The investment, led by Ghanaian-Dutch footballer Jeremie Frimpong, aims to bridge the gap between talented tech professionals and the growing demand for remote workers.

Founded by Samuel Brooksworth, Remoteli leverages AI-powered software to match organizations with qualified African tech individuals.

“It all started with the need to connect talented graduates with opportunities amidst the pandemic,” explains Brooksworth. “Remoteli empowers both, fostering growth for companies and careers for individuals.”

The funding will fuel Remoteli’s ambitious goal of providing employment for one million people by 2030.

This latest investment highlights a growing trend of athletes entering the tech space. Frimpong’s involvement extends beyond finance, with the collaboration including the “Pathways Project” to support young footballers with career transitions beyond the pitch.

Remoteli has already made a mark, directly hiring over 100 individuals and supporting over 100 clients.

The investment round was led by Ingressive Capital, with participation from Techstars, HoaQ Capital, and angel investors.

Founded in 2022 by Nathan Nwachuku and Lekan Adejumo, Klas aims to become the “Shopify for education” by providing a user-friendly platform for individuals to create and sell online courses, ebooks, and live classes.

The platform caters to a diverse range of subjects, including coding, design, finance, art, and languages, and offers essential features like payment processing, scheduling tools, analytics, video conferencing, and community-building functionalities.

With this fresh injection of capital, Klas sets its sights on ambitious goals. The company plans to empower 100,000 virtual schools globally by 2027, with a particular focus on expanding its reach in North America and India, its second-largest user base.

“We want to make it easy for anyone to share their knowledge and expertise with the world,” explains Nwachuku, Klas’ CEO. “Klas empowers aspiring educators and entrepreneurs to build their own online schools and reach a global audience.”

Klas’ journey began in 2021 when Nwachuku partnered with Adejumo, the company’s CTO.

They secured an initial $180,000 angel round and officially launched the platform the following year. Subsequently, Klas gained entry into the prestigious Techstars accelerator program, further validating its potential.

This investment aims to address the growing healthcare needs in Tanzania, particularly as climate change intensifies various health challenges across Africa.

Medikea’s innovative model aims to bridge the gap by combining 24/7 telemedicine with strategically located physical clinics, making essential care more accessible and affordable for underserved populations.

Africa faces a surge in health problems linked to malnutrition, infectious diseases, heat-related illnesses, and more, often compounded by a lack of readily available healthcare resources.

Medikea’s approach tackles this challenge head-on by offering an integrated care ecosystem that blends physical clinics with telemedicine support.

Founded in 2023, Medikea is the brainchild of Dr. Elvis Silayo (CEO) and Dr. Desire Ruhinda (COO), both veterans of Tanzania’s national hospital system.

Operating currently in Dar es Salaam, the startup prioritizes delivering quality care to individuals facing financial constraints.

Their unique model combines virtual consultations with physical clinic visits, offering affordable primary care and diagnostics. To date, Medikea has served nearly 10,000 Tanzanians, providing crucial services like consultations, specialist referrals, and pharmacy connections at nearly half the cost of alternative options.

This strategic partnership aims to empower African businesses to swiftly build robust digital identities and connect seamlessly with their target markets.

Tappi provides an innovative end-to-end Software as a Service (SaaS) platform equipped with enterprise-grade tools that streamline website creation, customer engagement, and online advertising for SMEs.

The platform’s user-friendly interface allows businesses to craft their online presence in under two minutes, while also offering integrated access to major advertising channels like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Instagram Ads.

This combination revolutionizes digital marketing strategies for African businesses, opening doors to previously out-of-reach growth opportunities.

“Tappi serves as a catalyst for SMEs entering the digital space,” expressed Kenfield Griffith, co-founder of Tappi.

“With this investment, we’re amplifying this transformation across Africa’s diverse markets. We’re thrilled to leverage this partnership to deepen our connections with SMEs on the continent.”

Tappi’s platform goes beyond website creation, as it features an intuitive AI-powered chat tool that simplifies webpage setup and ensures businesses are instantly visible online.

Additionally, the solution extends to enhancing customer communication through WhatsApp integration, reducing operational costs, and enabling direct transactions and feedback collection.

Drawing on their expertise from developing customer experience tools for major banks and operators at Ajua, Tappi’s founders, Kenfield Griffith and Louis Majanja, are now applying their knowledge to create bespoke digital solutions specifically tailored to the needs of SMEs.

Founded in 2018, Carry1st caters to the burgeoning African smartphone gaming market, boasting millions of users across the region.

The company has partnered with industry giants like Activision, Supercell, and Riot Games to scale popular titles like Call of Duty: Mobile and Valorant, while also developing its own games like Africa Glam and Mancala Adventures.

To enhance monetization, Carry1st established a proprietary payments platform and online marketplace.

This latest investment adds Sony to Carry1st’s already impressive roster of backers, including Andreessen Horowitz, BITKRAFT, Google, Riot Games, and Nas.

The Sony Innovation Fund: Africa, launched in late 2023 with an initial allocation of US$10 million, aims to support the growth of entertainment ventures across Africa, encompassing gaming, music, film, and content distribution.

While the specific amount invested in Carry1st remains undisclosed, it signifies Sony’s commitment to the African gaming market’s immense potential.

“We are thrilled to join forces with Sony Innovation Fund: Africa,” said Cordel Robbin-Coker, CEO and co-founder of Carry1st.

“This partnership will fuel Carry1st’s mission to shape the future of African gaming. We believe the console market in Africa holds massive, untapped potential, and Sony’s expertise in gaming and entertainment perfectly complements our regional strengths. Together, we aim to bring the best games to players across the continent.”

Led by Silicon Badia, with participation from RZM Investment, Flat6Labs, and Saudi Angel Investors, this funding will fuel Roboost’s regional expansion ambitions.

Roboost has carved a niche with its game-changing SaaS solution and AI operations copilot.

The platform boasts a number of features like pre-delivery tech, precision auto-dispatching, and “smart routes” based on text addresses setting new standards in delivery automation.

The $3 million investment will fuel its expansion across the MENA region, capturing the vast potential of the delivery market.

Diversification is also on the horizon, with Roboost planning to venture into e-commerce and middle-mile solutions, offering tailor-made automation for businesses of all sizes.

Hossam Shafick, Investor at Silicon Badia, expressed his confidence:

“Our investment reflects our belief in Roboost’s vision and capabilities. We are thrilled to support their journey towards regional and global leadership.”

Roboost’s success story is a testament to the power of AI in revolutionizing logistics.

Founded in 2015, OfferZen connects actively job-seeking developers with tech companies, boasting over 2,000 companies on its platform.
In 2021, the company raised $5.1 million, and this latest funding round brings their total investment to over $9.4 million.

Recognizing the financial challenges faced by tech companies in 2023, OfferZen has introduced a new “fixed-fee unlimited hiring subscription” alongside their traditional per-hire charge. This aims to provide companies with more predictable costs and flexibility in their recruitment efforts.

“It’s always scary making a big change to your business, but fortunately Unlimited worked,” said OfferZen co-founder Philip Joubert.

“It’s easy to budget for, competitively priced, and we hoped it would relieve some of the pressure our customers were feeling. A significant number of our customers have moved to the subscription model over the last year.”

After three years leading the company, Joubert is stepping down as CEO and handing the reins to Matt Beck, previously OfferZen’s VP of marketing.

Beck expressed his excitement for the future, highlighting upcoming platform updates that leverage AI to enhance connections between candidates and companies.

With a revamped business model, new leadership, and plans for AI-powered advancements, OfferZen is aims to further connect top developers with tech companies in South Africa and beyond.

This initiative targets early-stage, impact-focused startups led by women, aiming to provide much-needed catalytic capital and propel their ventures forward.

Unlocking Opportunities for Impactful Businesses

The partnership recognizes the persistent challenges women entrepreneurs face in accessing funding compared to their male counterparts.

By dedicating resources to women-driven businesses tackling local and global issues, the initiative seeks to create a ripple effect, fostering economic growth and social impact.

Heather Matranga, Vice President of Impact Investments at Village Capital, expressed her enthusiasm:

“We’re thrilled to partner with Standard Chartered and support their vision of empowering women founders. Through this innovative financing facility, we aim to unlock more opportunities and capital for these impactful ventures, catering to their diverse needs across various markets.”

Investing in Promising Ventures

Marking a significant milestone, Village Capital announced its initial investments in two startups:

Bena Care: A Kenyan company delivering affordable clinical and supportive care to patients with life-limiting illnesses in their homes.
Mighty Finance: A Zambian fintech startup dedicated to providing accessible capital primarily to women-led businesses.

Each startup received $75,000, bringing the initial investment to $150,000.

Joyce Kibe, Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing at Standard Chartered, emphasized the program’s significance saying:

“This partnership builds upon our successful Women in Tech program, which has equipped over 70 women-led businesses with valuable tools and support. We believe investing in women entrepreneurs fosters stronger, more resilient economies and addresses crucial needs often overlooked in the startup ecosystem.”

Standard Chartered’s Women in Tech program has empowered 64 women-led businesses through six cohorts, awarding grants totalling $7 million to 32 participants.

This new partnership signifies the bank’s and Village Capital’s unwavering commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the impact investing sphere.