FinMeUp’s vision is to clear a way for financial freedom for Africa, and many people are taking up the challenge of being in control of their own financial futures on the platform, according to its founder and CEO, Higgo van Biljon.
Van Biljon (23) said the idea behind FinMeUp started in 2019 when he saw the benefits that had accrued to his friends, who, through a group on WhatsApp, were exchanging investment and financial education information with each other.
Entrepreneurship and his love of education and investing - his father steered him into the investment world at age 13 when the boy asked to buy a gold token so that it would be worth more money in ten years - brought it all together in the formation of FinMeUp.
“I started investing on the stock exchange at the age of 13, and I made many mistakes along the way. I wish I had this kind of education that is being provided by FinMeUp when I was much younger,” he said.
Van Biljon said he and his team of four had tried many different financial education products, media and assumptions since then in an attempt to meet the company’s mission, many of which were not that successful, but it culminated in the launch two months ago of the FinMeUp app, which provides its users and subscribers with all manner of financial and investment education that is provided by mentors.
Van Biljon says they now have some 6 500 active users on the app, and the figure is growing fast, every day, and currently at a rate of about 25 - 30 percent per month. And new features are still regularly being provided on the app, he said.
The mentors are experts in their fields and include chartered accountants, asset managers and other investment professionals, who provide the educational content of the site. FinMeUp rewards each mentor for their input, but it is also a platform for the mentors to add value to society through their knowledge.
The platform also enables members and mentors to network and build relationships, and there is a great deal of free value on the platform even if one is not a subscriber, he said.
FinMeUp had also established a number of partnerships, such as with the likes of CTRL on insurance and EasyEquities on investing in shares, to help subscribers bridge the gap between financial education and the execution of taking control of one’s financial future.
Van Biljon said their aim was to continue to grow the use of the app, gain more mentors and establish more relationships with other companies that can provide specialist complementary services. They are also working on growth in other countries in Africa.
"Being in control of your finances can give you purpose in life, and education can save you a great deal of mistakes and money. All it takes is a few minutes a day on the FinMeUp app to become more and more educated and in control of your finances through knowledge."
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