LATEST TECH NEWS: Kenya’s Ilara Health closes $1.1-million funding. 2 other things and a trivia you need to know today, October 23, 2020

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

1. Kenya’s Ilara Health closes $1.1-million funding

Kenya-based health tech startup, Ilara Health, has announced closing $1.1-million in grant funding. According to the company, the funding was led by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with a vision to improve maternal health outcomes in the country. Commenting on the development, Emilian Popa, CEO, and co-founder of Ilara Health, after expressing excitement, noted that the grant underscored the acute need for the continuation of essential ANC services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said: “We are incredibly excited to receive support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to improve Kenya’s maternal health outcomes and promote Ilara Health’s core mission of improving access to diagnostics countrywide. This grant underscores the acute need for the continuation of essential ANC services during the COVID-19 pandemic; we hope to see a great reduction in poor maternal and neonatal health outcomes through its implementation in these low-resource peri-urban areas.” However, according to reports, the funding will be used to create effective antenatal care interventions (ANC) and generate tech-based solutions for pregnant individuals who are unable to access essential services during the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

2. Lulalend and Paycode win prestigious global inclusive fintech award

Two South African fintech players have, today, emerged winner in the prestigious global inclusive fintech award. One of them, Lulalend, has been described as one of the country’s leading B2B digital lenders, while the other Paycode, is a fintech that provides biometric digital identity and low-cost access to basic financial services in rural areas. These two promising ventures were awarded recognition in the 2020 Inclusive Fintech Awards. Speaking on the modalities, reviewers acknowledged that the award recognises the top 50 inclusive fintech startups across the globe that are making a concerted effort to provide financial services to underserved communities across the world.

Although, only founded in 2019, the initiative has been able to showcase and harness the global data resource for investors focused on inclusive finance, as implemented by MIX. Trevor Gosling, Lulalend CEO, and co-founder, celebrated the new win reiterating his organisation’s commitment to support SMEs. “Lulalend is incredibly proud of the work we’ve been doing to support the nation’s SMEs. Recognition of what we’ve managed to achieve from Inclusive Fintech, a global thought leader on financial inclusion, will fuel the fire in our team to deliver on our mission of helping South Africa’s SMEs grow, prosper and drive our country forward,” he submitted.

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Tech Trivia:

What does Microsoft’s logo symbolise?

A. A page
B. A door
C. A gate
D. A window

Answer: See end of post.

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3. Uber drivers take company to court over illegal job interference

Two Uber drivers have taken ride hailing company Uber to court over Proposition 22 that alleges the company is illegally coercing its drivers to support the ballot measure. Brought forth by two Uber drivers, Benjamin Valdez and Hector Castellanos, as well as two California nonprofit organizations, Worksafe and Chinese Progressive Association; Uber is facing a class-action lawsuit that seeks to keep workers classified as independent contractors. “Let’s be absolutely clear,” David Lowe, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a statement. “Uber’s threats and constant barrage of Prop 22 propaganda on an app the drivers must use to do their work have one purpose: to coerce the drivers to support Uber’s political battle to strip them of workplace protections.”

Read also: LATEST TECH NEWS: UK’s BrandMobile partners Nigeria’s Hatixa to penetrate Africa. 2 other things and a trivia you need to know today, October 22, 2020

According to press, the plaintiffs argue Uber has encouraged its drivers and delivery workers to support Prop 22 via the company’s driver-scheduling app. “Uber’s solicitations have the purpose and effect of causing drivers to fear retaliation by Uber if they do not support Uber’s political preference and may induce many drivers to falsely state that they support being deprived of the rights that California law guarantees to statutory ’employees,” the suit states. Aside the ongoing suit, the group further confirmed it also plans to file legal claims against Uber, Lyft, Instacart and DoorDash with the California Labor Commissioner.

Tech Trivia Answer: Window

The Microsoft logo symbolizes an actual window with 4 panes. Blue is a cool and slick colour, symbolising what Microsoft wants Windows to be, slick and quick, yet cool and easy on the eye and easy to use.

According to the company representative, the new design reflected Microsoft’s shift from more classic interface to the tile-centric modern one. The wordmark featuring a new font was accompanied by an emblem consisting of four squares. Each square was supposed to represent one of the company’s main products (Windows, Xbox, Bing, and Office).

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