#HottestStartupNewsThisWeek
There is an awesome news you might have missed from last week.
5 Kenyan startups were finalists for this year's Google Black Founders Fund.
"Google announced that it had selected 25 African startups that would receive up to $150,000 in cash without any equity requirements in the startups and up to $200,000 in Google Cloud credits as recipients of the Google Black Founders Fund (BFF)." __TechCabal
Already in its third year, the $4 million fund aims to address the funding gap that black and female founders experience globally.
The startups would also receive ad support, mentoring by industry experts, and connections within Google’s network. Here are the 5 startups from Kenya who are on that list this year:
1. Zydii (
@ZydiiAfrica) - Zydii is a startup that provides African courses tailored for upskilling African employees via an online and offline platform. These courses are developed in partnership with local experts.
2. Jumba - Improving Kenya’s construction sector supply chain via B2B platform.
"Jumba creates efficiencies in the construction materials supply chain by connecting manufacturers to hardware stores. Hardware store owners who place orders through Jumba’s platform benefit from standardised pricing, product selection and reliable delivery." __Disrupt Africa
3. Tushop (Kenya): Tech platform for group buying of daily essentials in Kenya.
"Founded last year by Cathy Chepkemboi, also the CEO, Tushop uses community leaders, who collect orders from their neighbors and support last-mile deliveries. Each community leader has a virtual shop where the neighbors place their orders, which Tushop aggregates for bulk orders to manufacturers or other producers, like farmers. Chepkemboi says this arrangement earns shoppers up to 60% in savings, even with the agents earning sales commissions." __TechCrunch
4. Uzapoint (Kenya): Mobile/web POS for digitising bookkeeping in Africa’s informal sector.
"The company's mobile application connects every business across the supply chain with the consumer, forming a community, allowing inventory management, and real-time tracking of sales and payments, managing online retail orders, enabling kiosk owners to automate their business operations, sending purchase orders to suppliers and receive sales orders from consumers." __PitchBook
5. Fleetsimplify (Kenya): Monetization platform connecting gig drivers & vehicle owners.
"Fleetsimplify, a fleet management platform for Mobility As A Service founded by Balqis Chepkwony, Glen Agak, Kenny Awosika and Salim Omar aims to be a one-stop solution for all transport-related needs and a fleet management platform for mobility as a service." __TechMoran
Keep building your startup, and ideating, keep pivoting and apply for 2024 BFF. Who knows?