Drew Durbin

Drew Durbin is the Co-founder and CEO of Wave Mobile Money, based in Dakar, Senegal. Before launching Wave, he co-founded Sendwave in 2012 and served as its CEO until the cross-border remittance application was acquired by WorldRemit for $500 million in 2020. Under his leadership, Wave expanded its mobile money services across six African countries, reaching over 10 million customers and securing a $200 million Series A round in 2021. This funding, backed by corporate investors including Stripe, elevated the enterprise to a $1.7 billion valuation and established it as the first unicorn in Francophone Africa. The Brown University graduate has accumulated over 16 years of professional experience in the global financial technology sector. Durbin currently focuses on building affordable financial infrastructure and expanding mobile payment accessibility for millions of users throughout the African continent.