Derrick Bundi: 30-Year Old Kenyan Man Who Founded Company Operating in Kenya, 6 Other Countries
- Derrick Bundi’s entrepreneurial spirit began in high school, where he resold bread for profit, and later evolved into founding Pretium
- He studied Business Information Technology at Taita Taveta University and gained experience as a software engineer before co-founding Pretium
- Pretium now operates in seven African countries, allowing users to spend digital currencies like USDT on everyday purchases without converting to local fiat money
Elijah Ntongai, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has over four years of financial, business, and technology research and reporting experience, providing insights into Kenyan and global trends.
When Derrick Bundi reflects on his journey from a modest childhood in Meru to founding a fintech startup now operating in seven African countries, the phrase he returns to is simple: “Lines fell into pleasant places".
Source: Original
Thirty years ago, Bundi was born in Meru county where he was raised by his grandparents. In an exclusive interview with TUKO.co.ke, Bundi described his childhood as one that was marked with modesty.
Although his grandparents could afford food and shelter, getting through secondary school was a big challenge, and his grandmother had to knock on many doors to get the bursaries and sponsorships.
"School fees was not a major struggle until I reached secondary school. I really struggled. But thank God for my grandmother. I am sure she knocked on every sponsorship door and bursary program to get my school fees,” Bundi said.
His academic path led him to Taita Taveta University, where he studied Business Information Technology (BBIT). While BBIT was not his first choice, it laid the groundwork for what would become his life’s mission.
"Initially, I wanted to study computer science. Green from a village with no access to computers, I was deeply curious about technology and the internet. I knew the only way to explore that world was through studying something related to it. I couldn’t get to do computer science and I ended up doing BBIT, thinking about that now I think lines fell into pleasant places for me," he added.
Bundi's early career
Bundi’s entrepreneurial instincts go way back. In high school, he used to resell bread on weekdays after buying it on weekends, tripling his pocket money by the end of the term.
“Back in high school, we only got tea for breakfast, and bread was only sold on weekends. So every Saturday and Sunday, I would buy bread and resell them during the week at a profit. I didn’t have much pocket money, but by the end of the term, I tripled it. That small hustle sparked my entrepreneurial mindset early on,” he says.
After university, Bundi worked at an IT firm before leaving to start his own logistics startup that died before it could walk due to the COVID-19 shutdown, and he had to go back to work as a software engineer.
Bundi founds Web3 payments company
Pretium is a Web3 payments company Bundi co-founded to solve a problem he personally faced: the inability to use cryptocurrencies directly for everyday transactions.
“I kept asking myself, 'Why can’t I use my USDT at the supermarket the same way I use M-Pesa?'
"As I interacted with the web3 ecosystem through web3 events, I realized this was a shared problem and there was no noticeable product in Africa that allowed people to use their stablecoins or crypto directly for payments without relying on P2P conversions. That was the "light bulb" moment for me and I knew something had to be done,” he said, explaining how he got the idea to co-found the company.
Pretium allows users in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi, Zambia, and Rwanda to pay for groceries, shop, or send money directly using digital currencies, eliminating the hustle and costs of peer-to-peer exchanges or fiat conversions.
“Our clients are everyday consumers who hold digital assets and want to use them for real-world expenses,” he explained.
What is behind Bundi's success?
Bundi credited the successful running of the Pretium with his colleagues partly to the experience he had working as a software engineer at a fintech startup and lessons gained during his first attempt as a founder of a logistics startup that died during the COVID-19 period.
"This combination of experiences has shaped the way I am running and building Pretium. With a background as a Software Engineer, I have leveraged my skills to build our tech infrastructure and work closely with our development team.
"And as a second-time founder, I brought in hard-earned lessons from my previous startup, especially around cash flow management, team building, and fundraising. Being a CEO today is really the result of years of hands-on experience across both technical and operational fronts, which now helps me lead one of the fastest-growing Web3 startups with confidence and clarity."
Challenges Pretium is facing
Today, Pretium operates in seven countries and is backed by a small but growing team of five. But the road hasn’t been smooth.
“We are operating in a regulatory gray area. There is no clear legal framework governing the crypto ecosystem yet, though we’re optimistic with the VASP Bill 2025 in Parliament.”
The lack of regulation has made traditional funding difficult, pushing Pretium to rely mostly on Web3-focused investors. Still, Bundi remains undeterred.
“In the next five to ten years, I see Pretium in the hands of every African, enabling a world where there's no distinction between digital assets and local currencies.”
Bundi sees Pretium as more than just a payments platform but a tool for economic empowerment.
“Today, Africans are taxed both at the entry and exit points when dealing with crypto. Pretium eliminates those frictions, thus saving money. Beyond payments, we're building an ecosystem that creates jobs and nurtures local talents. Currently, we are a team of five, and we are growing."
From a boy reselling bread in school to a founder disrupting payments across Africa, Derrick Bundi’s story is proof that innovation often begins with asking the simplest questions and daring to answer them.
How to raise funding for startups
In other news, Andrew Fassnidge, founder of the At the 2025 Africa Tech Summit, advised Kenyan startups to shift focus from hype to hard numbers by validating their revenue projections to attract investment.
He emphasized that in today’s cautious funding climate, investors want proof that a business model can generate real income, not just future potential.
Fassnidge urged founders to focus on product-market fit and show even modest revenue as evidence of traction.
He also recommended tapping into local angel investor networks like the Kenya Angel Investment Network to raise early capital and build credibility.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
