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Nigeria’s Autochek partners Okra to offer car loans to customers. 3 other things and a trivia

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

1. Nigeria’s Autochek partners Okra to offer car loans to customers

In a new signing, Nigerian startups Autochek and Okra have entered into a partnership deal to offer users of the former access to digital car loans facilitated by the latter.

Autochek, through the partnership, looks to deliver on its ambition to build digital solutions that will enhance and enable a seamless and safe automotive commerce experience across Africa.

Starting with Nigeria and Ghana, the startup hopes to use technology to transform the automotive buying and selling experience for African consumers, by creating a single marketplace for consumers’ automotive needs, from sourcing and financing to after sales support and warranties.

Recall that the startup only launched in September 2020, and started recording its major milestones after acquiring automotive marketplaces Cheki Nigeria and Cheki Ghana.

With the new partnership, the Nigerian fintech startup Okra is expected to assist Autochek with the financing side of its operations.

 

Tech Trivia: Which of these platforms was built by Mark Zuckerberg before building Facebook?

A. FaceBoard
B. FaceMash
C. FaceMatch
D. FaceCap

Answer: See end of post.

 

2. Y Combinator accelerator accepts Kenyan ed-tech startup Kidato

Securing US$125,000 funding and further support, Kenyan ed-tech startup Kidato has been accepted into the Silicon Valley-based accelerator Y Combinator.

The one year old startup is an online school for K-12 students that provides a high-quality, affordable education to the growing middle class in Africa.

The startup comes in need where parents must often choose between either public schools with student-teacher ratios as high as 50:1 or private schools with expensive tuition fees.

 

READ ALSO: Moroccan prop-tech firm, Mubawab, raises $10m funding. 2 other things and a trivia

 

According to review, Kidato classes have student-teacher ratios of 5:1 and teach the same rigorous international curriculum as other private schools.

Its acceptance into the Y Combinator Winter 2021 batch, means it will receive US$125,000 in seed funding as well as further investment opportunities at a March demo day.

Meanwhile, this Kidato joining Nigerian fintech startup Mono and Ivory Coast-based Djamo, a financial super app for consumers in French-speaking Africa, as part of that cohort.

 

3. East African social business incubator opens call for applications

East African firm, Yunus Environment Hub (YEH) has opened applications for its GrowUp Incubator.

The incubator, which aims at supporting green social businesses working on innovative solutions for sustainable waste management, seeks applicants from Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi.

The startup was co-founded and led by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus.

Industry review revealed that the startup has record success supporting and developing social business solutions addressing environmental issues in a financially self-sustainable way.

Through the incubator, the startup will support social businesses that have the potential to scale and create great environmental and social impact during a six-month programme that will provide entrepreneurs with tailored mentorship based on their needs, interactive capacity-building workshops, and networking opportunities with local partners and peer-to-peer support.

 

Tech Trivia Answer: FaceMash

FaceMash is now referred to as Facebook’s predecessor. It was opened in 2003, developed by Mark Zuckerberg when he was in his second year of college.

The website was set up as a type of “hot or not” game for Harvard students. The website allowed visitors to compare two female student pictures side by side and let them decide who was more attractive.

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