CDP Institute

Palo Alto Networks has become the first dedicated cyber security company to have a technology alliance with Telstra.  The two will deliver an enhanced suite of security products and services for Australian and global business customers. The move comes at a time when cybersecurity is a top concern for global businesses and following a series of extremely high-profile breaches in Australia.

Airasia Digital, the digital arm of Capital A, has rebranded and will now be known as MOVE Digital (MOVE) in a bid to emphasise its commitment towards travel. MOVE’s travel platform business, airasia Superapp, will also undergo a brand refresh and will see its name change to “airasia move” as part of the ongoing transformation.

Malaysia’s e-government services provider MY E.G. Services Berhad (MYEG) has teamed up with China’s state-owned entity Guangxi Beitou IT Innovation Technology Investment Group Co., Ltd. (Beitou IT Innovation), to spearhead international digital identity credentials service on Zetrix blockchain.

Mexico City-based Kolors connects intercity bus users with independent bus drivers.  Kolors, which had raised $20 million in pre-Series B, has now spent US$12M to acquire Urbvan, a shared van service.

With a pre-seed round of USD $600,000, Databits aims to strengthen its presence in Mexico by increasing the range of courses and programs it offers on data science and AI. Databits, born in Ecuador in 2019, has focused on revolutionizing how professionals in Latin America use their knowledge of Data and Artificial Intelligence to become more efficient, productive and innovative.

Ghanaian agritech Complete Farmer has raised a recently concluded US$10.4 million pre-Series A funding round (US$7 million equity and US$3.4 million debt) to consolidate its efforts in transforming farming practices in Africa by developing critical technical and physical infrastructure to enhance efficiency in the agricultural value chain.

ANKA, an Ivorian SaaS e-commerce platform for African businesses, has raised US$5 million. The pre-Series A extension round is a mix of equity and debt; last January, ANKA, formerly Afrikrea, raised US$6.2 million. The seven-year-old startup has secured US$13.5 million from investors since its inception. In a statement, ANKA said it will use the fresh investment to strengthen product development and expand services, particularly in its key markets: Nigeria, Kenya and the U.S.

FlexPay Technologies is a Kenyan fintech out to enable consumers to afford products that would have otherwise been out of reach for them. The startup allows customers to shop at partner merchants, reserve products and pay over a period of time at no added cost. It initially partnered with a Kenyan retailer during launch but scaled in 2020 and has to date grown its merchant network to 600.

Salesforce’s customer relationship management solutions are empowering AlMalki Group, a Saudi-based family-owned business, which specializes in the luxury retail and distribution market, to digitally transform the GCC’s $29 billion e-commerce market.

YAAP, a specialized influencer marketing company based in Dubai, has has teamed up with data-driven social intelligence platform Tagger Media in a deal that marks the latter’s entry into the Middle East market. Tagger already has 17 offices on six continents and its arrival in the Middle East is part of a global expansion strategy.