Bboxx, a London-headquartered cleantech startup that provides clean energy in Africa, has reportedly acquired PEG Africa, another cleantech startup based in Accra, in a deal that pushes its valuation to well over $300 million.
The acquisition is still subject to customary closing conditions, including an agreement with lenders.
Institutional lenders like Nairobi- and London-based Sunfunder and Swiss Responsibility, which both finance PEG’s operations, will need to take their time to move entities from PEG to Bboxx.
The source says Bboxx’s overarching ambition is to become one of the biggest next-generation utility companies in the world.
Bboxx has helped more than 5 million people access clean energy.

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Bunq, a European challenger bank based in Amsterdam, has announced that it plans to acquire Tricount, a popular mobile app to manage group expenses.
Bunq isn’t disclosing the terms of the transaction and the acquisition is pending regulatory approval.
Bunq founder and CEO Ali Niknam says Tricount’s commitment to simplicity, transparency and community perfectly aligns with their own values. Tricount offers additional options.
Tricount has amassed quite a large user base with 5.4 million users. The app is free with ads.

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A group of industry associations in China issued a warning against the potential financial risks of non-fungible tokens, digital assets that represent real-world objects or intangible goods like a song.
The country’s banking, internet finance, and securities associations say NFTs must not be traded with cryptocurrencies, and they must not be used to create securitized products.
The financial associations say the value of NFTs lies in their potential to promote the growth of the creative and cultural industry.
They said users would first have to verify their real identities on these platforms before buying the collectables using China’s fiat currency yuan and are prohibited from reselling the works on secondary markets.

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Amazon says that it aims to export locally produced Indian goods worth $20 billion by 2025, doubling its initial goal of $10 billion during the same time frame as the e-commerce group attracts over 100,000 exporters in the key overseas market.
Amit Agarwal, SVP of India and Emerging Markets for Amazon, says they are excited to build a strong foundation for MSMEs to realize their export potential, help them become globally competitive and contribute to the honourable Prime Minister’s vision of making India an export powerhouse.
It says the company has enabled merchants from India to sell to customers worldwide through Amazon’s 18 international websites including in countries such as the U.S., the UK, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Spain, Australia and France.

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Ventures Platform, an early-stage pan-African VC firm, has announced the addition of 10 new African startups to its portfolio.
The firm shared that it had invested in the 10 startups through its newest $40 million funds.
Founder Kola Aina says the launch of a new $40 million fund aimed at finding, funding and supporting groundbreaking market-creating innovation opportunities to create prosperity and position Africa as a formidable force in global markets.
Ventures Platform has backed almost 70 startups including Seamless HR, PiggyVest, Mono, and Paystack.

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The International Finance Corporation and Viva Technology have listed two Nigerian startups, Primed E-health and Koolboks among 45 African startups driving innovations on the continent.
The organisers of the awards say the finalists were selected from a pool of over 300 applications topped by startups from Nigeria.
IFC’s Managing Director Makhtar Diop, says the number and quality of applications received is a testament to Africa’s vibrant tech scene, which has proven to be resilient even in the face of the many challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Viva Technology Co-Presidents Maurice Lévy and Pierre Louette, and Managing Director Julie Ranty, say Africa is a breeding ground for talent and new ideas, and we are delighted to see so many innovative entrepreneurs participating in this first edition of the AfricaTech Awards.

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Products have emerged over the years to address the problem of code maintenance, including the cloud-based code quality management service SonarSource.
SonarSource announced that it raised $412 million in a funding round co-led by Advent International and General Catalyst at a $4.7 billion valuation.
SonarSource CEO Olivier Gaudin says organizations across all industries have long understood that software is critical to running their businesses.
Gaudin says he launched SonarSource to enable developers to administer best code quality practices that, in theory, could help to fix problematic code.

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Twitter has announced that it has accepted Musk’s offer to acquire the publicly traded company at $54.20/share, valuing the social media platform at $44 billion.
Twitter’s Independent Board Chair Bret Taylor says the Twitter Board conducted a thoughtful and comprehensive process to assess Elon’s proposal with a deliberate focus on value, certainty, and financing.
He says the proposed transaction will deliver a substantial cash premium, and we believe it is the best path forward for Twitter’s stockholders.
Musk repeated that free speech is the key to Twitter’s future adding that new products, fighting spam and opening up its algorithms, are things the company was already in the process of doing prior to his dramatic intervention.

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The China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) is introducing a debut campaign with 150 online events for companies to showcase their products on its platform.
The debut events will provide buyers around the world with innovative achievements in advanced technology, intelligent manufacturing, better lifestyle, low-carbon environmental protection and trade services.
Alan Liu, Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Canton Fair says they have decided to present these showcases at the Canton Fair from more than 600 registered companies based on company qualifications and product distinguishing features.
Liu says the final presentation includes award-winning manufacturing champions, as well as products that are specialized in technology and innovation.

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League Baseball is set to employ a variety of technology to make the fan experience more fun, including personalized video search and Statcast for analytical statistics, as well as streaming and mobile applications and games for its fans.
The league has already welcomed NFTs and is considering AR and VR as it strives to make the most of whatever technology is available.

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