Tesh Mbaabu and Mesongo Sibuti, prominent figures in the African tech ecosystem, have announced a significant leadership transition and a new entrepreneurial venture. The co-founders of the Kenyan social commerce platform Chpter stepped down from their day-to-day operations in September 2024, returning control to the original co-founder, Mark Kiarie, who has resumed his role as chief executive officer. This move was communicated internally to the Chpter team and investors, with Mbaabu citing the decision as a personal one and expressing confidence in Kiarie to lead Chpter as its "chief visionary."

Mbaabu and Sibuti joined Chpter in early 2024, aiming to accelerate the platform's growth, which Kiarie and Kuria Kevin initially launched in 2021. Their tenure at Chpter, following the shutdown of their previous venture MarketForce's B2B e-commerce unit RejaReja in April 2024, was marked by aggressive expansion and strategic achievements. Under their leadership, Chpter secured a $1.2 million pre-seed funding round in September 2024, backed by firms including Pani, Techstars, and Norrsken. They also established a crucial partnership with African fintech giant Flutterwave in June 2025, facilitating expansion into 14 African markets, and successfully onboarded over 3,500 businesses onto its conversational commerce platform. Additionally, Chpter spun off Pluto, a dedicated WhatsApp API suite, as a subsidiary to enhance its focus on AI-powered transactions.

Less than two weeks after their departure from Chpter, Mbaabu and Sibuti unveiled their next venture: Cloud9. This new digital bank aims to provide a modern financial experience for young Africans, targeting millennials and Gen Z who constitute the majority of Africa's population yet remain underserved by traditional financial institutions. Mbaabu described Cloud9 as "a movement" designed to reimagine banking as a tool for dignity, belonging, and opportunity, offering mobile-first solutions for faster and more tailored payments, savings, credit, and spending. The founders argue that existing institutions are often slow, rigid, and costly for a generation adept at mobile apps, side hustles, and cross-border freelancing.

Mbaabu and Sibuti are building Cloud9 with a team comprising ex-bankers and entrepreneurs, focusing on real-time payments, credit, and wealth management tools. While Cloud9 is yet to officially launch, it has an open waitlist for sign-ups. The entrepreneurs bring invaluable experience from their journeys with both MarketForce and Chpter. As for Chpter, with Kiarie back at the helm, the company is consolidating leadership around its original founders as it strives to scale AI and social commerce infrastructure across Africa, facing the ongoing challenge of proving business models and raising capital in a demanding startup environment.