finale. 2 other things and a trivia

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

1) Ladda to lead Africa to Seedstars 2020/21 Grand Finale

Nigerian fintech startup, Ladda, will, in May, lead Africa to the Grand Finale of the 2020/21 Seedstars World Competition, having displaced 4 others from Africa to emerge winner of the regional leg of the contest in April.

This was disclosed by the media unit of Seedstar via a press statement forwarded to Ripples Nigeria on Monday.

According to Seedstar, Ladda from Nigeria will be advancing to the final round along with startups from four other regions such as Fulfillment Bridge (Tunisia), Pegasi (Venezuela), IMAN (Uzbekistan), and Finology (Malaysia).

Startups who make it to the finals of the contest will compete for $500K in equity funding.

Commenting on the development, Daria Khlopova, Seedstars World lead, stated that the finishing 5 startups have proven to be innovative in thinking, as he expressed excitement to meet them during the final leg.

He said: “These five startups have proven that no matter how difficult times may get, innovation is still at the forefront. We can’t wait to see them at the Grand Finale.”

Nigeria-based Ladda addresses the problem of poor financial literacy and insufficient ease of access to micro investment opportunities for low to medium income earners.

Tech Trivia: Who is celebrated at the first female professor of Physics in Africa?

A. Prof. (Mrs) Modupe Ogunlesi.
B. Prof. (Mrs) Deborah Ajakaye
C. Prof Olubola Babalola
D. Prof. Jane Ande.

Answer: See end of post.

2) Endeavor network accepts new founders from Egypt, Kenya

Five founders from different startups in Egypt and Kenya have been accepted into the global Endeavor network.

The startups will gain access to various support services to help their companies scale.

Having supported over 2000 entrepreneurs, and led 1,344 companies in nearly 40 markets around the world; the Endeavor initiative works to catalyse long-term economic growth by selecting, mentoring, and accelerating the best high-impact entrepreneurs worldwide.

In recent years, the platform has accepted a host of African entrepreneurs into its network to include the selection of 54gene and Apollo Agriculture back in September.

Meanwhile, Endeavor has also confirmed the continued membership of a Nigerian entrepreneur, Etop Ikpe, in spite of him moving on to a new business venture.

READ ALSO: USAID launches food security challenge for Nigerian Agrictech startups. 2 other things and a trivia

Now a founder of Autochek, Etop Ikpe was initially taken into the Endeavor network back in 2018 when he led Cars45.

3) RocketNet to support South African schools with free high speed internet

South African Internet Service Provider (ISP), RocketNet, has announced intent to support schools in the Western Cape with free high-speed internet.

This comes as the company looks to support digital learning and education while assisting to improve each school’s administrative and teaching functions.

Speaking on the development, Simon Swanepoel, CEO of RocketNet, hammered on the importance of access to the internet for students.

He said: “It’s so important in this day and age for scholars to have internet access yet many of our learners are experiencing obstacles in their educational journeys due to no internet connection.

“One of the challenges is the prohibitively high cost of data.

“We are passionate about empowering consumers and playing a role in the communities in which we operate to provide internet access and to help advance ideals, accelerate dreams and improve lives.

“This is one way in which we can invest in our future generation of leaders.”

Tech Trivia Answer: Prof. (Mrs) Deborah Ajakaye.

The first female Physics Professor in Africa is Prof. (Mrs) Deborah Ajakaye while the firrst female Professor of Chemistry in Nigeria is Prof. (Mrs) Modupe Ogunlesi.

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