Google sets up $50M fund to invest in African startups

Google plans to invest up to $50 million in African early and growth-stage startups via its Africa Investment Fund, ramping up efforts to support more businesses on the continent.

Google made known its plans today in a virtual event where CEO Sundar Pichai announced the tech giant’s intentions to commit $1 billion over the next five years in tech-led initiatives in Africa.

These initiatives range from improved connectivity via Google’s subsea cable Equiano to investments in small businesses and startups.

Until now, Google had fulfilled its obligations in the latter through its Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program and the recently launched Black Founders Fund. Continue reading

Image: Getty Images

Africa Tech Digest

Founded in 2018, Africa Tech Digest is the go to destination for a collection of tech news coming out of Africa and her Diaspora.

Recent Posts

TECNO Brings Ultra-steady and Ultra-clear Gimbal Camera Phone CAMON 18 Premier

The new CAMON 18 Premier brings together the best of the CAMON series, such as…

3 years ago

What Happened to MXit? SA’s Own Super-Popular Chat App

South Africa’s communications minister said today that this week’s massive social media outage of Facebook…

3 years ago

With its massive subsea Internet cable, Google says it’s playing the long game in Africa

At the first Google for Africa event held today, October 6, 2021, global Internet giant,…

3 years ago

eNaira: How much control does a private blockchain give the CBN?

On Thursday, July 22, 2021, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) revealed that the pilot…

3 years ago

FNB Launches 2 New Digital Payment Solutions for SMEs

FNB South Africa, one of the country’s top lenders, has announced today the launch of…

3 years ago

YC-backed Amenli raises $2.3M to provide insurance to Egyptian consumers

The average penetration rate for insurance in Africa is between 3% to 5%. South Africa…

3 years ago