Mobius Motors Acquired💰️

Mobius Motors Acquired 💰 | BasiGo expands to Rwanda 🚚 | Ora raises $1.9M 💰️

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Welcome to this week’s edition of The Startups Chronicle, proudly presented by Startup Hub Africa 🚀—your go-to resource for all things African startups.

If you only visit two continents in your lifetime, visit Africa – twice!

- Paul Theroux

As we wrap up another exciting week in March, the African startup scene is buzzing with bold investments, impactful partnerships, and critical developments!

🇰🇪 Mobius Motors Finds New Life Under Silver Box Silver Box acquires struggling Kenyan automaker Mobius Motors, promising revival with new management and ambitious expansion plans.

🌍 Capria VC to Back More African Series A Startups Global venture firm Capria VC aims to invest $1–3M each in two additional African startups, doubling down on fintech, agtech, jobtech, and B2B SaaS.

🇰🇪 Whitepath Hit Again by Data Privacy Fine Kenyan digital lender Whitepath was fined again for breaching data privacy laws, highlighting increased regulatory scrutiny of aggressive lenders.

Could RYSE be the next Ring?

Venture capitalists know how difficult it is to spot early investment opportunities – just ask the Sharks from Shark Tank. They passed on Ring at just $700,000, only to watch it sell to Amazon for $1.2B – a 1700x return missed.

Now, there’s a new smart home start-up following the same blueprint: meet RYSE.

The founder pitched on Canada’s Shark Tank, secured two offers, and now their patented smart shades are sold in 127 Best Buy stores, Amazon and Walmart – with Home Depot launching in 2025.

Ring used retail expansion to dominate smart security. RYSE is using the same playbook to disrupt the smart shade market inside the 158B smart home industry.

Past performance is not indicative of future results. Email may contain forward-looking statements. See US Offering for details. Informational purposes only.

🇷🇼 BasiGo Expands Rwanda’s Electric Bus Fleet Kenya’s electric bus innovator BasiGo delivers 28 buses to Rwanda, significantly boosting sustainable mobility and green transportation.

🇲🇦 Morocco’s ORA Technologies Raises $1.9M Moroccan superapp ORA secures pre-Series A funding to scale food delivery and digital payments, riding a wave of rapid digital adoption in North Africa.

🇪🇬 Egypt’s Basata Increases Stake in MadfoatCom Egyptian fintech Basata expands its regional footprint by upping its stake in Jordan’s leading payment firm MadfoatCom, accelerating financial inclusion.

🇿🇦 Sensor Networks Partners with Global Giant Ariston South Africa’s Sensor Networks inked a major deal with Italy’s Ariston, launching smart water heaters nationwide. This marks a big win for local IoT innovation.

Another dynamic week—Africa’s tech ecosystem is clearly on the move! 🚀🌍

🚀 STARTUPS WATCH 🚀 

Here are the 5 top startups in the African eco-system we think you need to know:

🌟  Name  COLNN

🏭️  Industry  Education

📆  Founded  2012

📍 Location  Al Jizah, Egypt 🇪🇬

💰️ Funding Raised  $150K

🧑‍🤝‍🧑  No. Of Employees  11-50

👥  Founders

  • 👤 Tamer Samir

COLNN is a school management software provider based in Giza, Egypt, and was established in 2012. Its mission is to simplify daily administrative tasks and enhance communication between schools, parents, and students. Inspired by "Collaboration with Annotation," COLNN streamlines attendance, scheduling, homework, and document management for efficient school operations.

COLNN also offers a consultant team that customizes development plans to each school’s unique needs, reducing paperwork and costs while boosting engagement and parental involvement. Join the growing network of schools transforming education with smart management and collaborative innovation.

🌟  Name  Ma-Navette

🏭️  Industry  Professional Services

📆  Founded  2010

📍 Location  Casablanca, Morocco 🇲🇦 

💰️ Funding Raised  $700K

🧑‍🤝‍🧑  No. Of Employees  51 -200

👥  Founders

  • 👤 Samir Bennani

Ma-Navette is a top transport and private driver platform connecting individuals and corporates with reliable drivers 24/7. Founded in 2010, it offers a seamless booking experience via its app and website with a fleet of eco and luxury sedans and vans at fixed prices.

Leveraging real-time tracking and geolocation, Ma-Navette ensures efficient ride management and prompt service. Their 24/7 hotline and responsive support deliver a smooth travel experience for every journey.

🌟  Name  Bringy

🏭️  Industry  Financial Services

📆  Founded  2019

📍 Location  Giza, Egypt 🇪🇬 

💰️ Funding Raised  $600K

🧑‍🤝‍🧑  No. Of Employees  2-10

👥  Founders

  • 👤 Ahmed Ossama

Bringy is Egypt’s digital insurance platform, transforming the way coverage is bought and managed. Founded in 2019 by a team of tech, telecom, and financial services experts, Bringy delivers an end-to-end digital insurance experience. Licensed by the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority (Registration No. 100), the platform offers a seamless solution for securing personal, property, and car insurance—all in just a few taps.

By eliminating paperwork and streamlining the process, Bringy ensures that insuring your future is both fast and secure. Customers enjoy flexible payment options, including monthly installments, and support for multiple payment methods. Designed to cater to both Egyptians and foreigners, Bringy is committed to making financial protection accessible and user-friendly, ultimately redefining the insurance landscape in Egypt.

🌟  Name  Logidoo

🏭️  Industry  Financial Services

📆  Founded  2019

📍 Location  Casablanca, Morocco 🇲🇦 

💰️ Funding Raised  $1.5M

🧑‍🤝‍🧑  No. Of Employees  11 - 50

👥  Founders

  • 👤 Tamsir Ousmane Traore

Logidoo is a digital logistics platform revolutionizing trade across Africa by establishing intelligent multimodal logistics corridors. With solutions including instant quoting, real-time shipment tracking, secure document management, and comprehensive post-shipment services, Logidoo optimizes logistics operations, ensuring fast, secure, and cost-effective delivery.

Serving over 2,000 transporters and 600+ e-commerce businesses across 8 African countries, Logidoo's mission is to enhance connectivity and foster intra-African trade. Backed by recent funding rounds totaling $1.5M, the startup is positioned to significantly expand its logistics network and drive economic integration across the continent. 🚚🌍

🌟  Name  Avidea

🏭️  Industry  InsurTech

📆  Founded  2017

📍 Location  Tunis, Tunisia 🇹🇳 

💰️ Funding Raised  $696K

🧑‍🤝‍🧑  No. Of Employees  11 - 50

👥  Founders

  • 👤 Jaafar Nasri

Avidea is an innovative Tunisian insurtech startup specializing in digital automotive insurance solutions. It enables insurance companies to digitize the claims process through its flagship product, DigiClaim, significantly enhancing customer satisfaction by streamlining claim intimations and vehicle inspections.

Its AI-powered fraud detection platform, DigiFraud, integrates over 70 fraud-detection algorithms, analyzing vehicle images to automatically identify suspicious claims, reducing fraud and saving insurers costs.

Recently, Avidea was selected by the Tunisian Insurance Federation to digitize nationwide vehicle inspections, underscoring its pivotal role in reshaping Tunisia’s automotive insurance sector.

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💼 💰️ VENTURE CAPITAL WATCH 💼 💰️ 

Egyptian fintech Basata acquired a 25% stake in Jordan’s MadfoatCom, enhancing regional digital financial inclusion. Basata, known for its mobile money, bill payments, and supply chain solutions, sees this strategic investment as key to expanding its digital payments infrastructure across North Africa and the Middle East.

Global VC firm Capria Ventures, managing over $207M, plans to back two more African Series A startups with investments of between $1 and $3 million. Capria targets sectors like fintech, agtech, and B2B SaaS and has a direct portfolio that includes Moniepoint, Paymob, and SeamlessHR.

In Morocco, superapp ORA Technologies secured $1.9M in pre-Series A funding led by Witamax and Azur Innovation Fund, aiming to scale its food delivery and digital payments solutions, highlighting Morocco’s growing prominence as Africa’s next big tech hub.

Middle East-based investor Silver Box has acquired Kenyan automaker Mobius Motors, ending months of financial uncertainty. Silver Box appointed John Kavila as COO, aiming to relaunch production and expand Mobius’ rugged, affordable SUV lineup for African roads by year-end.

These moves underline growing VC confidence in Africa’s innovation potential, particularly in fintech, ed-tech, and digital transformation amid the funding winter.

👀 This week’s featured investor is 216 Capital. 👀

216 Capital is a Tunis-based early-stage venture capital firm founded by experienced entrepreneurs and investors, dedicated to backing ambitious tech founders transforming key sectors across Africa. Founded by a team deeply embedded in entrepreneurship, 216 Capital supports startups with funding, strategic mentorship, and introductions to vital industry connections, driving growth and creating sustainable value.

Their diverse portfolio spans fintech, logistics, healthtech, and SaaS, including startups such as:

  • Arcube: Enhancing airline customer loyalty through advanced ancillary revenue management systems.

  • Proxalys, digitizing invoicing and strengthening cash flow for SMEs.

  • Logidoo, a digital solution streamlining logistics operations across Africa.

  • eSteps, creators of smart insoles for real-time monitoring of health metrics related to human movement.

  • Avidea empowers insurers with digital auto-claim solutions focused on customer experience and fraud prevention.

216 Capital leverages a powerful network of investors and industry experts, helping portfolio companies scale rapidly and sustainably across Africa’s vibrant tech landscape.

Explore more about their investments and vision at 216capital.vc. 🌍💼

📺️ MEDIA WATCH 📺️ 

Here are the 5 key things in the news this week that you need to know:

And that’s your weekly dosage of the African startup ecosystem! If you have any comments or feedback, just respond to this email. We are always looking to hear from our community.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Gitonga, the Stoic Founder at StartupHub.Africa 🚀

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