Nigerian Startup Makes AI Coding Safer for Everyone

Imagine building a complete app over a weekend just by telling AI what you want in plain English. That's "vibe coding," and it's already helping solo founders launch businesses at a fraction of traditional costs.

But there's a catch. Apps built this fast sometimes expose private information like phone numbers, emails, and addresses to anyone on the internet. That's where Cencori comes in.

The Nigerian startup, founded in June 2025, acts like a safety net for AI-generated applications. Co-founder Bola Roy Banjo saw the problem coming while working in AI security. "We can't just trust AI decisions blindly," he says. "AI products are going to come with problems like data leaks. With Cencori, those protections are built in from the start."

The platform works like a smart middleman between apps and the AI models that power them. Developers tell Cencori what information needs protection, and the system enforces those rules automatically. No sensitive data slips through.

Cencori also solves another headache: AI downtime. When one AI provider like OpenAI goes offline, Cencori instantly switches to another provider like Anthropic or Gemini. Apps keep running without interruption, achieving 99.9% uptime.

The timing matters because vibe coding is exploding across Africa. The continent has long faced challenges accessing capital and engineering talent. Now, founders can turn ideas into working products in days instead of months, slashing startup costs by up to 95%.

Three companies backed by Y Combinator are already using Cencori's platform. Sonarly uses it to detect software bugs with AI. Laurence relies on it to automate Amazon advertising. 1uI builds AI interfaces on top of it.

The Ripple Effect

Cencori's approach could transform how African startups compete globally. By making AI development both faster and safer, the platform removes two major barriers at once. Founders can move quickly without sacrificing user trust or security.

Co-founder Oreofe Ojurereoluwa Daniel calls it "the Cloudflare for AI production." Just as Cloudflare protects millions of websites, Cencori aims to secure the next generation of AI applications. "Most AI builders focus on getting something working," Daniel says. "We help them guarantee it stays secure and reliable when users start paying."

The shift from idea to income now takes days instead of years, and companies like Cencori are making sure that speed doesn't come at the cost of safety.