Nigerian artisans deserve better than Instagram DMs.
We're building the commerce infrastructure that Nigeria's creative economy is missing — so makers can focus on making, not managing.
Walk through any market in Lagos, Ibadan, or Kano and you'll find extraordinary talent — tailors turning ankara into art, jewelers working with local metals, leather craftspeople whose techniques go back generations. Nigeria's creative economy generates an estimated ₦895 billion annually, but almost all of it runs through WhatsApp groups and Instagram DMs.
That means fake payment alerts, no delivery tracking, hours wasted answering “how much?” in DMs, and zero business data. A fashion designer in Yaba with 20,000 Instagram followers still can't tell you her repeat purchase rate or her best-selling product last month. She's running a real business on tools built for sharing selfies.
Arena exists to fix this. We built a complete e-commerce platform specifically for Nigerian artisans and creative sellers. Not a Shopify clone. Not another Jumia. A marketplace that meets sellers where they already are (social media) and gives them the storefront, payments, shipping, and analytics they need to grow.
What we've built
Everything is live in production. No vapor, no coming-soon pages. Real vendors, real transactions.
Backend & Infrastructure
Web Marketplace
Mobile App
Verified Payments
Paystack and Flutterwave. No more fake transfer alerts.
Integrated Shipping
Multiple carriers compared in real-time. Nationwide delivery.
Social Inbox
Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp DMs — one dashboard.
AI Tools
Snap a photo, get a product listing. AI writes your DM replies.
Business Analytics
Know your best sellers, your margins, your customers.
Grow at Your Pace
Free to start. Upgrade for lower commissions and premium features.
Where we are today
Early, honest, and growing. Free to list — Arena earns a commission when vendors make a sale.
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Active Artisan Vendors
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Handcrafted Products
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Registered Customers
How we make money
Two revenue streams: a commission on every sale, plus optional monthly subscriptions for vendors who want lower rates and more features. As vendors grow, they upgrade — so our incentives are aligned.
| Tier | Commission | Monthly Fee |
|---|---|---|
FREE | 5-12% | Category-based rates, no monthly fee |
BASIC | 10% | ₦5,000/month |
PRO | 7% | ₦15,000/month |
ELITE | 5% | ₦30,000/month |
What's next
We're focused on the things that turn a working product into a growing business.
Hit ₦1M monthly recurring revenue
Proves vendors will pay for tools that help them sell more.
200+ active artisan vendors
Real marketplace liquidity across fashion, art, jewelry, and homeware.
Lock in logistics partnerships
Delivery is the #1 trust barrier in Nigerian e-commerce. We solve it through partners, not warehouses.
Measure vendor impact
Track actual artisan income generated. This data unlocks creative economy grants.
Impact by design
We didn't bolt impact onto a business model. The model isthe impact — every transaction on Arena puts money in an artisan's pocket. That naturally aligns with five UN Sustainable Development Goals.
No Poverty
Turning artisan skills into sustainable livelihoods
Quality Education
Teaching digital commerce through hands-on vendor tools
Decent Work
Formal economic participation for informal creators
Responsible Consumption
Handcrafted over mass-produced, local over imported
Partnerships
Connecting artisans, payment providers, and logistics networks
The team
Arena was founded by Femi Adeyemo, a Nigerian based in the US. The platform was built in-house and is live in production today.
Operating from both countries gives us a direct line to the Nigerian artisan community and access to the diaspora market — a growing customer base for authentic Nigerian goods.
Meet the full teamLet's talk
We're open to conversations with investors, accelerators, grant programs, and anyone working to strengthen Africa's creative economy.