Africa Roundup: DHL buys MallforAfrica, Zipline launches in US, Novastar raises $200M

Africa Roundup: DHL buys MallforAfrica, Zipline launches in US, Novastar raises $200M

Events in May provided support to the thesis that Africa can incubate tech with global application. Two startups that developed their organisation models on the continent– MallforAfrica and Zipline– were tapped by global interests. DHL acquired a minority stake in Link Commerce, a turn-key e-commerce company that outgrew MallforAfrica.com– a […] The story behind the Novant, Zipline UAV collaboration has a twist: The capabilities for the U.S. operation were established mainly in Africa. Co-founded in 2014 by Americans Keller Rinaudo, Keenan Wyrobek and Will Hetzler, Zipline creates its own UAVs, launch systems and logistics software application for distribution of important medical materials. The company turned to East Africa in 2016, entering a partnership with the federal government of Rwanda to check and release its drone service in that country. …