Carry1st

🏆 WE NEED YOUR HELP! 🏆 Exciting news! We've been shortlisted as finalists at this year's Mobile Games Awards in not just one, but TWO categories: 🎮 Best Publisher 💳 Best Payment Service Provider Your vote can make all the difference! Cast your ballot before July 22nd to show your support. Don't forget to vote for BOTH categories – every vote is a testament to the amazing community we've built together. 🗳️ Vote now: Best Publisher: https://lnkd.in/g7kHUDsS Best Payment Service Provider: https://lnkd.in/dKutn6fk

We're excited to share that Sunday will mark the first leg of the Carry1st Africa Cup Qualifiers! 🇿🇦 Watch as South Africa's best Call of Duty: Mobile teams go head-to-head to qualify for the finals - and go on to compete for the $15,000 grand prize 💸 The Carry1st Africa Cup will bring together the continent’s top players and teams from Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. Following qualifying rounds, the winning teams will gather in-person for a dramatic final showdown. 🗓 Sunday, 7 July ⏱ 2PM SAST | 1PM WAT Watch LIVE on Carry1st's YouTube Channel below: https://lnkd.in/dPxTxhA9 Activision ACGL

I spent last Friday at the Community Meet-Up for the MTN SHIFT Gaming Experience. Meeting creators, gamers and industry stakeholders in SA's esports ecosystem has been quite the experience. 😎 You never know how much work people have done in the African Gaming scene until you go out there and learn. This is my version of "touching grass" after spending months engrossed in my own work. Big thanks to Nicholas Holden and ACGL for the invite. To answer the question for everyone; No! You can't have my Carry1st jacket 😑

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending the Israel Mobile Summit. I participated in a panel that focused on “Strange New Markets,” where I showcased the vision and remarkable work of Carry1st in Africa. Carry1st is Africa’s leading publisher of social games, offering comprehensive publishing services. We handle specialized distribution, live operations, local community management, influencer networks, localized content, and have teams on the ground. Our embedded payments solution (Pay1st) and online marketplace for virtual goods enhance monetization in the region, allowing underbanked customers to pay for content using over 120 local payment methods. During the panel, I shared some astounding facts about Africa: ▪ Africa, with a population of 1.4 billion, accounts for 17% of the global population and is the fastest-growing population in the world. ▪ By 2050, 25% of the world's population is expected to be African. ▪ Africa has more millennials and Generation Z than the United States and China combined. ▪ People are coming online at an unprecedented rate, with over 90% accessing the internet via mobile phones, demonstrating a strong appetite for content. ▪ Africa is the fastest-growing social gaming market globally, experiencing sevenfold growth in the past 10 years despite suppressed demand and minimal user acquisition efforts. ▪ By the end of 2024, the African gaming market is projected to be worth $1 billion. If you’re interested in learning more about Africa and exploring how Carry1st can help scale your business in this dynamic market, feel free to reach out to me. A big thank you to Ofir Leitner 🔜 Israel Mobile Summit, the mastermind behind the Israeli Mobile Summit. https://lnkd.in/eWyhxnJr

Africa's biggest-ever Call of Duty: Mobile tournament? We're on it! On Friday we announced the Carry1st Africa Cup - a Call of Duty: Mobile tournament, set to captivate the continent's esports community. 🏆 The Carry1st Africa Cup will bring together the continent’s top players and teams from Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa in competition for a $15,000 prize pool 🔫 Following qualifying rounds, the surviving teams will gather in-person for a dramatic final showdown. The tournament will also award $1,000 to the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the grand finals, with MVP prizes available across all regional matches. Read more from PocketGamer.biz below!

For the World Economic Forum, our Co-Founder and COO, Lucy Hoffman recently shared her insights on the exciting growth of the gaming industry and what it means for fintech in Africa. Read Lucy's full article on the World Economic Forum website to learn more about: 📈 Africa's emergence as the fastest-growing mobile gaming market 💰 The role of fintech in enabling seamless payments for games 🌍 How direct-to-consumer strategies are allowing companies and game developers to engage more directly with consumers #GamingInAfrica #Fintech #Innovation #EconomicGrowth #WEF

We're thrilled to announce that Carry1st has been named in Fast Company’s prestigious 2024 list of Most Innovative Companies! 🎮💥 Since the beginning, our mission has been to cater to the unique needs of African gamers and publishers. We've always believed in thinking outside the box and finding new ways to connect and bridge gaps in the gaming community. Through partnerships with some of the industry’s biggest names, like Activision, Supercell, EA, and Riot Games, we've brought popular titles to gamers across Africa, making gaming more accessible and enjoyable for everyone. This latest milestone is a testament to the unwavering commitment and hard work of our incredible team, partners, and supportive community. Together, we're not only shaping the future of gaming in Africa but also setting new standards for innovation in gaming worldwide. 🌍 Read more about this year’s #FCMostInnovative in the comments below:

Africa is gaming’s next frontier. Carry1st unlocks Africa 🌍🚀 See what all the excitement is about:

Carry1st has partnered with Electronic Arts (EA) to scale EA SPORTS FC™ Mobile across Africa ⚽ Carry1st introduces EA SPORTS FC™ Mobile top-ups on the Carry1st Shop, in a partnership with Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), the global leader in digital interactive entertainment. Gamers are now able to recharge their FC Points and Silver in local currency and use their payment method of choice. Spencer Ma, Growth Lead at Carry1st, commented: “We’re ecstatic to partner with EA to launch EA SPORTS FC™ Mobile products on Carry1st Shop, enabling local gamers to purchase the in-game items that they love, using local payment methods and currencies. "Adding EA as another Pay1st partner, alongside Activision and Supercell, reaffirms our belief that top-tier publishers are focusing more on growing revenue and player base on the African continent." Read more about the partnership below! #electronicarts #carry1st #easports

And its a resounding yes!! Welcome Cordel Robbin-Coker and Lucy Hoffman of Carry1st to the Endeavor family! 🎉 Carry1st is Africa's leading publisher of social games and interactive content 🎮 and were selected in the 44th Virtual Endeavor International Selection Panel last week. We are absolutely thrilled to welcome this dynamic team and company! Some cool facts to know: Carry1st is based in Cape Town but operates in a huge market - Africa represents the youngest and fastest-growing region in the world, with a median age of 19 across 1.5B people - that lacks regional publishing capabilities. 🌍 Carry1st publishes both its own games and licenses third-party games with internationally-known IP. It also offers a fintech platform (Pay1st) that helps game developers monetize existing player bases for games such as Call of Duty & Clash of Clans. Carry1st has raised from top-tier funds and strategics like A16Z GAMES, Google, Sony, and BITKRAFT Ventures, which led Carry1st's 2023 $27M Series A extension round. 💼 Thank you to panelists Tosin Eniolorunda Chris Misner Victor Noguera Samantha Skey Eric Perez-Grovas Arjuna Costa for their time and generous offers to support Carry1st growth with mentorship in the future. Alison Collier Antonia B. Cara Eachus Marc Herson Jacqui Gogele Nolufefe Nghala Peter Kraus Adrian Garcia-Aranyos Melvyn Lubega Tjaart van der Walt Dare Okoudjou Strauss Zelnick Michele Wanjiku Wainaina