Condia (formerly, Bendada.com)

Today’s a big day for us! We’ve been hard at work on a new brand identity, and we’re excited to share it with you. The journey began six years ago when our founder Benjamin Dada started a tech blog mirroring Africa's growing ecosystem. Today, we're a global publication with 100,000+ monthly readers! While the name Bendada served us well, we’ve spent most of this year pondering where we’re headed as a publication. It no longer reflected our growth and ambition. We wanted a one-word name embodying our mission: connecting innovators to the best ideas on technology. Condia = Convergence + Ideas. Simple, yet powerful! So what’s changing? Well, we have a new name, brand, website, and editorial focus. But our values remain: ✅ ⁠Accurate reporting ✅ ⁠Human-centered storytelling ✅ ⁠Giving value We’re doubling down on making our publication, a spot where the best ideas converge. Welcome to a new era. Welcome to Condia. Learn more about our rebrand story here: https://lnkd.in/g7ymyMJK

2024 was an interesting year for African startup founders and investors. The landscape didn’t feel friendly or stable especially with the rise of AI startups and decreased funding. Despite all these, African startup founders showed remarkable grit and adaptability. Some African startups expanded into new markets, forging strategic partnerships and sealing M&As. We also witnessed the emergence of at least two unicorns. Let's take a closer look at the highlights that made 2024 an unforgettable year for African startups. In January, Y Combinator backed only three African startups for 2024 winter batch - two Nigerian fintech startups, Cleva (YC W24) and Miden (YC W24) along with Triply.co a Kenyan travel tech startup. 🔗 - https://lnkd.in/d4HWYwTu In February, Disha, a popular no-code platform for creatives owned by Flutterwave announced that they will temporarily shut down operations. 🔗- https://lnkd.in/d6UuC8e8 In May, a consortium led by Paystack acquired Brass a Nigerian business banking startup struggling to stay afloat. 🔗- https://lnkd.in/dgMu-Snk In August, Wasoko and MaxAB finalized what many called the largest tech merger in Africa in 2024. The merger didn’t come without challenges. Regulatory complexities were a primary concern. Find out more here 👇🏽 🔗- https://lnkd.in/dt8Z2uJy In September, Risevest, a Nigerian fintech startup for investment acquired Kenyan investment startup, Hisa. This also marked the Rise’s second acquisition —it acquired Chaka in an undisclosed deal in September 2023. 🔗- https://lnkd.in/dJk7-SMY In October, Moniepoint Group, a Nigerian fintech startup, raised $110 million in a Series C funding round led by Development Partners International (DPI). Moniepoint now processes over 800 million transactions monthly, worth more than $17 billion 🔗 - https://lnkd.in/dm2AqfXt In November, Lingawa (Formerly TopSet), an edtech startup secured $1.1 million in pre-seed funding. The company rebranded as Lingawa from TopSet. They want to help people learn and master their native languages, starting with Yoruba and Igbo. https://lnkd.in/dBsu53cW In December, Tyme Group raised $250 million Series D round to become Africa’s newest unicorn, valued at $1.5 billion. 🔗- https://lnkd.in/dMJg5U5Q As we round up 2024, here are their predictions of what the ecosystem will be in 2025. What do you think about any of these predictions? Let us know in the comments! 🔗 - https://lnkd.in/dgKXKCJ7

Are you curious about the startup scene in North Africa? What’s it like to be a founder in Tunisia? In a conversation, Amin Ben Abderrahman - CEO, Konnect Networks talks about what it means to be an fintech entrepreneur in Tunisia. https://lnkd.in/diVHnQAz

In a bold and transformative briefing, Breeze unveiled its vision to revolutionize trade in Africa. With a platform designed to break barriers and redefine efficiency, Breeze is empowering African businesses to thrive on the global stage. #PartnerContent https://lnkd.in/dHGEzraE

Tantalizers Plc, one of Nigeria’s foremost restaurant franchises, will acquire all assets belonging to DanBethel Marine Services Limited, a Lagos-based marine and fishing company operating in the domestic seafood supply market. The acquisition, expected to be finalized by June 2025, underscores Tantalizers’ ambition to diversify its operations and enhance shareholder value. https://lnkd.in/dVC9raXA

2024 was a year packed with some exciting moves in the tech world. From Uber’s first African investment to Amazon and Temu shaking up Africa’s e-commerce scene, a lot has happened this year! Let’s take a look at the biggest tech stories that defined 2024. 1️⃣ Mercury shuts out African startups African startups faced a significant setback in July when Mercury, a US-based digital bank, announced it would terminate users’ accounts in 13 African countries by August. 2️⃣ Nigeria’s Cybersecurity Levy In May, Nigerians were outraged when the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced a drastic increase in the cybersecurity levy on electronic transactions, raising it from 0.005% to 0.5%. 3️⃣ The “Amazon of Africa” narrows its focus In October, Jumia made a bold move: The e-commerce giant announced it would close operations in South Africa and Tunisia by the end of 2024. Continue reading here 👇🏽 https://lnkd.in/dcn8kVEq

PBR Life Sciences (Techstars '23) has secured $1 million in funding to expand its healthcare technology across Africa. The company will use this investment to bring its innovative data platform to Ghana and Kenya, building on its existing presence in Nigeria. https://lnkd.in/daBmgQEN

Do you know that, Bamboo has become the first financial organisation from Nigeria to secure a US broker-dealer license through its affiliate, Bamboo Securities LLC? With this license, investments made through Bamboo are now under US regulatory oversight. Continue reading here 👇🏽 https://lnkd.in/dKmFBUF8

JUST IN: Hackers breach Nigeria’s Statistics Bureau website, raising data security concerns. This incident marks the third major data breach involving sensitive government information in Nigeria this year. https://lnkd.in/dJ9MymUJ

Founders, investors, and tech talents have you started planning for 2025? Last month, we accepted an invitation to attend the Tunisian Ecosystem Week (TEW) 2024, which was organised by Dream VC and V3 Factory. In our three days there, we learnt much more about the Tunisian ecosystem than in our six years of covering the African tech ecosystem. Located in the northernmost part of Africa, Tunisia has two high-profile exits including InstaDeep and Expensya. Behind those exits is an ecosystem of investors, donors, hubs, talent and more. In our recap article, we discuss five things we learnt about the Tunisian startup ecosystem that everyone should know. They will aid your strategy for next year. https://lnkd.in/dvuAnyh5 The event was supported by the Special Initiative Decent Work for a Just Transition - "Invest for Jobs" mandated by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and implemented by GIZ Tunisie through its Digital Transformation Center; Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, The World Bank Group and Smart Capital; as well as Agence Française de Développement, Expertise France, Qawafel, and Madica. In partnership with @Impact Partner supported by Impact Europe as part of the EU-funded Impact Together project, and The Dot. We met many amazing people including Dream VC founders: Cindy Ai, and Mark Kleyner, the V3 Factory team led by Sarah Ben Younes, Head of Madica, Emmanuel Adegboye, and many more others. We can't wait for TEW 2025! #africanstartups #TunisiaStartups #TEW2024