Innovation Village

Accommodation Marketplace SleepOut.com gets US$200,000 Seed Funding

2013-05-22T15:23:00.000+01:00

SleepOut.com, Kenya’s leading online accommodation marketplace where users can find, offer and book unique accommodation online, announced today that it has raised approximately US$200,000 in seed funding to finance expansion across markets in Africa and the Middle East.Leading the funding round for the Nairobi company, which launched its BETA site in June 2012, is Amsterdam-based Africa Media

Gidilounge’s gPlayer is coming into the music streaming business to compete with iRoking, Spinlet....

2013-05-22T15:10:00.001+01:00

gPlayer is the soon to be launched music streaming service of digital company Gidilounge who already runs the mobile radio, Gidilounge.fm. Gidilounge.fm and gPlayer will soon be available on a Gidilounge app. Gidilounge will launch its music streaming service on June 1, and will be free both online and in the mobile app. Benny Alaga, an executive at Gidilounge said "Users can browse and

Kenya's Momentum Core fight HIV/ AIDS with new game, Pamoja Mtaani

2013-05-22T13:03:00.000+01:00

A Kenyan gaming startup Momentum Core, known for a 2D casual game Mosquito Hood, that talks about malaria prevention has launched another health related game on HIV/AIDS awareness game dubbed “Pamoja Mtaani Puzzle” and is available on the Google Chrome platform. The game is an initiative between Momentum Core and an NGO based in Kenya HIV Free Generation, the non-profit behind

Meet Helios handle bars that give cyclists smartphone technology

2013-05-22T12:58:00.000+01:00

Cyclists can pimp their bikes with smartphone technology with the new Helios handle bar tha makes your bike smart. Helios Bars has an integrated headlight and two rear LEDs, and riders can use the left and right lights as turn signals, the amazing thing about the device is that one can connect the handlebars to a smartphone via Bluetooth 4.0 using smartphone connectivity through Helios' iOS

Mobile Web gets new Google+ look

2013-05-22T12:52:00.002+01:00

A few days after Google+ unveiled a redesign for desktop, the social network is redesigning its look on the mobile web. Changes to the mobile version of Google+ are similar to those made for the desktop. Google introduced 41 new features, including a multi-column layout, larger photos and automatic addition of related hashtags to the stream. What's more, Profiles and Pages now include cover

Vodacom on the prowl for acquisition targets In Africa

2013-05-22T12:48:00.003+01:00

Vodacom, South Africa-based mobile phone operator, is on the prowl for to acquire more stake in telecommunications business in Africa. Majority-owned by UK’s Vodafone Group, Vodacom is set to shop in two or three African countries in the next three years, as they plan to increase Africa’s meagre 17% of the company’s revenue. According to Fox Business News, CEO Shameel Joosub, told Dow Jones

Mara Online - Africa’s answer To Skype and other social media

2013-05-21T20:29:00.001+01:00

Mara Online, a family of online and mobile platforms that allow users to communicate, interact and collaborate with each other has been launched by Ugandan multi-millionaire and serial entrepreneur Ashish J. Thakkar. Mara Online, which featured a chartered jet flying over Silicon Valley with a Mara banner with the inscription “It is Time For Africa,” currently has three applications that

Twitter users will go to Hell - Religious Cleric

2013-05-21T11:47:00.002+01:00

The head of the Saudi religious police, reports Sheikh Abdul Latif Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh has warned citizens that anyone who uses Twitter “has lost his world and his afterlife”. There are presently three million Twitter users in Saudi Arabia according to statistics, and the cleric’s comments is a reflection of how other clerics have seen Twitter as a national threat, while the grand mufti,

MTN is ranked number one African brand - The Millward-Brown BrandZ Top 100 Global Brands 2013

2013-05-21T11:46:00.006+01:00

African mobile operators, MTN has been ranked as the highest African brand in the Millward-Brown Brandz Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2013 survey. This year’s listing shows that MTN moved up nine places to 79th position , with an overall increase in brand value of 23%. MTN debuted at position 88 in the survey last year, and is the only African brand in the 2013 survey. “The

Oklahoma Tornado Victims Get Their Belongings Back through Facebook

2013-05-21T11:44:00.001+01:00

A Facebook group has been set up to help Oklahoma tornado victims get their belongings back, the Tornado which killed 51 people and left many homeless, has blown debris from houses — including people's personal belongings and important documents — many miles away. The Facebook group asks members to post photos of any items or documents that were blown into their yard, so that they can be

Samsung holds the Smart App Challenge 2013

2013-05-21T11:43:00.004+01:00

Samsung Electronics holds the global app competition aimed at finding new apps to utilise Samsung’s communication function- the Samsung Smart App Challenge 2013. It is the second time Samsung is hosting the global contest for android developers. A total of 10 entries will be selected as winners, receiving a record total of $800,000 in prize money along with a variety of promotional benefits.

Rwandan genocide survivors get ICT equipment from New Artel

2013-05-21T11:22:00.002+01:00

Kimironko genocide survivors’ association in Rwanda got a boost in their business transactions and communication as Rwandan internet service provider (ISP) New Artel has donated ICT equipment to the group. The genocide survivor association “Tubeho” comprises high school and university students who are survivors of the Rwandan genocide New Artel donated Rwf 7 million (US$11,000) worth of

InnovationVillage chats with Dozie Anyaegbunam at the Official launch of gidimo at the Mobile Web West Africa 2013

2013-05-21T09:16:00.003+01:00

InnovationVillage, represented by Seyi Olanihun, had a chance to talk with Dozie Anyaegbunam of gidimobile at the just concluded Mobile Web West Africa 2013 conference. The gidimobile team officially announced the launch of gidimo. gidimobile is comprised of geeks, more geeks and yet more geeks! Here’s a brief description of the team in their own words... Tunji Adegbesan (Founder &

Africa’s Largest ICT Product Mall to launch In 2016 - Zinox

2013-05-20T19:16:00.003+01:00

Nigeria’s indigenous tech company, Zinox Group, has announced plans to launch Africa’s largest single genuine ICT product mall in 20i6, this was made known by the Chairman, Leo Stan Ekeh, who gave the information while speaking as a guest of Honour at the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P). The mall which is currently under construction will serve as a one-stop shop for all genuine ICT

Africa gets first custom Youtube channel with MTN custom Youtube channel

2013-05-20T18:36:00.000+01:00

Africa gets its first custom YouTube channel with the MTN custom Youtube channel. Custom channels, first unveiled in 2011, allow brands to customise their subscriber engagement and is used by celebrities such Madonna, Ashton Kutcher, Amy Poehler and Tony Hawk. While any advertiser can use YouTube, custom channels provide brands specialized functions outside the ordinary. MTN says it’s

Accsys & Integr8 Partner to Offer Africa its Cloud Services

2013-05-20T18:21:00.000+01:00

Africa is to get enhanced cloud services from South Africa’s Accsys and Integr8. Both Accsys and Integr8 are owned by Business Connexion and Accsys is a national supplier of people management software and hardware solutions within the HR, payroll and time & attendance space. Dr Liam Terblanche, Chief Information Officer at Accsys, says that whilst there is no doubt that the continent is the

The World Telecommunication Day is celebrated with the return Of DStv Eutel Star Awards

2013-05-20T17:58:00.000+01:00

DStv Eutelsat Star Awards for 2013 will be done in commemoration of the World Telecommunication Day. As part of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD), the awards which was returned by MultiChoice Africa and Eutelsat are aimed at inspiring innovative thinking among secondary and high school students in Africa, and creating awareness on application of science and

Nelson Mandela goes digital with Social Network, Mandela.is

2013-05-20T15:57:00.000+01:00

A social network dubbed Mandela.is has been launched to honor Nelson Mandela, and according to Forbes has signed up over 20,000 users in three days of their soft launch. Nelson Mandela’s grandsons, Ndaba Mandela and Kweku Mandela Amuah are the creators of Mandela.is which they say, is a collection of lessons they learned from their grandfather, Nelson Mandela and describes the world as a “

Meet Kola Kuddus from Nigeria. He talks about how he started his own fashion design company

2013-05-18T10:43:00.000+01:00

Kola Kuddus of Kola Kuddus Couture Kola Kuddus Couture, run by Kola Kuddus, started out very simple. He was a personal shopper and stylist for friends. He decided to focus on making clothes for men. His dissatisfaction with regular brands he used to style his friends led him to starting his own fashion design company. Watch Kola talk about how he makes this superb brand on Ndani.tv

Bill Gates takes back the "World’s Richest Title" From Carlos Slim

2013-05-18T08:52:00.000+01:00

Billionaires Bill Gates, left, and Carlos Slim, hold a news conference to announce donations to Mexico's International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Texcoco, Mexico, on Feb. 13, 2013. Bill Gates is once again the world’s richest person.The 57-year-old co-founder of Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft Corp. recaptured the title from Mexican investor Carlos Slim yesterday, according

Twitter to debut on Yahoo news stream

2013-05-17T14:13:00.001+01:00

Yahoo has officially integrated Twitter on its news stream, as tweets will begin to show up. CEO Marissa Mayer delivered the news in a blog post which detailed how the company views tweets "as [an] important information source for many of our users." It was a natural step for Yahoo to partner with Twitter to include tweets on its website. "Updates direct from politicians, celebrities,

Sony sets $1.4billion target for African electronics market

2013-05-17T14:12:00.000+01:00

Electronics giant Sony has set a $1.4 billion target for the Africa electronics market its many potentials. The announcement was made in Cape Town, South Africa, while the company was unveiling its “extensive blueprint for expansion across the Africa continent”. The African and Middle East Sony Managing Director, Sugiyama said that “Africa is a vast continent, and we understand that it is

Africa gets first smart travellers card loaded with multiple currencies

2013-05-17T14:10:00.002+01:00

Barclays bank subsidiary, Absa Bank, based in South Africa has launched a Multi-Currency Cash Passport which allows cardholders to load multiple currencies on the same card. The intelligent card chooses the correct currency depending on the country the cardholder is in and automatically updates to that currency’s purse. According to Head of Retail Banking Arrie Rautenbach, “Although there

Learning the Yorùbá Language made easy with "Yoruba101" aided by Oluko Àsà (Cultural Tutor)

2013-05-17T08:06:00.003+01:00

The Yorùbá Language is a rich language synonymous to a large section of people from West Africa to the Americas. With the increasing migration of people from West Africa to all the corners of the world, there is a tendency to lose touch with the native language. In line with this, Genii Games has come up with an app to help in preserving the Yoruba Language, Yorùbá101. Yorùbá101 is only the

Kaymu.com.ng Launches SafePay: A Secured Payment Solution For e-Commerce Transactions In Nigeria!

2013-05-16T22:32:00.001+01:00

Nigeria’s fastest growing online marketplace, Kaymu in her bid to empower Nigerians through e-Commerce has just launched a revolutionary payment solution called SafePay™.According to the MD, Lukas Zels; “SafePay™ is a necessary evolution in the Nigerian e-Commerce industry as it was introduced to eradicate the nefarious activities of fraudsters online and to instill confidence in both buyers