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- Africa's Tech Ecosystem Digest | Issue #3 | April 23, 2025
Africa's Tech Ecosystem Digest | Issue #3 | April 23, 2025
This Week: Big Wins at Gitex Africa, Founders Connect Ticket Giveaway, and Lagos E-Hailing Drivers Set to Strike – Don’t Miss Out!
Thalo Group
April 23, 2025
Hi Thalo Fam, 👋
Welcome back to Thalo, your shortcut to everything happening in Africa’s tech scene. If this is your first time reading, hey there! You’ve just joined a growing tribe of doers, builders, and curious minds who never want to miss out on the good stuff.
This week, we’ve got hot opportunities, exciting wins, and a little surprise.
We’re giving away FREE Founders Connect tickets
The ticket link is cleverly hidden somewhere in this newsletter. It’s like a treasure hunt. If you spot it, you could be front row for all the action!
Let’s dive in.
In Today’s Edition
• What happened at Gitex Africa 2025 in Marrakech
• Lagos e-hailing drivers threaten to go on strike
• New funding opportunities you should check out
• Events happening this week that you won’t want to miss
🌍 GITEX Africa 2025: Africa’s Digital Future Takes Center Stage in Marrakech
From April 14–16, Marrakech hosted the third edition of GITEX Africa, the continent’s largest tech and startup event. Held under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the event brought together 1,450+ exhibitors, 800+ startups, and 45,000+ participants from over 140 countries, solidifying Africa’s growing role in the global innovation landscape.
But the most exciting moment? The Supernova Challenge; where Africa’s top startups took the spotlight on the global stage.
🏆Supernova Challenge 2025 Results
🥇 DeepLeaf — $50,000 Grand Prize winner for its future-shaping innovation
🥈 Chitosan — Second Place
🥉 Chapa — Third Place
🏅 Special Awards
TausiApp — GITEX Nigeria Award
Pixii Motors — GITEX Asia Award
Thinkable — GITEX Europe Award
Piyes.pro — Expand North Star Award
eSusFarm® — Tamwilcom Fintech & Blockchain Award
CastCo — IFC Agritech & Sustainability Award
Crop2Cash — Young CEO Award
aXiom Zorn — Women in Tech Award
🗺️ Lagos E-Hailing Drivers Threaten to Go on Strike Over Poor Conditions, Unfair Practices
E-hailing drivers in Lagos using apps like Bolt, Uber, and Indrive are planning to stay off the road on May 1, which is International Workers’ Day. They’re calling out what they say are unfair work conditions and anti-labour practices by the platforms. Drivers are pushing back against high commission charges, poor safety measures, mandatory facial recognition, and the lack of proper rider verification. They’re basically saying enough is enough and want better pay, safety, and respect.
💰 FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
 | PennPromise Ventures Get USD20k to USD100k in pre-seed and seed stage startups in Nigeria and Africa, building for the key segment of the economy. Prize pool: USD20k to USD100k Deadline: Nil |
 | WEIDE Fund for Women-Led Businesses The Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund aims to empower women entrepreneurs by helping them grow their businesses through international trade and digitalization. Prize pool: Up to USD 50 Million Deadline: 18 May 2025 |
 | DDI Sub-Saharan Africa Digital Democracy Hackathon 2025 Create technology-driven solutions that strengthen democratic accountability, protect activists in repressive environments, and combat the spread of disinformation across Africa. Prize pool: They are giving 5 subgrants, $7500 each. Deadline: April 30, 2025 |
📅 UPCOMING EVENTS
 | GenZ HR Connect The GenZ HR Connect; Learning to Leading event is a landmark physical gathering of beneficiaries of the GenZ HR Scholarship Fund & HR enthusiasts. |
 | HERtitude '25 HERtitude by Zikoko is an annual gathering of WOMEN from different backgrounds to meet, connect with each other, party, let down their hair, and have the most amazing fun ever. |
 | Women In DeFi Summit The WID Summit 2025 is the flagship conference of Women in DeFi, bringing together young women eager to build careers in blockchain, crypto, and decentralized finance. |
🎟️ Founders Connect Ticket Giveaway
We’re giving away free tickets to Founders Connect Live. This is your chance to be in the room with some of the brightest minds building across Africa.
Want in? Just hit the link below and enter the giveaway. Simple.
Don’t miss it.
🤝 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
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That's a wrap for this issue! We're just getting started, and we've got tons of exciting stuff planned. See you next week!
Cheers,
The Thalo Team