Dubai invites African fintech entrepreneurs – apply to FinTech Hive at DIFC accelerator

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April 25, 2017

Is your start-up disrupting or enhancing the financial services industry? Are you looking to grow in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region? If yes, then FinTech Hive at DIFC is the accelerator for you!

The FinTech Hive at DIFC has been developed to help startups refine and test propositions with the support of the world’s leading financial firms. Reflecting the energetic and entrepreneurial environment of Dubai, FinTech Hive at DIFC links global innovation across three other FinTech hubs, in New York, London and Hong Kong.

Established in 2004, the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has grown to become a leading financial hub for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region. Positioned between the global financial centres of New York, London, Singapore and Hong Kong, and home to over 21,000 individuals from over 1,500 financial and professional services companies, the Centre provides access to top firms looking to access the high-growth MEASA markets.

Custom built, linking cutting edge and innovative financial services technology to the MEASA markets, the accelerator – FinTech Hive provides an ideal launchpad to access and serve the region.

Eligibility

You’re not already an established, public/listed or well-known technology business in financial services or you are an established business in other industries looking to branch out and financial services professionals who want to commercialise their IP.
You have a minimum alpha or beta product to demonstrate and are prepared to share access to programme partners under NDA (and where reasonable, for no additional cost)
Your senior team (e.g. Founder/CEO & CTO/Lead Developer) can commit to being based in Dubai throughout the 12-week programme
You can show that access to senior-level executives in the financial services firms will have a meaningful impact on your growth prospects

Apply

To apply, click here . Please note that applications will close on Sunday, 28 May.

Kaspersky Lab is looking for partners on cybersecurity solutions in Africa

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Tekedia Editors

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April 25, 2017

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Kaspersky Lab has launched a new partner program in Africa, aimed at managed service providers (MSPs) that already offer security services or would like to add them to their current portfolio. The program helps MSPs to address the growing demand for IT security services and enables them to attract new customers in the SMB markets, while satisfying existing customers looking to outsource all IT functions, including security, to a trusted third-party.

Riaan Badenhorst, Managing Director, Kaspersky Lab Africa says: “Kaspersky Lab’s MSP Program was created specifically to meet the needs of partners who want to grow their managed service offerings in cybersecurity – without additional administrative overheads or resources. The program is based on the world’s most tested, most awarded multi-layered security solutions. It allows MSP partners to secure the complete customer infrastructure, from mobile devices and desktops to physical and virtual servers, with our comprehensive portfolio that can be delivered both on-premises or from the cloud.”

First Distribution , operating across Africa, with offices in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, announced the news about joining Kaspersky Lab’s program, at their First for Cloud Roadshow in Johannesburg, South Africa, which was attended by over 100 partners, resellers and vendors. Debbie Abrahall, Managing Director, First Distribution, commented; “With Kaspersky Lab’s new program we see great opportunities for resellers and MSPs. We believe that with this, everybody in the market, including SMB clients, will benefit from the high-quality cybersecurity proposals that allow remote management and make IT security more affordable”.

The specialised program is designed for MSP partners that want to enhance and grow their reputation and expertise, achieve maximum margin at minimum risk, and ensure that their customers’ data and infrastructure are kept safe. Kaspersky Lab’s offering includes products and technologies that will enable MSP partners to provide new security services to their customers, such as remote security monitoring, managed security, virtualization security and mobile device security and management.

Participation in the program also guarantees special privileges and benefits for the MSPs themselves, including:

exclusive access to volume based pricing with a separate MSP price list;
monthly licensing;
product and security training and certification;
standard and premium technical support;
extended sales and marketing materials.

Managed service providers will have the opportunity to choose between cloud and on-premises models, to provide greater flexibility of IT security services for their customers. Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud, suitable for smaller MSP businesses, allows MSP partners to manage customer infrastructure from the cloud using a multi-tenant cloud console. Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business Basic and Kaspersky Security for Virtualization add the ability to use a multi-tenant on-premises solution managed by Kaspersky Security Center — for larger businesses with up to 10,000 managed nodes. Kaspersky Security for Mail Server and Managed Service Agreement are also part of the MSP offering. Managed service providers can offer clients of any size a full range of services to protect all types of corporate devices and appliances.

Partners who want to join the program need to meet several requirements, including being a provider of managed services, purchasing licenses from a distributor affiliated with Kaspersky Lab, and providing first line support to customers.

To join the program, MSP partners can register on the partner portal . Successful applicants will then be able to choose a distributor, complete sales and technical training, and have access to a wealth of relevant marketing materials.

African Startups, IBM Watson Build is calling for business plan, competition rules enhanced

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Tekedia Editors

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April 25, 2017

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There is a new opportunity with IBM Watson. It is a quasi competition for IBM partners. Fasmicro Group runs a business which is a member of IBM PartnerWorld and has all the details through IBM Partner Communications.If you are one, now is the time to apply. It could be rewarding.

In 2016, IBM did something extraordinary, engaging nearly 75 percent of IBMers from 115 countries and every business unit in the IBM Cognitive Build. The Build challenged IBMers to learn about cognitive, form teams, brainstorm and propose cognitive solutions. Ultimately, some of them developed prototypes and pitched those solutions in an IBM-internal event, not unlike Shark Tank. They created 2,700 cognitive ideas and hundreds of viable prototypes, and acquired valuable new skills.

Now they want to tailor this experience for you by creating the Watson Build for Business Partners. In the challenge, you can start your cognitive business journey by learning more about cognitive solutions like Watson and the IBM Cloud platform that supports cognitive workloads. Plus, your business will benefit by learning how to use Watson to build cognition into a product or service.

Challenge yourself to deliver and along the way they’ll help you develop useful skills that can accelerate innovation and benefit your clients—such as:

Understanding and using IBM Watson APIs
Applying data sets
Gaining new ways of working and new tools
Selling your solution on IBM Marketplace

This is a challenge you don’t want to miss. If you’ve wondered where IBM Watson and IBM Bluemix can take your business, the Build is your opportunity for guided discovery. If you’ve already developed an outstanding solution, find out how to participate in the Build and see how you can be recognized as the best.

Enhancements

This is a new email from IBM to its PartnerWorld members.

Since announcing the IBM Watson Build at the PartnerWorld Leadership Conference in mid-February, IBM Business Partners have been busy crafting their business plans and attending local Watson Build Workshops. The energy associated with the build is extremely positive, and we’ve heard from Business Partners, like you, that you’re submitting not one business plan, but multiple plans. So, we’ve expanded and enhanced the Watson Build program to give you more time to build out your plan. Plus, we’ve added even more opportunities for you to WIN. Learn more about enhancements to the Build:

The deadline to submit your business plan for judging is now Tuesday 30 May at 21:00 UK / 22:00 CET.
They’ve expanded the award opportunities. Now, one Business Partner from each of the seven geographies will have a chance to compete in the final round. Plus, they’re throwing in a wildcard round for a chance for a Business Partner from any of the geographies to compete for a spot in the final round. Eight Business Partners will now have a chance to compete for the title of Watson Build global champion.

Now begin the journey. You need a PartnerWorld account to apply.

Techstars selects these 10 startups for 2017 Barclays Accelerator Cape Town Class

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Tekedia Editors

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April 24, 2017

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Techstars has announced the second class of the Barclays Accelerator, Powered by Techstars in Cape Town. The program is an intensive 13-week programme designed to accelerate start-ups. The startups gain access to mentors, industry experts, and Barclays executives globally.

For this competition, they looked for a diverse group of businesses, both from within the African continent and from around the globe, to join them and help shape the future of financial services.

According to Techstars, after the success of the first program, the applications were extended to 52 countries across the globe and across a wide array of innovative Fintech companies. After a rigorous and competitive process, ten companies were carefully selected.

The 2017 programme participants are: Flexpay, Howler, Spatialedge, Abe.ai, The Sun Exchange, Byte Money , Avenews-GT , FOMO Travel, KapitalWise and eCOIDA.

These companies will now have the opportunity to work together with Barclays Africa Group and potentially gain access to their footprint comprising close to 12 million customers in ten African markets, while gaining access to the Techstars worldwide network to help accelerate their growth and global expansion.

Here is the 2017 Barclays Accelerator Cape Town Class:

Abe.ai (USA):Designs artificial intelligence solutions for the banking industry, helping banks better engage and support their customers at scale; significantly reducing the costs of servicing and acquiring customers through the use of chatbots.

FOMO Group (SA): Africa’s first B2B, B2C company that facilities the travel industry by providing an alternative payment solution for keen travellers who wish to travel without the use of credit or immediate payment

Avenews-GT (ISRAEL):Designed a digital trading platform based on blockchain technology, modernising agricultural trade by connecting food wholesalers to food producers directly, reducing distribution costs, creating financial security, and providing chain transparency.

Byte Money (SA):Provides solutions that help avoid mismanagement of payments in the ‘informal finance sector’. Byte Money taps into and revolutionises existing third-world payment channels and integrates them with first-world technologies.

Flexpay (Kenya):Provides an automated and secured layaway system that manages the purchase of goods. Customers can choose to pay for goods over varying periods of time.

Howler (SA):Provides an event commerce platform. Howler is the consolidation of three powerful events and entertainment platforms, designed at the highest benchmark of service and technology, helping consumers and event organisers to make moments that matter.

Spatialedge (SA):Focused on consumer analytics and targeting. Using a proprietary consumer database, Spatialedge enriches and verifies clients’ customers by spatially locating them, mapping them, and use advanced analytics to help clients locate and target new customers.

Kapitalwise (US):Simplifies the investment process for millennials by automating their investment decisions using machine learning and predictive analytics.

eCOIDA (SA):eCOIDA is an online insurance technology platform; a central database that connects all role players in real-time, creating an accurate workflow, fraud-free, paperless claims-processing platform.

The Sun Exchange (SA):The Sun Exchange enables anyone anywhere to own and earn from solar panels powering Africa, India and other developing economies. The exchange allows for collaborative solar finance using blockchain.

Africa Tech Pitch London Application Due 31st May 2017

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Tekedia Editors

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April 24, 2017

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Africa Tech Pitch LDN is a video pitch competition providing an opportunity for African tech startups to showcase their solutions to the London Tech ecosystem. The organizers are looking for high-impact, high-growth startups that are using technology to unlock untapped opportunities and address a real need in the African market.

The top 5 selected startups will be showcased during London Tech Week at an exclusive reception on 13th June, organised in partnership with Tech London Advocates, an influential community of over 4000 tech leaders, experts and investors.

The final winner will be selected and announced at the Africa Technology Business Forum London on 21st June, a gathering of Africa-focused global tech innovators, business leaders and investors.

If you are an ambitious tech startup in Africa looking to showcase your innovation on the global stage and connect with the London tech ecosystem then apply today!

Application criteria
• You are an Africa-focused technology startup with a unique proposition serving the African market
• You have already launched in the market and are able to demonstrate some traction
• You have a high-growth business model which has potential to scale across borders
• Your solution has capacity to improve and impact the lives of those it serves

Application deadline is Midnight on 31st May 2017

To apply, click here.