Elizabeth Rossiello: Building for Africa’s Trillion Dollar Remittance Market - AZA Finance

Welcome back to The Startup Leap Newsletter—#RealTalk #RealLessons From Founders Who Took The Startup Leap 🚀

💡 This week, we’re spotlighting Elizabeth Rossiello, a trailblazer transforming Africa’s financial landscape through AZA Finance.

Dive into the full conversation on YouTube, Spotify or Apple!

Elizabeth is the founder and CEO of AZA Finance, a fintech transforming cross-border payments and liquidity in Africa and beyond.

Under her leadership, AZA became the first platform to trade cryptocurrency against African currencies, expanded to 115 countries, and raised over $50 million in funding.

A global leader in frontier markets, Elizabeth has navigated complex regulatory and cultural landscapes—all while balancing the demands of building a business and raising a family.

Want to connect with Elizabeth? Find her on LinkedIn and Twitter ✨

In our conversation, we explore:

• the journey of building AZA Finance from microfinance roots to a global fintech powerhouse (00:02:00),
  

• The challenges of navigating Africa’s regulatory landscape and breaking into new markets (00:26:30),
  

• The importance of revenue diversification to mitigate market shocks (00:40:00),

….and so much more!

Key takeaways:

• Value Yourself and Your Equity (00:17:22):
  Early on, Elizabeth underestimated her contributions, which was reflected in her cap table.
  

  Over time, she reclaimed equity and recalibrated her team’s shares to align with value creation.
  

  Her advice? Founders must advocate for their worth early to avoid inequitable splits down the line.
  
  

• Always Be Learning and Asking (00:53:30):
  Elizabeth’s unrelenting curiosity was instrumental in her growth as a founder.

  
  From Googling concepts to learning from mentors and investors, she proved that the willingness to ask and adapt is critical for scaling as a leader

  
  Pro tip: Never stop asking questions—it’s key to scaling as a founder.
  
  

• Addressing Cross-Border Payment Challenges in Africa (00:08:25):
  Elizabeth highlighted the fragmented financial infrastructure in Africa, with liquidity shortages and lack of interoperability making cross-border payments difficult.

  
  Travelers often relied on cash or informal channels, exposing a critical gap in intra-Africa financial systems.

  
  The takeaway: significant opportunities lie in solving these inefficiencies to unlock smoother trade and mobility across the continent.
  
  

• Motherhood Meets Leadership (00:45:12):
  Balancing a family and scaling a business?

  
  Elizabeth does it with honesty, flexibility, and a strong support system—earning trust from her team and leading by example.

  
  

• The Hard Lessons of Diversification (00:40:00):
  When Nigeria’s regulations wiped out market revenues overnight, Elizabeth pivoted to Ghana and Francophone markets, regaining ARR in just six months.

  
  Diversification isn’t optional—it’s a survival strategy for founders in volatile markets.

TL;DR:

• Don’t undervalue yourself or your equity.

• Constant learning and curiosity drive founder growth.

• Financial inefficiencies in Africa are ripe with opportunity.

• Balance personal and professional priorities with openness and adaptability.

• Diversify markets to safeguard against regulatory risks.

Want to hear more? Dive into the full conversation on YouTube, Spotify or Apple!

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🚀 What resonated most with you? Share your biggest takeaways from this episode with us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter or TikTok.

Let’s keep the conversation going!

Resources to help you take the Leap📚

📄Foundational Equity: Cofounders, advisors, employees & early investors

🚀Cap Tables 101

📚Database: For African Diasporan Founders & Africa-based Ventures

Thanks for reading 💜

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TSL Team 💜