The Empower Africa Business Platform is Now Live !!!
The round, exceeding its target investment, was led by Norrsken22 with participation from First Circle Capital, Musha Ventures, Kara Ventures, and strategic angel investors.
Founded in January 2024 by Thalia Pillay and Carla Wilby, Orca equips banks and fintech companies in emerging markets with easy-to-use yet powerful fraud prevention tools.
The startup aims to empower fraud analysts and compliance officers to combat various financial threats effectively.
Orca plans to leverage the funding to expand its team and focus on building, validating, and iterating its fraud and compliance solutions.
Initially focusing on the South African market, the company will gather customer feedback to refine its offerings.
This investment highlights the growing need for robust fraud protection solutions in emerging markets, where financial institutions and fintechs navigate unique challenges.
Orca’s commitment to providing simple and effective tools positions them to play a significant role in safeguarding the financial landscape in these regions.
“We are delighted to partner with ISA to support the development of solar energy in Africa,” said Alain Ebobissé, CEO of Africa50. “This partnership will help to accelerate the deployment of solar energy in Africa and improve the lives of millions of Africans,” he added.

Norway’s development finance institution, Norfund, has pledged up to US$6 million to support the farmer-led acquisition of Langeberg Foods, a major South African canned fruit producer.

Sprints, a leading Egyptian provider of AI-powered education technology (edtech), has secured $3 million in a bridge funding round.

Tech giant Microsoft has unveiled plans to invest approximately USD 285 million (ZAR 5.4 billion) by the end of 2027 to enhance its hyperscale cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in South Africa.