July 4, 2025

The Download: India’s AI independence, and predicting future epidemics

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Inside India’s scramble for AI independence Despite its status as a global tech hub, India lags far behind the likes of the US and China when it comes to homegrown AI. That gap…

Technology

Nigeria’s Curacel raises funding to power insurance offerings and expand into North Africa

February 14, 2023

As many as 2.8% of Africans are uninsured, which is less than half the global average of 6.3%, making it the least insured continent in the world. Despite the abysmal number, there’s some good news. According to a McKinsey report, most African countries have experienced double-digit insurance growth in CAGR in local currency over the […]

Nigeria’s Curacel raises funding to power insurance offerings and expand into North Africa by Tage Kene-Okafor originally published on TechCrunch

Kenya’s fintech Power set to scale after $3M seed round

February 14, 2023

After working in Africa’s microfinance space for seven years, including at Botswana’s Letshego, Brian Dempsey took a break in 2020 to build Power Financial Wellness, operating out of Kenya. Dempsey said the launch of Power was informed by the trends he noticed in the micro-lending space, and experience garnered from his stint in the micro-finance […]

Kenya’s fintech Power set to scale after $3M seed round by Annie Njanja originally published on TechCrunch

Africa’s smartphone market shrunk by 18% last year

February 14, 2023

Africa’s smartphone market shrunk by 18% in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC). The slump was driven by a reduction in consumer spending due to inflation, and economic uncertainties, but it was not unique to Africa as smartphone shipment dipped across major markets last year. According to IDC, […]

Africa’s smartphone market shrunk by 18% last year by Annie Njanja originally published on TechCrunch

Amid merger and bankruptcy in the West, lidar maker Hesai nails $190M IPO

February 14, 2023

Last week, China’s lidar maker Hesai raised an upsized IPO in the U.S. at a time the industry is reeling from layoffs, bankruptcy, and consolidation. The Shanghai- and California- based company, which makes the sensing technology critical to autonomous driving and increasingly advanced driver assistant systems, raised $190 million from its public offering on Nasdaq. […]

Amid merger and bankruptcy in the West, lidar maker Hesai nails $190M IPO by Rita Liao originally published on TechCrunch

Morocco’s foodtech Terraa raises $1.5M led by FoodLabs

February 14, 2023

Terraa, a Moroccan B2B  tech-enabled food distribution platform, has raised $1.5 million pre-seed funding in a round led by FoodLabs, a European early-stage VC investor and venture studio for food, sustainability and health. Other participants in the round were UM6P Ventures, Outlierz Ventures, Musha Ventures, and Africa-centric DFS Lab. Founded by Youssef Benkirane and Benoit […]

Morocco’s foodtech Terraa raises $1.5M led by FoodLabs by Annie Njanja originally published on TechCrunch

Akamai reaches for the cloud

February 14, 2023

A year ago, Akamai acquired Linode for $900 million. At the time, Akamai said it wanted to combine Linode with its edge platform and security services. Unsurprisingly, that’s exactly what it is doing now, with the launch of its new Akamai Connected Cloud — a massively distributed edge and cloud platform that includes Linode’s existing […]

Akamai reaches for the cloud by Frederic Lardinois originally published on TechCrunch

Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty and a newer startup, FIT:MATCH, team up to sell better-fitting lingerie

February 13, 2023

Shoppers at Rihanna’s lingerie brand Savage X Fenty may soon find it easier than ever to find products that fit their measurements. Last year, the brand made an investment in a four-year-old, Miami-based startup called FIT:MATCH; now, Savage X Fenty is employing FIT:MATCH’s tech in a growing number of its retail stores, starting with a […]

Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty and a newer startup, FIT:MATCH, team up to sell better-fitting lingerie by Connie Loizos originally published on TechCrunch

Swallowing this pill-shaped sensor could help you avoid invasive procedures

February 13, 2023

Ingestible robotics has been a fascinating and growing field for the last several years. We’ve already seen a handful of startups working to commercialize a technology that could allow for internal monitoring, medicine delivery and more, without the need for invasive procedure. This new project from a joint team at Caltech and MIT highlights a […]

Swallowing this pill-shaped sensor could help you avoid invasive procedures by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

Ford to build $3.5B LFP battery factory using China tech

February 13, 2023

Ford said Monday it is investing $3.5 billion to build a factory in Michigan that will make cheaper lithium iron phosphate batteries for its growing portfolio of electric vehicles. The factory, which will be located in Marshall, Michigan, will not make nickel cobalt manganese (NCM), a technology that is in its current EVs. Ford said […]

Ford to build $3.5B LFP battery factory using China tech by Kirsten Korosec originally published on TechCrunch