Nigeria’s Ventures Platform adds four new portfolio companies. 2 other stories and a trivia

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

1. Nigeria’s Ventures Platform adds four new portfolio companies

An Abuja-based VC, Ventures Platform, has announced adding four new portfolio companies to its increasing chest.

The VC disclosed this in a statement published on its official website and seen by Ripples Nigeria on Friday.

The new startups, according to the VC, were selected for developing innovative solutions to solve critical societal problems.

Ripples Nigeria gathered that Ventures Platform was founded in 2016 by technology operator and investor, Kola Aina.

The equity firm invests in mission-driven founders that are building capital-efficient platforms that democratise prosperity and improve livelihoods in Africa.

The investment platform said that it would support startups with funds and other necessary resources to scale.

The four portfolio companies include Topup Mama, Fluna, Shekel, and Catlog.

Tech Trivia: Which of the following programs is not included in all editions of MS Office?
A Word
B PowerPoint
C Excel
D Access
Answer: see end of post

2. Dubai-based company, Swvl, acquires UK startup, Zeelo

A Dubai-based company Ride-sharing group, Swvl, has acquired a UK start-up, Zeelo in a $100M deal.

Mostafa Kandil, Swvl Founder and CEO, confirmed this in a statement on Friday made available to local media.

Read also: Ed-tech startup eLearn Africa to deliver free courses to university students

The acquisition is the second acquisition in a roll for the Dubai company.

Recall that Ripples Nigeria had earlier reported that Swvl acquired Turkish Volt Lines to expand its transportation services for intercity and intracity trips into Turkey.

Mostafa, while commenting on the new acquisition, noted that the shared vision with Zeelo is a major reason for the acquisition.

He said: “Swvl was founded on the belief that accessible transportation is essential to unlocking economic opportunity.

“Swvl and Zeelo share a vision and mission to provide reliable transportation that gets riders where they need to go in an affordable, safe, and environmentally-friendly manner.”

3. South Korea’s edtech startup, Glorang, secures $10m Series A funding

A South Korea-based edtech startup, Glorang, has announced securing a $10 million Series A funding.

The round, according to the startup, was co-led by Korea Investment Partners and Murex Partners.

Ripples Nigeria gathered that the funding also saw participation from Japan’s Pksha Capital.

Founded in 2017, the edtech startup is an educational application for university support systems, using a business model similar to Outschool.

Speaking on the new raiser, Taeil Hwang, Cofounder and CEO, said:

“As a team that understands both the local culture and strategies in Asia, we are confident that our platform will have a strong standing in Asia’s ever-growing D2C education market.”

Trivia answer: Office

Microsoft Office is a productivity suite developed for Windows and Macintosh systems.

It is available it several editions, each of which includes multiple applications. All Office editions include the three standard programs, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

By Kayode Hamsat

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