Carry1st
Carry1st is a Cape Town-headquartered mobile games publisher and digital commerce platform that helps global game publishers monetize in Africa through its Pay1st payment aggregator (covering 200+ local payment methods), end-to-end publishing services, and a direct-to-gamer Shop for top-ups and gift cards.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersCape Town, South Africa
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
Carry1st firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Carry1st
- Legal name
- ADG Technology Inc. (d/b/a Carry1st)
- Website
- https://carry1st.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Carry1st is a Cape Town-headquartered mobile games publisher and digital commerce platform that helps global game publishers monetize in Africa through its Pay1st payment aggregator (covering 200+ local payment methods), end-to-end publishing services, and a direct-to-gamer Shop for top-ups and gift cards.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Carry1st industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile Games Publishing & Digital Commerce
- NAICS
- Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120), Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (45942)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mobile Game Publishing & App Game Stores (BPAMAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Game & In-App Content Stores (BPAMADAC), Publisher-Owned Direct-to-Consumer Stores (MPAFACAK), Regional/Telecom Carrier Game Stores & Bundles (MPAFACAL), Subscription, Bundling & Membership Distribution (Game Pass-like, Humble-like) (MPAFABAI)
Keywords
Where Carry1st is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cape Town
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices2 records
Markets served
Carry1st business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Game Publishing: Revenue from publishing mobile games for global developers in Africa, including localized marketing, user acquisition campaigns, and live operations support.
- Payment Processing (Pay1st): Transaction fees from processing in-app purchases and payments for publishers via Pay1st platform with 200+ local African payment methods.
- E-commerce Sales (Carry1st Shop): Revenue from selling in-game currencies (COD Points, Free Fire Diamonds, UC), gift cards, battle passes, and subscriptions for games and lifestyle services.
- Developer Tools & API: API integration fees for publishers to access payment processing and distribution solutions through Carry1st's platform infrastructure.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Various in-game currency bundles and gift cards with tiered pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Carry1st product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Carry1st publishes mobile games for global developers across Africa and operates Pay1st, a payment aggregation platform enabling in-game purchases through 200+ local African payment methods. It also runs Carry1st Shop, a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform selling in-game currencies, gift cards, vouchers, and subscriptions for games and lifestyle services across Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, and Morocco.
Product overview
Carry1st operates as a mobile games publisher and digital commerce platform for Africa, organized into three interconnected business units: Publishing (end-to-end game publishing services for Africa), Pay1st (payment aggregation and monetization platform supporting 200+ local payment methods), and Shop (direct-to-consumer e-commerce for game credits, gift cards, and vouchers). The company publishes original titles including Mergedom, Mancala Adventures, and Mine Rescue, while also distributing major global games like Call of Duty: Mobile, Free Fire, Mobile Legends, and PUBG Mobile through partnerships with Activision Blizzard, Garena, Riot Games, and Supercell.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Pay1st: Mobile gaming payments platform and aggregator enabling in-app purchases for African gamers using local payment methods including bank transfers, M-Pesa, and mobile money. Supports over 200 local payment methods and serves over a million gamers across the continent.
Products and services
- Carry1st Publishing End-to-end mobile games publishing services for Africa covering localized creatives, user acquisition campaigns, live operations, and influencer marketing, enabling global publishers to scale content across the African continent.
- Pay1st Monetization platform and payment aggregator enabling game developers to accept payments from 200+ local payment methods across Africa including mobile money, bank transfers, and carrier billing, with fraud protection and cross-border FX management.
- Carry1st Shop
Quantifiable outcome
- Transaction volumes for Call of Duty Mobile grew six-fold annually
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Carry1st
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Carry1st technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Feature2 records
Carry1st partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Activision BlizzardcorePartnership to bring Call of Duty: Mobile to African gamers. Carry1st handles payment integration enabling in-app purchases via local payment methods.
- Riot GamescorePartnership to bring VALORANT to South Africa, providing African players with first-class gaming experience.
- GarenacorePartnership for Free Fire game publishing and in-game currency (Diamonds) sales through Carry1st Shop.
- SupercellcoreStrategic partnership announced on Carry1st website for publishing Supercell games in Africa.
- MPLminorMobile Premier League (MPL) gaming platform partnership shown in partner logos.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Carry1st competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- WinZO: India-based mobile gaming and social gaming platform that similarly aggregates local payment methods and partners with global publishers to serve emerging-market gamers. Highly comparable business model of localized game publishing + digital storefront.
- Taptap: Mobile game discovery and distribution platform with built-in payment solutions. Competes directly in the game publishing and app store aggregation space Carry1st targets in Africa.
Regional players
- Nodwin Gaming: South Asia-focused esports and mobile game publisher. Operates a similar emerging-market publishing model with payments localization and partnerships with global gaming IP owners, but in a different geography.
- Kuluya: Nigerian mobile game developer and publisher building Africa-focused games. Operates in the same regional market as Carry1st with overlapping publishing and content localization capabilities.
- Boomplay: Africa's largest music streaming and digital content platform. Operates in adjacent African digital content distribution and has solved similar payment-rail challenges for African consumers.
Emerging players
- MPL (Mobile Premier League): Mobile esports and casual gaming platform with strong emerging-market presence. Already a Carry1st partner (visible in Carry1st partner logos) and competes in adjacent mobile gaming monetization territory.
Others
- Flutterwave: Pan-African payment infrastructure provider. Not a direct gaming peer but powers similar payment aggregation in Africa; could become a competitor to Pay1st if it expands into gaming-specific payment verticals.
- Paystack: Nigerian payment gateway acquired by Stripe. Provides payment infrastructure that overlaps with Pay1st's value proposition for African merchants, including gaming companies.
Broad incumbents
- Garena (Sea Limited): Major global game publisher (Free Fire) and Shopee e-commerce operator. A Carry1st partner but also a potential broad incumbent that could build direct African payment infrastructure over time.
- Activision Blizzard (Microsoft): Owner of Call of Duty: Mobile franchise. Currently a flagship Carry1st customer/publisher, but as a large incumbent could choose to internalize African payment and publishing operations following Microsoft acquisition.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Carry1st social profiles
Digital presenceCarry1st financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Carry1st leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Carry1st funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors27 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Carry1st M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Carry1st
What does Carry1st do?
Carry1st publishes mobile games for global developers across Africa and operates Pay1st, a payment aggregation platform enabling in-game purchases through 200+ local African payment methods. It also runs Carry1st Shop, a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform selling in-game currencies, gift cards, vouchers, and subscriptions for games and lifestyle services across Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, and Morocco.
Is Carry1st a public or private company?
Carry1st is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Carry1st founded?
Carry1st was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Carry1st based?
Carry1st is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does Carry1st make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Game Publishing is the primary driver. The others are payment Processing (Pay1st), E-commerce Sales (Carry1st Shop) and developer Tools & API.
Who are Carry1st's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are WinZO and Taptap. Regional players are Nodwin Gaming, Kuluya and Boomplay. MPL (Mobile Premier League) is listed as an emerging player. Others are Flutterwave and Paystack. Broad incumbents are Garena (Sea Limited) and Activision Blizzard (Microsoft).
Does Carry1st have an API?
Yes. Carry1st offers API integration for developers and publishers through its Pay1st and Shop platforms. The Pay1st platform provides a simple API integration for game developers to accept payment for their games from 200+ local payment methods in Africa, with fraud protection and cross-border FX management. The Shop platform allows publishers to sell content via redeemable vouchers or direct top-ups through a simple API integration. Developer documentation is at carry1st.com/pay1st.
What industry is Carry1st in?
Carry1st's product category is Mobile Games Publishing & Digital Commerce. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAKAB, Mobile Game Publishing & App Game Stores, with a secondary code of BPAMADAC, Game & In-App Content Stores. Its NAICS code is 459120 and its SIC code is 5945.