Perseus Mlambo
@perseusmlambo
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Following
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Statuses
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CEO @onchitchathq (YC S21). Didn’t we dream big, once or twice?
Lusaka, Zambia
Joined December 2013
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Panther is out of the bag:
@weareunion54
is part of
@ycombinator
S21 Batch. Our mission is to develop Africa's financial infrastructure. Step 1 is to help African fintechs issue virtual debit cards from any part of Africa.
The first Zambian startup to get into YC is developing Africa's first card-issuing API by
@ulonnaya
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There is a google doc being edited by Africa's foremost startups. At least $4 Billion in valuations all giving feedback about how to turn the Republic of Zambia into Africa's Delaware. A United Africa is within reach.
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We are going to build a billion dollar business from Zambia. Plenty of mistakes will be made & plenty of money will be saved for our customers. We will make business owners & our community wealthier in the process. Above all, it won't be boring and there will be a lot of firsts!
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Outside of fintech, please can you point me to some of the most ambitious projects in Africa? Which founders have the most grand visions for Africa?
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One thing I wish I grasped earlier: the future is malleable.
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The prize for winning a data science hackathon, is an internship at Absa.
Not investment. Not seed funding. Not paid employment. An internship.
Absa Bank Zambia (
@AbsaZambia
) has officially launched their first-ever Hackathon themed “Innovation through Data Science”, which received over 300 applicants from all over Zambia.
The top 20 will battle it out over the next 3 days and the top 3 chosen on Friday 12th May 2023.
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Zambia represents the best hope in our lifetimes to make a tech Mecca for all Africans. It’s on the precipice of doing just that - it just needs to decide if it’s coming or going.
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Which Zambian news made international headlines recently? The bugatti, the dead fish and our Mayor's wedding.
Loud in our laughter, silent in our suffering 💔
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We know there’s a been a lot of speculation about what’s caused the pause in service. Posting this here to end all speculation and give context and clarity.
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When you have to give a budget speech but HR insists that today is bring your son to work day.
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Zambia is land LINKED!
#Zambia
will be a hub of innovation, modern development and opportunity at the heart of our region. We are proud to see more young people dreaming big and taking charge.
#ZambiaKuChalo
#aBetterFuture
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Stoked to have the confidence of so many wonderful and experienced people to continue executing on our mission with
@weareunion54
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A lot of you have been asking what Zazu really means. Zambia And Zimbabwe United.
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Spenn has acquired a majority stake in Kazang Zambia. $2mn in cash and 10.5mn shares in Spenn, diluting Spenn by 0.44%. Kazang has 12,000 agents, of which 10k are always active. $2mn in cash is a lot of money in our environment - well played to Kazang
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The flippening is underway. We are going to turn Zambia into Africa's Delaware and our long term bet is going to be proven correct. Zambia is on the up now baby!
It was an honour meeting the President of the Republic of Zambia 🇿🇲, President
@HHichilema
. We discussed the power of technology in enabling economic growth, how
@theflutterwave
is simplifying payments for endless possibilities & our plans to scale payments in Zambia 🦋
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Because of school, work and life etc, my little brother and I haven't lived together for something like 14 years. He's coming to visit for a month. Which means we finally have a babysitter. Invite us to all your parties this month.
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From Fashion Sakala, Patson Banda, Barbra Banda, Patrick Chinyemba, Tilka,
@ChiqqaShanna
and many more names. Zambia right now is undergoing an elegantly understated cultural renaissance.
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I shared this message with my team regarding the future. We're back and with a more ambitious growth plan, product and team. Sharing here on Twitter to put a stake in the ground.
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Have children. When you come home, they will hug you and ask how your day was. And then show you everything in the house that they broke. With a smile.
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Throughout this week, Nairobi has the highest illiquid millionaires per capita. Baddies, you can spot them by the # of stickers on their laptops.
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Stronger through adversity and all that. Grateful for the continued chance to serve Africa and build responsibly, transparently and in a way that truly moves the needle.
African fintech Union54 halted operations over an attempted $1.2 billion chargeback fraud last year; in a candid interview, co-founder and CEO
@perseusmlambo
talks through the challenges.
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Check in with your friends who are now back home but still inexplicably hanging on to the +1, +44, or any other foreign number.
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An American friend once told me that he’s happy to be taxed globally because he knows that wherever he may be taken or stranded, the Americans will always find him and bring him home.
U.S. Special Forces utilizing UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopters are Confirmed to have Evacuated at least 70 Americans from the U.S. Embassy in the Sudanese Capital; it is currently Unknown where they have been taken to.
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Critics used to say Africans don’t want cards they want to ‘leapfrog’. Now they are saying
@ZazuAfricaHQ
won’t compete once MNO’s offer cards. Soon they will be saying cross border regulation will kill Zazu. Meanwhile....
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What is the best African country to raise kids in? Healthcare, education, sport, quality of life etc. No biases please.
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Since we stopped Union54’s API, we’ve been busy cooking. Can’t wait for you to meet ChitChat. ❤️
A new secure messaging app with payments built into @ handles, developed for Africans by Africans. Meet ChitChat:
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Congrats to Zambia's First Fintech Couple
@muchukaingu
@evelynchilomo
for getting
@googleafrica
funding! Mazal tov
We're happy to announce that 50 African startups have been selected and will receive funding, mentoring, and Google platform credits as part of our $3 million Black Founders Fund. Full list ➡️
#Google4Africa
#FundBlackFounders
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Today is the 1yr anniversary of a big bank telling us the 100,000 cards we had printed with them would never see the light of day. That we have rebounced and now have cards on the market is a testament to HIS power and glory.
All our cards have only been issued to Zambians in Zambia (OK - Lusaka). And this is where they have used them since October 2020.
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When I agreed to do the flip podcast, didn’t know Justin was going to send a videographer to my office! Very enjoyable chat - a cathartic end to 2023 before we start again because above all else - stay alive.
Picture this: you're a fast-growing fintech. You've just raised $12 million & you've got *major* traction in your market.
And then, you get hit with fraud. Significant fraud. Ruin-the-company magnitude of fraud.
What do you do?
That's not a hypothetical. It's the true story of
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"The round also presented a consolidation of Twiga’s cap table where earlier investors got some liquidity via a $30 million secondary sale". 😍
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Getting butterflies once more. A product we’ve dreamt is now in the hands of designers and engineers. The calendar is filling up again.
I love this part.
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Wow, a government permit was approved within 24 hours of applying. 4 years ago, minimum time spent chasing would have been >6 months. This time, it’s all electronic, no calling, no begging. I’m so impressed Zambia.
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Fun fact: 2% of all Mastercard Zambia transactions as of October 2020 were done via
@ZazuAfricaHQ
cards.
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In the last 9 months,
@ycombinator
has now invested in Zambia, Namibia, Uganda and now, Sudan.
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Excited to host
@mwseibel
and chat African startups, Y Combinator and everything in between. If you are considering applying to
@ycombinator
please join us on the 20th October at 6pm CAT.
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Clearly there is demand for this. Will synthesise and anonymise doc and share at the end of this week. There will also be a wider call for input from the entire ecosystem.
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5 weeks since we started testing
@ZazuAfricaHQ
virtual debit cards. The top 5 merchants where our cards are used:
1.
@PayPal
(thanks
@mulos
for showing us the way);
2.
@bet365
;
3. A tie between
@crypterium
and
@netflix
4.
@amazon
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America never became defined by Theranos/Bankman. So why should Africa be defined by a handful of scammers? Don’t fear DD or audits, embrace and ace them.
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This update introduces payee confirmation when sending outside
@ZazuAfricaHQ
so when you put someone's number, it tells you the name of the payee before you send the money.
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Going to be hiring for a newly created Relation Manager role where you will be working closely with one of our corporate clients with 000s of Zazu cardholders. JD coming up end of week - polish those cover letters and CV's.
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Sadly, this is representative of how the adults in the room and most corporates look at the youth.
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When we do our Series A, we are going to start Union54 Press. Which will publish books about African culture. Past, present and future. cc:
@mwiyas
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Number 4 on the Playstore. Behind a Norwegian multinarional, one of Africas oldest banks and the Zambian govt. Not bad at all for a 5 person team. Kudos to the 6th team member: our community!
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Zambia has always been on the precipice of great things but for some reason, has never breached the surface. That's all about to change because HH is an internationally respected leader and the markets are going to respond. Make the next 4 years and 11 months matter for you.
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This is why I wont stop. African banks are some of the most profitable globally. Charges for everything imaginable, eg sending PoP emails! Our earliest cohort are now being paid directly into their Zazu cards. Foregoing bank fees, receing intl payments & more. Huge mission!
Our research shows that those least able to afford fees are disproportionately shouldering them. Read more via
@cbsnews
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At the launch of the KK conference Center - looks like a world class venue 💫
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117 people on this Zambian tech space at 9:30am. This is progress, our tech community is growing. We welcome all your feedback, good and bad.
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For those considering harlotry, may I recommend an afternoon reading of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. It should at the very least, dissuade you from such childish fantasies.
Possible places to find wealthy men. Note: You won’t get a that man if you seem to be obviously fishing😂.
Have a genuine purpose for being there too. Be as organic as possible. Invest in yourself.
[Thread 🧵] Sprinkle Sprinkle✨
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@LauraMiti
is feeding 200-300 kids on Christmas Day at Freedom Compound, and paying school fees for extremely talented kids struggling to go to school😢. If you are a
@ZazuAfricaHQ
user, please send whatever you can to 'kwelatrust' in your Zazu app🙏🏿
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Zambia's default is not being given the coverage its citizenry deserves. International media are covering it at the technical level, but locally? Local man wants to know what it means for the daily bread prices. Grocery prices are going up every week and no one beats an eye.
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We are looking for people to distribute Zazu debit cards from mid-October. We will pay you for each debit card you distribute, so if you are an WhatsApp admin, part of a church or got a squad etc, and want to earn some money - fill in this form.
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Uhuru looks likes he handles his whisky well and is always the last man standing.
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@davido
to withdraw from Wema and do a giveaway on
@BitsikaAfrica
? Ultimate move if he does
Y'all aint ready for what's in store for the next few days. 👿
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Good news. After Airtel removed our integration to enable deposits/withdrawals, we have found a way to manually do this. If you are an Airtel user on Zazu, your app will be updating and sharing some super secure and confidential ways to deposit from Airtel.
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Never understood why shops, even the big retailers will say they have no change to give me. Our latest update is solving our own frustration with such experiences- where you leave 0.25 in a shop. When you pay with your
@zazuafricahq
card, the change is sent to your own saving acc
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Differing business cultures in Africa:
West African startups = straight to the point. 'Hey dude, can I have xyz, send pricing'.
Southern African startups = "here is how we are compliant with BEE and btw we've employed '00s of youth, by the way, is your name really Perseus?'
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10,000 Zambians went to a conference titled
#AfricaMustThink
. I am selling snake oil to make you a 1000% more attractive and irresistible to the opposite sex. If you went to this conference, please message me to buy some of this oil pronto!
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I am submitting my application to Jito's office so I can be the assistant to the special assistant. Well done
@JitoKayumba
- lfg!
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Elon: put your plan on this thread and get $6bn.
WFP Chief: I can be on the next flight to see you.
Elon: English bro, do you speak it? Did I stutter? Put your plan on this thread.
@WFPChief
@DrEliDavid
Please publish your current & proposed spending in detail so people can see exactly where money goes.
Sunlight is a wonderful thing.
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TBT: Christmas 2019 is days away.
@JitoKayumba
@MsCathyPhiri
and
@mwiyas
are dropping gems about startups, finance and success in the face of adversity. Corona is just but a beer at this point and the
@ZazuAfricaHQ
office is hosting ~45 people. Life is good.
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Everything we learnt about issuing debit cards is now resident in one API that allows anyone anywhere in Africa to issue their cards in no time.
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Top Merchants where
@ZazuAfricaHQ
virtual cards have been used on in September so far:
1.
@crypterium
(crypto)
2.
@DelphiGlass
(makers)
3.
@PayPal
(creatives)
4.
@amazon
(shopping)
5.
@Facebook
(advertising)
What is this telling you?
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In Tanzania, VP Harris met with fintechs and visited fintechs. In Zambia, VP Harris met with one fintech in the middle of a farm. Zambia I love you, please never change.
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A friend of mine is looking to hire for a Business Development role in ride-hailing/mobility, for an extremely well funded global company. Must be in Zambia and have prior experience in a fast growing tech company. DM me your LinkedIn.
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Excited for my first selection in the
#Choiseul100Africa
2022’s ranking, among young African leaders building to transform Africa.
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Does not apply to life partners. Please think of your offspring.
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We've now heard from dozens of companies across Africa about their priorities, challenges and where they see opportunities for a progressive startup framework.
There is a google doc being edited by Africa's foremost startups. At least $4 Billion in valuations all giving feedback about how to turn the Republic of Zambia into Africa's Delaware. A United Africa is within reach.
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Going to run our biggest competition yet. Tag your wife and mistress for a chance to enter. If female, tag your husband and ben10 for chance to enter.
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Excited by our bulk payments product, and for our patient client whom we built it for 🥳
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Gotta feel for Marketforce whose investors never wired funds even after committing. Unfortunately the downturn has exposed a lot of investors bad behavior - from berating founders, forcing funds to be sent back, forcing acquisition talks on companies who haven't even launched yet
Last year, Marketforce announced a $40M equity/debt round. But an investor pulled out and never wired $8M.
There is loads of media coverage on misbehaving founders. Maybe it’s time to cover bad VCs?
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4 African companies integrating into
@weareunion54
have recently raised money from a roster of global investors. A growing part of my job is now just introducing founders to early stage investors who can invest fast and meaningfully.
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The Paystack acquisition is simply fantastic. Shola is just about the nicest person and I guess we now know why we he is always smiling 😎 and for Africa, its game-changing.
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Was super impressed to see that TechCabal have a reporter based in Botswana! Our plans for ChitChat 👇🏿
Eleven months after Union 54 halted operations amid an attempted $1.2 billion chargeback fraud, the Zambian fintech startup is launching ChitChat. ChitChat is a social commerce platform and is the result of a collaboration between Union 54 and Mastercard.
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I used to believe that most of our problems would go away once the old guard died and young people took over. Hold no such hopes because the young are more corrupt, morally bankrupt and what’s worse, are smart enough to cover up after themselves. There’s no ending, only the end.
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3 things are now certain: death, taxes and a flutterwave IPO. If we put together a vehicle to invest in
@theflutterwave
+ begged boss
@TechProd_Arch
for allocation, how many of you would want to? How much would you want to invest?
$5k to $25k
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$25k to $250k
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$250k
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It has taken about 4 years for merchants around the world to learn our cards and accept them. 4 years of fighting with (especially local banks) to update their BIN tables and 4 years of grinding in the background.
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Building on the shoulders of giants.
African startups killing it at YC S21 demo day! Go
@perseusmlambo
+ team
@weareunion54
! Building the rails for businesses across the continent to issue payment cards!
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I routinely give unsolicited feedback to professionals in Zambia and they always end up resenting me. They say I’m uncultured and I’m too young to be speaking to them like that.
@Mafipe
seeks it and proves why he is a cut above the rest 💪
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Oh my god is that a black app? Why yes but I prefer the term African American app
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A global group is considering launching something HUGE in Zambia. Founders in fashion, culture, tech, logistics, media etc, come to our fireside chat on the 14th November at 6pm.
NO REGISTRATION = NO ENTRY BECAUSE SPACE IS LIMITED
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Downside of working with your spouse is that if you are both late home, you are eating toast for dinner. Positives include never asking each other how was your day. Swings and roundabouts
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Dealing with Zambia bureaucracy is not for the faint of heart. 18months for licences & now, 4 months waiting for residency. 1 European country has approved my 1year visa minutes after applying. Kids are growing and I will not always be able to justify the toll of it all.
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Take it from Africa's favourite tech bro. He has been to more countries than you.
You guys really don't know how sophisticated Zambian fintech is. eh wow
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Glad to see the conversation regarding declined transactions and liability. In my view, the ultra long term goal should be the creation of Africa's own Visa/Mastercard. Which is very very possible - especially as more fintechs decide to work together ⏰ 👀
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Museveni catching covid to pull out of the Russia trip is 5d chess move.
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