A few years ago, after being scammed on an online purchase, I realized how vulnerable buyers and sellers are in peer-to-peer transactions. I had bought a pair of jeans for ₦12,000 from a vendor I had followed for nearly three years, confident in their reputation. Despite consistent posts and apparent reliability, the item never arrived, and my messages went unanswered. Frustrated, I asked myself: why isn’t there a trusted middleman to secure payments and ensure deliveries? That question became the spark that led to Kipa.

As I explored solutions, I ran into another challenge. I made an online purchase where the seller was supposed to deliver via their rider. I paid the delivery fee, but the rider was unavailable at the time of pickup. I spent hours finding someone else to complete the delivery, paying a separate fee in the process, and never receiving a refund for the first one. That experience highlighted another gap: there was no reliable way to confirm deliveries or handle errands quickly and efficiently.