The Ghanaian tech ecosystem has grown and evolved over the past years. The ecosystem has seen the growth of major players including Zeepay, Complete Farmer, and Hubtel.
But even with a growing ecosystem, there have been some companies that have failed to scale and as a consequence, have shut down even after raising money and getting spotlights in the media.
We take a look back at some of those startups:
Tress
Tress was a social community for black women’s hairstyles. The startup was founded by Cassandra Sarfo, Esther Olatunde, and Priscilla Hazel in 2016 who graduated from the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School (MEST). The startup got into Y-Combinator in 2016 and had raised a total of $120,000.
The startup seems to have shut down around 2018 and its cofounders have moved on to other opportunities.
Redbird Health Tech
Redbird was a health startup that partnered with pharmacies and licensed chemical shops to bring proven rapid test technology for chronic and acute conditions. The company was founded by Patrick Beattie and Andrew Quao in 2018.
In 2021, the company raised $1.5 Million from Johnson & Johnson Foundation, Newton Partners (through the Imperial Venture Fund), and Founders Factory Africa.
The company shut down in 2022 after failing to raise new funds.
AFRadio
AF Radio was a startup that allowed audiences to stream and play back their favorite radio shows online.
The company was founded by Bubunyo Nyavor in 2016 who is a graduate of MEST.
OMG Digital
OMG Digital was a media company that created digital editorial brands for African millennials. The company was dubbed the “Buzzfeed” of Africa. It was founded by Jesse Ghansah, Prince Boakye Boampong, and Dominic Mensah in 2016.
The company had raised a seed round of $1.2 million in 2017 to expand to more African countries.
All the founders have currently moved on to other roles and are no longer running the company.
TransGov
TransGov Ghana was a startup that provided cloud-based solutions to government agencies in West Africa to aid them in making data-driven decisions, and increase their efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, and citizen engagement.
The startup was founded in 2015 by Jerry Akanyi-King and Kennedy Anyinatoe.
The company made headlines by signing an MOU with Ghana’s National Information Technology Authority (NITA).
The startup appears to have shut down sometime in 2018 with no activity on its social media pages in that year.
Catch up on news and other tidbits on our WhatsApp Community Page, Twitter/X, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter to ensure you don’t miss out on any news.
