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FlexID gets Algorand funding to offer self-sovereign IDs to Africa’s unbanked

TechCrunch

One of the startups working toward this vision is Zimbabwe’s FlexID, which is building a blockchain-based identity system for those excluded from the banking system due to their lack of identity documents. In Zimbabwe, for instance, only 30% of the adult population had access to any financial services as of 2014. million in 2016.

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This pan-African freelance platform is the first Zimbabwean startup backed by Techstars

TechCrunch

The accelerator, which has accepted only a handful of African startups, included one from Zimbabwe in this class. Before AfriBlocks, Choto, who grew up in Zimbabwe, served as a product manager at BillMari, a pan-African remittance service leveraging bitcoin technology.

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CEO’s Update: Fall 2014

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

More and more of my time is spent around both raising money and raising awareness of how much more could be done with technology to increase social impact. My personal goal is to channel the aspirations of the technology community to do more social good. In this update, I’m delighted to be able to share Benetech’s latest efforts to do both.

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Insight Partners leads $60M growth round in cross-border payments startup Thunes

TechCrunch

The world of digital payments is very fragmented, with different types of online bank accounts, digital wallets and money transfer services used in different countries. Singapore-based Thunes , a fintech focused on making cross-border money transfers easier, announced today it has raised a $60 million growth round led by Insight Partners.

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MFS Africa collects $100M to expand its digital payments gateway across the region

TechCrunch

In a call with TechCrunch, founder and CEO Dare Okoudjou was quick to highlight MFS Africa’s mission on the continent: to make it easy for Africans to send and receive money just as they do with calls. The London-based company connects more than 320 million mobile money wallets across 35+ African countries and 700 corridors.

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Construction insurance company Billy raises additional $2.5 million

TechCrunch

Billy plans to use the money to accelerate sales and increase customer retention. Born in Zimbabwe, he was a childhood pen pal of the late Michael Tyler Fisher , a member of the billionaire Fisher Family real estate dynasty. “This moment represents the culmination of a journey that started in Harare, Zimbabwe,” Gutsa said.

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Upcoming Nonprofits Live: DIY Blogging

Tech Soup

Here at TechSoup, we’re big on empowering nonprofits and libraries to make smart do-it-yourself technology choices since we know time, staff, and money are all limited resources. This month, we're examining the landscape of DIY blogging. and LA Media Reform Group , to name a few.