DreamStart Labs

As 2024 comes to a close, I find myself reflecting deeply on the journey we’ve had at DreamStart Labs. The start of the year was nothing short of brutal. We mourned the immeasurable loss of our beloved CEO, Wes Wasson, who passed away in December 2023. In the wake of his passing, we faced one of the toughest challenges in our history—fighting for the very survival of the company. It was, without a doubt, one of the most difficult periods of my life. But then, something extraordinary happened. Not only did we find a solid path forward, but we also experienced phenomenal growth across all key metrics throughout the year. Today, DreamStart Labs is stronger than ever before, with incredible traction and momentum. I’m excited to share that we’re gearing up for a major announcement early next year—stay tuned! In the meantime, I encourage you to check out the post by Michaella Allen, our Director of Product, highlighting some of this year’s incredible achievements: https://lnkd.in/gHEpBAY5 As we celebrate the holiday season, I want to extend heartfelt thanks and warm wishes to all our NGO and FSP (Financial Service Provider) partners around the world. Your unwavering dedication to alleviating poverty through financial inclusion inspires us every day. Let’s make 2025 a year of even greater impact—together. Wishing you all a joyful holiday season and a Merry Christmas!

We're so excited to be expanding our footprint into Somalia and Somaliland with Somali Resilience Program (SomReP) next year! Watch this space as we help the most vulnerable and insecure communities transform their lives through the power of digital savings and enhanced access to formal credit with #DreamSave 🚀 .

Technology is changing the game for financial inclusion, but what’s the key ingredient in its design? HUMANITY! VisionFund International, for example, is leveraging technology to empower over 11,000 savings groups with loans and other financial services—demonstrating how tech can bring financial inclusion to underserved communities and strengthen resilience at the grassroots level. During Financial Inclusion Week, join us for an insightful fireside chat with leaders from VisionFund International, Opportunity International, and DreamStart Labs as they share how they’re shaping AI and digital tools that put people first. Here’s what you’ll learn: ✅How AI and digital tools are empowering people living in poverty. ✅Human-centered design in action: using technology to meet the needs of savings groups and smallholder farmers in rural Africa. ✅Balancing AI with human oversight for responsible innovation and client protection. 📆 October 18, 10:30–11:00 AM UTC 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ebtxWaQS Register and view the full #FIW24 agenda today. Hear from leading experts: Facilitator: Mary Pat McVay, Senior Research and Knowledge Manager, Opportunity International Discussants: ✨Dr. William Durban, Head of Programs and Partnerships, Digital Innovation Group, Opportunity International ✨Henrik Esbensen, Co-Founder and CTO, DreamStart Labs ✨Lisa Kuhn, Inclusive Finance Knowledge Director, VisionFund Tech for good is here—and it starts with listening to the people who need it most. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ebtxWaQS #FinancialInclusion #AIforGood #DigitalTransformation #HumanCenteredDesign #TechnologyForAll #InclusiveInnovation #VisionFund #OpportunityInternational

We're overjoyed to be participating in this year's CFI #FinclusionWeek on the topic of #InclusiveTechnologyDesign! Join us for a fireside chat on the 18th of October where our Chief Technology Officer, Henrik Esbensen, PhD speaks with our esteemed colleagues, Dr. William Derban from Opportunity International, and Lisa Kuhn from VisionFund International, on the pivotal role of human-centered design in AI and fintech disruptions for the financial inclusion of #savingsgroups around the world. Register here for #FIW24: https://lnkd.in/eUD8exfh Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI)

Are you an ambitious and energetic leader ready to transform lives through cutting-edge technology? DreamStart Labs is seeking a visionary CEO to drive our mission of empowering people in developing countries. At DreamStart Labs, we believe in using the power of FinTech to serve communities in the developing world. Our award-winning FinTech app, DreamSave™, helps unbanked individuals—especially women in rural areas—run and manage savings groups, build credit history, and connect to formal financial services. We are seeking an energetic and visionary CEO who is motivated to transform lives through cutting-edge technology. You will shape our strategic vision, oversee operations, and ensure our innovative solutions continue to lead the market in global poverty alleviation. You'll have P&L responsibility and manage all business facets, from Product Management and Revenue Growth to Customer Success and Engineering. We're looking for an experienced leader with a proven track record of scaling innovative technologies or initiatives, ideally within tech for development, focused on low-income users in the Global South. If you're passionate about using technology to achieve a better life for people in the developing world, DreamStart Labs is the place for you to make a real difference. If you're interested, please contact dreamstartlabs@carneliansearch.com.

Dive into our blog to discover how we built DreamSave 2.0 with a focus on traceability and compliance. Every data change is logged, giving you complete visibility over your finances. Perfect for auditing and tracking! 🔗 Read more now. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gvDQgjYc DreamStart Labs #DreamSave2 #fintech #productengineering #financialinclusion #application #appdevelopment

Attending the NGOs WEEK 2024. I am privilege to attend this year's NGO week The theme for this week is "Building synergy for a sustainable future". DreamStart Labs Labs has been provided an opportunity by World Vision Kenya's livelihoods desk to showcase digitalization of S4T groups using the DreamSave App. This is an exiting event, I look forward to show case how thousands of S4T group members have been able to improve their financial record keeping and financial literacy through use of the DreamSave App. Please visit the World Vision Kenya livelihoods desk at the KICC to learn more about the DreamSave App #NGOsWeek2024 #CivilSocietyOrganizations #DreamStartLabs #WVK

📢 #NewFeatureAlert: Savings Groups can now Pre-Qualify for Formal Loans on the DreamSave App!  🚀 Despite their exceptional financial track record, #savingsgroups and their members are often the most overlooked by formal providers when it comes to offering micro-finance products. And even when products such as loans are available, savings groups in remote or rural areas can often be unaware of their existence, unsure how to apply, or even unconvinced that their application is worth the time and effort. To #bridgethegap between savings groups and formal providers, DreamStart Labs has launched a new #landmarkfeature on #DreamSave that allows groups to not only view their #creditworthiness for formal savings group loans but to also benefit from prompts on how to improve their eligibility and #submitloanrequests to providers once eligible! With just a #singleclick, DreamSave users will be able to: 🎯 Track and improve group formal loan eligibility status over time 🤝 Let local trusted and vetted service providers know of group eligibility and interest in a formal external loan 📈 Grow the group loan fund and empower members to take out larger loans to help reach their financial goals 🗃 Digitally record and manage formal loan repayments with your provider We're thrilled to bring this new opportunity to all our partner-affiliated #digitalsavingsgroups on DreamSave and look forward to seeing our proud #linkage with VisionFund International bring even greater #financialaccess to our users! Download the latest version of #DreamSave from the Google Play store TODAY 🔥 : https://lnkd.in/dMYRjpMD #TechnologyThatEmpowers #Financialinclusion #savingsgrouplinkages #digitalinclusion World Vision CARE International Care Ministries HOPE International Catholic Relief Services Opportunity International Village Enterprise FSD Zambia Women for Women International

We're thrilled to be kicking off our new partnership with Opportunity International in Ghana to digitize savings groups with #DreamSave!

We're in Abuja this week for the Inaugural CARE in Nigeria #NationalSavingsGroupConference 2024! Looking forward to hearing all about the exciting developments and innovations taking place in Nigeria as our michael kingyong shares the role of digital recordkeeping apps like #DreamSave in unlocking value for informal savings groups 🚀 . 📢 Register using the below link if you haven't already and looking forward to seeing you there! #SavingsGroups #NSGConference #NSGC2024 #FinancialInclusion #empowerment #Digital4Good #SavingsGroupLinkages