Carry1st

About Carry1st

Carry1st, founded in 2018, operates as a publisher of mobile games and digital content with a sharp focus on the African continent. The company was established by Cordel Robbin-Coker, Lucy Hoffman, and Tinotenda Mundangepfupfu to address the challenges and unlock the potential of the African mobile market. The founding team combines extensive experience in finance, operations, and technology. Robbin-Coker, a Sierra Leonean native and Stanford University graduate, spent over a decade in high finance at Morgan Stanley and The Carlyle Group, where he focused on Sub-Saharan Africa. Hoffman, a Dartmouth College graduate, also started her career at Morgan Stanley before moving into operational roles at Africa-based startups. Mundangepfupfu brings deep technical expertise, having held senior mobile development roles at e-commerce and finance companies.

The firm's business model is centered on providing a full-stack publishing solution for both global and local game developers looking to enter or scale within Africa. This includes services like distribution, localization, user acquisition, marketing, community management, and monetization. Acknowledging the fragmented payment landscape as a significant barrier, Carry1st developed its proprietary fintech platform, Pay1st. This platform integrates over 200 local payment methods, such as mobile money and digital wallets, enabling seamless in-app purchases for users who may not have access to credit cards. Revenue is generated through a combination of in-game purchases, licensing and publishing fees, and transaction fees from its digital commerce platform.

Carry1st has expanded its services beyond game publishing to become a digital commerce hub. The "Carry1st Shop" offers a marketplace for a wide range of digital goods, including gaming gift cards for platforms like Steam and PlayStation, mobile airtime and data, and even prepaid electricity vouchers. This diversification caters to the broader digital needs of African consumers. The company has secured strategic partnerships with major global gaming companies like Activision, Riot Games, and Supercell to distribute and scale popular titles such as *Call of Duty: Mobile* and *Valorant*. Since its inception, Carry1st has raised a total of $65.5 million through several funding rounds, attracting investment from notable firms like Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Google, Mastercard, and Sony Innovation Fund.