Collins Kathuli is a 21-year-old Chief Executive Officer and founder of a fintech start-up company, Kyanda Africa, recently launched in South Africa.
The start-up offers a range of services within financial management for individuals and businesses through new banking.
Kyanda, the mobile wallet system, enables people to send money, pay bills, and buy goods and services.
Born and raised in Machakos, the tech guru attended Machakos Primary School, where he developed an interest in journalism.
He would, at times, practice reporting news by recording himself with his mother's phone. However, with time, his newfound passion for technology grew.
After completing high school, the self-taught entrepreneur attended the Young Scientists Kenya workshop with a mobile application prototype in mind.
In early 2020, he successfully launched the application and huge strides as a budding innovator. That same year, he bagged the Fintech founder award of the year at the Founder of the Year Awards(FOYA).
A year later, in 2021, Kathuli launched the South African Branch through networking.
"How we got there is just a wonder. Back in 2020, we attended a summit in Johanessburg. So when I was interacting and networking with people, a few spotted my innovation and got interested.
"So we got in and out just making sure that we are developing something for that market, and we launched recently," remarked Kathuli.
The journey has, however, not been smooth, as Kathuli has encountered a few blocks along the way.
"It was a challenge for me to keep learning more and more intense things to just continue making the platform work." the innovator stated.
As a successful young entrepreneur, he advised Kenyan youth to find unique ways to pursue their passion and be patient while venturing into businesses.
"When you start a business, you do not expect to reap the fruits the following day. As a young entrepreneur, if you want to begin something, you have to be patient, you have to show commitment, you have to believe in yourself."
Kathuli hopes to serve close to 10 million users a day in the future.
Besides running the company, the young CEO enjoys farming and spending time with friends.
