Endeavor had earlier concluded its 37th Virtual
International Selection Panel (ISP) two weeks ago with the selection of 11 new
high-impact entrepreneurs representing six companies from five markets,
including Nigeria’s Zone founders, Obi Emetarom, Emeka Emetarom and Wale
Onawunmi.
Zone is a regulated blockchain network that enables payments
(by connecting banks and fintechs) and acceptance of digital currencies as it
became Africa’s first regulated blockchain-powered payment network following
CBN license.
Zone’s blockchain-powered payment infrastructure allows
participating institutions to connect directly with each other and perform
payment transactions without an intermediary while completely automating
settlement, reconciliation, and dispute management.
In a strategic move in November 2022, the company, spun off
its legacy Banking as a Service business, birthing a new entity called Qore
while it evolved its focus to become a pure-play Payment Infrastructure company
with a new brand name, Zone.
Qore is Appzone’s legacy banking-as-a-service platform that
enables financial institutions across Africa to achieve digitization and
service automation.
Today, it is deployed by 600+ financial institutions across
7 African countries. Emeka Emetarom leads Qore as CEO, while Obi Emetarom and
Wale Onawunmi lead Zone as CEO and CTO, respectively.
Commenting on their selection into the global network,
Co-founder and CEO at Zone, Obi Emetarom, said: “Joining the Endeavor network
underscores our unwavering commitment to reshaping Africa’s payments landscape.
The network’s pledge to support entrepreneurs resonated with us from our first
encounter
“As we continually strive to deliver reliable, frictionless
and universally interoperable payments to Financial Services Providers in
Africa and beyond, Endeavor’s platform will significantly fuel our growth and
extend our reach.“
Co-founder and CTO at Zone, Wale Onawunmi added that: “we’re
thrilled to be part of this prestigious global community. Entrepreneurship
thrives on collaboration and shared learning, and Endeavor embodies this
spirit. We look forward to leveraging this unique ecosystem of entrepreneurs,
partners, and investors, driving our technical prowess to further levels of
innovation and efficiency in the payment sector.“
Emeka Emetarom, CEO at Qore, pointed out that, “It’s an
honour to join the Endeavor network. A community like Endeavor is a significant
boost on the journey to creating groundbreaking financial solutions. We’re
confident that the global insights, mentorship, and support from Endeavor will
tremendously enrich Qore.
The ISP is the final phase of a multi-step rigorous
selection process, where candidates pitch their companies to top international
business leaders and investors from the Endeavor network, making those
obtaining a unanimous vote officially Endeavor Entrepreneurs. Once selected
into the network by a team of global panelists, entrepreneurs gain access to a
wide array of services enabling them to scale their businesses faster and
multiply their impact.
Endeavor Board member, Yemi Lalude added that, “we are
delighted that Obi, Emeka, and Wale have been selected as Endeavor
Entrepreneurs. It is well-deserved recognition for all they have accomplished
so far – and all that is to come.”
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