Joe Kinvi had no intention of launching a financial revolution. All he wanted to do was find a solution to a problem that kept coming up near home. With its focus on startup equity, real estate, and significant cross-border wealth creation, the Stripe alum’s business Borderless is quickly emerging as the preferred investment platform for Africans living abroad.
It all started in 2017, when Joe Kinvi took a finance role at Touchtech Payments in Ireland. The startup couldn’t cover his salary, so he asked for equity instead. Eighteen months later, Stripe acquired the company. Kinvi cashed out in Stripe shares—and quietly stepped into an entirely new game.
What followed was a deep dive into the messy world of diaspora investing. In 2020, Kinvi co-founded Hoaq, a scrappy investment club connecting diasporan and local African angels. But even wiring money into the right bank account became a minefield. From frozen Wise accounts to legal mazes and cross-currency chaos, the friction was constant.
So they hired lawyers. Built workflows. Designed patches. Then it hit him: What if the infrastructure we’re cobbling together could work for everyone else, too?
That spark became Borderless, a UK-based platform enabling diaspora collectives to pool capital, onboard members, and invest cleanly and compliantly in vetted opportunities back home. From its quiet beta launch, Borderless has already powered more than $500,000 in investments—real money from real people putting down long-term stakes in African startups and property.
But this is no feel-good remittance story. Joe Kinvi is razor-sharp about where traditional money transfers fail. “Someone I know sent €200,000 home to build a house,” he tells Voke Magazine.
“The house was never built.” Borderless is built to stop that kind of heartbreak—channeling investor money directly to trusted sellers, escrow accounts, or lawyers. No cousins. No ‘middlemen’. No disappearing acts – Joe Kinvi
Dozens of collectives on Borderless have backed over ten African startups and at least two real estate developments in Kenya, with minimum contributions of $1,000 and $5,000 respectively. A waitlist of 100+ diaspora communities is already lining up to get in.
There’s momentum but also scrutiny. To avoid regulatory gray zones, Borderless operates under UK rules that permit marketing investment opportunities to diaspora members. Every deal goes through legal and compliance checks. No DIY shortcuts here.
Joe Kinvi knows scaling means more than slick software. Trust is the real product. Many African expats want to go home someday, but they need wealth real, functional, growing capital to do it. Borderless isn’t just about ROI; it’s about identity, dignity, and the freedom to return not just with savings, but with power.
Big-name investors clearly agree. Backers include DFS Lab, Ezra Olubi (CTO, Paystack), Olumide Soyombo, and execs from Google and Stripe—many of whom are also users of the platform. The $500,000 seed round has helped Joe Kinvi build out the next layer of functionality: identity verification, fraud protection, and expansion into new asset classes like film and diaspora bonds.
Meanwhile, traditional remittance platforms—Zepz, LemFi, Taptap Send, NALA—continue their dominance in moving money back home. But few are doing what Kinvi is: giving that money a future. An engine for real ownership.
For now, Borderless makes its revenue via transaction fees, FX spreads, and membership dues. Eventually, expect asset management tools and payout products, all tailored to diasporan users who want more than sentimental returns.
Kinvi’s message to his fellow Africans abroad is clear: don’t just send money—build legacy. With Borderless, you’re not wiring funds into the void. You’re wiring your way back home.
