Insights

Localized Payments Power Carry1st's Pay1st provides 120+ local payment methods and acts as the Merchant of Record, handling fraud, tax, repatriation and customer support. This reduces complexity for brands expanding into Africa and the Middle East and enables rapid market entry. Sales angles include offering additional payment rails, enhanced compliance tooling, and end-to-end settlement services to global brands and gaming publishers.

Market Reach Expansion With a direct-to-consumer shop serving millions of monthly engaged users across multiple markets, Carry1st presents a ready-made distribution channel for digital content and game top-ups. This creates opportunities to upsell regional storefront localization, payment optimization, and partner marketing packages that accelerate revenue growth for partners entering these markets.

Strategic Partnerships Backed by leading investors and trusted by top global developers like Activision, EA, Riot Games, NetEase, and Match Group, Carry1st has a strong ecosystem for co-marketing and strategic partnerships. BD opportunities include sponsorship packaging, bundled monetization deals, and data-driven campaigns that leverage their audience and credibility in gaming and entertainment.

Gaming Sponsorships Recent activity around Africa Cup CODM, Mentos, and Spotify sponsorships demonstrates high engagement in gaming and music intersections. This offers sales opportunities for sponsor packages, ad inventory, and content collaborations across live events, in-game activations, and digital media.

Growth Readiness The company's tech-forward platform and openness to regional expansion indicate a scalable growth engine. This opens doors for integration partnerships, white-label storefronts, analytics services, and localized payment strategy engagements to help partners scale efficiently.

Carry1st Tech Stack

Carry1st uses 8 technology products and services including Sony, HashiCorp Terraform, Amazon Elastic Container Registry (ECR), and more. Explore Carry1st's tech stack below.

  • Sony
    Audio, Video, Graphics
  • HashiCorp Terraform
    Configuration Management
  • Amazon Elastic Container Registry (ECR)
    Containerization
  • Firebase
    Database
  • git
    Development
  • Font Awesome
    Font Scripts
  • Google Sheets
    Office Suites
  • Scala
    Programming Languages

Media & News

Carry1st's Email Address Formats

Carry1st uses at least 1 format(s):
Carry1st Email FormatsExamplePercentage
First@carry1st.comJohn@carry1st.com
96%
Middle@carry1st.comMichael@carry1st.com
1%
Last@carry1st.comDoe@carry1st.com
2%
FL@carry1st.comJD@carry1st.com
1%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Carry1st's official website and social media links?

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Carry1st's official website is carry1st.com and has social profiles on LinkedInCrunchbase.

What is Carry1st's NAICS code?

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Carry1st's NAICS code is 5415 - Computer Systems Design and Related Services.

How many employees does Carry1st have currently?

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As of July 2026, Carry1st has approximately 122 employees across 5 continents, including AfricaEuropeAsia. Key team members include Chief Of Staff (ceo & Coo): M. F.Vp Of Growth: G. N.Co-Founder, Chief Technology Officer: T. M.. Explore Carry1st's employee directory with LeadIQ.

What industry does Carry1st belong to?

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Carry1st operates in the Technology, Information and Internet industry.

What technology does Carry1st use?

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Carry1st's tech stack includes SonyHashiCorp TerraformAmazon Elastic Container Registry (ECR)FirebasegitFont AwesomeGoogle SheetsScala.

What is Carry1st's email format?

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Carry1st's email format typically follows the pattern of First@carry1st.com. Find more Carry1st email formats with LeadIQ.

How much funding has Carry1st raised to date?

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As of July 2026, Carry1st has raised $60M in funding. The last funding round occurred on Jan 29, 2024.

When was Carry1st founded?

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Carry1st was founded in 2018.
Carry1st logo

Carry1st

Technology, Information and InternetWestern Cape, South Africa51-200 Employees

Carry1st is a mid-sized technology company based in Cape Town, South Africa, operating a consumer fintech platform that aims to broaden access to digital content and payments across Africa and the Middle East. Its Carry1st Shop serves as a direct-to-consumer storefront for game top-ups and digital content, supported by a broad distribution network and access to many local payment methods through Pay1st. Pay1st functions as a monetization engine and Merchant of Record, enabling local payments while addressing fraud, tax, repatriation, and customer support across 19 core markets. 

The company serves global brands looking to unlock hard-to-reach markets by simplifying settlements and boosting digital sales in the region. Its platform is trusted by major global publishers, including Activision, EA, Riot Games, Netease, and the Match Group, illustrating its role in Africa and the Middle East's gaming and payments ecosystems. In 2023 Carry1st launched the Pay1st platform, expanding its monetization capabilities.

Section iconCompany Overview

NAICS Code
5415 - Computer Systems Design and Related Services
Founded
2018
Employees
51-200

Section iconFunding & Financials

  • $60M

    Carry1st has raised a total of $60M of funding over 9 rounds. Their latest funding round was raised on Jan 29, 2024as a series_unknown.

  • $10M$25M

    Carry1st's revenue is estimated to be in the range of $10M$25M

Section iconFunding & Financials

  • $60M

    Carry1st has raised a total of $60M of funding over 9 rounds. Their latest funding round was raised on Jan 29, 2024as a series_unknown.

  • $10M$25M

    Carry1st's revenue is estimated to be in the range of $10M$25M

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