SAIS invests $5000 in Five African startups. 2 other things and a trivia

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

1. SAIS invests $5,000 in five African startups

Southern Africa Innovation Support Programme (SAIS) has invested $5000 funding grant in five African startups.

The investment comes in partnership with Seedstars, a private Swiss-based tech company.

According to Seedstars, the startups were selected from the 2019/2020 Investment Readiness Programme (IRP), a startup education initiative that helps participants convert their ideas into sustainable tech solutions.

The startups that benefited from the round include Zambian mobile money startup, Mangwee, Tanzanian logistics app SUMET, UBI a smart city communication platform from Mozambique, Luma Law (South Africa), and Astech-Congo (Democratic Republic of Congo).

Speaking on the development, the investing partners said the investor Roadshow was held after the readiness programme, where startups could meet with potential investors interested in their business and the five startups were awarded their respective grants.

Tech Trivia: What is the most expensive number ever sold is?

A. 0802-222-2222
B. 666-6666
C. 333-3333
D. 0803-333-3333

Answer: See end of post.

2. Cybersecurity startup Sendmarc raises funding from Endeavor South Africa

South African cybersecurity startup, Sendmarc, has secured funding from Endeavor South Africa as it looks to scale more quickly.

The email protection and compliance startup was founded in 2018 by Sam Hutchinson, Keith Thompson and Sacha Matulovich.

READ ALSO: Sweden-based impact accelerator selects 11 African startups. 2 other things and a trivia

The cybersecurity company provides the setup, implementation and reporting functionality for a global email protection standard known as DMARC.

According to local media, the protocol of the startup is designed to give email domain owners the ability to protect their domains from unauthorised use, such as impersonation attacks or email spoofing.

Hence, by accelerating the implementation of DMARC, Sendmarc enables organisations to protect themselves as well as their customers and suppliers.

3. Kenyan Pawame banks $2.45m in grant

Kenya-based solar energy startup Pawame has raised US$1.7 million in grant capital.

The startup also saw an additional US$750,000 in equity to fund its geographic expansion.

In 2016, the solar energy company was founded by Alexandre Allegue, Majd Chaaya and Nick Sparks.

Going by the business vision, Pawame allows customers to access solar home systems via a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) subscription model.

Six years later, the startup continues to help them obtain micro-loans via their mobile phones.

The startup offers a portfolio of innovative, high-quality solar home systems in remote areas of Kenya on a micro-financed basis, using mobile money repayment.

Tech Trivia Answer: 666-6666

The most expensive number ever sold was a mobile phone number, 666-6666, which was put up for auction and sold for $2.7 million!

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