Unorthodox Digital

Category: News

Get the latest news, tips and updates on innovation, technology and startups in Africa and beyond.

  • Wi-flix Launches in Zambia: A New Era in Streaming Entertainment

    Wi-flix Launches in Zambia: A New Era in Streaming Entertainment

    Wi-flix, Africa’s dynamic streaming platform, partners with MTN to expand to Zambia, energizing the continent’s digital entertainment landscape.

    Following its triumphant stride through Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria, Wi-flix now stands poised to captivate Zambian audiences with over 30,000 hours of unparalleled entertainment.

    For MTN Zambia subscribers, the gateway to a cornucopia of premium content swings wide open with the advent of Wi-flix. Dive into a world of unlimited streaming possibilities with daily, weekly, and monthly data packages that cater to every pocket, starting from as low as K1 for a daily package, accompanied by a free 50MB data boost, to K5 for a weekly package, with an added bonus of 150MB, and K20 for the monthly package, garnished with a complimentary 300MB bonus. This affordability ensures that Wi-flix’s treasure trove of entertainment is within reach of all customer segments.

    In the words of Louis Manu, Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer of Wi-flix, the launch in Zambia represents another stride towards the company’s audacious vision of becoming the preeminent content provider for Africa and its diaspora. “We witness another thrilling milestone as we debut in Zambia, offering the most exhilarating premium content at the most pocket-friendly rates,” he remarks. The integration of Dolby Atmos into Wi-flix’s arsenal, along with a fresh infusion of Dolby Atmos and Dolby Audio-enabled titles such as The Signal, Bilal, Freedom Force, and Created Equal, promises viewers an immersive audiovisual experience like never before.

    Bright Yeboah, Co-Founder & Chief Operations Officer, echoes Manu’s sentiments, emphasizing Wi-flix’s commitment to democratizing content and making premium entertainment accessible across the continent and beyond. “Our presence in Zambia underscores our mission to empower everyone with affordable access to top-tier entertainment,” Yeboah affirms. Moreover, Wi-flix’s foray into Zambia presents a golden opportunity for local and international content creators to monetize their works on the platform, catalyzing the growth of the region’s burgeoning film industry.

    As Wi-flix unfurls its vibrant tapestry of entertainment in Zambia, the stage is set for a digital revolution that promises to redefine the landscape of African streaming. With an expansive array of content and unbeatable affordability, Wi-flix invites Zambians to embark on an exhilarating journey through the boundless realms of digital entertainment, anytime, anywhere, and on any device.

  • Google Incorporates Ghanaian Language “Twi” into Google Translate

    Google Incorporates Ghanaian Language “Twi” into Google Translate

    In its recent update, Google broadens its linguistic repertoire by introducing the Ghanaian language, “Twi,” along with 24 additional languages to Google Translate.

    This inclusion elevates the total count of available languages to 133, reflecting Google’s commitment to linguistic diversity.

    Twi, a variant of the Akan language prevalent in southern and central Ghana, boasts millions of speakers, predominantly among the Akan community. With an estimated 17-18 million speakers, including those who adopt it as a second language, Twi holds significant cultural and communicative importance within Ghana. Remarkably, approximately 80% of the Ghanaian populace converses in Twi either fluently or as a secondary language.

    Google highlights the technical advancements underpinning this expansion, emphasizing the integration of machine learning models. These models facilitate translation processes by learning to interpret and translate languages, even without prior exposure to specific examples.

    By integrating Twi and other languages into Google Translate, Google not only enriches its platform but also fosters inclusivity by ensuring that diverse linguistic communities have access to essential translation services. This development marks a significant stride towards bridging linguistic barriers and facilitating global communication.

  • Is FENIX360 The Music Industry’s Next Big Revolutionary App After TikTok & Triller?

    Is FENIX360 The Music Industry’s Next Big Revolutionary App After TikTok & Triller?

    Across the arts – there has traditionally existed highly inequitable compensation structures that favored the middleman and ensured that the creators got very little if anything.

    With revolutionary apps such as TikTok and Triller slowly replacing radio as the go-to in discovering the next big thing in music, perhaps it is about time we considered the advent of a groundbreaking app that will this time transform the music industry’s antiquated economic model. Admittedly a rather ambitious goal, this is exactly what FENIX360 dares to achieve.

    Launched globally on August 2nd, 2020, FENIX360 essentially is an artist-centric social media platform that provides multiple ways for artists to significantly improve their income while providing users with a more engaging & fun experience. 

    FENIX360

    The application’s ecosystem is powered by the FNX coin. With FENIX360, artists will earn money from 80% of the ad revenue, 95% of NFT’s, live streaming, merchandise, experiences & tickets, etc. 

    “We’ll be very happy if others defensively duplicate our obsession with the welfare of artists,” remarked Allan Klepfisz Founder & CEO. “We don’t at all want or expect support for the artists to end with us. We indeed hope to be copied widely enough that all exploitative models are extinguished. But we’re not going to make it easy to keep up with us. We’ll keep on adding creative sources of revenue & powerful tools for artists.”

    Central to the FENIX360 ecosystem, is the ability for an artist or indeed anybody, to create a shareable app in 20 minutes or less, that represents them in a complete, 360-degree manner. This app can then be shared via a simple self-selected URL which enables instant mobile installation. 

    Lance Ford, President & Founder observed: “With this simplicity, we hope to create a generation of enthusiastic app builders. It’s a great way to present yourself to fans or friends who are then encouraged to download the full app from the app stores. People love being efficiently creative. We think having your own app so readily, will excite them.”

    As perhaps the first global consumer app, to incorporate cryptocurrency, the FENX360 ecosystem is extremely simple for artists & fans alike. 

    FENIX360
    FENIX360
    FENIX360

    “We wanted to be one of the pioneers of eliminating all barriers within crypto. You can easily purchase the FNX360 coin all over the app, you can easily use it for any purchase, artists can easily get paid without having to set up an e-commerce system and it’s as close to frictionless as one can get” explained Tomas Varga, Fenix Partner & Head of Blockchain Strategy.

    FENIX360 is proudly represented by a rapidly growing group of 6000+ FENIX GLOBAL ARTIST AMBASSADORS. 

    Completely disrupting the music and creative industries is no walk in the park. Only time will tell if FENIX360 is indeed the game-changer it sets out to be. One thing is however certain, the success of the FENIX360 project will spell curtains for exploitative industry models which will have to evolve or risk being sidelined for good.

  • South African Escrow Startup TradeSafe Secures Funding from Standard Bank

    South African Escrow Startup TradeSafe Secures Funding from Standard Bank

    TradeSafe, a South African online escrow platform that safeguards the buyer’s funds in trust in a transaction involving two or more parties, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Standard Bank in return for a 35 per cent equity stake.

    According to an article published by Disrupt Africa in 2018, the startup’s escrow platform ensures funds are only released to the seller, and other approved beneficiaries, once the buyer receives the goods or services in the agreed condition.

    Established in 2013, TradeSafe is credited as the oldest African escrow platform, and also the first digital escrow organisation globally to offer an API gateway which allows for online marketplaces and stores to offer escrow payments to customers.

    TradSafe now has funding from Standard Bank. The bank acquired a 35 per cent equity stake, with the investment set to allow TradeSafe to increase the types of transactions it can carry out.

    “Both TradeSafe and Standard Bank realised the necessity for a fast, secure, and affordable escrow solution in the wake of the increasing volume of scams, fraud and unpaid invoice payments in South African commerce. Our fees come in at a fifth of what a reputable law firm or bank would charge in a transaction,” said TradeSafe chief executive officer (CEO) Jethro O’Brien.

    “The bank will provide a second release payment function. This means that with our increased governance, security and credibility, TradeSafe will now be able to target commodity and M&A transactions greater than ZAR25 million (US$1.5 million.”

    As part of the investment, Standard Bank has appointed two non-executive directors to the TradeSafe board. Standard Bank, which has invested in other South African fintechs such as Payment24 and Nomanini, has also taken on management oversight of TradeSafe’s escrow account and is fully involved in the process for payment instructions that TradeSafe initiates.   

    TradeSafe has recently overhauled its platform, and its API offering now also incorporates new payment gateways such as SnapScan and Ozow. 

    “We also employed Standard Bank’s proprietary host-to-host technology which allows for automated payments,” said O’Brien.

    Kuben Chetty, head of client solutions at Standard Bank, said there was a strong need for a digital escrow solution within South Africa given the rise of digital transactions and especially as buyers and sellers seek ways to mitigate transaction fraud. 

    “Standard Bank is very excited with its investment in TradeSafe Escrow and this provides both parties the opportunity to explore ways to leverage each other’s capabilities to help their clients transact securely,” Chetty said.

    We are excited to see what TradSafe does with this investment from Standard Bank.

  • Instagram To Review Its Policies & Algorithms To Ensure Black Voices Are Heard

    Instagram To Review Its Policies & Algorithms To Ensure Black Voices Are Heard

    American photo and video-sharing social networking service, Instagram has announced its plans to review its “policies, tools, and processes” to ensure black voices are heard.

    Adam Mosseri, Instagram’s CEO made the announcement with a blog post which he shared on his personal twitter page.

    “We stand in solidarity with the Black community. But that’s not enough. Words are not enough. That’s why we’re committed to looking at the ways our policies, tools, and processes impact Black people and other underrepresented groups on Instagram,” said the Instagram CEO.

    In reviewing ways to help its black users, Instagram will focus on harassment, verification, distribution and algorithmic bias.

    The blog post also mentioned that “Any work to address the inequalities black people face has to start with the specific safety issues they experience day to day, both on and off-platform.”

    Shadowbanning is another area Instagram plans to tackle. For those who may not know, shadowbanning is the act of blocking or partially blocking a user or their content from an online community. A user who isn’t attentive may not realize he or she has been banned.

    It also added: “We need to take a harder look at the underlying systems we’ve built, and where we need to do more to keep bias out of these decisions,” the company said.

    Source: unorthodoxdigital.com

  • African Payment Startup Chipper Cash Raises $13.8M Series A Funding

    African Payment Startup Chipper Cash Raises $13.8M Series A Funding

    African cross-border fintech startup Chipper Cash has closed a $13.8 million Series A funding round led by Deciens Capital and plans to hire 30 new staff globally.

    The raise caps an event filled run for the San Francisco based payments company, founded two years ago by Ugandan Ham Serunjogi and Ghanaian Maijid Moujaled.

    The two came to America for academics, met in Iowa while studying at Grinnell College and ventured out to Silicon Valley for stints in big tech: Facebook for Serunjogi and Flickr and Yahoo! for Moujaled.

    The startup call beckoned and after launching Chipper Cash in 2018, the duo convinced 500 Startups and and Liquid 2 Ventures — co-founded by American football legend Joe Montana — to back their company with seed funds.

    Two years and $22 million in total capital raised later, Chipper Cash offers its mobile-based, no fee, P2P payment services in seven countries: Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Africa and Kenya.

    “We’re now at over one and a half million users and doing over a $100 million dollars a month in volume,” Serunjogi told TechCrunch on a call.

    Chipper Cash does not release audited financial data, but does share internal performance accounting with investors. Deciens Capital and Raptor Group co-led the startup’s Series A financing, with repeat support from 500 Startups and Liquid 2 Ventures .

    Deciens Capital founder Dan Kimmerling confirmed the fund’s lead on the investment and review of Chipper Cash’s payment value and volume metrics.

    Parallel to its P2P app, the startup also runs Chipper Checkout: a merchant-focused, fee-based mobile payment product that generates the revenue to support Chipper Cash’s free mobile-money business.

    The company will use its latest round to hire up to 30 people across operations in San Francisco, Lagos, London, Nairobi and New York — according to Serunjogi.

    Chipper Cash

    Chipper Cash has already brought on a new compliance officer, Lisa Dawson, whose background includes stints with the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and Citigroup’s anti-money laundering department.

    “You know in the world we live in the AML side is very important so it’s an area that we want to invest in from the get go,” said Serunjogi.

    He confirmed Dawson’s role aligned with getting Chipper Cash ready to meet regulatory requirements for new markets, but declined to name specific countries.

    With the round announcement, Chipper Cash also revealed a corporate social responsibility component to its business. Related to current U.S. events, the startup has formed the Chipper Fund for Black Lives.

    “We’ve been huge beneficiaries of the generosity and openness of this country and its entrepreneurial spirit,” explained Serunjogi. “But growing up in Africa, we’ve were able to navigate [the U.S.] without the traumas and baggage our African American friends have gone through living in America.”

    The Chipper Fund for Black Lives will give 5 to 10 grants of $5,000 to $10,000. “The plan is to give that to…people or causes who are furthering social justice reforms,” said Serunjogi.

    In Africa, Chipper Cash has placed itself in the continent’s major digital payments markets. As a sector, fintech has become Africa’s highest funded tech space, receiving the bulk of an estimated $2 billion in VC that went to startups in 2019.

    Those ventures, and a number of the continent’s established banks, are in a race to build market share through financial inclusion.

    By several estimates — including The Global Findex Database — the continent is home to the largest percentage of the world’s unbanked population, with a sizable number of underbanked consumers and SMEs.

    Increasingly, Nigeria has become the most significant fintech market in Africa, with the continent’s largest economy and population of 200 million.

    Chipper Cash expanded there in 2019 and faces competition from a number of players, including local payments venture Paga. More recently, outside entrants have jumped into Nigeria’s fintech scene.

    In 2019, Chinese investors put $220 million into OPay (owned by Opera) and PalmPay — two fledgling startups with plans to scale first in West Africa and then the broader continent.

    Over the next several years, expect to see market events — such as fails, acquisitions, or IPOs — determine how well funded fintech startups, including Chipper Cash, fare in Africa’s fintech arena.

    Source: https://techcrunch.com/

  • Ghanaian Music Publication, Unorthodox Reviews Is Now A Tastemaker on Audiomack

    Ghanaian Music Publication, Unorthodox Reviews Is Now A Tastemaker on Audiomack

    Unorthodox Reviews is proud to announce its new partnership with the world-acclaimed digital streaming platform Audiomack as a verified tastemaker.

    Founded by Ghanaian creative entrepreneurs Philip Edusei and Godwin Mitchual, Unorthodox Reviews is an online music, lifestyle and culture editorial with a mission statement of not only connecting the global audience to Africa through compelling content but also serving as a platform for Africa’s millennial generation to opine about pertinent issues in society and impact them through the power of music and urban arts.

    Living up to their reputation of delivering Africa’s Best Music Reviews, the editorial with the able assistance of a network of contributors, DJs, artists and music curators scattered across Africa and beyond will ensure Unorthodox Reviews’ verified Audiomack channel will showcase the very best of African music as it drops!

    Unorthodox Reviews look to jumpstart their Verified Audiomack channel with three playlists: Ghana Weekly, Naija Weekly, and Mzansi Weekly playlists; with exciting new additions being made in the coming weeks.

    Explore Unorthodox Reviews’ channel on Audiomack here and make sure to follow to get timely updates on their selections

    Ghana Weekly Playlist

    Naija Weekly Playlist

    Mzansi Weekly Playlist

  • Reddit Recruits Michael Seibel as its First Black Board Member

    Reddit Recruits Michael Seibel as its First Black Board Member

    Reddit honors Alexis Ohanian’s request to fill his board seat with a black candidate by naming Michael Seibel, a partner at startup accelerator Y Combinator, to the position.  

    Seibel was also a co-founder of Justin.tv, which eventually became the video game streaming platform Twitch. In a statement, Seibel said he’s known Ohanian and Reddit CEO Steve Huffman since 2007 and been a user of the site ever since. 

    “Over this period of time I’ve watched Reddit become part of the core fabric of the internet and I’m excited to help provide advice and guidance as Reddit continues to grow and tackle the challenges of bringing community and belonging to a broader audience,” he said in today’s announcement.

    Last Friday, Ohanian resigned from Reddit’s board, saying it was “long overdue to do the right thing.” He and the company’s three other board members — former Conde Nast CEO Bob Sauerberg, OpenAI CEO Samuel Altman, and Personal Capital chief marketing officer Porter Gale — are all white. 

    Ohanian’s resignation also occurred as critics have been slamming Huffman’s free speech policy to permit racist posts on the site. The George Floyd protests, however, prompted Huffman to promise he’ll address the hate speech problems with more urgency. Some users remain doubtful the company is ready for real change. 

    In a statement, Huffman said: “Few people have Michael’s deep background in tech and know the challenges and opportunities we face as well as he does, so we are honored he is joining us. Not to mention, he is one of the smartest and kindest people in tech.”

    As a partner at Y Combinator and the CEO within the organization’s “YC” accelerator program, Seibel has been working to recruit more black and Latino people into the tech startup world. On his Twitter account, Seibel has also been vocal in his support for police reform and his opposition to President Trump. 

    Despite Reddit’s decision to name Seibel to the board, some users on the social media site are calling on the company to also hire more minorities and women for leadership positions. “We hope that Reddit will not just share empty platitudes — but will take a meaningful stand against hate,” reads an open letter that over 550 Reddit communities sent to Huffman this week.

    Source: pcmag.com  

  • Joe Biden Implores Facebook to ‘Fix Problems’ Before the Presidential Election

    Joe Biden Implores Facebook to ‘Fix Problems’ Before the Presidential Election

    The former vice president of the United States of America, Joe Biden, implores Facebook to fix their problems with fake news before the impending presidential election.

    In an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg, the 47th vice president of the United States Joe Biden accused Facebook of taking “no meaningful action” against disinformation and false advertisements.

    “Trump and his allies have used Facebook to spread fear and misleading information about voting, attempting to compromise the means of holding power to account: our voices and our ballot boxes,” said Joe Biden. In response, the Biden for President campaign is offering “concrete recommendations” to fix Facebook’s problems, including clearer rules and swifter fact-checking. He also suggested a two-week pre-election period during which all political advertisements must be verified before appearing on the site.

    “Anything less will render Facebook a tool of misinformation that corrodes our democracy,” Biden said. “Facebook has promised better. And American voters deserve better.” With fewer than 150 days until the November election, the presidential hopeful warned that time “for setting, testing, and implementing meaningful policy” is running out.

    Biden is urging people to make their voice heard and sign the campaign’s open letter to Facebook (as well as answer some questions about fake news, social media, and the upcoming vote). “We saw in 2016 what can happen when social media platforms are left unchecked and allow misinformation to run rampant,” Biden tweeted on Thursday. “It puts the very integrity of our elections at risk. We simply cannot let it happen again in 2020.”

    In response, Facebook said “we live in a democracy, where the elected officials decide the rules around campaigns.

    “Just as they have done with broadcast networks — where the US government prohibits rejecting politicians’ campaign ads — the people’s elected representatives should set the rules, and we will follow them,” it continued. “There is an election coming in November and we will protect political speech, even when we strongly disagree with it.”

    In a lengthy statement published last Friday, Zuckerberg promised to revisit the company’s policies around content moderation and possibly regulate partisan posts. However, his reluctance to remove posts from President Trump that contain false information about mail-in voting, among other topics, has irked Facebook employees.

    Twitter has opted to add fact-checks and warning labels to Trump’s messages, while Snapchat has removed Trump posts from is Discover section. In response, Trump has called on regulators to remove the legal protection internet companies receive as content hosts, something Joe Biden also supports—although as The Verge points out, “Biden’s policies are meant to lead to more moderation of misinformation, rather than less.”

    Source: unorthodoxdigital.com

  • All You Need To Know About Sony’s New Playstation 5 Console

    All You Need To Know About Sony’s New Playstation 5 Console

    Today, Sony has finally revealed the anticipated PlayStation 5.

    According to Sony, there will be two versions. A regular one and a “digital edition” that does not have a disc tray.

    The new “DualSense” controller will be wireless. The available accessories are as follows:

    • an HD camera
    • a wireless headset
    • and a media remote.

    Sony is yet to indicate indicate if the accessories are peripherals or come with the console.

    PlayStation 5

    Check out the controller’s features in the video below:

  • Uber Cash launches in Africa with Flutterwave

    Uber Cash launches in Africa with Flutterwave

    Uber Africa launches Uber Cash, a digital wallet feature in Sub-Saharan Africa through a partnership with Flutterwave, a Nigerian founded fintech firm based in San Francisco.

    Now, without any physical cash and/or money in your bank account, you can still request an Uber ride. Uber Cash is a new payment feature on the app where riders can now load their ‘Uber Cash’ wallets with money for rides. 

    Uber Cash will be available in Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya,  Nigeria, Uganda and Ivory Coast. Methods for topping-up your Uber Cash wallets may vary across countries as Uber is directly working with mobile money providers and fintech companies of the aforementioned countries.

    “For example in Nigeria you can use your Verve Card or mobile money. In Kenya, you can use M-Pesa and EFT (electronic funds transfer), and in South Africa you can top up with EFT,” said Alon Lits, Uber’s General Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa.

    Uber Cash will help reduce the need for cash payments or direct withdrawals from their bank accounts, the latter being a somewhat problematic process that requires customers to give out sensitive card information. 

    Flutterwave is the infrastructure provider across all African countries where Uber Cash will be available. Transfers from Flutterwave’s Barter app, launched in 2019, to Uber Cash is also available. 

    Uber has been a Flutterwave customer in Africa since 2017 so this is not an entirely new partnership. The latter’s B2B platform helps companies build payments systems that cut across national boundaries. 

    However, Uber Cash is different in the sense that it could increase use cases for Flutterwave’s consumer-facing product, Barter, to more users similar to the way MPesa is used by millions of individual users in East Africa.

    This is especially true considering Uber Cash isn’t just for rides; the feature is also available for Uber Eats, the ride-hailing company’s food delivery service that is currently only available in South Africa. 

    In April, Flutterwave launched Flutterwave Store to help small businesses build an online presence, overcoming the physical limitations imposed by coronavirus lockdowns. The store has a database of over 1,000 small businesses across Africa, according to Olugbenga Agboola, Flutterwave’s CEO.

    How To Use Uber Cash

    1. Open the app menu and tap on Payment
    2. Tap “Add funds”
    3. Change payment method to Uber Cash
    4. Choose a destination
    5. Request a ride
  • Flutterwave launches Flutterwave Store in Ghana and other African countries

    Flutterwave launches Flutterwave Store in Ghana and other African countries

    African payments technology company, Flutterwave, has launched Flutterwave Store, an online eCommerce solution for African merchants to create digital shops to sell online.

    The Flutterwave Store is an easy way to launch and manage an e-commerce business that accepts payments from anywhere in the world without creating a website, knowing how to code, etc. The portal allows you to upload products, set prices and have integrated delivery partners pick up when you have an order and deliver to your customer. “Buy Online, Pickup Curbside” store if you like.

    How Flutterwave Store Works

    To set up a Flutterwave Store, users will need to register for a Flutterwave account if they’re not already registered.  When they log in, they select “Store” from their online dashboard menu. On the Store page, they click ‘Setup my store’ that’s displayed.

    They can then enter their store name, enter their store description and their online URL if necessary. Once completed, a store is generated and displayed on their dashboard.

    Users can click on “Add Product” to set listing their items on their Flutterwave store. They can add product details, and add a picture of the product they’re selling. After they finish listing their products, they can share their Flutterwave store with their customers online through email, Twitter, Instagram or WhatsApp.

    Flutterwave accelerated the development of Flutterwave Store in response to COVID-19, which has brought restrictive measures to SMEs and traders operating in Africa. In 2019, Flutterwave processed 107 million transactions worth $5.4 billion, according to company data. The company also joined forces with Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba’s Alipay to offer digital payments between Africa and China.

    Users can get started with setting up the Flutterwave store by going https://flutterwave.com/gh/store and registering online.