Other
Jul 2025Heavy dependence on Meta/WhatsApp platform policies could affect distribution and payment access.
SourceCompany research
Public company, workplace, funding, and market signals
Updated Jul 30, 2026
Overview
Vendy is a Lagos-based, YC-backed payments infrastructure company for social commerce. It lets businesses sell and collect payments inside WhatsApp and other chat/social surfaces using a device-side payment widget, APIs, and storefront tools for African merchants. Public sources point to a 2022 launch, though some data vendors list 2021.
Primary product
Agentic payments infrastructure for social commerce
Founded
2022
Headquarters
Lagos, Nigeria
Team size
11-50
Work style
Flexible
Industry
Financial Services
Sub-industry
Social commerce payments
Offices
Lagos, Nigeria
Nigeria (3 offices)
United Kingdom
Business model
Transaction fees
Tiered SaaS subscriptions
Payment infrastructure platform
Funding
Stage
seed
Total raised
$1.7M
Latest round
Seed · Apr 2022
Latest amount
$1.2M
Apr 2022 · Undisclosed investors
Mar 2022 · Y Combinator
People & investors
Leadership
Chief Executive Officer / Co-Founder
Co-Founder
Chief Innovation Officer
Opeyemi Olanipekun
Chief Technology Officer
Samuel Otigba
Media and Creative Director
Damilola Bello
Chief Operations Officer
Work & culture
Mission-driven, customer-obsessed, and security-first. Company copy emphasizes innovation, trust, bank-grade security, inclusive growth, and hiring people who are bold, curious, and ready to grow.
Work style
Flexible
Product & market
Pricing
1% transaction fee plus tiered SaaS subscriptions, with a free starter tier and custom enterprise pricing; no setup or monthly fees on public plans.
Differentiators
- —Checkout happens inside chat without app downloads or redirects
- —Device-side payment widget rather than an in-WhatsApp payment flow
- —Supports multiple rails across Africa including bank transfers, cards, mobile money, and USSD
- —Developer-friendly APIs, sandbox, SDKs, and Shopify/WooCommerce integrations
- —Regulatory/compliance posture: CBN licensed, PCI DSS, ISO-certified, Meta-approved BSP
- —Built for African social commerce and local bank integrations
Technology
REST API
SDKs
Python
Node.js
PHP
Shopify integration
WooCommerce integration
Sandbox environment
Device-side payment widget
WhatsApp storefront overlay
Bank transfers
Cards
Mobile money
USSD
NFC tap-to-pay
PCI DSS compliance
ISO 27001
CBN licensing
Meta WhatsApp Business Solution Provider
Customers
Obi's House
Awadoc
Tiqbuy
Merchants selling through WhatsApp/social commerce
Competitors
Owo by Mono
Chpter
Xara
Catlog
NebulaPay
UpayChat
CoralPay
Scale & contact
Estimated revenue
$0-5M (estimated)
Signals & risks
Other
Jul 2025Expansion across African markets is complicated by fragmented payment rails and regulatory environments.
SourceLatest news
Vendy LinkedIn · May 2026
Official company announcement that Vendy was selected as a South Summit Madrid 2026 finalist in Fintech & Insurtech and highlights its cross-border WhatsApp commerce vision.
Techparley Africa · Dec 2025
Explains Vendy’s WhatsApp-centered payment infrastructure, its widget approach, compliance posture, and expansion strategy beyond WhatsApp.
AfriRadar LinkedIn · Jul 2025
Startup profile covering the founders, early funding narrative, team size, and the WhatsApp marketplace positioning.
TechCabal · Jul 2025
Profile of Vendy’s WhatsApp-first social commerce strategy, the device-side payment widget, local bank integrations, pricing model, and the main platform/regulatory risks.
TechCabal · Dec 2024
Announces a Paystack partnership that lets merchants build WhatsApp shops, automate orders/invoicing/payments/deliveries, and get a free trial on Vendy Business Plus.
Jobs and careers at Vendy
0 jobs at Vendy
No open positions
Check back later for new openings