“If you’ve watched the 1996 film Jerry Maguire, you’ll recall the phrase ‘Show me the Money’. The lead character, played by Tom Cruise, is not up for a small talk while trying to cut a deal; all he wants to be assured of is that there is money.” That is the philosophy Mr Eran Feinstein, the CEO of 3G Direct Pay, kept in mind when starting his online payment solutions company in Kenya in 2006. “With the growth of online payment services globally, what many companies focus on is the end result — making money. But what about protecting that money from fraud?” he asks. “I vowed that when I started my company, fraud protection would be one of the focal services I would offer clients.” Today, the man originally from Israel has kept his word and created an e-commerce platform that accepts all major credit cards, mobile money and e-wallets, with fraud protection the priority.
It took Mr Feinstein a while to get to this point, though. He started out as a pilot with the Israeli army while in his early 20s. He flew for about six years and during his travels realised there was a gap in payment options between airlines and customers. “Before I started working in aviation, I had studied computer science and business administration. I knew the solution lay in IT. To pursue my interest in this field, I knew I’d have to get skills in it as I eventually wanted to branch out and start my own company,” he says. Feinstein vividly recalls the afternoon he went knocking on his boss’ door to tell her he wanted to stop working as a pilot and move to the IT department.
Taking the plunge
“I gathered all the confidence I had and after she welcomed me into her house, I told her that with the two degrees I had in IT-related areas, I was capable of being more efficient in the IT department. She looked doubtful, but I eventually convinced her to give me a chance,” he says.
