Former Blu Nation CEO launches SplashArk for sellers and creators

Marvin Mvondo, who built a music career staging Afrobeats events with acts like Rema and Davido, has launched SplashArk in Katy, Texas. The free app aims to help informal sellers, service providers and creators sell, book, go live and get paid in one place.

Why it matters: - SplashArk is aimed at people who earn outside traditional workplaces and need a simpler way to run a business. - The app targets informal sellers, service providers and creators who often juggle payments, bookings and sales across multiple platforms. - The product is designed for English- and French-speaking users in more than 30 countries, with both card and mobile money support.

What happened: - Marvin Mvondo, the former CEO of Blu Nation, launched SplashArk from Katy, Texas. - Mvondo spent more than a decade in music before moving into technology. - Blu Nation was a record label and entertainment company distributed through Roc Nation Distro. - Mvondo produced Afrobeats and Afropop artists and organized festivals, concerts and events across the United States, England and Africa. - Those events included shows with Rema, Davido and Mr P of P-Square. - SplashArk is free on Google Play, the App Store and the web at splashark.com. - SplashArk is set to launch on Product Hunt on September 30.

The details: - SplashArk combines a storefront for physical and digital products, a booking calendar with deposits across 35 service categories, and live selling with tickets, pay-per-view and tips. - Customers can pay in the app by card through Stripe or by mobile money through PawaPay. - Payments are held until delivery, and disputes are reviewed by people. - WINTA, the app's built-in AI assistant, helps with pricing and customer questions. - SplashArk works in English and French in more than 30 countries. - SplashArk, Inc. was founded in 2023 and is based in Katy, Texas. - The app is built for Android, iOS and the web. - The company says the app is for small sellers, service providers and creators who want one place to sell, take bookings, go live and get paid.

Between the lines: - Mvondo's pitch reflects a shift from entertainment to software, but the business problem is the same: helping independent talent get paid without losing margin to intermediaries. - The focus on mobile money and bilingual support points to a business built for African and diaspora users, not only US consumers. - The app's design also fits the growing number of people who mix side hustles, content work and small-business income. - The International Labour Organization estimates that 83.1% of all employment in Africa was informal in 2024. - Bankrate's 2025 survey found that 27% of US adults have a side hustle. - The Migration Policy Institute says the sub-Saharan African immigrant population in the United States tripled since 2000 to 2.5 million in 2024.

What's next: - SplashArk will be introduced to a wider audience through its Product Hunt launch on September 30. - The company will likely test whether a single app can replace the patchwork of tools many small businesses and creators use today. - Adoption in diaspora and cross-border markets will be a key early signal for whether SplashArk's payments model resonates.