Last week was especially slow in the African startup funding scene, with only two funding rounds recorded. Andela also acquired Qualified, a leading technical assessment platform, as it sought to rapidly increase its ability to source and assess technical talent.
Funding
Nuru, a clean energy company based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has secured an initial $1.5 million in a convertible note round prior to closing its Series B funding round. Proparco, Camco-managed Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP), and E3 Capital will each invest $500k in Nuru, bridging a financing gap and helping the company raise USD 25 million in Series B equity.
Nuru, founded in 2015 by Jonathan Shaw and formerly known as Kivu Green Energy, is a cleantech company that specializes in providing renewable and reliable clean solar solutions that are both affordable and environmentally friendly.
The funding will be used to scale the company’s growth and to deploy several off-grid solutions in DRC provinces.
Badili, a Kenyan smartphone re-commerce startup, has raised an undisclosed sum from Renew Capital. The startup previously raised a $2.1 million pre-seed round in December of last year.
Rishabh Lawania and Keshu Dubey founded Badili in 2021 to provide a trustworthy platform for buying and selling used and refurbished phones in Kenya.
Acquisitions
Andela has acquired Qualified, a technical skills assessment platform that certifies top engineering talents for an undisclosed sum.
The acquisition will add more than 3.6 million engineering talents who were previously members of Codewars, a Qualified-run online community, to Andela’s global community.
