After the collapse of heavily funded Copia Global, a new venture emerges promising rewards, mobile data, and engagement driven e-commerce
Three former leaders of Copia Global, Tim Steel (former CEO), Michael King (former CTO), and cofounder and Executive Chairperson Tracey Pettengill Turner have launched Stahili, a new Kenya-based e-commerce platform that rewards users with cashback, mobile data bundles, and airtime for participating in surveys and shopping activities.
Stahili is aiming to reimagine consumer engagement in African markets by blending digital rewards with targeted offers and referral bonuses. But the launch comes less than a year after the dramatic collapse of Copia Global, once one of East Africa’s best funded e-commerce ventures.
A Fresh Start From the Ashes of a $120M Startup
Copia Global, founded in 2012 by Turner and headquartered in Nairobi, had raised over $120 million from investors including Goodwell, LGT Lightstone, Perivoli, and Enza Capital. Its model is delivering household goods to low and middle income customers via agent pick up points and an e-commerce app which was hailed as a potential blueprint for last mile retail in Africa.
However, after a $50 million Series C extension round in late 2023, Copia Global failed to raise further capital under terms acceptable to its board. In May 2024, the company entered administration, led by KPMG administrators, citing unsustainable operating costs, tightening investor appetite, and a challenging macro environment for emerging market e-commerce startups.
By June 2024, Copia had laid off over 1,000 employees and suspended operations in multiple counties, pivoting to a mobile only model in a last ditch effort to stay afloat. The company officially moved into liquidation by July 2024, with warehouses, delivery trucks, and other assets sold off to repay creditors. There is no public record of investors receiving any returns on capital.
Stahili: A Second Attempt at the Same Mission?
While Copia’s scale and logistics heavy model proved difficult to sustain, Stahili is positioned as a leaner, digitally native alternative. The new platform offers:
- Mobile data rewards (for example, Safaricom bundles) for first time users
- Cashback coupons redeemable via mobile money
- Referral incentives to drive network growth
- Brand surveys and campaign tools, with performance analytics for advertisers
The company has teased the upcoming launch of a Cashback Coupons program, allowing users to redeem brand sponsored discounts — one of several features intended to align consumer engagement with brand insights.
“Our platform is built on the idea that engagement should be rewarded,” said a Stahili representative on its LinkedIn page. “We’re making it easier for brands to connect with real users while putting cash, data, and airtime back in people’s pockets.”
Market Conditions: Opportunity and Caution
Kenya’s e-commerce sector is expanding, bolstered by the country’s 2023 National E-Commerce Strategy and high mobile money penetration. But the sector is littered with challenges — from unit economics to logistics infrastructure — that sunk other high profile players, including Kasha (pivoted) and Jumia’s rural logistics operations (scaled back).
What distinguishes Stahili is its purely digital, incentive driven model. Rather than building expensive last mile delivery networks, it leverages existing mobile behavior, survey tools, and M-Pesa payouts to engage users and monetize their attention.
Still, industry observers note that Stahili’s founding team is closely tied to Copia’s rise and fall.
“Stahili is clearly applying hard won lessons from Copia,” said one investor familiar with the space. “But any new venture from the same leadership will face scrutiny — especially in a funding environment that’s more risk averse than ever.”
The Road Ahead
As Stahili rolls out features and grows its user base, questions linger: Can it attract new institutional capital after Copia’s collapse? Will users trust another platform built by the same team? And can it scale without replicating the cost structures that brought down its predecessor?
One thing is clear: the founders behind Stahili are not done building — and this time, they’re betting on a lighter, more mobile first model rooted in incentives, not infrastructure.