It appears Carbon (formerly Paylater), a Nigerian-based fin-tech startup that started as a loan offering platform, is launching in Kenya soon.
Earlier in the year, the startup secured a $5 million debt financing to gain more customers in Nigeria as well as fund its expansion to other African markets.
Shortly after securing the funding, OneFi — Carbon’s parent company — acquired a payment solution, Amplify, and in addition to providing loans, Carbon now offers fund transfers and bill payments.
Backing words with action, the CEO, Chijioke Dozie, tweeted two days ago that the company is looking to hire a country manager to help launch operations in the East African country.
Looking for a self-starter that can help launch @get_carbon‘s operations in Kenya. Local knowledge and experience in financial services/fintech is preferred. @get_carbon is hiring for a Kenya Country Manager! Please see link for more details https://t.co/QXrQdqeiB2
— Chijioke Dozie (@ChijiokeD) August 28, 2019
Last month, the company made its audited financials public, something that is uncommon with private companies in Nigeria.
After stating that Carbon will continue to make its financials public, Chijioke reiterated that one of the reasons for posting its pre-public financial records was that being straightforward about the startup’s financial position will attract top talents.
“From a recruitment perspective, we want recruits to know we have good prospects — that this is a company that’s doing well and wants to keep doing well,” he said.
With the planned expansion to Kenya, Carbon will have its operations in three countries, including Ghana and of course, Nigeria. The startup is also eyeing further expansion across the continent.