Copia co-founders launch new startup Stahili after collapse

NAIROBI, Kenya – July 23, 2025 – Less than two months after the dramatic collapse of Kenyan e-commerce giant Copia Global, its co-founder Tracey Turner, along with former CEO Tim Steel and former CTO Michael King, have quietly launched a new startup named Stahili. Corporate filings reveal that Stahili was registered in June 2024, barely a month after Copia entered into administration and began its liquidation process.

The swift re-entry into the e-commerce scene has raised eyebrows, particularly among Copia’s creditors, employees, and investors who are still grappling with the aftermath of one of Kenya’s most prominent startup failures. Copia, which had raised over $123 million (KES 15.8 billion) in funding over 12 years, ultimately succumbed to operational debt and an inability to secure fresh capital, leading to its winding down by September 2024.

Stahili: A new chapter in e-commerce?

Stahili, which is already operational in Kenya with a live website, presents a different model from its predecessor. The new platform promises cashback, discounts, and mobile data rewards for user engagement, drawing inspiration from early Groupon in the US and Coupang in South Korea. This signals a shift from Copia’s asset-heavy, agent-driven last-mile delivery system, which served rural and peri-urban households.

Company registration data shows that Stahili is wholly owned by Copia Holding Company, a US-registered entity linked to Tracey Turner and previously associated with the now-defunct Copia Global. While Copia Global’s Kenyan and Ugandan operations were shut down and its assets liquidated to pay creditors, the holding company appears to have survived, now serving as the corporate parent for Stahili. Tracey Turner is listed as the executive chairperson, with Tim Steel as CEO and Michael King as CTO.

Lessons from Copia’s downfall

Copia Global, founded in 2012 by Tracey Turner and Jonathan Lewis, was once lauded as a promising “tech-for-good” story, aiming to bridge the e-commerce gap for underserved populations. Despite significant investments from prominent firms like DOB Equity, Goodwell Investments, and Lightrock, the company never achieved profitability. Its strategy, typical of many venture-backed startups, prioritized rapid growth over immediate financial sustainability, a gamble that ultimately did not pay off. By early 2024, escalating operational costs and shrinking margins, coupled with a failure to secure a crucial $20 million funding injection (following a $20 million raise in December 2023), led to its inevitable collapse.

The new venture, Stahili, appears to be positioning itself for value-seeking shoppers, particularly those in lower and middle-income brackets, a demographic similar to Copia’s original target market. However, the business model seems less reliant on extensive physical infrastructure and inventory, which were significant cost centers for Copia.

Beyond Stahili: Olverra

In addition to Stahili, Tracey Turner also launched Olverra in January 2025, a US-registered entity that facilitates the sale of handmade products from African artisans to international markets. Turner serves as the executive chair, with Kenyan data engineer Vijay Otieno as CEO. This venture focuses on supporting local creators by offering global reach, potentially bypassing some of the logistical and scaling challenges that plagued Copia.

The launch of Stahili by Copia’s former leadership team raises critical questions about corporate recovery, asset protection, and investor confidence in the Kenyan startup ecosystem. While the new model for Stahili aims for a lower burn rate and a clearer path to profitability, it still faces the challenge of delivering value at scale in a competitive market without rapidly depleting capital.

Industry experts and stakeholders will be closely watching Stahili’s trajectory to see if the lessons learned from Copia’s multi-million dollar failure will pave the way for a more sustainable and profitable future for these seasoned entrepreneurs.