South African startup Fintr is using games to teach young people about money, combining gamified superhero narratives, practical financial exercises, and a competitive reward system to make financial education fun and foster positive financial behaviours from a young age.
Co-founders Elijah Djan and Danei Rall formed Findamentals – Fintr’s parent company – in 2021, and launched Fintr itself in 2023.
Findamentals was born from deeply personal experiences, with both Djan and Rall having up in households where financial literacy was rarely, if ever, discussed.
“Navigating the complexities of money management became a self-taught journey during our university years,” Djan said. “We met in our final year during a lecture where the lecturer shared her personal financial journey. The lecturer’s words struck a chord, and we quickly discovered a shared passion for empowering others with the knowledge we had to piece together on our own.”
The company they formed was driven by a clear mission – “to ensure that others don’t face the same struggles we did growing up”. Findamentals, through Fintr, aims to equip people with the tools and knowledge to navigate their financial lives from an early age, helping them build a more secure financial future.
“Learning about money is often seen as dull and uninspiring, with most resources limited to traditional in-person workshops, books, or lengthy YouTube videos,” Djan said.
“We envision a solution that not only imparts knowledge but also sparks a transformation in behaviour. Numerous academic studies have illuminated the power of gamification and game-based learning in driving real, lasting change. Our mission is to cultivate a generation of financially savvy individuals by making learning about money fun, interactive, and impactful through the magic of games.”
Almost 1,000 people have so far used Fintr’s digital games, and the company is set on expanding its offering. It has built FinMaster, a board game that aims to be the modern-day Monopoly, and is taking pre-orders.
“We are also in an active sales drive right now with schools. We are excited about the prospect of using our Fintr4Schools digital solution and our board game, FinMaster, as ways to bring life and practicality into the grade 7 EMS curriculum,” said Djan.
All this needs funding, and Fintr has backers. It received some funding during its incubation period at TuksNovation in 2023, and has also won grants from the likes of the World Bank and Standard Chartered Bank. It has also received equity funding from E Squared through its Pathways programme, and was one of 12 startups selected to take place in Injini ed-tech accelerator earlier this year. Djan said Fintr has global ambitions.
“This is a global problem that we want to solve for every child! Our dream is that every child leaves school with the knowledge and skills to achieve financial success, and every home has a FinMaster game,” he said.
Fintr monetises via annual licenses to schools for its digital solution for their learners. It is selling its FinMaster board game online, and is also exploring working with banks and financial institutions to create custom board games and digital games for them.
“We have two interested institutions that we have been in conversation and ideating with,” said Djan.
It isn’t an easy journey, however.
“One of our biggest challenges is that the return on investment for financial literacy often doesn’t reveal itself until years later. While everyone we talk to agrees it is important, it often gets pushed to the back burner when it comes to personal or business budgets,” said Djan.
Fintr, and its dedicated founders, are looking to change all that.
