TechCabal Daily, 662 - Cellulant's Mula Makes An AR Bet on e-Commerce in Kenya

UNICAF's Series B raise and Kenya's Blockchain Task Force Completes Its Report [View this email in your browser]( PRESENTED BY ANDE & BUDX 20 - 11 - 2018 Welcome to today's edition of TC Daily. Did a friend or colleague forward this to you? Do take a moment to [subscribe]( you don't miss out on future editions. A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSORS [Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE)]( just launched new data on support networks for entrepreneurs! You can now explore research on the entrepreneurial ecosystems of Rwanda, Gauteng, Ibadan, and Port Harcourt on our interactive site – a data visualization tool for anyone interested in these markets: [](. Special thanks to the DFID Impact Programme for their support. Cellulant-owned Mula, a payments platform based in Kenya, has partnered with Facebook to integrate an Augmented Reality bot in Messenger that allows customers to discover and try products before they purchase. If a user were to buy lipstick, for example, the technology will allow the buyer to try different shades before making a choice and concluding the purchase through Mula. The startup is considering expanding the service to Nigeria, Tanzania and Rwanda in the coming months. Rocket Internet-backed real estate startup, Lamudi (branded as Jumia House in Africa), [has raised]( strategic investment from Axel Springer and Swiss-based Ringier AG, TechMoran reports. Both firms will take a seat on Lamudi's advisory board and Kian Moini, Co-Founder and CEO of Lamudi, will stay on as CEO. In Nigeria, the Ogun State government has granted MainOne Right of Way (RoW) waivers to lay ~250KM of fibre optic cables across the state. [Per this Techpoint report]( MainOne will offer free Internet at the state secretariat for the next 30 years. The report also says the expansion of the recently launched Google Station free public WiFi to the state will rely on MainOne infrastructure. The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, organized by the Royal Academy of Engineering, [has shortlisted 16 startups]( from across Africa. These startups and the brains behind them will a stand a chance of winning up to £25,000, develop skills and network. This year's shortlist cuts across six countries and five female engineers make the list. Mobile network blackouts are on the way in nine Nigerian states, [per Guardian Nigeria](. According to the report, the outages will be a result of the Kogi State government closing down ~70 telecom sites over "excess taxes". Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa is looking to selling all or part of itself, according to [this Techcentral report](. Back in May, the telco raised $30-million through the sale of Islamic bonds. Got a health tech startup operating in Nigeria? We would like to hear from you. We are putting together a map and analysis of the health tech sector that highlights the solutions innovators are bringing to bear on the problems of access to quality and affordable healthcare in Nigeria as well as provide actionable insights for policy makers, investors and entrepreneurs. [Sign up here]( so we can feature your startup and to help us better understand the sector. TechCrunch is headed to Lagos to host its second Startup Battlefield Africa competition on December 11, 2018. Sub-Saharan Africa’s best innovators, makers and technical entrepreneurs are invited to attend this year's TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa. [Get your tickets now!]( A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSORS Nigerian-American photographer, Chi Modu, is coming home. His photo exhibition & workshop, sponsored by BUDX, run from December 1– 2, 2018. Register [here]( to enjoy panel talks, workshops, live performances and an after-party. The Kenyan Blockchain Taskforce instituted by ICT cabinet secretary Joe Mucheru back in February 2018 has completed its report, [per Kenyan Wall Street](. The 192-page report looks at various fields where blockchain technology can be applied in line with the Kenyan government’s Big Four agenda and will be presented to the public at an unnamed time. Online higher education platform UNICAF has announced that it [has raised]( $28 million in Series B financing to meet the growing demand for high-quality university education across the continent. The funding round is led by Goldman Sachs with participation from existing investors, including the UK Government's development finance institution CDC Group, higher education fund University Ventures, and EDEX, founder of the University of Nicosia. You are invited to [TC Townhall]( Fintech 2.0, holding in partnership with Softcom on November 30. The forum will take a look at the next generation of financial technologies in Nigeria. Speakers include Adia Sowho (MD, Mines.io), Gbenga Agboola (CEO, Flutterwave), Titi Odunfa (MD, Sankore Investments), Dr. Yinka David West (Academic Director, LBS), Yvonne Johnson (fintech angel investor) and Yomi Adedeji (CEO, Softcom). [Registration is now live]( and seats are limited. See you there! Google Business Group Lagos BIZFEST 2018 is happening on November 23, 2018 at Sheba Events Center, Ikeja, Lagos. If you're in that neck of the woods, learn more and register to attend [here](. From TechCabal + [A Guide To Understanding Consumer Logistics In Africa]( + [Micro-lending In Africa: Which Model Is Going To Succeed?]( All Done. We'll see you tomorrow - Akindare. Don't be a bad person. Share TC Daily With Your Friends! [Share]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( Copyright © 2018 Big Cabal Media, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up on TechCabal.com Our mailing address is: Big Cabal Media Plot B, Block 1, Industrial Avenue, Ilupeju Industrial EstateIlupeju 100252 Nigeria [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](.