LATEST TECH NEWS: Gebeya wins IFC fund. 2 other things and a trivia you need to know today, September 21, 2020

These latest stories from the tech space will keep you updated with trends today.

1. Gebeya wins IFC fund to train 250 female developers

In a bid to solve the issues of gender disparity in the areas of technology and innovation, Gebeya, Ethiopian ed-tech and job placement startup, has signed a US$500,000 advisory services agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to implement the Digital Gender-Ethiopia Programme. Gebeya, which focuses on cultivating the untapped tech potential of African youth to prepare them for the demands of the global market, trains young people with technical skills and help them find jobs.

According to reports, the company has now signed an agreement with the IFC, which is a member of the World Bank Group, through the Women Entrepreneurs Finance (We-Fi) Initiative. The initiative is expected to train 250 female software developers and provide seed funding to 20 female entrepreneurs whose digital business ideas will be supported by Gebeya. The entrepreneurs will receive technical and strategic guidance on business development from Gebeya, alongside advisory services from IFC worth US$50,000, to support mentorship programmes from globally recognised digital entrepreneurs.

---

Tech Trivia:

Which company popularized the term “Tablet PC” in 2001?

A. Microsoft
B. Samsung
C. Nokia
D. BlackBerry

Answer: See end of post.

---

2. S.Africa’s e-health startup Syked secures seed investment

Looking to scale its venture, South African e-health startup Syked has secured an undisclosed seed funding round. Launched last year, Syked is an online wellness platform that provides virtual counselling sessions to clients in the comfort of their own home over secure video consultation. Reviewers, familiar with the platform, noted that signed up patients have access to a wide database of social workers, registered counsellors, counselling psychologists and clinical psychologists, who are qualified to walk the journey with the patient on the platform whilst having access to useful resources and guided tools.

Read also: LATEST TECH NEWS: Nigeria’s auto-tech startup Autochek acquires Cheki platforms. 3 other things and a trivia you need to know today, September 18, 2020

Speaking on its milestone, Analysts said that Syked has seen tremendous growth in the last few months, with COVID-19 putting telemedicine in the spotlight with more people looking for alternative ways of seeking counselling support that they can access without putting themselves at risk. In addition, the startup provides a full turnkey solution that connects clients with suitable qualified practitioners which responds to this very need, has now raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding to help it take advantage of the opportunity.

3. Space-Tech Challenge 2020 opens call for African startups

Space-Tech Challenge 2020 has announced opening calls for application for African startups, seeking to identify and develop the most promising new innovators, entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses in the space-tech sector across Africa. Being a material observatory initiative, Space-Tech applications use earth observation to gather information about the physical, chemical and biological systems of the planet via remote-sensing technologies. Reviews revealed that such tech had seen a surge in demand for these applications across a wide range of industries.

Towards this ambition, the Space-Tech Challenge will identify and develop startups in this space, specifically targeting downstream space-tech applications across agriculture, insurance, retail, sustainability and conservation. The benefit for participants includes receiving an opportunity to showcase to a global audience at GEO Week, an intergovernmental earth observation conference; industry links and market access through ZASpace and partners; screening for investment by Anza Capital; o-month business development support through the Research Institute for Innovation & Sustainability; amongst others.

Tech Trivia Answer: Microsoft

Microsoft Tablet PC is a term coined by Microsoft for tablet computers conforming to a set of specifications announced in 2001 by Microsoft, for a pen-enabled personal computer, conforming to hardware specifications devised by Microsoft and running a licensed copy of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system or a derivative thereof. Hundreds of such tablet personal computers have come onto the market since then.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now