This line-up of stories will help you discover the latest happenings around the tech world, today
1. Peter Thiel leads $20M round in Egypt’s baraka
A two-year-old commission-free investment platform, baraka, has announced closing a $20 million Series A round led by Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures.
Feras Jalbout, Founder & CEO of baraka, disclosed the funding in a press release on Wednesday.
Valar, a venture capital firm backed by globally renowned entrepreneur, Peter Thiel, marks the first regional investment in baraka.
The investment also drew participation from a global investment firm, Knollwood.
“We are excited to have Valar Ventures and Knollwood join us in transforming how users here save, invest and grow their money for the future,” said Jalbout.
Ripples Nigeria gathered that the Y Combinator-backed company is also a part of Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, Hub 71.
Jalbout said that the company would double down on its presence across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Egypt.
Tech Trivia: The “e” in eSIM stands for what?
A. Electronic
B. Embedded
C. Extensible
D. Extra
Answer: see end of post
2. Dahlia Khalifa appointed IFC’s Regional Director for Nigeria, Central Africa, Liberia, Sierra Leone
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has appointed Dahlia Khalifa as its Regional Director for Nigeria, Central Africa, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Sérgio Pimenta, IFC Vice President for Africa, made the confirmation in a media release on Wednesday.
Pimenta said that Khalifa will lead IFC’s investment and advisory teams in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, and Sierra Leone.
Ripples Nigeria earlier reported that IFC has launched its $225 million platform to scale early-stage startups in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Pakistan.
“I welcome Dahlia to her new role and know her leadership and experience generating impactful investments in the region will further deepen IFC’s work in Africa and enable our partners to meet the challenges of the moment, from rising food insecurity to the effects of climate change,” said in the welcoming statement.
Khalifa most recently was the Senior Manager for IFC’s Creating Markets Advisory program in the Middle East, Central Asia, Türkiye, Pakistan, and Afghanistan region, is of Egyptian and American descent.
3. Amazon launches virtual doctor marketplace in U.S. for common ailments
Amazon has launched a virtual health service, Amazon Clinic, to boost health services in the U.S. for common ailments.
Nworah Ayogu, Amazon Clinic’s chief medical officer, confirmed the development in a blog post seen by Ripples Nigeria on Wednesday.
The tech giant claims it is expanding its healthcare offerings following its deal to buy One Medical, and now a virtual clinic to treat common conditions like allergies, acne, and hair loss.
The development is coming a little more than two months after the retail giant shuttered its primary care delivery business Amazon Care.
Amazon Health Services lead, Neil Lindsay, said in an email announcing the shutdown that Amazon Care was “not a complete enough offering for the large enterprise customers we have been targeting and wasn’t going to work long-term.”
“But we also know that sometimes you just need a quick interaction with a clinician for a common health concern that can be easily addressed virtually,” Ayogu claimed.
Ripples Nigeria understands that Amazon Clinic will allow patients in 32 states to message clinicians through a secure portal to seek personalized treatments and prescriptions for common conditions.
Trivia Answer:eSIM
An eSIM, short for “embedded SIM,” is a SIM chip or “UICC” embedded in a mobile device. It provides the same functionality as a SIM card but is not removable.
By Kayode Hamsat
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