CDP Institute

China-based food delivery giant Meituan is said to be exploring a potential acquisition of Delivery Hero SE’s business in Southeast Asia as the company looks to diversify beyond its domestic market, Bloomberg reported on Friday, quoting people familiar with the matter. Meituan has held talks with Delivery Hero about buying Southeast Asian operations that run under the Foodpanda brand, the people said, according to the report.

In recent years, Chilean healthtech Examedi has emerged as a critical player in the health sector, especially during the pandemic. Initially, Examedi focused on offering at-home PCR tests, an innovation directly dependent on the COVID-19 context. Despite challenges, Examedi secured a significant USD$17 million in its Series A funding, allowing it to diversify and expand its health services. The company, founded by Chileans, has evolved to integrate various new services. These include telemedicine, kinesiology, therapeutic massages, nutrition, and mental health.

The Colombian online loan company RapiCredit, specializing in providing microloans to individuals without access to banking services, has secured a US$7 million debt investment from the U.S. fund Almavest. Originating from Medellín, RapiCredit has provided credit opportunities to more than 550,000 unbanked Colombians, with 36% of them becoming eligible to enter the traditional financial system after obtaining a loan from the company.

Kenya’s Ed Partners Africa, a non-banking financial institution that specializes in providing loans to affordable private schools, has announced the commitment of a US$10 million loan guarantee facility from the United States’ Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to help it expand access to affordable education.

Egypt’s WayUp Sports, an e-commerce platform specialized in performance-based sports gear, has secured a seed round of funding to help it expand regionally, launch a private brand, and enhance user experience over its application and website.

South African fintech startup FinMeUp has partnered with consulting firm Decusatio Human Capital Solutions to launch a digital financial consumer education solution that allows organizations of different sizes to onboard staff and beneficiaries as part of their B-BBEE and human capital development strategies to improve financial literacy.

Luxury developer Emaar Misr, a subsidiary of the UAE’s Emaar Properties, is driving digital innovation with AI-enabled smart city solutions at Marassi, a 6.5 million sqm luxury development on Egypt’s north coast, thanks to a collaboration with Salesforce, the global leader in customer relationship management (CRM).

Amazon India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to extend its initiative, Amazon WoW (Women of the World). This programme is designed to empower and equip women students enrolled in engineering colleges across India with essential skills to thrive in the technology industry.

US-based Airgain, a provider of wireless connectivity solutions incorporating embedded components, is expanding into Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands via a distribution agreement with Logic Wireless.

Extendeal is a digital platform healthcare company that helps pharmacies compare drug prices from different suppliers and get the best deals. This new funding is part of their broader plan to expand services in Colombia and Mexico. Extendeal is already working with 2,000 pharmacies to help them save time and money, and the company has received nearly US$20 million in investment to date.

CondoConta, the Brazilian fintech specializing in banking services for condominiums, has announced the raising of approximately US$14.6 million in its Series A funding round. This capital will enable CondoConta to triple the opening of new accounts, thanks to integrating native interfaces with major condominium management systems (ERPs) and administrators in Brazil. CondoConta offers financial services, including checking accounts, credit cards, loans, financing, and delinquency management.

Egyptian SaaS e-commerce startup Awfar has secured six-figure US dollar funding from Saudi Arabia-based venture studio, Value Maker Studio (VMS) to expand its presence in the latter country. Founded in 2020, Awfar offers fully integrated technology solutions for retail businesses, including cloud-based offerings, point of sale (POS), commercial and operational reporting, and delivery management solutions. It operates as a one-stop shop for retailers looking to enhance customer engagement and sales operations.