TechTrends Media

06/07/2025

After two years of slowdown, something shifted.

African startups have raised $1.4B in just the first half of 2025 — a 78% year-over-year leap. It’s not just a rebound. It’s a resurgence powered by resilience, bold ideas, and a growing wave of investor confidence.

Moove, PalmPay, LemFi — the momentum is real. And if this pace holds, 2025 could mark a defining year for the continent’s tech ecosystem.

The drought is over. The dealflow is back.

https://techtrendske.co.ke/2025/07/06/african-startup-funding-in-2025-surge/

03/07/2025

7 months. No new sign-ups. Nairobi went dark as Starlink hit network capacity. Now the satellite giant is back—and so are the questions. What changed, and is Kenya ready for the next wave of sky-powered internet?

Elon Musk-owned satellite internet provider Starlink has resumed new subscriptions in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, and surrounding counties.

03/07/2025

You’ve probably used them—photo editors, transit tools, casual games. But did you know they were built by ex-military intelligence officers? These apps are everywhere, and they may be doing more than you think.

Israeli intelligence apps in your phone may track data and fund surveillance. See which apps are linked to Unit 8200 and military tech firms.

03/07/2025

Kenya’s banking scene is shifting fast. As local lenders scramble to raise capital, a Nigerian giant sees its chance. Zenith Bank is circling — and the timing couldn’t be more perfect.

Zenith Bank plans to enter Kenya via acquisition, targeting a tier-two lender amid new capital rules shaking up the country’s banking space.

03/07/2025

While others made noise, they made moves. Five years later, I&M Foundation has planted more than trees—they’ve planted possibility.

The I&M Foundation five-year impact is built on quiet partnerships, community trust, and real change—not noise.

03/07/2025

95,000 SME loans gone. Sh8.8B erased. Not by protest or policy—by quiet surrender. What happens when small businesses can’t breathe, and banks stop chasing? The fallout from Kenya’s credit collapse is deeper than numbers.

Banks write off SME loans worth Sh8.8B in Kenya as defaults rise. High interest rates and poor sales squeeze MSMEs in 2024.

03/07/2025

24 hours. 50 students. One continent. From crop price predictors to offline AI bots, these hacks weren’t just smart — they were built for real people, in real places.

https://techtrendske.co.ke/2025/07/03/africa-ai-literacy-week-hackathon-2025/

02/07/2025

A quiet power struggle at the ICT Authority has erupted into a courtroom battle. CEO Stanley Kamanguya, whom the Cabinet Secretary had already reappointed, is now defending his position after the Board moved to revisit his reappointment. The High Court has stepped in, issuing orders that temporarily block any attempt to remove him until the matter is fully heard.

This unfolding case is more than just a dispute over one executive role. It speaks to larger tensions in public sector governance, board transparency, and the integrity of Kenya’s digital transformation efforts. How it plays out could set a precedent for leadership accountability across key government agencies.

Court stops ICT Authority Board from firing CEO Stanley Kamanguya as the ICT Authority CEO court case moves to a hearing on July 7.

02/07/2025

They didn’t win the villa. But they walked away with six figures in brand deals, a management contract, and a growing media empire.

In today’s dating reality shows, the real endgame isn’t love — it’s leverage. Platforms like Love Island and Love Is Blind have quietly evolved into pipelines for influencer careers, where visibility is the new currency and romance is just a storyline.

What started as a search for connection now doubles as the perfect launchpad for content, brand building, and creator fame.

The question is no longer “Will they stay together?”

It’s “Who signed them first?”

Reality dating shows influencer pipeline turns cast into full-time influencers with brand deals, sponsorships, and massive social followings.

02/07/2025

Mark Zuckerberg’s latest move isn’t just a flex—it’s a full-on power play in the global AI wars. By assembling the Meta Superintelligence Labs team, he’s brought together some of the most sought-after minds in artificial intelligence—the very people behind GPT-4o, Gemini, Claude, and ChatGPT.

Poached from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic, this group isn’t just here to fine-tune LLaMA. They’ve been given the mandate—and the resources—to build what comes next. AGI is no longer just a research ambition. For Meta, it’s a mission with leadership, capital, and compute in place.

So what does it mean when the people who built today’s most advanced AI models are asked to build something smarter, faster, and possibly superintelligent?

Meta Superintelligence Labs team forms with top AI talent from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, signaling Zuckerberg’s bold AGI ambitions.

02/07/2025

What happens when a village says no to a billion-dollar promise?

Kilifi did just that—challenging Kenya’s nuclear ambitions with a simple demand: “Talk to us first.” Now, as the plans quietly shift to Siaya, new questions emerge.

Is this really about clean energy—or is it about power in every sense of the word?

Progress shouldn’t be something communities have to defend themselves against. It should be something they help shape.

Kenya’s nuclear energy debate grows as plans shift from Kilifi to Siaya. Public concern, safety risks, and trust issues dominate the conversation.

02/07/2025

Standard Bank CEO Sim Tshabalala is criticising global credit ratings agencies for what he views as a four-rung misjudgment of Africa’s sovereign debt. He says poor ratings are costing countries billions, and warns the coming expiration of AGOA could hit key export sectors hard.

Standard Bank CEO says African sovereign debt ratings are unfairly low, costing nations billions in borrowing and distorting risk profiles.