Crypto startup Vibra reportedly shuts down Africa operations
VIBRA, the cryptocurrency trading app developed by the African Blockchain Lab, reportedly ceased its operations in Nigeria in July. Vincent Li, co-founder of the African Blockchain Lab, which secured $6 million in VC funding from investors like Lateral Frontiers and Dragonfly Capital, informed TechCabal that the company is currently undergoing a significant transformation, though he didn't disclose specifics. He also claimed that Vibra remains active in its other markets.
While the company's website mentions its presence in Ghana and Kenya, an email shared on its official Telegram channel implied that the application was discontinuing services in all African markets. Li declined to comment on the email.
However, two reliable sources, including a former employee, confirmed the company's shutdown, indicating that the company's employees, including Hailey Yang, the country manager, have left.
Points clés à retenir
As the funding winter season set in, forecasts indicated a looming wave of startup closures on a global scale. Although Africa's tech ecosystem managed to defy this funding trend last year, the inevitability of startup shutdowns has reached the continent as venture capital dries up. Faced with challenging circumstances, many companies are now choosing closure as alternative strategies, such as layoffs, have proven ineffective in sustaining their operations. In the previous month, Kenyan logistics startup Sendy went into administration after failing to find a buyer, while Nigeria-based genomics startup 54gene also began the process of shutting down. Additionally, Ghanaian fintech Dash recently collapsed, albeit amidst controversy. Over the past six to seven months, at least five such shutdowns have been recorded based on publicly disclosed information. These affected startups include Lazerpay, Paxful, Zumi, Hytch, and Wabi.






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