Hilda Moraa
- Anglophone Africa
Meet Hilda
Hilda is an award-winning serial fintech entrepreneur, a Software Engineer by training, and author. She has more than 15 years of entrepreneurship experience in Fintech and working with multinationals supply chain firms like Coca-Cola to develop innovations across Africa. She is a unique forerunner in many ways, including the fact that her first tech start-up was the first recorded multi-million dollar exit in the Kenyan ecosystem – way back in 2015.
This exit catapulted the ecosystem as entrepreneurs and techies saw what was possible. She is currently the Founder & CEO of Pezesha, a holistic digital financial infrastructure powering working capital and credit scoring to SMEs and institutions across Africa. Hilda also served as a board advisor in various innovation initiatives under the Ministry of ICT such as Konza City.
Early Milestones and Business Development
While pursuing her Information Technology degree at Strathmore University, Hilda embarked on her career journey at Coca-Cola in 2008 as a Data & Innovations analyst. Her role involved identifying innovative solutions for last-mile distribution challenges. One highlight was implementing a pioneering mobility solution for small distributors and retailers, enhancing efficiency and visibility in the supply chain. This experience ignited her passion for leveraging technology to empower underserved communities and drive economic growth.
Subsequently, she joined iHub Nairobi, Kenya’s first innovation hub, where she spearheaded innovation and research initiatives. Inspired by like-minded innovators, she founded WezaTele, a fintech startup aimed at empowering small businesses with technology-driven solutions. After its successful acquisition in 2015, she founded Pezesha in 2016. Pezesha has since become a leading SME financing platform, providing affordable working capital and financial literacy to underserved businesses, with over 500,000 loans disbursed to date.
Africa’s inequalities are the root cause of Africa’s multidimensional challenges. My journey at Pezesha has been about solving this puzzle with purpose and conviction- bringing meaningful financial inclusion that creates disproportionate Pan African impact. With initiatives like eTrade for Women, I will be able to inspire and impact more women to drive purposeful entrepreneurship in STEM and join me in shrinking these inequalities once and for all.
Social Impact
Pezesha is tackling inequalities by addressing the working capital needs of underserved MSMEs in Africa, especially informal women-led micro-businesses lacking access to affordable credit for inventory purchases and business expansion. Operating in Kenya and Uganda, Pezesha has disbursed over 500,000 SME loans, with 40% going to female borrowers accessing credit for the first time. This has contributed to the creation of at least 50,000 jobs.
Through collaborations with key stakeholders such as value chain players, banks, telecommunication companies, and NGOs, Pezesha aims to amplify the impact of its platform and leverage existing infrastructure to foster a deeper network effect. With a team comprising 50% of women, Pezesha values diversity of perspectives in product design and its embedded finance approach. This commitment to diversity is crucial for Pezesha as a Fintech company, allowing it to incorporate a range of viewpoints and enhance its approach to financial inclusion.
Recognition and Awards
Hilda’s remarkable achievements have earned her prestigious awards and accolades that solidify her position as the trailblazing entrepreneur in the Tech and innovation space.
- Most recently in March 2024, she was awarded the winner across Africa, Tech & Innovation by Forbes Woman Africa.
- Best Woman Fintech CEO – Ms. Hilda Moraa – Kenya 2024 by Women’s Tabloid Awards 2024
- Profiled by Bloomberg as one of the Bloomberg LP New Economy Catalysts in 2023.
- In 2023, she joined the Harambean Entrepreneurship Alliance, class of 2023.
- In 2015, Hilda Moraa authored “A Kenyan Startup Journey” – highlighting her key successes and failures and learnings in her 1st Fintech, WezaTele
- She was named among the 50 Africa’s most promising innovators by Global Shaker in 2020
- She was an Obama Leaders Africa class 2019
- In 2018, Quartz Africa listed Hilda among the top 30 innovators in Africa.
- She was Kenya’s 30 Most Inspiring Young African Entrepreneurs by Forbes Africa in 2016
- She is an award-winning female entrepreneur in the Tech & Innovation space in Kenya under the prestigious award of Top 40 under 40 in 2015
- She was the keynote speaker of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2015, addressing a global audience that included His Excellency, President Barack Obama.
- Her project, M-order, won the best application in the Mobile Boot competition in 2011.
- She is among the outliers African women who has raised over $10M in funding
In a Nutshell
- Raised more than $15M in funding during her previous rounds (debt and equity) from VCs and local banks
- Funded more than 500,000+ SME loans in Kenya and Uganda through embedded finance model
- Our proprietary credit scoring models are trained on over 300mn data points
- Pezesha has a team of 55+ staff in Kenya and Uganda
- Combined with the board members they bring more than 20+ years of diverse financial services experiences across Sub-Saharan markets
- Pezesha has consistently adopted industry-leading standards