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Kenyan FinTech startup Cloud9 has acquired digital ticketing platform MTickets in a deal that has the potential to reshape how event organisers across Africa access capital and how consumers pay for live experiences. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The acquisition announced on 4 May 2026 brings together two complementary businesses. MTickets was founded by Brian Bogonko in 2014 and has processed more than one million tickets. Cloud9, a digital banking startup, was founded in 2025 by Tesh Mbaabu, a serial entrepreneur also behind Marketforce and ChpterAI, along with Mesongo Sibuti.
According to the companies, the tie-up is designed to embed financial services directly within the ticketing experience, eliminating friction for both consumers and event organisers while creating new financial opportunities across the board.
For consumers, the acquisition promises a smoother, more rewarding path to discovering and attending events. Through the Cloud9 app, users will gain access to faster and more secure payments across events, entertainment, and travel, alongside cashback rewards, early-bird offers, and curated experiences.
The bigger shift, however, will happen on the organiser side. Event promoters in Africa have long been locked out of traditional financing, unable to secure credit to cover venue deposits, artist fees, logistics, and marketing costs. By acquiring MTickets, Cloud9 wants to fix this very gap.
“This partnership is about making everyday experiences better for consumers and more sustainable for the people behind them,” said Tesh Mbaabu, founder and CEO of Cloud9.
He added, “For our customers, it means simpler, more rewarding ways to pay for and access events. For event organisers, it means access to the financial tools they’ve historically lacked – especially credit. We’ve set aside capital specifically to support them because we believe the events ecosystem deserves better infrastructure to grow.”
In a statement, Cloud9 reveals that the merged entity will operate by layering its financial services infrastructure on top of MTickets’ existing ticketing technology. Instead of running two separate products, the companies intend to deliver a full-stack solution with one platform for organisers to sell tickets while also accessing the working capital needed to stage their events.
Cloud9 will roll out credit products specifically designed for event organisers, backed by dedicated capital to help fund venues, talent, and production upfront, manage cash flow across ticket sales cycles, and reduce the financial risks associated with large-scale events. Organisers will also gain access to digital bank accounts, collections, and payout tools built specifically for event-driven businesses, along with better visibility into sales performance and a growing base of digitally native consumers.
Brian Bogonko, founder and CEO of MTickets, said, “Mtickets has always focused on making it easier for people to access events and for organisers to reach their audiences. Partnering with Cloud9 allows us to take that further — by integrating payments and unlocking financing, we’re giving organisers the full stack of tools to build bigger and better experiences, while making the process smoother for customers.”
While events are the start, the combined entity wants to shake up the entire ticketing economy. Cloud9 and MTickets plan to expand into travel and entertainment ticketing, including air, bus, rail, pay-per-view(PPV) and cinema, with pilots already underway. This acquisition aims to build the financial rails that underpin how young Africans access ticketing experiences across different categories.
