Quabbly

Automate business operations without code.

🇳🇬 Nigeria Developer Tools & CloudShut down

Epitaph

“Here lies Quabbly. It let African teams build internal tools and automate their databases without writing code. But Excel stayed good enough for most, custom software felt too dear to switch to, and three years on the revenue never cleared a nice-to-have. The domain is now for sale.”

Overview

Born: 2021 (Year)
Died: March 2024 (Month)
Lifespan: 3 years
Fate: Shut down
Headquarters: 🇳🇬 Nigeria
Category: Developer Tools & Cloud, Productivity & Workspace
Stage at death: Seed
Primary cause: No product-market fit
Contributing causes: Business model or unit economics, Distribution or go-to-market

Death certificate

Timeline

2021Founded
David Ogbonna-Eze, Jamiu Ozigi and Soliudeen Ogunsola launch Quabbly, a Lagos-based no-code BPM platform
2023Revenue plateau
Company reports about $36,000 in annual revenue and roughly 30 customers

Autopsy report

Why did Quabbly shut down?

Quabbly, a Lagos-based no-code/low-code BPM platform letting African teams build internal tools and automate databases without coding, quietly ceased operations around 2023–2024 after struggling to convert small businesses from Excel/manual workflows into paying customers at scale; its co-founders moved to other jobs and its domain has since lapsed.

What Quabbly attempted

A low-code Business Process Management platform letting African teams and SMEs build custom internal tools/admin panels and automate databases without writing code.

What worked

Raised pre-seed/seed backing from Oui Capital, Ventures Platform and Makerpad founder Ben Tossell; reported reaching about $36,000 in annual revenue and roughly 30 customers by 2023.

Early warning signs

Revenue stayed very small (~$36K/year, ~30 customers) years after founding; the company reportedly struggled to move beyond being a 'nice-to-have' for larger firms into an essential tool for SMEs.

What happened

Quabbly could not translate its no-code/low-code proposition into scalable revenue in a market where Excel remained the default tool and custom development was seen as too costly to justify switching; the co-founders (David Ogbonna-Eze, Jamiu Ozigi and Soliudeen Ogunsola) took on other jobs and the startup quietly stopped operating, with the company not publicly disclosing its reasons for closing; its domain (quabbly.com) has since expired and is listed for sale.

Lessons for future builders

A no-code platform only wins if leaving spreadsheets feels necessary, not merely tidier. Confirm small businesses will pay to switch off Excel and manual workflows before spending to scale acquisition, since a nicer tool rarely dislodges a free default.