Rise of Fearless Secures $1 Million in Funding to Scale African Mobile Gaming IP

UAE-based gaming venture Rise of Fearless has successfully secured $1 million in funding from Mauritius-based Epic Edges Capital. The investment arrives as founder Kanessa Muluneh assembles an impressive international team featuring industry veterans with deep-rooted experience at major companies such as Ubisoft, PlayStation, and Capcom to audit, optimize, and scale the African mobile title on a global stage.

Ahead of Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan, founder Kanessa Muluneh discussed the journey behind landing the seven-figure investment after walking away from her original target, the persistent misconceptions investors hold regarding Africa as a single market, and what it truly takes for the continent to build games that resonate with audiences worldwide.

Evolving the Core Game and Assembling an All-Star International Team

Since its initial inception, Rise of Fearless has continued to progress steadily. Following its launch in 2025, the title is now live and accessible to players globally on both the Apple App Store and Google Play, having accumulated over 15,000 downloads to date. The current operational focus centers heavily on refining the player experience, reinforcing the underlying technology, and establishing a robust foundation capable of supporting long-term, sustainable growth.

The inclusion of a knowledgeable and experienced international gaming team has positioned the project for a new chapter of expansion. Muluneh’s primary vision has always been to construct African-owned intellectual property that successfully integrates local stories, rich history, and vibrant culture into the medium of gaming, while simultaneously crafting a product capable of competing internationally on technical and creative merits.

A major catalyst for this growth has been the integration of seasoned industry professionals who have previously contributed to some of the biggest franchises in the gaming sector. Rise of Fearless has partnered with Miniboss Solutions, spearheaded by Adam Krause and TJ Consunji, who bring extensive expertise honed at companies including Ubisoft, PlayStation, 2K, Capcom, and Krafton to oversee publishing and marketing strategies.

Additional strategic partnerships include Yoshio Osaki of IDG Intelligence, who provides critical market research and overarching strategy; TQ Jefferson of Trick Question Studios, driving franchise development and creative direction; and Spectra Studios, which contributes high-level triple-A game development and technical art expertise.

Muluneh regards this network as a transformative step for the company, noting that having professionals who genuinely understand what it takes to build, launch, and grow gaming franchises internationally completely redefines the potential of Rise of Fearless. While collaborative development efforts in the Philippines remain an integrated component of the production pipeline, the project now successfully bridges diverse global markets to prepare the title for a substantially broader audience.

Overcoming Challenges and Navigating Diverse Regional Markets

Achieving early traction with over 15,000 downloads since its 2025 debut—with particularly strong player communities established in Nigeria, Ethiopia, and South Africa—has brought both milestones and distinct operational obstacles to light. The immediate path forward involves a comprehensive audit of the game currently being conducted alongside the new international team, the findings of which will directly steer the next wave of mechanical and technical enhancements.

Operating across the African continent introduces complex hurdles, particularly regarding fragmented payment systems, varied internet connectivity, and localized infrastructure. Muluneh emphasizes that building a sustainable enterprise requires patience and a deep appreciation for the differences between regions, ensuring players continue to enjoy the experience as it evolves into a globally competitive, African-owned franchise.

Reflecting on the financial strategy behind the project, Muluneh revealed that the team intentionally pivoted away from an initially announced $700,000 fundraising goal. Instead, the venture continued bootstrapping until the right strategic investment partner emerged. Maintaining creative independence and ensuring investors understood the foundational vision were non-negotiable priorities throughout the process.

The resulting $1 million injection from Mauritius-based Epic Edges Capital—structured through a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE)—represents a major corporate milestone following a prolonged period of independent development. This capital will be directly allocated toward strengthening internal talent, upgrading infrastructure and technology, and scaling marketing and community engagement initiatives. Muluneh stressed that raising capital solely for the sake of accumulation was never the objective; rather, securing aligned partners who add strategic value was paramount.

The fundraising landscape itself has remained largely consistent from Muluneh’s perspective, though her personal network has expanded organically. Investors who have tracked the project’s progression over time have grown increasingly confident in supporting her strategic roadmap. Maintaining transparency, communicating clear business plans, and answering complex inquiries openly have proven effective in attracting backing, with the Mauritius-based Epic Edges Capital providing an ideal regional anchor on the African continent.

Charting a Commercial Path and Re-evaluating the African Gaming Opportunity

Commercial sustainability and the finalization of the business model will be fully solidified following the conclusion of the ongoing technical audit. In the interim, leadership is systematically expanding its data repository to maximize online and offline platform efficiency. Upcoming discussions with executives at Google and Apple, alongside meetings with various regional online payment providers across the continent, will help determine the most effective gateways and monetization structures.

Muluneh has frequently highlighted Africa as one of the most overlooked sectors within the global entertainment industry, noting that international companies and investors frequently harbor fundamental misunderstandings about the market. Most notably, external stakeholders often treat Africa as a monolithic entity rather than acknowledging the distinct realities, consumer behaviors, economic conditions, infrastructures, languages, and cultures across its 54 individual countries. Furthermore, external players frequently view the continent purely as a consumer market rather than a place capable of generating proprietary intellectual property.

Industry projections, such as estimates from Newzoo indicating that Africa will house more than 406 million players by 2026 while generating approximately $2 billion in revenue, often lead observers to question whether the market focuses too heavily on raw player metrics rather than actual spending power. Muluneh points out that having hundreds of millions of gamers does not automatically translate into spending patterns mirroring Europe or other mature markets, making purchasing power and payment access critical considerations.

Consequently, developers must design business models tailored to local economic realities, incorporating accessible pricing tiers, localized advertising, alternative payment solutions, and creative monetization strategies. Accessibility has consistently guided the mobile-first development philosophy behind Rise of Fearless, ensuring the title remains within reach of as wide an audience as possible.

Strengthening Regional Bridges and Expanding the Vision

Synergies between the African and Middle Eastern games industries represent another significant avenue for growth. Muluneh recently addressed these cross-regional opportunities on stage at the Global Games Show in Saudi Arabia. Both regions share deep historical connections and complementary strengths, with the Middle East heavily investing in gaming infrastructure while Africa boasts a rapidly expanding player base.

Fostering partnerships that allow African studios to tap into publishing expertise, advanced technology, and international distribution networks—while strictly retaining ownership of their created intellectual property—remains a core objective. Notably, Rise of Fearless chose to register its intellectual property within the Middle East due to the presence of robust legal protections that suited the company’s long-term corporate strategy.

Ultimately, Rise of Fearless is positioned as a single foundational product within a much broader corporate vision designed to unlock greater opportunities for African creators to develop, own, and scale their own intellectual properties on the world stage.