TechVoicesAlliance puts $500,000 into Kenyan fintech Cloud9
The New York crypto accelerator’s cheque takes Cloud9’s pre-seed to $1 million. The company wants cards, more payment corridors, and a larger share of cross-border trade.
Illustration. Reporting is based on company statements and published accounts of the round or the bill.
Alliance, a New York crypto accelerator, has invested $500,000 in Cloud9, a Kenyan fintech building digital banking for businesses. Techstars NYC and angels are also in the pre-seed. Total funding is now $1 million.
Cloud9 launched its product in early 2026. The company says it has opened more than 25,000 accounts and that transaction volume has been growing by more than 15 percent week over week. The new money is for cross-border corridors, cards, and a cleaner product for businesses trading outside Kenya.
The founders, Tesh Mbaabu and Mesongo Sibuti, started Cloud9 in October 2025 after leaving Chpter, the social-commerce company they had joined as co-founders. Cloud9 has since been buying as well as building. In May it acquired Kenyan ticketing platform M-Tickets for about 100 million shillings, roughly $773,000, in stock. In August it acquired Chpter itself, also in stock.
Cross-border payments remain one of the most crowded and least finished problems in African fintech. Cloud9’s pitch is infrastructure for businesses, not another consumer wallet. The acquisitions suggest it wants distribution — tickets, social commerce — as well as the account.
