Behind the Scenes: A Day in the Life of a Startup CTO in Lagos/Nairobi/Cape Town
CTOs in Africa's tech hubs balance technical leadership with business strategy to drive innovation. Over $2.2 billion was invested in African tech in 2024, emphasizing the pressure to deliver results quickly.
Next Wave: Failed startups leave us richer in some ways
Okra is scaling back and returning part of its funding to investors after five years of operation. The stigma surrounding startup failures in Africa often overshadows the reality that 90% of startups globally fail.
Okra not dead: Shuts Nebula, doubles down on payments
Okra's restructuring process is focused on scaling its payments business. The cloud services division, Nebula, has been shut down.
Okra to return three years of runway to investors
Okra has shut down after CEO Fara Ashiru's exit, returning an estimated $4 million to $5 million to investors. The startup raised a total of $16.5 million over five years, spending approximately 60-75% of its funding.
Nigerian Open Banking Startup Okra Quietly Shut In May 2025
Okra has ceased all operations, including its cloud-services spin-off Nebula. The company raised about $16 million from global investors before shutting down.
