Author: Elan

Editor’s note: This article is the first in a three-part series on the state of venture investment to Black-founded startups in 2026. Driving these reports is data from Crunchbase’s Diversity Spotlight feature, which offers insight into diversity in startups’ and investment firms’ leadership teams. Parts 2 and 3 in this series will be published in June. The share of U.S. venture funding going to companies with Black founders in 2025 remained low, even as overall startup investment ticked slightly higher, Crunchbase data shows. Only around $942 million — or just 0.32% of total U.S. venture funding — went to startups…

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Stand With Crypto UK is urging its 286,000 members to challenge British banks restricting transfers to cryptocurrency exchanges, arguing that blanket limits on transactions to regulated platforms are restricting access to digital assets.The new campaign cites a report from the UK Cryptoassets Business Council that found 40% of crypto transactions are blocked or restricted by UK banks. The group argues that many of the restrictions apply to transfers involving exchanges registered with the country’s Financial Conduct Authority and do not account for individual customer risk profiles.According to the report, one exchange recorded nearly 1 billion British pounds in declined transactions…

For years, the narrative surrounding cryptocurrency in Nigeria has been dominated by a singular transactional loop: buy, hold, and off-ramp into local fiat. Amidst soaring inflation and currency volatility, digital assets have largely been treated as speculative vehicles or temporary safe havens rather than functional money. However, a fundamental paradigm shift is currently unfolding across the African Web3 ecosystem. Local, innovative Web3 platforms are moving beyond mere liquidation to build integrated, everyday financial rails powered by the blockchain. At the forefront of this evolution is Busha, one of the continent’s pioneering crypto-fiat platforms. In an exclusive with Technext, Oluwadara Openiyi,…

Findings from an exploratory user research study highlighting the unique insights and practical UX recommendations shared by participants with cognitive disabilities.In the summer of 2024, I became co-chair of a working group of expert researchers who came together to determine how best to perform accessibility testing with people with cognitive disabilities. This was work I did for Fable, where I am currently VP of Innovation.Cognitive disability is an umbrella term for several disabilities that impact how people process information, and it usually affects memory, focus, and/or learning. It is the most prevalent disability in the U.S. (13.9% via CDC), and…

Reyburn Hendricks, CEO at H1 Holdings (left), and Ziyaad Sarang, chief investment officer at Revego** For the best experience, download the free Africa Private Equity News app Android | iOS **H1 Holdings and Revego Fund Managers today announced their intent to explore a strategic merger to create one of South Africa’s largest dedicated renewable energy equity investment platforms, with a combined asset base of approximately R13.3 billion ($805 million).The proposed transaction brings together H1 Holdings’ interest in a large, diversified portfolio of predominantly operating renewable energy assets with Revego’s established institutional investment platform, the Investec-backed Revego Africa Energy Fund. The…

Baidoa — Somalia’s House of the People Speaker, Aden Mohamed Nur Madobe, was elected president of South West State on Wednesday in a landslide parliamentary vote, according to the regional election commission. Madobe secured 88 votes in the presidential election, while his sole challenger, former Speaker Abdiaziz Mohamed Jawari, received one vote, the Federal Elections Commission said. The vote marks a major political victory for Madobe, a veteran Somali politician and influential figure within the federal government. Speaking after the results were announced, Madobe thanked lawmakers for their support and pledged to focus on unity, reconciliation and strengthening democratic governance…

PARTNER CONTENT If you are wondering about where to sell your Walmart, Macy’s, or Nike gift cards for cash, your concerns are valid. Selling your gift cards for cash can really add some extra cool liquidity to your pocket. However, getting the right platform to do this is now more important than ever with the rate of fraudulent transactions happening with buying or selling gift cards skyrocketing in recent times. You want a platform that has a wide catalog of gift cards, process transactions speedily, and most importantly, ensure your funds are well protected. In this article, I will be…

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), has announced a temporary power outage affecting parts of the Federal Capital Territory and Nasarawa State following a technical fault on a transmission facility. In a notice issued on Wednesday, AEDC said the disruption was caused by a fault on the 132kV Apo-Karu Line 1 operated by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) resulting in a loss of bulk electricity supply to several communities. Areas affected by the outage include Karu, Nyanya, Jikwoyi, Kurudu, Orozo, Karshi, Mararaba, Ado, New Nyanya, New Karu, Uke, Masaka, Auta Balaifi, Keffi, Nasarawa Toto, Akwanga and Nasarawa Eggon, among…

Daya, a Nigerian B2B stablecoin payments startup, has partnered with Aptos Foundation and Dubai-based crypto exchange HashKey MENA to launch a pilot stablecoin settlement corridor connecting businesses in Africa and the Middle East. The partnership will allow businesses to convert local currencies into stablecoins, settle transactions on the Aptos blockchain, and receive funds in local currencies at the destination.  The move marks Aptos’ latest effort to push into Africa. The Layer 1 blockchain, originally built in 2021 to power decentralised finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and gaming, is now increasingly positioning itself around cross-border payments infrastructure in emerging markets. Under…