Hello Friends,
Welcome to the Ghana Innovation Journal newsletter. Blitz what happened in Ghana’s innovation landscape over the last week.
- £250,000 for Remoteli to provide on-demand remote talent to organisations.
- Rippledesk bags $100,000 to streamline business communication across Africa.
- Injaro successfully closes its GHS 216 million fund to invest in profitable Ghanaian SMEs.
- Kodu Technology selected for the 2024 Toilet Board Coalition Accelerator program.
- Wear Ghana and Dobison selected for the Afrique Creative Accelerator program.
- Fintech bro takes the reign of the Ghana Premier League club, Accra Hearts of Oak.
- Viamo partners Solidaridad to deploy digital solutions to farmers and artisanal small-scale miners.
- After providing GHS 1 million credit to agrovets in 2023, Ghana’s Cowtribe joins the SAIS Accelerator Programme.
Financing rounds
- Remoteli, the talent marketplace that connects global enterprises with top-tier African professionals secured £250,000 in pre-seed funding to scale its operations and presence across Africa. The funding will also help the company accelerate its 2030 vision of employing one million people in Africa. The round was led by Bayern Leverkusen’s right wing-back professional footballer, Jeremie Frimpong.
- The cloud phone and messaging platform Rippledesk got into the Baobab Accelerator. As part of the package, the startup will receive $100,000 in equity investment to execute its vision to streamline communication for African businesses. Rippledesk helps corporates connect their phone numbers to call centres and customer service lines in just 5 minutes and offers Small and Medium Enterprises a consolidated communication system so they do not have to rely on personal phone lines and disjointed communication.
- The Ghana-headquartered multi-sector fund Injaro Investment has raised GHS 216 million. The local pensions anchored fund will back capable, reputable operators with proven business models and track records mainly in Ghana and the Ivory Coast.
Accelerator
- After providing in GHS 1 million credit to agrovets in 2023, Ghana’s Cowtribe joins the SAIS Accelerator Programme. Established in 2017, Cowtribe is addressing the problem of limited access to vaccines and medication for smallholder farmers. The company partners with manufacturers, distributors, and logistics providers to deliver animal vaccines to retailers and smallholder farmers at the very last mile. The SAIS programme provides tailored support to tech start-ups from the agriculture, food, and livestock sectors to position them to raise capital for growth.
- Wear Ghana and Dobison selected for the Afrique Creative Accelerator program. The two companies join other twenty eight companies selected across Africa to join the first phase of Afrique Créative. For three months, they will participate in collective learning sessions and benefit from tailor-made support from Ispace Foundation.
- The Kosmos Innovation Center-backed agtech, Kodu Technology has been selected for the Toilet Board Coalition Accelerator programme. Founded in 2022, the startup manufactures affordable, organic and eco-friendly sanitary pads from recycled banana or plantain fibres. The Toilet Board Coalition’s Accelerator is designed to empower sanitation economy businesses with mentorship, partnerships, and enhanced visibility for growth.
Product Launch & Partnerships
- Viamo has partnered with the international solution-oriented civil society organization Solidaridad to deploy tailored digital solutions to farmers and artisanal small-scale miners. As part of the partnership, Viamo will leverage its Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, to enable farmers and miners with basic mobile phones to access timely and critical information needed to cultivate sustainably and mine responsibly.
Talent Moves
- The Board of Directors of Accra Hearts of Oak has appointed Delali Anku-Adiamah, the founder and CEO of Waya Money, as the club’s new Managing Director. As the newly appointed Managing Director of the club, his responsibilities will encompass various duties to drive the club’s success and advance its strategic objectives. Delali currently serves as the CEO of the venture-backed fintech startup Waya Money. Backed by prominent investors such as Launch Africa Ventures and Google’s Black Founders Fund, Waya Money facilitates cross-border and cross-network transfers and payments across Africa. Their services are available in Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria.
Thank you for reading. If you liked it, share it with your friends, colleagues, and everyone interested in the Ghanaian startup ecosystem. Send us an email on info@theinnovationspark.com if you have any scoop or product releases.
