Rise of Fearless launches USD 700,000 investment round to advance Web3 mobile gaming in Africa

Kanessa Muluneh, a seasoned entrepreneur and investor originally from Ethiopia, has launched a new Web3 battle royale game titled Rise of Fearless, aiming to create a culturally rich gaming experience rooted in African heritage.

The game, which debuted on May 3, offers a peer-to-peer (P2P) multiplayer battle royale format where players engage in combat using traditional African weapons and compete on leaderboards. Although early users have experienced some technical challenges such as long matchmaking times and buffering, Muluneh and her team are actively addressing these issues. A recent tournament event significantly boosted the game’s downloads from just 100 to over 1,000 on the Google Play Store.

Muluneh’s vision for Rise of Fearless is ambitious. Drawing inspiration from the historic Battle of Adwa, where Ethiopia successfully resisted colonial forces, the game aims to blend storytelling with competitive gameplay to engage Africans at home, the diaspora, and black communities worldwide. The game’s roadmap includes launching a play-to-earn (P2E) feature, enabling players to earn NFTs that hold real-world value, a model proven successful by games like Axie Infinity, whose developers are collaborating on this project.

Born in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, Muluneh moved to the Netherlands as a child due to civil conflict. She has since built and sold multiple startups, including a medical tech company at age 21. Now based in Dubai, she invests in AI and blockchain ventures while maintaining a strong commitment to African tech innovation.

Monetization plans for Rise of Fearless include in-game advertising and NFT collectibles. Muluneh is currently closing a $700,000 funding round to enhance marketing and development but remains cautious about large investments that could dilute ownership. She envisions the game growing into a billion-dollar enterprise with a target of 100,000 users in its first year.

Muluneh acknowledges the challenges ahead, particularly around regulatory hurdles for digital assets and fragmented payment systems across African markets. However, her approach focuses on community-led growth and continuous improvement of the game’s graphics and storytelling.