WeJapa

Talent marketplace.

Epitaph

“Here lies WeJapa. It matched African developers with global employers, the founder screening each application himself. In August 2020 developers went public over pay and treatment, a leadership change followed, but trust never returned. The site quietly went dark by 2021.”

Overview

Born: 2019 (Year)
Died: March 2021 (Month)
Lifespan: 2 years
Fate: Shut down
Headquarters: 🇳🇬 Nigeria
Category: HR & Talent, Services & Marketplaces
Stage at death: Pre-seed
Primary cause: Founder or team
Contributing causes: Governance or fraud, Execution

Death certificate

Timeline

April 2020Launch
WeJapa launches as a mobile marketplace matching African developers to global jobs
August 2020Scandal breaks
Developers publicly accuse founder/CEO Favour Ori of underpayment and mistreatment
22 August 2020Founder apology
Ori apologizes publicly, denies fraud, takes temporary leave
October 2020CEO steps down
Investigation finds Ori 'high-handed'
March 2021Apparent shutdown
Website no longer functional

Autopsy report

Why did WeJapa shut down?

WeJapa, a Lagos talent marketplace matching African developers with global employers, was engulfed in an August 2020 scandal after developers publicly accused founder Favour Ori of underpayment and mistreatment. An investor-commissioned probe (Calmhill Partners) found him "high-handed," and he stepped down as CEO in October 2020 for a CTO role under new CEO Hauwa Aguillard. No official shutdown was ever announced, but the company's public presence and website went inactive by around 2021.

What WeJapa attempted

WeJapa was a mediated talent marketplace matching African software developers with global employers, with the founder personally screening applications; developers paid only after securing work.

What worked

Raised roughly $50,000 from angel investors and Microtraction; built an initial developer and employer base and ran hackathons/screening cycles in its first months.

Early warning signs

In August 2020, multiple developers publicly accused CEO Favour Ori on Twitter of underpaying or not paying for work and of mistreating staff; Microtraction commissioned an independent investigation within three days of the allegations surfacing.

What happened

The Calmhill Partners investigation found Ori had been "high-handed" in his dealings; he apologized publicly on August 22, 2020, took a leave of absence, and in October 2020 stepped down as CEO to become CTO, with Hauwa Aguillard taking over as CEO. Despite this leadership change and reputation-recovery efforts, WeJapa's public activity faded and its website became non-functional, with no official closure ever announced.

Lessons for future builders

A marketplace runs on the trust of the people who supply it, and mistreating them unravels the network in public. Set clear terms on pay and communication with your supply side, and address grievances early, before they become the whole story.