By Adedapo Adesanya

Wimbart, an award-winning Public Relations agency specialising in business and technology sectors across Africa and emerging markets, has launched a subsidiary called Wimbart Lite, designed specifically for pre-seed and early-stage startups that have raised under $1 million.

To lead the new division, the agency has appointed Ms Maria Adediran, Associate Director and founding team member, as Head of Wimbart Lite.

Launched in 2015, Wimbart has built a strong track record across African markets, including Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Egypt, specifically helping companies navigate the continent’s most complex news cycles.

As the African tech ecosystem continues to mature, competition for attention has become increasingly intense. In this environment, clear and consistent communication across online, broadcast, and print media is no longer a luxury for startups but a business necessity.

Wimbart Lite responds to this need by bridging the communications gap for early-stage companies. It provides focused, fast-turnaround support for startup teams, venture capital portfolios, and global partners seeking credible, well-positioned storytelling that cuts through a crowded media landscape.

Specifically curated for African companies that have raised under $1 million, Wimbart Lite adopts a service-led, menu-based approach built around three core strategic routes. Each route is designed to meet the communications needs of early-stage businesses as they scale visibility, credibility, and investor confidence.

The milestone announcement pack focuses on press releases and strategic media outreach to support key moments such as product launches, partnerships, and major company updates. This ensures that important developments are clearly articulated and positioned to reach relevant audiences.

The founder profile pack centres on thought leadership, using op-eds and interview pitching to amplify leadership voices. It helps founders articulate their vision, share category insights, and establish authority within their industries.

The fundraising pack delivers coordinated funding communications tailored to early-stage rounds and venture capital portfolios. It supports clear, consistent messaging during fundraising activities and includes a 15 per cent discount for portfolio companies.

Speaking on this, the chief executive of Wimbart, Ms Jessica Hope, said, “Wimbart was built in the trenches with African tech founders – before the market had fully caught up with their vision. Wimbart Lite has been in development for some time, as a service for early-stage companies who may not require full-blown month-on-month public relations support, but do need to get a news story “out there”.

“Maria is Wimbart’s day one and has grown with the company, and with dozens of African tech start-ups over the past decade; she understands exactly how to turn a good story into something that actually travels.”

With over a decade of experience across consumer and corporate PR, Ms Adediran has led multi-market campaigns for VCs and high-growth companies from early-stage to unicorn, including Andela, M-KOPA, TLcom, and Kobo360. As Head of Wimbart Lite, she will set the division’s vision and lead its growth, overseeing new business and delivery standards.

The new Head of Wimbart Lite added, “I joined Wimbart at a time when African tech was still small enough that a $1M raise felt like a massive milestone for the whole ecosystem. Now that the market has matured, early-stage teams are put under the microscope much earlier. Wimbart Lite exists to turn real work and traction – early milestones, partnerships, and fundraises – into a clear, credible story the ecosystem can understand and trust.”

By Dipo Olowookere

About 9.2 million funding round has been secured by an AI-dating app, Ditto, for the expansion of its iMessage-based matchmaker, with the participation of Peak XV Partners, Gradient, Scribble Ventures, Alumni Ventures, and Llama Venture.

The iMessage-based matchmaker plans real dates for users, handling everything from the match to logistics, so students can focus on showing up and connecting in real-life. Users grow tired of endless swiping and stalled conversations.

College students swipe endlessly, juggle multiple chats, and still struggle to turn matches into actual dates. Ditto was created to remove that friction entirely.

The business was established by two Berkeley undergraduates, Mr Allen Wang and Mr Eric Liu, who saw friends spend hours on dating apps without forming meaningful connections.

The platform initially launched at UC San Diego and went viral across sorority group chats before quickly expanding to UC Berkeley, USC, UCLA, and UC Davis.

It operates entirely over iMessage, where users already communicate daily. Users tell Ditto their preference for a date, such as ‘a 6 ‘2 hot nerd that brings me flowers’ or ‘an ABG who mastered leetcode’. After sharing their preferences and availability, users receive a text with a complete date plan, including the time, place, and details of their match, all centred around the campus they are near.

After each date, Ditto collects feedback and incorporates these feedbacks into the user’s profile to improve future matches. The result is a system that feels personal, efficient, and low-pressure, while removing much of the anxiety and inefficiency associated with modern dating apps.

“Our goal was to build something that actually helps people go on dates, not stay stuck in an app. When you remove swiping and chatting, you remove a lot of the toxicity and anxiety that people associate with online dating.

“We plan the date, people show up, and real connections have a chance to form. About 20 per cent of our matches turned into actual dates,” Mr Wang stated.

With this funding, Ditto is kicking off 2026 by hosting 10 yacht parties across the US, starting in Los Angeles on Valentine’s Day.

Each yacht will host 100 college singles, matched into 50 couples. This will be the biggest yacht party in college history. Ditto is co-hosting these parties with the hottest school clubs and Greek life organisations in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and more.

A Partner at Gradient, Vig Sachidananda, while commenting on the new funding package, said, “Ditto is leveraging AI in a creative way to build a novel online dating experience — one which resembles a true matchmaking service.

“We’ve seen a great early response from users to this approach, and we’re excited to continue to work with Ditto as they expand to college campuses across the US.”

Since launching, Ditto has grown to more than 42,000 users across four college campuses, with over 25 per cent of users coming through referrals.

Looking ahead, Ditto plans to expand beyond college campuses and eventually support other forms of connection, including professional networking and group social experiences. The long-term vision is to become a matchmaker for modern life, helping people turn intent into meaningful, real-world interactions, one plan at a time.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

One of the foremost Public Relations practitioners in Nigeria, Mr Omede Odekina, has joined the Abuja Electric Distribution Company (AEDC).

He is now on the payroll of the energy firm as the Head of Brand Marketing and Corporate Communications Department after leaving the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc.

The Kogi State University graduate will use his experience as a media relations expert to sell the image of the electricity organization.

In an announcement via his LinkedIn page, Mr Odekina described his movement from the banking space to the energy industry as the “beginning of an exciting new chapter and a unique opportunity to help shape how one of Nigeria’s most critical service organisations engages with its customers and communities.”

He thanked UBA for providing him with the platform to grow his career, describing the lender as “truly one of the best places to work.”

According to him, “UBA was more than a workplace; it was a family. The culture, leadership, and people created an environment of excellence, trust, and continuous growth. I leave deeply appreciative of the journey, the friendships, and the values that will remain with me always.”

The Associate of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) disclosed that in his new role, “my focus is firmly on positioning Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc as Nigeria’s number one electricity distribution company, one that delivers reliable service with professionalism, respect, transparency, and a strong sense of community partnership.”

“It is a responsibility I embrace with enthusiasm, purpose, and optimism for what lies ahead,” he said further.