Tesh Mbaabu and Mesongo Sibuti, co-founders of Kenyan social commerce platform Chpter, have stepped down from day-to-day operations effective September 15, 2025, according to an internal email sent to the Chpter team and investors seen by .
The move hands back control to the original co-founder, Mark Kiarie, who resumes the role of chief executive officer. Kiarie and Kuria Kevin first launched Chpter in 2021, before Mbaabu and Sibuti joined in early 2024 to accelerate growth.
“Over time, it became clear to us that it was right for Mark to take back his role as CEO and chief visionary, steering Chpter with the clarity and conviction only a founder can bring,” Mbaabu said in the email.
The exit marks a significant leadership transition for Chpter after a year of aggressive expansion fueled by industry veterans. Mbaabu and Sibuti, best known for co-founding the YC-backed MarketForce, used their experience to secure crucial capital and strategic partnerships, which then propelled Chpter into new African markets.
Under their leadership, the company secured a partnership with African fintech giant Flutterwave in June 2025, enabling expansion to 14 African markets, and signed up over 3,500 businesses to its conversational commerce platform.
Chpter also closed a $1.2 million pre-seed funding round in September 2024, backed by firms including Pani, Techstars, and Norrsken. Earlier this year, Chpter also spun off Pluto, a dedicated WhatsApp API suite, as a subsidiary to deepen its focus on AI-powered transactions.
In the email announcing the move, Mbaabu and Sibuti described the decision as “difficult but very personal,” and expressed “complete confidence” in Kiarie’s ability to steer Chpter forward as its “chief visionary.”
The move follows Mbaabu and Sibuti’s previous pivot when the two entrepreneurs joined Chpter after their prior company, MarketForce, shut down its B2B e-commerce unit, RejaReja, in April 2024 amid a challenging funding environment for B2B marketplaces. At the time, Mbaabu and Sibuti cited their new focus on Chpter as the next chapter for their entrepreneurial pursuits.
Mbaabu and Sibuti stated they would “soon be embarking on our next venture together,” drawing on the experience gained from both the MarketForce and Chpter journeys.
“As for us, we will soon be embarking on our next venture, inspired by the lessons, scars, and hope this journey has given us,” they said.
With Kiarie back as CEO, Chpter is consolidating leadership around its original founders as it attempts to scale AI and social commerce infrastructure across Africa. The big question is whether this reshuffle helps Chpter sustain momentum at a time when African startups face mounting pressure to prove business models, raise capital in leaner markets, and show that AI-driven commerce can deliver at scale.
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