Inside the Solana Incubator: A Founder’s Experience
Honestly, I just want to be in the room where the magic happens. Building regulated stablecoin rails in Africa isn’t the kind of thing you figure out alone in your bedroom and if you’re building payments on Solana, what better place to stress test than in their own incubator? Being here means I get access to smart people, faster feedback, and the occasional reality check.
The first couple of weeks already have their highlights. I’ve discovered that compliance is somehow… sexy.
At least to investors. I get to say “we processed $100 million in 12 months” without anyone spitting out their coffee. I watch other founders ship at breakneck speed, which is the kind of peer pressure you can’t buy. And yes, the free lunches and dinners don’t hurt…
Of course, it’s not all smooth.
Try explaining “B2B cross-border stablecoin rails” at a party and watch people remember they suddenly need another drink. Juggling fundraising and product building feels like trying to cook dinner while giving a TED Talk, and with regulation as the constant shadow, moving quickly, often unpredictably, and demanding attention before anything else, it can be a whirlwind.
What I have learned so far feels more valuable than anything a textbook could offer. Payments technology is a commodity and always will be, but compliance is the moat that gives longevity to a company like ours. Paperwork, for all its reputation, is increasingly beginning to feel like a kind of superpower. Storytelling is another skill that has become clearer to me: if you repeat often enough that you are solving a $70 trillion problem, people eventually stop blinking and start listening. Above all, the mantra I carry with me here is simple: move fast, break nothing (especially not KYC!)
Already I sense a shift in how people see us. We’re no longer “a cool idea from Africa.” Now we’re “the first Africa-focused project incubated by Solana,” and that line alone opens doors. Our pitch is tighter, our GTM sharper, and our credibility is leveling up by the day.
Being here also forces me to step back and think about why we’re building in the first place.
The EU–Africa corridor is one of the most active yet most under-optimised payment routes in the world. It handles billions every year in remittances, enterprise payments, and trade, but the rails are outdated, expensive, and painfully slow. A shipment can sail across the ocean in a week, but the money behind it often takes longer. Fees skim 5%, FX swings erode margins, and entire businesses are left carrying the cost.
That’s why my conviction is so high.
Stablecoins aren’t optional in this corridor, they’re inevitable.
They settle in seconds instead of days, slash hidden fees, and free up liquidity that would otherwise stay trapped. For exporters in Ghana, importers in Belgium, or just SMEs needing to function successfully, these rails aren’t a convenience…they’re in fact a lifeline. When the rails are fast, reliable, and compliant, the benefits ripple outward: trust grows, growth accelerates, and opportunity gets unlocked for people and businesses that legacy systems leave behind.
So yes, I’m already thinking about what comes next: $1 billion in processed payments, because $100 million was just a warm-up lap. Expanding corridors so stablecoins can move everywhere except maybe Mars (for now). We’ll be collecting licences like Pokémon badges, because credibility is as much about regulation as it is about tech. Launching AI-powered tools to make compliance less boring, or at least more automated and of course, closing this raise so we can stop pitching and get back to building.
Being in the Solana Incubator is all about acceleration. It’s about pressure testing our vision, plugging into the Solana ecosystem, and proving that Africa isn’t a side note in the stablecoin story, it’s very much the main character.
And here’s where you come in…
Whether you’re an enterprise moving millions across borders or an individual sending money home, you don’t need to wait for the future of payments because it’s already here. Zynta gives you faster, cheaper, instant settlement, with compliance built in. If you’re tired of waiting days for transfers to land, or of losing value to hidden fees and FX spreads, then it’s time to try something different
Open an account with Zynta today 💎!
Be part of building the rails for the next era of payments. Because this story isn’t just about us building infrastructure. It’s about businesses and people like you using it.
Can’t wait to share more as we become the standard for African payments! 🫡🌍🔁
