The news:
- Disha, a no-code platform that helps creatives market their products and process payments, has announced that it will cease operations on March 31, 2024, citing a temporary measure.
- Flutterwave acquired the company in 2021, and it says it is pausing services to reassess its goals and explore new ways to serve users.
- After the shutdown, hundreds of thousands of users who use the platform's tools to manage their online presence will still have access to their accounts and stored data.
The platform has thus advised its over 100,000 creators, including content creators, influencers, artists, writers, and designers, to migrate their files to alternative platforms such as Mainstack, Milkshake, and Linktree before the shutdown date. It also asked users to stay connected for updates.
"We find joy in providing you with tools that move your craft forward, and this pause is critical in helping us rethink our focus," Disha explained in a statement on X.
While Disha has stated that the break is only temporary, it has yet to announce a specific date for its reopening. Ongoing subscriptions will be refunded.
Disha, co-founded in 2019 by Evans Akanno and Rufus Oyemade, with Blessing Abeng joining a year later as co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer, operates similarly to Selar and Irawo, allowing digital creators to showcase and sell digital products, create one-page website portfolios, and receive payments from their global audience.
This is the second time Disha has suspended operations. In February 2021, the Nigeria-based platform with over 20,000 users announced that it would shut down by December 2022 due to a lack of resources to continue operations. Before it closed, Flutterwave acquired the platform for an undisclosed sum.
On the acquisition in 2021, Olugbengba Agboola, co-founder and CEO of Flutterwave, said Disha presented an opportunity for Flutterwave to break into new markets of independent creators that need reliable tools to showcase their craft and get paid.
Despite Flutterwave's lofty aspirations for Disha, the platform appears to have fallen short, necessitating a re-evaluation.
