South African Games Publishing Platform, Carry1st Raises $6m in Series A Funding Round

Mobile publishing platform, Carry1st has raised $6 million in a round of Series A funding. The round was led by venture capital firm Konvoy Ventures, with contributions from Riot Games, Raine Ventures, AET Fund, and TTV Capital.

Carry1st will use the cash to scale its existing portfolio of games, and to partner with new studios around the world. This funding round follows a $2.5 million seed investment that Carry1st raised in May 2020. In total, the firm has raised $9.5 million since its launch in 2018.

The firm also aims to tap into the mobile market in Africa, providing means for studios and developers to publish in the region.

“We’re excited to partner with this world-class group of investors who, in addition to capital, bring expertise across game development, publishing, and fintech,” said Cordel Robbin-Coker, Co-Founder and CEO of Carry1st. “In 2020, we were able successfully to sign seven great titles, recruit a top-notch international team, and build out our payments and digital commerce platform. With this investment, we’re positioned to delight millions of users across Africa and the globe.”

“Carry1st is helping to bring mobile gaming to Africa by solving for distribution with their payment infrastructure and approaching sub-regions with contextual understanding. Cordel, Lucy, and Tino are incredible founders with strong experience on the continent. We’re excited to lead their Series A and support them as they continue to bring joy to their users across the continent,” said Jackson Vaughan, Konvoy Venture Managing Partner.

Brendan Mulligan, Head of Corporate Development at Riot Games, added: “At Riot, we have seen first hand the importance of partnering with local experts to bring the best possible gaming experience to players. As the number of gamers in Africa explodes, we’re excited to work with Cordel and Carry1st as they introduce game developers from all over the world to an important and passionate audience.”

Carry1st has since signed publishing deals for seven games from a number of leading studios, including Sweden’s Raketspel, which has over 120 million downloads across its portfolio. Other partners include New York-based Cosi Games and Ethiopian developer Qene Games.