1. Facebook unveils audio push to rival clubhouse
Social media giant Facebook has unveiled its podcast offering and “live audio rooms” in a push to get people talking and take on the fast-growing audio-based app Clubhouse.
According to Facebook, with quotations from the Facebook app chief Fidji Simo, the company has seen revelations how audio alongside texts and video can increase social interaction.
The company made this comment in its recent blog post on the company website, describing the new experience as a digital magic.
The statement reads: “We think a lot of magic happens at the intersection of audio formats, as well as at the confluence of text, audio and video.”
1. Japan-based VC secures $18.4m to support African startups
Samurai Incubate, a Japan-based VC, has secured a $18.4 million fund to invest as pre-seed, seed and Series A investments in African technology startups.
The fund, which has been described as oversubscribed, is the Samurai Africa 2nd General Partnership fund incorporated by the VC.
Launched only three years ago, Samurai Incubate has designed and managed six funds in Japan, through which it has backed around 130 startups.
In May 2018, the VC established the Samurai Incubate Africa and has so far invested in 26 African startups including Eden Life, Evolve Credit, Shyft Power Solutions, Oneport and Pricepally.
1. Nigeria’s ShortLet adapts AI to improve business model
Nigerian real estate firm, ShortLet, has adapted artificial intelligence technology to enhance its culture and system delivery.
The adaptation comes as more African tech players leverage tech to improve their business model.
The startup, through its CEO, has acknowledged the upward trend observed since the integration.
According to the CEO, the firm has witnessed a great increase in the number of requests since it launched.
Further commenting on the development, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Keji Giwa, disclosed that his firm invested heavily in improving the customer experience on all Shortlethomes digital platforms “taking advantage of AI Chatbots to automate responses, creating a virtual agent to take bookings and deal with customer service issues 24-7.”
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1. Nigeria’s Pricepally raises 6-digit pre-seed funding round
Towards building on its strong early growth, Pricepally, a Nigerian digital food cooperative, has raised a six-digit pre-seed funding round.
Founded in 2019 by Luther Lawoyin, Jumai Abalaka, Deepak Bansal and Monsunmola Adefemi, the startup is a group-buying platform that aggregates consumer food demand and matches it with supplies directly from farmers and wholesalers.
Going by the model, the food is sourced directly from farmers and wholesalers, making it cheaper and fresher than buying at retail outlets.
Also, this is how it cuts out middlemen and saves consumers money by leveraging technology to aggregate demand via a sharing model.