At the core of many business origin stories is people taking an initiative to build products and services that they’d like to use for themselves, if for no other reason. Chipper is no different - a little less than three years ago Maijid and I set off on a journey to make sending money across & within Africa easy, accessible, and maybe even fun. We knew the problem was simple but the solution incredibly complex; we also knew there was a greater probability of failure, but most importantly we knew that this was too important not to attempt. As two first-time, African founders each below the age of 25, we knew we had to be bold to set off on this journey.
A few days ago we announced our $100M Series C. Why raise so much money some may ask? Our response to this has been the same since day one. The short answer: because we really are serious about this. The longer answer: building for the next billion users is going to require very many talented people working very hard every day. It is going to require patience, perseverance, and empathy. There will be times when we false start; it will require tremendous trial and error along the way. These things all require significant, long term capital. There is no other way around it.
It is also going to require us doubling down on our commitment to open & transparent communication with our entire Chipper Community, i.e. our users, our global teams(both current & future), and our partners (both in the private & public sector). To this end, we’re going to start prioritizing direct communication to our Chipper Community, as opposed to predominantly communicating through a third party like the press. Announcing the launch of our brand new blog today is the first step in bringing this crucial component of our operations in-house.
Communicating to develop trust is one of our four, core company values, so this is something we are going to be investing strongly in going forward. As we embark on this journey of being owners of our communication, you can count on us to be thoughtful, transparent, and honest about our work.
Real progress is neither easy nor linear. We can't do it alone; in fact we don’t want to do it alone. We need other entrepreneurs to also do their part in moving our ecosystem along, we need the support and cooperation of governments and regulators, and arguably most importantly we need resourceful, empathetic, and driven people to join us in building a better and more inclusive financial world for the next billion people. If this resonates with you then we need you! We need you to help us chip away at one of the most daunting challenges of our time.
Technology is our tool. Empathy is our lens. Unlocking global opportunities is our mission. Join us in trying to solve the hardest, most rewarding, and deeply impactful problems facing billions of people today. Let's make a dent in the universe.
Onwards & upwards,
Ham