Carol L Realini
Executive Chairman and Founder, Obopay
Speaker
Carol L Realini is Executive Chairman and
Founder of Obopay, Inc. She founded the company in 2005 after travelling to
Africa where she saw people with mobile phones who were unserved by traditional
banking. Her vision has been to fundamentally change people’s lives by bringing
them access to financial services they would otherwise be unable to utilize.
Carol, a recognized international expert in mobile money, has presented to
world business and political leaders at events including those hosted by the US
State Department, and the Gates Foundation.
A serial entrepreneur, she has
three decades of technology experience, successfully leading companies through
initial public offerings, or acquisitions. In 2008, Carol was named one of the 50
Top Women in Technology by Corporate
Board Member magazine, and in 2010, was recognized as one of the most
influential women in Silicon Valley by the Silicon
Valley Business Journal. In 2011, Fast
Company recognized Obopay as one of the Top 25 women run companies to
watch.
Presentation Summary
There are more than 5 billion mobile phones
in the world, but only 1.6 billion bank accounts. This creates an unprecedented
opportunity to use mobile access to bridge the gap and provide affordable
financial services to people with a mobile phone. Obopay’s goal is
facilitate that access; to enable anyone with a mobile phone to have full
access to banking and payments that empower their life and work.The most significant challenge in achieving
this goal, beyond developing an effective mobile technology platform, is the
creation of a partner ecosystem within each new market. Obopay has developed
partnerships with mobile providers, banks, and retailers to create mobile banking
and payment offerings that extend banking well beyond the traditional
bricks-and-mortar banks. This business model leverages retail networks and
mobile technology to reach consumers in a broader, more efficient way. Obopay, currently operates on three continents.
