Nigerian Gaming Startup Vatar, Makers Of Lagos Life, Raises USD 500 K At USD 10 M Valuation

Vatar Inc., the company behind viral Nigerian browser game Lagos Life, has raised USD 500 K in pre-seed funding at a USD 10 M valuation, just three days after incorporation.

Founded on October 6, 2026, by Shalom Rayhamen, Owen Rayhamen and Anderson Oriahi, the company is building a browser-based life simulation inspired by everyday experiences in Nigerian cities.

The round attracted Flutterwave CEO Olugbenga Agboola through his fund, Resilience17, alongside Oo Nwoye, Terra Industries CEO Nathan Nwachuku and Mono CEO Abdulhamid Hassan.

Lagos Life surpassed 4.3 million users across 15 countries shortly after launching on October 1, with more than 200,000 players online simultaneously at its peak. Vatar plans to use the funding for product development, marketing and hiring. Its revenue streams include advertising, brand partnerships, music promotion and in-game purchases.