Ian Cele

Tell us your story:

My name is Ian Cele, and I am Co-Founder Emergent Wealth, an AI infrastructure startup that is still in the process of becoming formally registered, to disrupt financial exclusion across the Global South. I am writing you to share my story as an openly gay, Black South African founder, for your consideration for the Pride in FinTech Powerlist 2025.

As a Black, LGBTQ+ person in post-apartheid South Africa, I have seen first-hand how financial systems were designed to exclude. The path of my life has been about turning my experience of systemic exclusion into a prototype of radical inclusion. This lived experience is what Emergent Wealth is built upon- we are building out AI-enabled financial infrastructure to equip the next billion investors, starting in South Africa and expanding to other emerging markets.
We are demonstrating our impact in creating a more inclusive sector through our core technology:

• Democratising Sophisticated Tools: Our patent-pending AI engines mitigate currency volatility and quantify geopolitical risk, which allows individuals and small businesses to protect their savings and investments in high-risk economies.
• Ubuntu-Weighted ESG: "ESG Data Forager" combines satellite imagery, localized news, and community sentiment to build cultural, immediate ESG scores for emerging markets in a way that facilitates accurate valuation of assets and knowledge of where capital can have positive community impact.
• Voice-First, Inclusive Platform: Launching in South Africa, our platform features a voice-first UI in isiZulu and Afrikaans, removing literacy and language hurdles to access financial advice.

As a leader, my identity is not different from my work, it is the driver of my work. I am building a generational company to scale globally as proof that leaders from the LGBTQIA+ community and the Global South can shape the innovations of the future of finance. I will use this platform to inspire future generations of innovators to create technology to raise human dignity and financial inclusion.

Impact:

I take pride in creating financial technology that is inclusive by design to make wealth creation tools available to folks typically left out of the traditional system. This is not an add-on; it is our promise.

As a Black, LGBTQ+ person in post-apartheid South Africa, I know first-hand how financial systems are built to exclude. My journey is one of transforming systemic exclusion into a model of radical inclusion. This is the lived experience I am leading from.

Here at Emergent Wealth, this means creating new financial infrastructure for the Global South. My contribution is embedding Ubuntu—“I am because we are”—into the architecture of our AI, ensuring inclusion is a key output. I am most proud of:

• Creating for the Unseen: Our voice-first platform, in isiZulu and Afrikaans, directly serves users bypassed by language, literacy, and Western-centered UI design. This addresses a central barrier to financial literacy and access.
• Rethinking Value with Ubuntu-Weighted ESG: Traditional ESG metrics place an implicit discount on African assets and organizations. By integrating satellite data with a local-language sentiment model, we are building a more accurate, equitable standard of the impact of a corporate action. This embeds community trust and well-being into the capital framework of financial markets beyond simply maximizing return for shareholders.
• Democratizing High-Finance Tools: Our AI-powered risk mitigation engines (for FX and geopolitical risks) preserve the savings of small businesses and individuals in highly volatile economies. We are lifting tools used solely by multinationals and corporate institutions and promoting access as a public good.

Beyond the technology, my leadership style based on the authenticity and empathy engendered by my own journey, focused on being an example for others and curating a company culture that enables LGBTQIA+ talent to thrive without committing the painful act of ambivalence. Emergent Wealth is developing a narrative that demonstrates the power of a diverse leadership style and proves that a values-based posture is not simply an added story to a business plan but a main driver of innovation and financial success. I wish to be featured in Pride in FinTech 2025 for two reasons:

Firstly, we are working to alter the narrative of what is possible. My being on this list disrupts the monolithic image of a fintech founder. It illustrates that a Black, LGBTQ+ person from South Africa not only can hold space in the global financial conversation but drive it. That image is vital for spurring the next generation of LGBTQIA+ innovators across Africa and the Global South to reinvent the future of finance.

Secondly, we are building partnerships. I want to meet the other champions on that list—the policymakers, investors and innovators. Real change requires a coalition. My story highlights that the margins are, indeed, the frontier. Being featured allows us to amplify that message and make it a reality.

Advice:

Utilize Your Perspective as a Value-Add. Your lived experience is a special kind of expertise. It gives you a lens into underrepresented markets and user needs that makes you an essential creator of truly inclusive innovation. This is not only a personal thing—it is a competitive advantage.

Be Discriminating about Your Environment. Your platform is just as essential as your talent and skill. Seek employers that are public champions of DEI, support LGBTQIA+ community networks within their organizations (ERGs), and support policies. A supportive culture is not a great addition to your life but a requirement for your accelerated growth.

Develop a Resilient and Authentic Brand of Expertise. Develop a reputation as much for your technical excellence as your leadership. Voluntarily share your accomplishments and, when appropriate, your lived experiences. Visibility validates not only that diverse leadership is strong leadership, but it also shows future generations what is possible.

Network with Intention and Power. Intentionally engage with both FinTech and LGBTQIA+ professional communities (such as Pride in FinTech and myGwork). You're not only engaging in social networks, but also ecosystems with mentors, allies, investors, and collaborators.

Relentlessly Grow Your Craft. Mastery is your only currency. Cultivate technical acumen in areas such as AI, blockchain, and data, and also provide robust financial and leadership acumen. Continuous learning will allow you to shape the industries next evolution, as opposed to merely reacting to it. Be an Advocate by Leading. Don’t just take a seat at the table, build a better one. Advocate for initiatives that support access and equity. Consider diversity and inclusion not only as a moral imperative, but as a personal business imperative, that drives innovation and profit.

Build Resilience Through Community. Work through challenges by leveraging mentors, and colleagues, who can provide, mentorship, sponsorship, or advocacy. The resilience you build is professional superpower that will prepare you for roles at the decision making table.

The Bottom Line: The future of finance will be built by those who understand inclusion is the engine of innovation. Your voice is invaluable. Use your voice to build, challenge, and lead.