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Ham Serunjogi

CEO & Co-Founder, Chipper Cash

Search every verified Ham Serunjogi interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Ham Serunjogi, CEO and co-founder of Chipper Cash, has described the past 18 months as "tough" for the company, citing a challenging macroeconomic environment that has led to layoffs, a reported valuation cut, and a pullback from aggressive expansion. In interviews, he stated that the company has responded by becoming "incredibly tight" with its resources and focusing on efficiency, describing the shift from "growth at all costs" to "profitable efficient growth" as a necessary discipline. He characterized the economic cycle as a normal part of business, noting that periods of high capital availability are followed by times when "capital is expensive," requiring frugal allocation of resources. Serunjogi has also discussed several new product initiatives, including Chipper ID, which he said was developed from an internal cost-saving tool into a revenue-generating service. He highlighted the company's investment in artificial intelligence for fraud reduction and user verification, and its acquisition of Zambian company Zuna as a move to strengthen Chipper for Business. He stated that Chipper Cash has over 5 million registered users and is the largest consumer-facing fintech in Africa, and he emphasized the importance of regulatory partnerships and a deep licensing portfolio for the company's long-term strategy.

Selected quotes

Recent appearances

  • Ham Serunjogi: How Chipper Cash is Surviving the Slowdown

    Today's guest is Ham Serunjogi, the Co-founder and CEO of Chipper Cash. In 2021, Chipper raised $150 million Series C extension, valuing the startup at $2 billion, but has since cut its valuation, reportedly by 70 percent, has engaged in three rounds of layoffs, reducing its headcount by nearly 175 from its peak of 450, and has drastically pulled back from its aggressive growth and expansion strategies across the continent. This conversation with Ham comes at an interesting time for Chipper and in the market, in general. Tough macro conditions on the continent, a slowdown of funding, tech la…

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  • Chipper Cash CEO Ham Serunjogi on how the company is focusing on efficiency

    It's not an easy time for founders in Africa. We asked Ham Serunjogi, CEO & Co-Founder of pan-African fintech platform Chipper ...

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  • How pan-African fintech unicorn Chipper Cash is navigating the downturn

    Ham Serunjogi is the CEO & Co-Founder of pan-African fintech platform Chipper Cash. Launched in 2018, the company has raised over $300 million in VC funding and is on the short list of African tech companies to have ever reached a $1 billion valuation. But it has also been in the headlines recently thanks to layoffs and a valuation cut. Topics discussed include: • Company building in tough times • The new Chipper ID product and turning costs into revenue lines • Being opportunistic vs. disciplined when it comes to product portfolios • Building for the peculiarities of African markets • Wha…

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  • Chipper Cash CEO Ham Serunjogi

    Chipper Cash is revolutionizing ways to send and receive money in Africa. Co-Founder and CEO Ham Serunjogi joined Judy ...

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  • Ham Serunjogi ’16, Honorary Doctor of Social Studies — 2023 Commencement Address

    Ham Serunjogi '16 gave the 2023 Commencement Address at Grinnell College on May 22, 2023. Grinnell College admitted Ham ...

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  • Ham Serunjogi Harvard Business School MBA Guest Lecture | Chipper Cash HBS Case Study

    I was invited to Harvard Business School to speak with the MBA class that was doing a Case Study on Chipper Cash. The first part of my talk focused on how we started Chipper Cash, and how I think about running the company and navigating multiple challenges and opportunities. The second part was me taking questions from the students.

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  • How Chipper Cash Made Banking Easier Across Africa And Became A Billion Dollar Company | Forbes

    Ham Serunjogi and Maijid Moujaled believed there was a fortune to be made bringing transnational financial services to Africa's 1.2 billion people. Sending money between countries was extremely difficult and banking systems were very underdeveloped. The two met at Grinnell College in Iowa and came up with the idea for a money transfer app there, but wanted to acquire experience working in the tech industry first. In the spring of 2018, Serunjogi texted Moujaled, who was working as a software engineer in San Francisco, to say it was time to get going. Serunjogi quit his own job and moved into…

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  • Building Chipper w/ Ham Serunjogi, Founder & CEO and Lead Investor Dan Kimerling

    We dive into the backstory of Chipper Cash, which is the most valuable startup in Africa recently valued at just over $2 billion. Chipper provides free and instant cross border money transfers, and has grown to serve over 4 million customers, doing 80,000 transactions. SCROLL for more ↓↓↓ █ Guests Ham Serunjogi, Founder & CEO at Chipper ►   / hamserunjogi   Dan Kimerling, Founder & Managing Partner at Deciens ►   / dkimerling   █ Moderator Rex Salisbury, Founder @ Cambrian   / rexsalisbury     / rexsalisbury   TIMESTAMPS █ Timeline 00:00 - [Intros] - Ham & Dan 04:05 - [Raising] - How Dan…

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  • Ham Serunjogi, Co-founder & CEO, Chipper Cash on the power of the Chipper Fractional Stocks Product

    In this video speech, Ham Serunjogi, Co-founder & CEO, Chipper Cash speaks about the power of the fintech’s just-launched Chipper Fractional Stocks Product. He says the product is probably the company’s most impactful, product since the fintech premiered its original Chipper App about three years ago. Ham says that Chipper Fractional Stocks will go a long way in driving economic and social development in Uganda and other countries where it will be launched by enabling ordinary people to expand their investment options, thereby building wealth, safely and affordably. In his words, he says…

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  • Cross-Border Payment Disruption with Ham Serunjogi

    Before the launch of M-Pesa, a Kenyan-founded mobile-phone money transfer service, sending money in much of Africa required trips to the bank. However, since then, mobile money transfers have exploded across the continent. Despite this, fees associated with cross-border payments are notoriously expensive, ranging between 10-20%. Chipper Cash is looking to disrupt this space, with fees of only 5%, and they are only just getting started. The Co-Founder of this startup, Ham Serunjogi, is today’s guest, and as someone who grew up in Uganda, he has a unique perspective on what this kind of solution…

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