5 notable rebrands in African tech in 2025

Tech startups rebrand just like music artists do to reflect growth, new direction, and shifting identities. Think Wizkid to Big Wiz, or 2face to 2Baba. Sometimes the name has to evolve to match the vision.

In tech, rebranding helps companies stay relevant, expand into new markets, shed outdated perceptions, attract fresh audiences, and better communicate who they are becoming. It’s also a way to build trust and sharpen positioning in a space where innovation moves fast.

In 2024, we saw about five rebrands:
1) Whogohost → GO54
2) Vodafone Ghana → Telecel Ghana
3) Founders Factory Africa → 54 Collective
4) Bendada.com → Condia
5) Topset → Lingawa

However, 2025 brought its own story—a challenging year marked by funding droughts, tighter investor sentiment, and approximately nine shutdowns across the ecosystem. Only a handful of young startups managed to raise money, as the “big dawgs” dominated attention and capital.

Still, amidst these harsh realities, African tech continued to move forward. Kept evolving. Kept showing its workings. And some showed this evolution through rebrands.

Here are five African tech companies that changed their identity in 2025:

1) Moni → Rank

In November 2025, Y Combinator–backed fintech Moni officially rebranded to Rank, signifying its transition from a community-based lending platform into a full financial institution.

The rebrand came with the acquisition of AjoMoney, a digital group-savings platform, and Zazzau Microfinance Bank (now Rank Microfinance Bank). This gave Rank a regulated foundation for deposits, expanded services, and direct integration into the Nigerian Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS).

CEO Femi Iromini said the Rank identity reflects a commitment to helping Africans “move up the economic ladder.” He described it as “a new chapter in our mission to make prosperity common,” built on community, trust, and shared progress.

2) Nucleus Africa → RIGO

In July 2025, Nucleus Africa (formerly NucleusIS Africa) rebranded to RIGO Incorporated, marking its expansion from a health-tech startup into a full-blown healthcare ecosystem builder.

Unveiled at a Lagos event, the rebrand followed the acquisition of a microfinance bank and introduced a new two-part operational structure of RIGO Finance and RIGO Tech

CEO Kayode Odeyinde said the rebrand represents a shift from solving isolated health insurance issues to building the infrastructure the entire sector lacks. He emphasized that the company is “building infrastructure in places where even electricity is not guaranteed,” addressing deep-rooted challenges such as hospital cash-flow gaps, pharmacy inventory financing, and slow HMO payments.

He described the identity as “redefining what’s possible for healthcare in Africa.”

3) 9mobile → T2

In August 2025, Nigeria’s fourth-largest telecom operator, 9mobile, transformed into T2, its second major identity shift after the 2017 change from Etisalat Nigeria.

This followed its acquisition by Lighthouse Telecoms in 2023 and came with sweeping strategic changes: a new board and the appointment of Obafemi Banigbe as CEO and a major network-modernization deal with MTN Nigeria. A shift toward becoming a digital-first, cloud-native telecom brand, and a phased rollout to ensure seamless continuity for existing customers.

CEO Banigbe called it “the beginning of a bold new chapter,” stressing that the change goes beyond a logo. It represents a transformation in how T2 will serve Nigerians.

Chairman Thomas Etuh added that the move is driven by a desire to “reclaim all lost grounds.”

4) Payhippo → Rivy

In March 2025, SME lender Payhippo rebranded to Rivy, pivoting into clean-energy financing.

The rebrand was unveiled alongside a $4 million pre-Series A round (split evenly between equity and debt) to fund its new mission of financing solar power systems and other renewable energy solutions for households and SMEs.

Rivy introduced A dual marketplace connecting 250+ solar vendors and installers to customers, financing products designed to reduce the high upfront cost of energy systems, and infrastructure expansion backed by climate-focused investors such as All On and EchoVC Eco.

CEO Dami Olawoye said Rivy represents a deeper commitment to Africa’s clean-energy transition. “Sunlight and brilliance,” the meaning behind the name, captures the company’s goal of powering Africa’s future through accessible, innovative financing.

5) Geegpay → Raenest Personal

Around October 2025, cross-border payments platform Geegpay was fully consolidated under the identity of its parent company, Raenest, merging all operations into a unified global-finance platform.

The new Raenest introduced two core offerings: Raenest Personal and Raenest Business

The rebrand came with a redesigned platform and features, including Nest, USDC, and USDT wallets; Raenest Fasttrack; Raenest Tags; and zero-fee deposits for USD, GBP, and EUR during the transition.

It also revealed plans to expand into the US and Francophone Africa.

CEO Victor Alade said the rebrand reflects Raenest’s evolution from solving personal freelancer payment issues to providing a comprehensive global financial identity. The goal, he said, is to give users “one identity and one future” while enabling Africans to manage money globally without geographic barriers.