The first thing you used when you got on the internet wasnโt a bank app. It was email or a social app.
If social apps onboards people to the internet, they can also be the bridge that onboard people onchain. When communication and value live in one place, everything changes.
@hifisoftng Shah of @pingapphq on why he is building a borderless super app in Africa.
Builders Block EP 9 is live
@hifisoftng , Shah of @pingapphq, is building a borderless super app. Messaging, money, and services in one place.
He has built with over $1M and is deeply focused on solving real problems, not just following trends.
In this episode, we go deep into his work principles and long term thinking, how he builds sustainably without burning out, how he approaches revenue from day one, his decision to drop out of school and choose a different path, and his perspective on school versus real world building.
This is a masterclass in building with conviction
Timestamps
0:00 Introduction
2:51 - 4:54 Who are you & what mission are you on?
4:55 - 7:16 Growing up in the Eastern part of Nigeria. Values and early lessons
7:17 - 11:16 Studied Computer Engineering, dropped out, and chose a different path
11:17 - 16:30 School vs real-world building. What actually works?
16:31 - 32:04 Discovering crypto, early experiments, and building Gamic
32:05 - 33:45 Curiosity as both a blessing and a curse
33:46 - 36:34 Collaboration over competition in product building
36:35 - 45:52 Why build a super app in Africa right now? (PingApp thesis)
45:53 - 49:50 Why Facebook failed and why Ping succeeded in implementing value in chat.
49:51 - 54:45 From Gamic to PingApp. Pivot or new vision?
54:50 - 58:22 Inside PingApp. Architecture and technical challenges
58:23 - 1:00:35 Building with $1M+. What changes?
1:00:36 - 1:05:22 Revenue model. How PingApp makes money
1:05:23 - 1:13:34 Principles that guide his work
1:13:35 - 1:18:48 Collective wealth is real wealth
1:18:49 - 1:26:49 Health, rest, and recovery while building
1:26:50 - 1:30:50 Geography is destiny + Get a second passport if you can
1:30:51 - 1:35:04 The one trait that makes a great entrepreneur
1:35:05 - 1:41:49 The hardest moment at PingApp and trusting instinct
1:41:50 Break the Block (Rapid Fire)
* if you had fresh capital today, which African startup would you invest in and why (@paycrest, @hyperbridge, @BlockradarHQ)
https://t.co/Ijj3ijJRaj
This week, Iโm dropping a 1 hour+ conversation with @hifisoftng from @pingapphq Ukeme is the Co-Founder of PingApp, a super app where messaging, payments, and services come together in one place.
We go deep on his unpopular opinion about crypto(in his words, we all have lost our way), how he thinks about sustainability as a founder and not burning out, and why his team believes they are solving what others, including Facebook, couldnโt get right.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Why geography is destiny and why every founder should get a second passport if they can
- The one trait that separates great entrepreneurs
- The hardest moment at PingApp and the instinct that guided him through it
- Growing up in Eastern Nigeria and how it shaped his worldview
- His principles on execution, ownership, and long-term thinking
And a lot more.
Out tomorrow on Builders Block.
Youโre right. People donโt switch apps for vibes.
They switch for what helps them make life easier.
Youโre thinking of this like a messaging network effect. Itโs not.
Itโs a financial network effect layered on communication.
Adoption comes from cheaper + faster cross-border transfers, access to assets people couldnโt reach before, embedded actions (send, earn, trade) inside chat.
Messaging is just the distribution layer.
The real hook is once money flows through Ping, retention compounds.
If I can chat with you and send you money instantly
without stress, fees, or switching appsโฆ
Iโm not going back. Simple.
Because financial activity has higher stickiness than social activity.
You are right, the challenge isnโt the tokenization itself.
That part is easy.
The real challenge is liquidity and price discovery.
But isn't that where working with market makers come into the picture?
Also, Iโm not looking at just trading.
What Iโm thinking of is a pan-African capital market layer:
someone in Lagos buying Safaricom in Nairobi, Dangote in Lagos, Standard Bank in Johannesburg, Ezz Steel in Cairo, instantly.
The โNigerians use stablecoins because the naira keeps losing valueโ narrative is outdated.
In the last year, the naira has actually been one of the better-performing currencies, appreciating roughly ~10% against the USD at certain points.
If your goal was purely holding value vs the dollar, you would have been better off holding naira (or a naira stablecoin like @cngn_co) than holding USD-pegged stablecoins.
So why do Nigerians still use USDT/USDC?
Not because of currency panic.
The real driver is utility are Commerce, Remittance, access and convenience.
> Commerce: Businesses use stablecoins for cross-border payments and imports.
> Remittance: Diaspora transfers settle instantly without banking friction.
> Access: Most Nigerians cannot easily access fiat USD.
> Convenience: Stablecoins move globally in minutes without traditional rails and you can access it right from the convenience of your house.
In Nigeria, stablecoins are becoming less a hedge and more a payment rail.
They function as the internet-native dollar for trade and remittance not just a store of value.