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valr
Crypto trading platform
- 21-100 employees
- B2C
- Cryptocurrency
- Marketplace
- Trading
- Blockchain
- Edenburg, Sandton, GP
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Company mission
To usher in a new financial paradigm that makes financial services available to the public with pricing that is fair and transparent, and with an experience that is intuitive and seamless.
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Our take
With over half of the population unserved by banks, Africa has been particularly enthusiastic about cryptocurrency, with 1200% growth in the market size in 2021. However crypto infrastructure has lagged behind, with low security and high fees for market participants as a result. Enter VALR, a modern, low-fee crypto exchange aiming to revolutionise trading in Africa and beyond by providing a reliable and profitable alternative to traditional banking.
The African crypto space is competitive, with exchanges such as Yellow Card ChainEx and Ovex also operating in the market, but VALR stands out with its low transaction costs, support of over 60 crytpo assets and transparent pricing structure. It also operates a popular referral program which has paid out 70 million Rand (over £3 million) to its users.
Although the fallout from the FTX scandal has hit the African crypto sector hard, VALR is continuing in its mission to spread crypto trading across the continent. Having recently closed a Series B funding round, it is continuing its expansion, going live in Zambia. It is also hiring engineering talent extensively to develop its product and strengthen the African crypto trading infrastructure. If it is able to weather the crisis it has eventual goals to grow into the Indian market, and beyond.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Benefits
- Annual company retreats
- Remote work: Work from wherever you like - Employees to ensure that there is secure, stable internet connectivity in order to effectively work remotely
- Home office setup: Mac laptop and a discretionary allowance to buy all the extras needed to work happily from home - all of it yours to keep after 3 years. Terms and Conditions will apply
- Learning fund: R16,000 per employee per year for anything that helps you upskill for work, in addition to scheduled VALR training
- Performance bonus: When you contribute to VALR’s success, you’ll be rewarded with discretionary bonuses
- 3 months maternity and 1-month paternity paid leave
- Regular get-togethers outside of work
- Leave: Flexible leave policy with 3 weeks minimum
Company values
- Value
- Moral worth
- Courage
Funding (last 2 of 3 rounds)
Mar 2022
$50m
SERIES B
Jul 2020
$3.4m
SERIES A
Total funding: $54.9m
Leadership
Farzam Ehsani
(CEO)Was previously Blockchain Lead at Rand Merchant Bank. Before that was Engagement Manager for McKinsey & Co and a Business Analyst at Deloitte Counsulting.
Theo Bohnen
(CTO)Also Co-founder of The Coding Ground. Was a Blockchain Engineer with RMB Foundery and a Software Developer at Driven Alliance.
Badi Shdhakaran
(CPO)Was a Senior Blockchain Developer at Rand Merchant Bank and Competence Leader - Software Development for IQ Business South Africa. Before that was a Senior Software Engineer at Yahoo!.