Kenyan Agritech Startup WeFarm Secures $1.6 Million In Funding

How much of an over-achiever is Elon Musk fixing to become, though? In the last week, he’s added providing global internet coverage via a massive satellite network to his audacious To-do List. In this week’s African Tech Round-up, I reflect on how Musk’s latest ambition might upset net neutrality watchdogs around the world who might not trust SpaceX to responsibly execute on something they don’t trust the likes of Google and Facebook to do.

Also on this week’s show is more about perhaps the most publicised tech investment news of the past week, the $1.6 million investment haul made by the Kenyan agritech startup WeFarm. It’s exciting to see agritech startups start to excite the global VC community. It’s absurd how millions of people on the continent go hungry every year despite how well-endowed Africa is in terms of natural resources. It’s about time we harness tech to work smarter, improve our yields, and get food to hungry people not just on the continent, but wherever it’s needed around the world.

Finally, listen in to hear my conversation with Milena Taieb, Head of Video for France, Africa and the Middle East at Believe Digital Studios— the world’s leading multi-channel network (MCN) specialising in multi-platform distribution, audience development and content monetisation. Milena reveals how Believe has upended the traditional music and video production business, and how despite the plethora of self-publication platforms available to creators today, success is predicated on executing a killer digital strategy.

First published in AfricanTechRoundup.com

Business Is About People With Ornico Group Founder and CEO Oresti Patricios

Oresti Patricios co-founded Ornico Group in 1984, aka the year I was born. While incredibly disruptive in its time, the video reel production business Oresti operated back then is a far cry from the media conglomerate he runs today.

Ornico Group has made a solid name for itself in Africa’s leading markets, boasting a client list which includes the likes of MultiChoice, Old Mutual  and Woolworths.

Oresti, who is undoubtedly a thought-leader in the sphere of African media and brand intelligence, recently made headlines by overseeing Ornico’s acquisition of the media monitoring and social analytics startup, Fuseware— founded by Mike Wronski.

At a recent talk and fireside chat I attended, hosted by iAfrikan and Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg, Oresti and Mike shared their excitement for their new partnership, but to the dismay of many in attendance, the pair remained tight-lipped on their immediate plans for the future.

In this relaxed conversation, Oresti shares on the influences that shaped his success, and explains how understanding that “business is all about people” has helped him pick the right partnerships over the years.

Enjoy!

Open Source vs. Proprietary Software: What is Best For Africa?

As long as “Microsoft” remains synonymous with “Proprietary Software” the jury will be out on whether proprietary software is superior to open source software (OSS). For many ardent proponents of OSS, this debate is mostly about rooting for the ‘little guy’, but in this week’s discussion, your hosts Tefo Mohapi and I, will start a conversation about the pros and cons of both regimes, and highlight some issues that they think should headline this debate.

Then we’ll leave it up to you to decide which of the two might be best for Africa to embrace, considering how important it is for the continent to create innovative solutions to its own problems, and develop marketable technologies that compete favourably against the very best in the world.

Also, for the first time since the launch of this podcast, we’re excited to feature comments we’ve received from our listeners following the passionate conversations sparked by our previous podcast around the the question, “Are Tech and Innovation Hubs in Africa Effective?”

And as always, you can expect all the week’s leading tech, digital and innovation news:

— Discover what Nokia has in its stable that’s causing a feeding frenzy among the likes of Audi, Mercedes Benz, Uber and Facebook,

— Take a peek under the hood of one of Africa’s biggest tech deals this year: Telkom’s acquisition of Business Connection,

— Observe the dynamics of Ghana’s decrease in mobile data use,

— Get details on the “hacktivism” attack on South African firm Sekunjalo Investment Holdings’ news archives, and

— Learn how a pharmacy in Harare, Zimbabwe is cleverly harnessing Whatsapp to facilitate online payments.

Introducing The African Tech Round-up Podcast

I’m really excited to share the first African Tech Round-up Podcast with all of you. Every Monday, my co-host, Tefo Mohapi (iAfrikan Executive Editor & Tech Entrepreneur), will deliver a concise round-up of technology, digital and innovation highlights from across the African continent and beyond. Each week, you can also expect us to spend a little time discussing one featured topic that’s piqued our interest.

This week, Tefo and I have chosen to cast the spotlight on a promising tech-driven initiative called reportxenophobia.co.za— which aims to nip the recent occurrence of xenophobic violence in South Africa in the bud. Listen in to find out how we all can actively support law enforcement efforts, and make it more difficult for criminal elements to take advantage of the deep-seated irrational fears, anger and frustration that exists within some of the poorest communities in South Africa.

We look forward to hearing what you think of the podcast on Twitter on the hashtag #ATRU, or via a quick note on Soundcloud.