Business · Companies · 2 days ago
Lagos Life maker Vatar raises $500,000 after game launch
Lagos Life lets players build a virtual life in a city modeled on Lagos.
Vatar raised $500,000 to invest in the game, marketing and hiring.
The game’s rapid growth shows that a locally made browser game can quickly attract players in Nigeria and other countries.
Its popularity also makes safety and content moderation important.
Vatar Inc., maker of the Nigerian browser game Lagos Life, raised a $500,000 angel round at a $10 million valuation.
The company said the round closed in a day, three days after its incorporation.
Lagos Life had reached 4.3 million users by Thursday evening, with players from 15 countries.
The free game lets players create characters and take part in a shared virtual version of Lagos.
Vatar said it will use the funding for product development, marketing and hiring.
- Who
- Vatar Inc., co-founded by Shalom Rayhamen, Owen Rayhamen and Anderson Oriahi.
- What
- The company raised a $500,000 angel round at a $10 million valuation.
- When
- The round closed three days after Vatar’s incorporation on October 6; the article was published October 9, 2026.
- Where
- Lagos, Nigeria; the game is played in a web browser.
- Why
- Vatar said it raised the money to fund product development, marketing and hiring.
Lagos Life players who criticised the feature
Vatar co-founder Shalom Rayhamen
Feature’s effect
Lagos Life players who criticised the feature
Some players said the “Nepo” and “Lapo” character options promote classism.
Vatar co-founder Shalom Rayhamen
Rayhamen said that was not her intention and that players had asked for the feature.
We built something people love that is growing very fast, so a lot of investors wanted to be involved
we closed it quickly so we could focus on the product
wasn’t what I had in mind
We screen and censor messages
Shalom Rayhamen built Lagos Life days later.
Rayhamen, Owen Rayhamen and Anderson Oriahi co-founded Vatar Inc.
Vatar’s $500,000 angel round closed in a day.
Lagos Life had reached 4.3 million users, and more than 100,000 people were playing.
- Funding
- $500,000 angel round
- Valuation
- $10 million
- Company incorporation
- October 6
- Lagos Life users
- 4.3 million by Thursday evening
- Users’ countries
- 15
- Peak concurrent players
- More than 200,000
Sources
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