CDP Institute

The Malaysian government has unveiled its plan to rebrand and improve MSC Malaysia 2.0 (MSC 2.0) as the catalyst for the growth of the country’s digital economy, said an article from New Straits Times. No further details have been outlined regarding the rebrand.

Globe’s corporate venture builder, 917Ventures, has launched a new portfolio company, iNQUiRO, to help SMEs make data-driven decisions in their operations.

Global merchants have not caught up with regional e-commerce giant MercadoLibre, which continues to lead in Latin America, pushing past a market cap of more than $90 billion earlier this year. In a Nasdaq analysis of MeLi’s most recent earnings report, writer Will Healy describes some crucial advantages for LatAm’s current e-commerce leader, including its investments in both shipments and payments, and its “secret weapon” in Mercado Pago to facilitate electronic payments in its cash-dependent markets.

Houm offers an online service that helps homeowners rent and sell properties “up to 10 times faster,” it claims, than traditional methods. Houmers make money each time a home they worked on is sold or rented.  The startup had used its seed capital to expand and consolidate in Bogota, Colombia, and Mexico City. (It began operations in Bogota in mid-2020 and in Mexico City in January 2021.) Houm has seen its revenue grow by over 11x in the last year, a metric that exceeded its own expectations.

Tunisian start-up company; iCompass is using artificial intelligence to help companies across Africa and the Middle East communicate with their customers in their own languages.  Founded in 2019 by Ahmed Nouisser and Hatem Haddad, iCompass specialises in natural language processing (NLP) products using the latest deep learning and reinforcement learning technologies to develop speech transcription services, automatic voice generation, and chatbot and voicebot products.

Founded in 2016, the South African startup company connects customers and fleet owners with trusted, qualified and vetted mechanics in Gauteng and Cape Town.  Michanic allows users to request instant service and repair quotes from its online platform, saving up to 35 per cent compared to dealerships and independent garages in the process.

South African fintech company Ozow has raised a US$48 million Series B funding round to help it further develop its product offering and expand into new markets. Ozow which rebranded from i-Pay in April 2019 enables millions of merchants and consumers with easy, fast and secure alternative payment solutions, including QR codes, point of sale, e-commerce, e-billing and peer-to-peer payments.

Mensa Brands, an Indian startup that acquires direct-to-consumer brands and helps them scale within the home market and overseas, has become a unicorn just six months after launching its business. Falcon Edge Capital led Mensa Brands’ $135 million Series B financing round that values the Indian startup at over $1 billion.

Dubuy, an e-commerce platform by UAE global logistics provider DP World, has entered Kenya with plans to launch the business-to-business (B2B) site in more countries across the continent in the coming months. This marks Dubuy’s third market in East Africa, after setting up in Rwanda and unveiling plans to enter Ethiopia.