Onyx Display Media's interactive, HD, stand-alone or fridge-fitted display solution Onyx-Glass will be part of Intel's stand at international vending trade show Venditalia.

A Glimmer of Hope, a philanthropic crowdfunding concept, is changing the way that charities fundraise and effect change on the ground, by applying their expertise and allowing donors to back the projects that appeal to them without losing even a $1 to administrative costs.

Agricultural networks in Africa are better connected today thanks to the work of Esoko's innovative communications platform. The principle behind Esoko is that agricultural value chains can be enhanced by better sharing of information. For example, partners can help farmers by sharing live changes in market prices, enabling them to negotiate fair prices; or distributors can track the progress of shipments via SMS to better manage logistics and keep clients informed.

African economic growth is expected to rise to 4.7% this year, but there are concerns that the US Federal Reserve's exit from quantitative easing will stem the capital inflow required to sustain this level of growth. Innovative startup MYC4, co-founded by Mads Kjær (one of Denmark's most successful entrepreneurs), is emphatically addressing these concerns.

In an effort to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs and developers in Africa, Microsoft is offering financial support to five of the continent's brightest startups. Under the 4Afrika initiative, the American Goliath will act as both financial backer and entrepreneurial mentor to a fortunate handful of David enterprises.

What happens when a small business owner in South Africa wants a loan in order to expand their business? Until recently, geographical remoteness and restrictive economical and political conditions meant it was too expensive for local South African banks to lend startups the money they need to grow. But thanks to the emergence of social lending, small business owners can now get access to these vital funds.

I was born in Paris, grew up in Rio, studied in the US, lived in South Africa and Australia then worked at Microsoft in France and Germany, but when it came down to launching my first business I moved to London for it. There is something about the English speaking world that attracts task driven and results oriented people, making it an ideal environment to build something from nothing.

The story of Hiifi began during a family vacation to Mykonos in 2012. As a traveller, I realized how precious Wi-Fi is to stay connected (especially coming from South Africa with data roaming prices through the roof). I was out one night and wanted to 'check-in' to my location using Facebook. The problem was that I could not get access to the Wi-Fi, the place was too crowded and the Wi-Fi was blocked by a password. This seemed illogical to me. I wanted to socially market this place through Facebook, but they prevented me from doing so by blocking off the Internet. It was through that frustration that Hiifi was born.