Nigerian-led startup, Heroshe, adapts tech to provide shipping services. 2 other things and a trivia

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

1. Nigerian-led startup, Heroshe, adapts tech to provide shipping services

Heroshe, a Nigerian-led startup, has adapted technology to provide shipping services from the US to Nigeria.

The logistics service provider company was co-founded by Chichi Ukomadu and Osinachi Ukomadu.

Commenting on the founding of the startup, Co-founder, Osinachi Ukomadu, noted that although the Heroshe idea was conceived in 2012, it was eventually incorporated in 2019.

He said: “The idea of Heroshe started back in 2012 however the company itself was effectively founded in 2019 when we got a CTO and began to build a core product around the problem we were solving.”

Today, the two year old startup claims to serve a user base of 40,000+ people.

Heroshe runs with warehouses in Lagos and Houston through the support of a dedicated product team, adapting tech to serve logistics needs of customers.

In addition, the startup manages a company blog to educate the public on the pro(s) and con(s) of the logistics ecosystem.

Tech Trivia: Which type of RAM stores data after power is turned off?

A DRAM
B SDRAM
C VRAM
D NVRAM
Answer: See end of post

2. Rwanda’s Ampersand secures $9m debt facility

Ampersand, a Rwanda-based electric motorcycle company, has announced securing a US$9 million.

READ ALSO: Nigerian startup, eInvites, launches platform to automate invitation cards. 2 other things and a trivia

The new raiser, which comes from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), is expected to expand Ampersand’s operations in Rwanda and Kenya.

The startup was launched commercially in May 2019, assembling and financing electric motorcycles that cost less to buy and operate.

According to sources familiar with the startup, its products perform better than the five million petrol motorcycle taxis in use across East Africa.

However, the core of Ampersand’s business is the network of battery swap stations and fleet of batteries it builds and operates.

Through the battery venture, Ampersand allows drivers to swap batteries faster than refilling a tank with petrol and shields vehicle buyers from the high upfront cost of a lithium battery pack.

3. Kigali-based Norrsken launches e-health challenge accelerator

Kigali-based non-profit organisation, Norrsken has launched an accelerator for e-health startups in East Africa.

The development comes in partnership with Novartis Foundation as both organisations look to support eligible startups.

In 2016, Norrsken was founded by Niklas Adalberth, one of the founders of Swedish fintech unicorn Klarna.

According to the company’s blueprint, it aims to help entrepreneurs solve the world’s greatest challenges.

On the challenge, prizes include a one-year subsidy to sit at the HealthTech Hub Africa and participation in the 2022 HealthTech Innovation Programme.

The top three selected winners will also receive US$30,000, US$20,000 and US$5,000 respectively.

Tech Trivia Answer: NVRAM

NVRAM stands for “Non-Volatile Random Access Memory.” NVRAM is a type of RAM that retains data after the host device’s power is turned off. Two common types of NVRAM include SRAM and EEPROM.

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