Johannesburg - Crypto University is the Harvard of cryptocurrency, except that it’s affordable and not exclusive,” Jabesi says as he smiles away.
Founder of Crypto U Grey Jabesi is so proud of his team and what they have achieved since the launch of the online university in 2018. In just three years, the university has enrolled over 50 000 students from around the globe.
The 26-year-old runs his online university from his offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town, where renowned cryptocurrency experts offer various courses on Cryptocurrency and Blockchain.
“We believe in financial freedom, especially through Cryptocurrency, because it does not discriminate,” says Jabesi.
“The 2st-century is the knowledge economy and to succeed in such an environment, one needs to constantly up-skill oneself with relevant education and that’s what we are here for.”
Cryptocurrency is a digital currency that can be used to buy goods and services, but uses an online ledger with strong cryptography to secure online transactions. Much of the interest in these unregulated currencies is to trade for profit, with speculators at times driving prices skyward.
The most popular cryptocurrency to date is Bitcoin, something that Jabesi’s university educates its students in proficiently.
“Basically, Bitcoin is a currency that is not controlled by a government or institution. It’s global, fast and decentralised. You don't need to open an account or sign any forms, it works 24/7.
“It’s just a better monetary network. One needs to learn more about how money works to fully grasp the concept and that’s what we do.”
While many of us may not have given cryptocurrency much thought, Jabesi is keen to stress just how important it is that all South Africans, in particular the younger generation, educate themselves on cryptocurrency.
“This is where the world is going. Cryptocurrency is bigger than just investing and trading. It will be part of our daily life in the near future. By not learning about this today, you will be lost in the future, and it will be too late for you to catch up.”
Jabesi is a benefactor of cryptocurrency. Learning the ins and outs of cryptocurrency had helped the 26-year-old turn his life around.
“I come from a poor family in Malawi. I never had any real interest in formal education. I was dragged through high school but was bored with formal education. I was attending for the sake of my parents. I was always interested in games and computers, but my parents couldn’t afford any of it.”
A year after finishing high school, he packed his bags and moved to South Africa with the idea of furthering his education at one of South Africa’s tertiary institutions.
Upon arriving, however, Jabesi changed his mind. Instead of studying, Jabesi found a job at a laundromat, saved up his money and bought his very first computer.
For the following two years, he learnt everything there was to know about computers, even learning how to code by himself.
He landed a graphic design job before proceeding to work in the film industry as an editor, animator, and colourist.
He then started his own company called Shockwaves FX providing post- production services for online and some local clients. It wasn’t until he was 19 when he stumbled across Bitcoin.
“I stumbled upon Bitcoin on Bill Gates’s Reddit AMA. I bought a little and didn’t pay too much attention to it at first.”
After seeing the growth and potential of Bitcoin, Jabesi then moved into a smaller apartment and sold his car so that he could afford to buy more Bitcoin.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, he boasts an impressive CV. He’s worked with various companies in the Blockchain industry and has also become the voice of Crypto and Blockchain in Africa.
His podcast was ranked as number one in Africa on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, and he also became the first trader to educate and sell Bitcoin to Malawians. He is also the CMO of the Blockchain Africa Conference and now owns his own university.
“I feel very empowered. It taught me how money works and what I need to do to grow my wealth over time. Now that I understand those simple things, I’ll never have to worry about money again.”
He says after realising the power and influence that Bitcoin had had on his life, it persuaded him to start his university so that others could benefit too.
“When I understood the power of crypto and blockchain, I felt the urge to educate others about it because of the potential it has. It can free us from the current opaque and inefficient systems. That’s how Crypto University was born.”
He believes all young South Africans need to educate themselves in cryptocurrency, particularly the younger generation.
“Crypto is the most open and largest wealth transfer event in history. You can look through history and you will not see anything like it. There are no application forms, certificates etc. needed. We all can get involved, it's the easiest financial market to get into.”
He is also pushing for women to empower themselves with knowledge with his university even recently offering free courses to all women interested.
“As big as Crypto is getting, we still don’t have enough women in this space, especially in Africa. We hope that this initiative could change that. The women on our team came up with the idea and put everything together.
“You see, when there’s no diversity in an industry, you get bad products because they lack other perspectives. Currently, crypto is very male- dominated. Women make half of the world population.
“Not having enough women in crypto means that we are missing out on a huge number of people who need this technology. Maybe we are building products or communicating in a way that is not appealing to women. Having more women could fix those problems.”
While cryptocurrency may seem complicated at first, Jabesi says it is a skill that is easily learnt and will be highly beneficial now and in the future.
“It’s not difficult, it depends where you are learning it from. You don’t need to be tech-savvy at all. At Crypto University, we specialise in making things very easy to understand.
“I think, right now is the time for everyone to learn. It will be too late otherwise. This technology is evolving very fast.”
He says the success of cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin is sufficient reason why all South Africans need to educate themselves immediately.
“Bitcoin has come from being worth less than R1 in 2019 and now it’s worth R560 000 per coin. My prediction is that within a few years, 1 Bitcoin will be worth R13 million.”
For more information visit The Crypto University’s website.