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Ronan Steyn has a love for all things technology, with a particular focus on startups, gadgets and games. When not writing the good write, he can be found making films or purveying the latest gadget, game or film. At night he attempts an MA in Screenwriting at UCT. A firm believer that video is the future of the web, he hopes to be at the forefront of online multimedia in Africa.
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Seed accelerator 88mph's Nairobi director Nikolai Barnwell spoke to Ventureburn about its upcoming three-month acceleration programme in the Kenyan capital: what they look for in a startup, mentors and the African investment space. Whether you're an entrepreneur considering entering the programme, or just interested in tech in Kenya and Africa, you won't want to miss this Q&A.What does 88mph value in a startup? Are you looking for innovation or sound business models?I don’t think they necessarily contradict each other. More ...
Prodigy Finance is a fascinating company. It takes elements of micro-lending, as well as some proprietary risk-assessment practices, and applies them to MBA students seeking out funding. The result is effectively a loan network comprising of top MBA students, and alumni (the investors) from around the world -- including high net-worth individuals from emerging markets -- who can invest in their region's future business leaders.Founded by South Africans Cameron Stevens (CEO), and Ryan Steele (COO), the company is a registered ...
Adobe Creative Suite is no longer a product. It's a service. What was once just an option, will become the only way to access the Adobe Creative Suite family of applications come 17 June. Creative Suite (CS) will officially be replaced by Adobe Creative Cloud (CC), a subscription-based service with all the bells and whistles that come with the cloud.Announced at Adobe's MAX conference, and received with mixed reactions across social media platforms, the move marks Adobe's official shift from ...
At first glance you might not think there is much in common between the film industry and tech startups. I'm here to tell you differently. Both industries have their own set of challenges, whether you're starting out, or refining your craft/company down the line. I'm not here to tell you that one is tougher than the other, but rather that startups can learn from the parallels between them.Each member must know their 'craft'In the film industry you have ...
Demo Day has come and gone for African startup accelerator 88mph and the ten startups that completed their intensive three month acceleration programme, capped off with a beautiful Cape Town sunset.The ten startups that presented on the day began the programme three months ago, and through the process they moulded (some even changed) their ideas into marketable, scalable companies with the hopes of achieving follow-on funding.Taking the rise of Africa's mobile market into account, 88mph places its investment focus ...
In 2010 China was the place of choice for foreign investment in the tech sector. Fast forward to today and it's an IPO ghost town, with less money and deals than a mid-level casino. At the heart of this "decline" in foreign interest are a number of factors.The Next Web states that political unrest, audit checks and internet censorship are but a few reasons for investor hesitation while Bloomberg pips rising employee and land costs as lowering China's "attractiveness as ...
Nedbank is aiming to compete with FNB's dotFNB stores -- a kind of cashless branch that operates as part bank, part retail experience -- with the launch of their La Lucia Mall Branch in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.The branch marks part of the South African bank's "Branch of the Future" roll-out of state-of-the-art technology designed to provide products and services for both individual and business needs for new and existing clients.‘In keeping with our client centred approach, we understand that ...
The European Union's Competition Commissioner, Joaquin Almunia, has received another complaint about Google -- this time with regards to how it runs its mobile software business and the Android operating system.The complaint claims that Google's mobile operating system (OS) promotes Google's own products and services on many Android-supported smartphones.The latest Smartphone Platform Market Share shows that Android controls 51.7% of the US market, indicating that its competitors would have ample reason to be upset if they felt Google was ...
Personalised ecommerce. It's all about data.Every click, purchase, like, share or pin executed on a website has the potential to allude to your tastes. How eshops use that information effectively is a tricky business indeed.But now, the age of collected and then curated information, is upon us -- and we're here to help you.One could argue that there are two divisions of personalised ecommerce. They aren't necessarily distinct in that their end-goal is the same ...
No it wasn't a joke. The objections to Apple's 'iPad Mini' Trademark Application issued on 1 April by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) were all too real. These objections though, one week later, have officially been withdrawn.According to MacRumours the primary objection, related to the 'iPad mini' name being determined as "descriptive" rather than a distinctive product name was removed as well as the secondary objection, relating to the use of the iPad mini overview ...
