Drew Durbin

Founder & CEO, Wave Mobile Money
Dakar Region,Senegal
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Who Is Drew Durbin?

Total Experience16 years
CompanyWave Mobile Money
CountrySenegal

Drew Durbin is a visionary entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Wave Mobile Money, a fintech company focused on building radically affordable and inclusive financial infrastructure in Africa. His mission-driven approach was profoundly shaped by his experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania, where he witnessed firsthand the challenges people faced with financial access and high remittance fees. This led him to co-found Sendwave in 2014, a low-cost remittance app, which was later acquired. Subsequently, he launched Wave to tackle the broader mobile money market, successfully disrupting incumbent players with a transparent, low-fee model that has achieved massive adoption across several African nations.

How Did Drew Durbin's Career Path Shape Their Journey?

Drew Durbin's work history includes a series of influential roles in various companies. Here is a detailed list of his professional journey:

Wave Mobile Money - Founder & CEO(2018 to Present)
Sendwave (International Remittance) - Founder & CEO(2012 to 2020)

What Are Drew Durbin's Key Achievements?

Co-founder & CEO of Wave Mobile Money

Led Wave to become one of Africa's most valuable startups, achieving a $1.7 billion valuation in 2021 and becoming the first Francophone African unicorn. The service provides millions of users with free deposits/withdrawals and a low 1% fee for money transfers.

Co-founder of Sendwave

Co-founded the app-based remittance company Sendwave to significantly lower the cost of sending money to Africa. The company grew rapidly and was acquired by WorldRemit in 2020 in a deal valued at approximately $500 million.

Innovator in African Fintech

Successfully challenged and disrupted the established mobile money landscape in Africa by introducing a user-centric, agent-based model with transparent and radically affordable pricing, forcing competitors to adjust their own fee structures.

What's Drew Durbin's Educational Background?

Degree Program

Brown University - Year 2004

High School

The Potomac School - Year 2000

Buying Intent Signals for Drew Durbin

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Notable news
Hiring actively
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Corporate Finance

Company Overview

Wave Mobile Money
Total employees1200
HeadquartersDakar
Founded2018

Wave Mobile Money is a fintech company focused on building radically inclusive and affordable financial services in Africa. It offers a mobile money service that allows users to send and receive money, pay bills, and make purchases with minimal fees, often just a 1% withdrawal fee. Operating primarily through an app and a network of local agents, Wave aims to provide a transparent and accessible alternative to traditional banking and telecommunication-led mobile money providers, targeting unbanked and underbanked populations.

Wave Mobile Money Funding Information
Unknown - Total Funding Raised
$97M - Most recent funding amount
3 - Number of funding rounds
26 Jul, 2023 - Latest funding round
Lead Investors:
Sequoia Heritage
Founders Fund
Stripe
Partech
Ribbit Capital
International Finance Corporation (IFC)

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