Wakanow
Wakanow is a Nigerian online travel agency founded in 2008 that provides flight, hotel, holiday, ride, and visa booking services to individual and corporate travelers across Africa, with a $40M Carlyle Group investment and a recently expanded entertainment and lifestyle platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersHouston, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Wakanow does
Wakanow is a privately held Nigerian online travel agency founded in 2008, operating a multi-product digital platform that enables consumers and businesses to book flights, hotels, vacation packages, rides, travel extras, and travel cards via web (wakanow.us) and native mobile applications on Android and iOS. The platform architecture follows a core-plus-modules structure: the core OTA platform handles flight and hotel inventory, with dedicated sub-brands for holidays (Wakanow Holidays), corporate travel management (Wakanow for Business), entertainment ticketing (via the October 2025 Nairabox acquisition, operating on onburd.com), and financial services (the Kalabash travel card). The company generates revenue primarily through transactional commissions and markups on travel bookings, supplemented by recurring subscription fees from corporate clients, event ticketing fees following the Nairabox acquisition, and ancillary travel services.
The company's go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer digital channels with strategic partnerships that extend its distribution. A renewed partnership with Qatar Airways provides exclusive flight deals and access to global route networks, while a co-marketing arrangement with United Bank for Africa (UBA) bundles travel and entertainment discounts through the UBA Red Pass program. The company also offers a "Fly Now, Pay Later" flexible payment product to address affordability barriers for Nigerian outbound travelers. Wakanow's headquarters are in Lagos, Nigeria, with a disclosed employee count of 251-500; it received a $40 million strategic investment from The Carlyle Group in 2018. Recent strategic activity includes the Nairabox acquisition (October 2025), the Qatar Airways partnership renewal (early 2026), and the UBA festive campaign (December 2025), positioning the company as a broader lifestyle ecosystem spanning travel, entertainment, and payments rather than a pure-play OTA.
Wakanow firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wakanow
- Legal name
- WAKANOW.COM LIMITED
- Website
- https://wakanow.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Wakanow is a Nigerian online travel agency founded in 2008 that provides flight, hotel, holiday, ride, and visa booking services to individual and corporate travelers across Africa, with a $40M Carlyle Group investment and a recently expanded entertainment and lifestyle platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wakanow industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Travel Agency
- NAICS
- Travel Agencies (561510), Travel Agencies (56151), Tour Operators (56152)
- SIC
- Transportation Services (4700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Air Travel Booking Platforms (Flights) (BPAMAIAB)
Keywords
Where Wakanow is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Houston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Wakanow business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Travel Bookings (Flights, Hotels, Packages): Commission and transaction fees from booking flights, hotels, vacation packages, and travel extras through the online platform. Revenue generated from markups on travel services and commissions from airline and hotel partners.
- Entertainment and Event Ticketing: Revenue from event and cinema ticketing services following the Nairabox acquisition, integrating entertainment experiences into the travel and lifestyle ecosystem.
- Corporate Travel Management: B2B services through Wakanow for Business for corporate clients including flight/hotel booking, visa processing, and expense management.
- Travel Card Services: Financial services including the Kalabash travel card for travel-related payments and financial management.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Individual consumer travel bookings |
| Subscription | Annual | Wakanow for Business (Corporate) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels3 records
Wakanow product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wakanow operates an online travel agency platform enabling consumers and businesses in Nigeria to search, book, and pay for flights, hotels, vacation packages, and travel extras. Following the 2025 acquisition of Nairabox, the platform also offers event and cinema ticketing, and a branded Travel Card (Kalabash) for travel-related payments, positioning the company as a unified digital travel and lifestyle ecosystem.
Product overview
Wakanow operates as an online travel group offering a unified platform-plus-modules architecture. The core platform (Wakanow Online Travel Platform) provides flight booking, hotel/Stays, and Travel Extras, supported by specialized sub-brands including Wakanow Holidays for vacation packages and Wakanow for Business for corporate travel management. Following its October 2025 acquisition of Nairabox, the platform expanded into entertainment through Events (via onburd.com), while the Travel Card module enables payment solutions. All services are integrated within a single digital ecosystem accessible via web and mobile apps.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wakanow Online Travel Platform Consumer-facing online travel booking platform for Nigerian and African travelers; supports flight, hotel, and ancillary travel bookings via web (wakanow.us) and mobile apps (Android, iOS).
- Wakanow Holidays Curated vacation package booking service operating as a dedicated subdomain (holidays.wakanow.com), offering bundled flight-plus-holiday deals for individual leisure travelers.
- Wakanow for Business
Quantifiable outcome
- Unprecedented transaction volumes during peak travel periods
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Wakanow
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Wakanow technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Wakanow partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Qatar AirwayscoreRenewed strategic partnership expanding access to international travel for Nigerian outbound travelers. The collaboration offers exclusive flight deals, flexible payment solutions, and integrated travel services across Qatar Airways' global route network spanning Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East. Aims to address affordability, booking convenience, and payment flexibility.
- United Bank for Africa (UBA)corePartnership for 'Detty Side' festive campaign offering exclusive benefits to UBA customers, including access to entertainment and travel deals. Campaign includes UBA Red Pass providing discounts and cashback rewards for activities and destinations in Lagos.
- Lions GroupminorPartner with UBA and Wakanow for the 'Detty Side' festive campaign in Nigeria, contributing entertainment and lifestyle offerings.
- NairaboxcoreAcquisition of Nairabox, Nigeria's digital ticketing and lifestyle platform, enabling Wakanow's expansion into entertainment and lifestyle sectors. The acquisition aims to build a holistic lifestyle ecosystem integrating travel, entertainment, and digital payments. Nairabox had been in development for nearly a decade.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Wakanow competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Expedia: Global OTA offering flights, hotels, packages, and corporate travel worldwide. Competes with Wakanow for African outbound travelers and increasingly for intra-African bookings.
- Jumia Travel: Pan-African online travel agency owned by Jumia Group, offering flights, hotels, and vacation packages across multiple African markets. Most direct competitor to Wakanow in the African OTA space.
- Travelstart: Leading African online travel agency operating across multiple African countries with flight and hotel booking. Comparable OTA business model serving similar African consumer and corporate segments.
- Flightsbird / TravelBeta: Nigerian online travel agencies focused on flight and holiday bookings for Nigerian consumers. Direct local-market competitors with overlapping target customers.
Broad incumbents
- Booking.com: Global OTA leader with deep hotel inventory and growing presence in Africa. Competes for the same outbound Nigerian traveler with substantially larger inventory and brand recognition.
- Skyscanner: Global flight metasearch and booking platform with strong brand presence among African outbound travelers. Indirect competitor as users often compare Skyscanner prices before booking on Wakanow.
- Kayak: Global travel metasearch and price comparison platform owned by Booking Holdings. Provides fare comparison and deal discovery that overlaps with Wakanow's flight offering from a different angle.
- Trip.com Group: Global OTA operating across Asia, Europe, and increasingly Africa, with flights, hotels, and corporate travel. Broad incumbent competing for outbound Nigerian travelers' international bookings.
Regional players
- Hotels.ng: Nigerian-focused online hotel booking platform that competes with Wakanow's hotel vertical domestically. Similar target customer (Nigerian travelers) with a more narrow accommodation focus.
Emerging players
- MakeMyTrip: Leading Indian OTA with comparable emerging-market business model (consumer + corporate + packages). Useful benchmark for Wakanow's potential scale trajectory in a large domestic market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Wakanow social profiles
Digital presenceWakanow financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wakanow leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Wakanow subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Wakanow funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wakanow M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Wakanow
What does Wakanow do?
Wakanow operates an online travel agency platform enabling consumers and businesses in Nigeria to search, book, and pay for flights, hotels, vacation packages, and travel extras. Following the 2025 acquisition of Nairabox, the platform also offers event and cinema ticketing, and a branded Travel Card (Kalabash) for travel-related payments, positioning the company as a unified digital travel and lifestyle ecosystem.
Is Wakanow a public or private company?
Wakanow is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Wakanow founded?
Wakanow was founded in 2008. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Wakanow based?
Wakanow is headquartered in Houston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Wakanow make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Travel Bookings (Flights, Hotels, Packages) is the primary driver. The others are entertainment and Event Ticketing, corporate Travel Management and travel Card Services.
Who are Wakanow's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Expedia, Jumia Travel, Travelstart and Flightsbird / TravelBeta. Broad incumbents are Booking.com, Skyscanner, Kayak and Trip.com Group. Hotels.ng is listed as a regional player. MakeMyTrip is listed as an emerging player.
Does Wakanow have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wakanow.
What industry is Wakanow in?
Wakanow's product category is Online Travel Agency. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAIAB, Air Travel Booking Platforms (Flights). Its NAICS code is 561510 and its SIC code is 4700.