Wrap-Up: Our pick of main stories, Tuesday November 17th, 2015

Compfix Data re-launches cloud backup service, Kenyan smartphone seeks to shake up market, Kenyan m-health startup Miti Health receives $100k Gates Foundation grant, to get more information on these and other stories from our wrap-up today, read on…

Compfix Data re-launches cloud backup service

Compfix Data Limited has reintroduced its cloud based backup solution. DataBank is a subscription-based solution for organizations that value their data. Organizations will subscribe for the space they need depending on the size of data they have and wish to backup. With the rampant cases of permanent data loss and data recovery, Compfix has re-launched DataBank to address the data loss menace that significantly affects organization’s day to day operations. In Kenya, over 45 terabytes of data is lost every year leading to financial and downtime losses to the economy.

Airtel Africa, Facebook partner to launch Free Basic Services in 17 African countries

Airtel Africa, which operates in 17 countries across Africa, has announced its partnership with Facebook which will see the launch of Free Basics in Africa. Free Basics is a set of basic websites and services to introduce people to the internet and demonstrate how it adds value to their lives. In the first phase, Free Basics will be launched in Airtel Nigeria, DRC, Gabon and Niger followed by other Airtel Africa markets. Airtel Africa had already been working with Facebook since 2014 in enhancing accessibility to the internet in an affordable manner through the launch of Free Basics in Zambia, Kenya, Malawi, Ghana, Seychelles and Rwanda.

Kenyan smartphone seeks to shake up market

A Kenyan company has come up with a new handset that promises top level performance at a fraction of the price of models currently in the market. Synergy Innovations, which developed its SILK Patriot phone model, promises that its offering will give users unparalleled performance at an affordable cost. SILK stands for Synergy Innovations Kenya Limited.. The phone is targeting the mid-market range and will spot a 5.5 inch screen and 8 megapixel camera. The phone’s operating software is based on Google’s Android KitKat platform and it comes pre-installed with the company’s applications.

Asoko Insight Raises $1.35 Million to Deepen Market Intelligence in Nigeria, Kenya & Ghana 

Asoko Insight has completed a $1.35 million fundraising round to deepen its research and analysis of more than a thousand privately held companies in Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana, the company’s top markets, and to extend regional operations and build out the technology behind its digital platform. The round was led by North Base Media, CRE Venture Capital and exisiting investors Emergo Partners and J.E. Berman Associates as shareholders.

Kenyan m-health startup Miti Health receives $100,000 Gates Foundation grant

Kenyan startup Miti Health, which provides chemists with business management and supply chain software on the Android platform, has received a US $100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations Grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to research ways of expanding the use of mobile tools among Kenyan private health providers.

Here is what Interswitch plans for the East African market

Earlier this year, Nigerian payments company Interswitch Transnational Holdings  acquired a majority stake in Paynet Group. Paynet Group has since re-branded to Interswitch East Africa with former CEO taking over as CEO Interswitch East Africa. Interswitch plans to introduce some of its product offerings into the East African market with a target at both businesses and consumers. From the B2c front, Interswitch recently unveiled the Verve Card a Prepaid debit Card in the market. From a Business to Business (B2B) front, Interswitch targets both businesses and government with its solutions.