Author Archives: Monty

About Monty

Monty Munford has more than 15 years' experience in mobile, digital media, web and journalism. He is the founder of Mob76, a company that helps companies raise money and exit and he speaks regularly at global media events, writes a weekly column for The Telegraph and TechCrunch and speaks regularly on the BBC World Service.

The Top 20 African tech blogs and websites

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African_tech_blogsAs Africa continues its inexorable rise from the Dark Continent to the Rising Continent, it is sometimes difficult to see through all the data and to know who to follow and read.

This list of 20 wonderful sites reporting on African innovation, technology, entrepreneurship should serve as a guide as where to find information. This will be a movable feast and updated every month to show how quickly things change in Africa.

So here are the Top 20 African tech blogs…

* AfriGadget – Solving everyday problems with African ingenuity

* Affrinnovator – Technology, innovation and entrepreneurship

* Afromusing – ‘Beyond Africa’ musings from one of Ushiandi’s founders

* Appfrica – Pan-African and Ugandan mobile technology

* Bankelele – Kenyan insights into African technology business

* Geek Rebel – African entrepreneurship and technology

* Human IPO – African technology news, startups, mobile and social

* IT News Africa – Technology, telecoms, mobile and gadget news

* Kiwanja – Where African tech and innovation meet anthropology

* Mobile Web Africa – Seminal trade events in Lagos, Nairobi and Johannesburg

* Mobithinking – African news on mobile marketing and advertising

* My Heart’s in Accra – Ethan Zuckerman reports from Ghana’s capital

* Open Source Africa – German language blog with excellent (English) info graphics

* Otekbits – News about African startups and developers

* Startup Africa – Growing African startups and small businesses

* Tech 360 – News, views and reviews

* Techloy – Nigerian-based comprehensive look at African Tech

* Tech Trends – ICT news from across Africa

* Timbuktu Chronicles – Entrepreneurship, innovation and technology

* White African – Where Africa and technology collide

London’s Tech City growth stunted by talent and capital shortage

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tech_city_london
On the day of the launch of the annual Shoreditch Digital festival, a new report says that a shortage of skilled workers and a lack of funding is holding back the growth of London’s Tech City.

The ‘Tech City Futures’ Report was produced by reseearch company GfK and surveyed London’s businesses based out of Tech City. More than three quarters (77%) say a lack of skilled workers is restricting their growth
A third (33%) believe a lack of access to capital is hindering their business, and a similar number (29%) say as a consequence their company is missing significant business opportunities to expand. Continue reading →

Dropifi is first African company to join #500Strong Accelerator Program

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dropifi Ghanaian startup Dropifi has become the first African company to join the 500 Startups Accelerator Program in Silicon Valley.

Founded in 2011 and graduates of the impressive Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST), the company will spend three months at 500 Start Ups head office in Mountain View and an extra month taking part in the program’s Demo Days and final investor meetings. Continue reading →

Support the Shoreditch Village Hall Kickstarter campaign

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shoreditch_village_hallThere is a long history in Shoreditch and Hackney of empty buildings being occupied by squatters and this tradition appears to be alive and well in digital 2013.

Squatter, rather like the word blogger, sounds like a pernicious term. But over the past 30 years in this part of London vacant buildings have been transformed by these enlightened, rather than benighted, people. Continue reading →