Kenyan Fintech Cloud9 Raises USD 500 K From Alliance In USD 1 M Pre-Seed Round

Cloud9, a Kenyan fintech building digital banking and cross-border payment infrastructure for African businesses, has raised USD 500 K from New York-based crypto accelerator Alliance as part of its ongoing pre-seed round.

The investment brings Cloud9’s total funding to USD 1 M, following backing from Techstars NYC and strategic angel investors.

Cloud9 was founded in 2025 by Tesh Mbaabu and Mesongo Sibuti and is based in Nairobi, Kenya. Launched in early 2026, the company provides multi-currency accounts, international payments, payroll, bulk payments and cards, with stablecoins used to settle cross-border transactions.

It has created more than 25,000 accounts, with transaction volume growing over 15% week-on-week. The funding will support new payment corridors, product improvements, cards and customer expansion. Cloud9 has also acquired M-Tickets and social-commerce platform Chpter.