Xiaomi's unveils first electric car to challenge Tesla

Hello! Welcome to Innovation Village’s Africa’s end of year edition.
We have had a wonderful time bringing you the latest in innovation and technology.

This is the last newsletter of the year and it is all about reviewing the biggest news of the year. While we may not be able to list all that happened in the year, we listed:

• 5 People that impacted the tech world in 2023

Thanks for everything and hope to continue in 2024

PRODUCTS

Xiaomi unveils first electric car with huge plans to become top automaker and challenge

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi unveiled its maiden electric vehicle on Thursday and immediately set a goal to become one of the world’s top five automakers in 15 to 20 years and compete against Tesla Inc. and Porsche AG.

The sedan, nicknamed the SU7, where SU stands for Speed Ultra, is a highly anticipated model. CEO Lei Jun praised it for its “super electric motor” technology, which he says can achieve acceleration speeds faster than both Tesla and Porsche’s electric vehicles…..read more

NEWS

5 Stories that lit up the African Innovation/Technology skies in 2023

👨🏽 Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani appointed as the Nigerian Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy is one of the best things that happened to the Innovation/Technology scene this year.

⚖️ Flutterwave went through some regulatory and legal issues in Kenya that would have destabilised many startups but it stood strong through it all and was successfully cleared of all charges close to the end of the year.

🪦 Many startups that started this year did not live to see the end of the year. The startups include Dash from Ghana that raised $86 million, 54Gene from Nigeria that raised $45 million and many more.

🧬 The biggest acquisition that happened this year was that of Tunisian-born AI startup, Instadeep, for £562 million by German bio-tech firm BioNTech.

💰Piggyvest, a Nigerian digital savings startup, announced that it had paid out N1.1 trillion ($1.42 billion) to its customers since its inception in 2016.

PEOPLE

5 People that impacted the tech world in 2023

• Sam Altman was relieved of his position as CEO of OpenAI and was reinstated within a week after.

• Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao stepped down from his role as CEO as part of a substantial $4 billion settlement between the Department of Justice and the cryptocurrency exchange he founded.

• FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried resigned while the cryptocurrency firm filed for bankruptcy. He was later found guilty of all seven criminal counts against him at the end of a month-long trial in New York.

• Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai led Google's advancements in AI, quantum computing, and healthcare while navigating antitrust scrutiny and ethical challenges.

• Elon Musk: Despite ongoing controversies, Musk's influence in tech remains undeniable. In 2023, his ventures continued to push boundaries:

  • Neuralink: The brain-computer interface company made significant progress towards human trials, potentially revolutionizing how we interact with technology.

  • Starlink: The satellite internet constellation expanded rapidly, providing crucial internet access to underserved areas and sparking concerns about potential light pollution.

  • Tesla: Electric vehicle advancements and dominance in the market continued, accelerating the transition towards sustainable transportation.

  • Twitter acquisition: The controversial acquisition raised concerns about free speech and platform moderation, while also sparking discussions about decentralization and alternative social media models.