TED Business A story of moral imagination and bold entrepreneurship | Sitoyo Lopokoiyit in conversation with Jacqueline Novogratz
Sep 15, 2025
Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, CEO of M-PESA, and Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO of Acumen, dive into the transformative power of moral imagination in entrepreneurship. They discuss how M-PESA became a fintech giant, handling a vast portion of Kenya’s GDP and promoting financial inclusion. Their conversation highlights the importance of empathy and ethical decision-making, illustrating how innovative platforms can uplift underserved communities. They also touch on integrating technology with local needs, emphasizing the role of social entrepreneurship in creating sustainable success.
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Origin Story: Send Money Home
- M-Pesa began by piloting with a women's microfinance group and discovered SMS notifications and rural remittances were powerful use cases.
- They built a village agent network mapped to ubiquitous Coca-Cola shops so recipients could cash out and trust the system.
Platform Built Into National Economy
- M-Pesa evolved from person-to-person transfers to payments, savings, credit, wealth, and international transfers.
- The platform now handles vast economic flow, reaching over 60% of some countries' GDP and millions of daily transactions.
Design For Dignified Inclusion
- Design products for inclusion by working from real user constraints, like blindness or low literacy.
- Partner with specialists (e.g., Braille tech) to deliver dignified access for excluded groups.