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TechNigeria: A weekly digest of what went down in Nigeria’s tech space

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Spleet, Sokowatch, Big Cabal Media, Instagram, Yoco, Engen, Google, and 4G Capital. These are some of the names that made the headlines this week.

Spleet, a Nigerian prop-tech startup, during the week, closed a US$625,000 pre-seed funding round.

Also, Nigeria-based media company, Big Cabal Media, closed a $2.3 million seed funding, bringing its total funding to over $2.9 million.

Let’s get into details.

Instagram wants children’s activities censored online. By who? By their parents.

During the week, American photo and video sharing social networking service, Instagram, launched supervision tools to help parents monitor activities of children surfing on the platform.

Tech correspondent Ridwan Adelaja quoted Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, saying: “the development was inspired by experts, teens and parents.”

Meanwhile there are concerns whether activities of social media users (regardless of age) should be regulated or censored.

Yoco expanded its team with an acquisition deal, to take off from last week’s springboard.

Though, undisclosed financials, African payments and software company, Yoco, announced acquiring Nona Digital, a leading fintech and Web3 software development agency in Africa.

Ridwan Adelaja noted that the acquisition comes as Yoco seeks to accelerate its roadmap by bringing a team of highly specialised fintech product and technology professionals to join Yoco’s team.

A news maker made news. Nigeria-based media company, Big Cabal Media, closed a $2.3 million seed funding during the week.

Big Cabal Media, which is the parent company of both TechCabal and Zikoko, noted that the fund was raised to lead its efforts in expanding its audience and building new verticals.

Bringing its total funding to over $2.9 million, the raiser followed a $620,000 angel and pre-seed round BCM raised between 2016 and 2020.

Kenya closed the biggest raiser for the week. Sokowatch, a Kenyan startup that now wants to do business with a new name Wasoko, banked a US$125 million Series B equity round.

Ripples Nigeria reported that the startup is an e-commerce company leveraging technology to transform the informal retail supply chain.

The rebranding and raiser followed its debut in West Africa, six years after its launch in East Africa.

READ ALSO: Google celebrates Nigerian Potter, Ladi Kwali, on Doodle. 2 other things and a trivia

Towards supporting startups, Engen, leading South African petroleum company has opened applications for its Pitch & Polish pitching competition.

The contest will see 16 entrepreneurs compete for a first prize worth ZAR1 million (US$67,000).

Ripples Nigeria reported that the startup started 12 years ago, to give entrepreneurs from across South Africa with a registered business an opportunity to win reward capital towards scaling up.

Also, during the week, tech giant Google, through a special Doodle feature, celebrated Nigerian educator, ceramicist, glassworker and potter, Ladi Kwali.

The potter was celebrated for her significant contributions to art and how she helped introduce the international community to the beauty of Nigerian art through intricately decorated earthenware designs.

According to Google, the Doodle dedication coincided with the day of exhibition of Ladi Kwali’s works at the Skoto Gallery in New York opened.

Spleet, a Nigerian prop-tech startup, closed a US$625,000 pre-seed funding round.

The new raiser will help Spleet roll out a new product that provides tenants with affordable loans to help them pay their rent.

The startup was founded by Tola Adesanmi in 2018 from the need to find rentals with flexible payment options in Lagos, Nigeria’s seat of commerce.

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