Kiwi FinTech Founder named the Emerging Entrepreneur in Asia

RIPA Global Founder and CEO Mel Gollan has been named the Leading Emerging Entrepreneur in 2022 by Women Icons Network in Singapore.

The award was presented at the Collective for Equality International Women’s Day 2022 Summit hosted by Women Icons Network.

The summit brought together senior corporate leaders, women and men, with the aim of creating a roadmap to tangible change in workplace equity, and the awards recognised professional women already driving that change.

Gollan says she is humbled and honoured to be acknowledged internationally by the Women Icons Network out of Singapore as the emerging entrepreneur for 2022.

“As a Woman of Māori descent and the sole founder of a globally focused fintech, I acknowledge I am one of a very small number doing what I am doing,” says Gollan. 

Only 1.5% (16) of 1,032 best-funded private fintech firms globally are founded solely by women and receive just 1% of total fintech venture funding, reported Findexable.

“To know I am championed by industry leaders around the world is both humbling and thrilling,” says Gollan.

“Being recognised as the emerging entrepreneur in Asia is a proud achievement, and a nod to the mahi my team is doing.”

RIPA Global spent the last two years bouncing between Singapore, Australia and New Zealand as open borders allowed and as gaps in the market required.

“Singapore supports disruptive transformation and leads the world in embracing new technologies that elevate business performance and people,” says Gollan. 

“Singapore is the springboard into Asia, and Asia is leading the world in automation and business process that brings environmental relief to our planet.”

The company’s vision is to build a platform that serves the people and nurtures the ecosystem in a way that is fair and just.

“When I set out to solve the problem of BPA-enriched receipts, processing expense reports and compliance issues for businesses – I didn't realise just how globally transforming our automation platform for payments and bi-directional data would be,” says Gollan.

“Pulling together an eco-system in an elegant and empathetic way will have a significant and measurable improvement for governments and businesses globally – while protecting our people and our planet.

Alongside breaking the bias, the focus of International Women's Day this year was “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.” 

A focus Gollan is no stranger to.

The solution collects purchase data directly from the point-of-sale via QR code technology and sends it through to financial systems. 

It completely eliminates receipts for businesses – who normally, would have no way to avoid the BPA-laden, non-recyclable pieces of paper.

Currently, there are 10 Million trees cut down, 686 Million pounds of waste created, and 12 Billion pounds of CO2 emitted from paper receipts annually, in the US alone.

“We are across three countries with our connected platform front and centre, integrated into the market-leading POS companies which enables us to change the narrative.

“Contactless receipts and sustainable technology alike are not only a step forward for our slow-burning climate response and for our economic future but are also a new way we can keep our people safe in the midst of a pandemic,” says Gollan.

International Women’s Day this year outlined just how crucial women are in leading charge towards climate change and building a more sustainable future.

“Being of Maori descent and the first woman in my family to have soft hands is humbling. Each generation wants to do better for the next – my ancestors did their job, now it's my turn to do mine,” says Gollan.

“Women are amazing fixers by nature and technology is all about fixing problems. Perfect match!”