Allan Gray Fellow & UCT MPhil FinTech candidate. Co-founder of Direla — democratising financial access across Africa. I believe in connecting with people first and their roles second. Kindness, honesty, and integrity come before any accolade.
Co-founded a FinTech startup democratising financial access across Africa. Secured $41,000 in 9 months through four hackathon wins. Building tools that empower merchants and individuals with inclusive financial infrastructure.
Visit Direla →Currently pursuing postgraduate research at the University of Cape Town, exploring the intersection of financial systems, blockchain, and emerging payment protocols in the African context.
UCT Research Portal →Won the SME Finance Track at OriginFest Hackathon for building Mobile Point-of-Sale software that turns a merchant's smartphone into a payment terminal — making commerce more accessible.
See Demo →Placed 2nd at MCP Africa Hackathon. A WhatsApp chatbot connecting to an MCP server to manage custodial Hedera wallets, enabling peer-to-peer money transfers through everyday messaging.
LinkedIn Post →Mentoring 70+ students across 13 projects in final year Project Management and BPM courses at UCT. Consistently achieving top placements — 1st, 2nd, and 3rd with averages above 75%.
Completed an intensive 3-week deep dive into blockchain and Web3 at UZH, examining economic, technical, and regulatory dimensions of decentralised systems.
Watch Explainer →Direla took first place by utilising the ILF Open Payments protocol to turn merchants' phones into a Mobile POS — accepting various forms of payment seamlessly. I led market research, product design, and pitching.
Watch the pitch on Instagram →Placed 2nd at The Cortex Hub Hackathon for our WhatsApp-based Hedera custodial wallet bot.
Finished a 3-week intensive blockchain & Web3 course in Zürich — covering economics, technology, and regulation.
Officially enrolled in the MPhil Financial Technology programme at the University of Cape Town.
Open Payments protocol Mobile POS for merchants' smartphones.
WhatsApp chatbot with Hedera custodial wallets for P2P payments.
Mobile POS software for African SME merchants.
Top 1% of ~10,000 applicants for entrepreneurial potential.
Highest mark in Honours Economics course (90%).
Top 3 of ~13 groups for yearlong agile project on personalisation R&D.
Recognised by EY for GBV reporting process redesign for SAPS.
Awarded by UCT Science Faculty for consistent academic excellence.
91% average, 7 distinctions. Top IT student in district D9.
Whether you're building something cool, want to collaborate on FinTech, or just want to chat — my inbox is always open. I love connecting with people who are passionate about making a difference.