Hasane Mathe
Hasane Mathe, the founder, and CEO of Aveade, started the company on August 5, 2020, from his bedroom while still a student at Boston City Campus and Business School. He is the driving force behind Aveade's overall direction and product strategy. With a background in Information Technology from Boston City Campus and Business College, and Office Management and Technology from Tshwane University of Technology, Hasane brings a strong technical foundation. His hands-on experience in software architecture, product design, and e-commerce development comes from analyzing major platforms like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Takealot, and Makro. He also gained deep insights into digital payments by studying services like Wise, Paygate and Payfast, along with various Banking APIs. Born and raised in the village of Mokopane, Limpopo Province, Hasane studied mathematics literacy, and science at Mookamedi Secondary Secondary before moving to Gauteng Province in 2016.
Building Aveade Out of Necessity
- He launched Aveade.com, an online e-commerce marketplace, after being excluded to sell on existing platforms.
- He then developed Aveade Pay because he was denied API keys and rejected by other fintech companies, ensuring that no one else would face similar barriers.
- He made Aveade Point of Sale because he couldn't keep track of products in retail stores and sellers, so he wanted to use the stores themselves to manage stock.
- He created Aveade Business, a distribution and procurement platform. This offers companies access to goods from vetted and trusted suppliers, opening up supply chain opportunities.
- He created Aveade Ads, because it was expensive for small businesses to Advertise online.
Growth and Impact
Hasane started Aveade with just R4,600 (approximately $260 USD), money he saved over a year by not spending his daily R10 ($0.56) lunch allowance from college. To scale the company, he borrowed R5,000 (approximately $277 USD) from his mother, Hellen Mathe, money that came from dowry paid for one of his sisters. This initial investment helped grow Aveade to turn over R4 million (approximately $220,000 USD), with over R6 million (approximately $357,000 USD) generated for the community of sellers on the Aveade platform since inception. Aveade moved from his bedroom in Diepsloot to a small office in Sandton, Gauteng, and now employs 7 full-time individuals.
Business Development and Skills
Hasane's business skills and expertise lies in various industries. From founding Aveade with just a laptop and R4600 ($260), he acquired Import and Export Licenses, secured Authorised Economic Operator Licenses in the global movement of goods from SARS, and in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), he secured ICASA approvals, and in Intellectual Property he secured IP protection for Aveade, and in Software Development he is behind technical development of Aveade overall systems, apart from his role as the CEO, he is currently the Chief Technology Officer and Executive Software Architect of Aveade Digital Products. In Fintech space, Hasane secured Banking APIs to build Aveade Pay, a payment gateway for online and offline payments. In Finance and accounting, he developed accounting management system used across Aveade Digital Platforms, which provide financial insights and VAT records for different users and customers in different country as required by law. In Logistics, he built Aveade Shipmate (Aveade Fulfilment Services), which allow businesses on the Aveade platforms to book courier and delivery services in real time from logistics companies.
From Hasane Mathe
"I am Hasane Perseverance Mathe. I was born and raised in the village in Limpopo, I was the sixth of seven children raised by my incredible single mother in a three-room house. if my mom Hellen Mathe would have said cost of living is too high, I wouldn’t had the opportunity to see this life. I don’t come from money, I come from drinking water with sugar, when that's all we had. I was raised by single mother, she was not just a mother, she was all I had.
I attended Nkontlha primary school in the village in Limpopo, My friend used to show me answers at Primary, but I was the one who was showing answers in Grade 12. I completed my Matric in the village at Mookamedi Secondary School, where I was the class leader and member of LRC when I was in Grade 8, and in 2015 I was elected School leader with 69% votes, and again I was a class leader of Matric class 2015, during my time as a leader I introduced casual wear on Fridays, and since there was feeding scheme and learners would share pine of milk, I implemented that each learner get 1 pine of their own milk, I knew many learners like me, did not had food at home, so allowing every learner to get 1 pine of their own milk, they can take it home and share with their families.
Growing up, I was fortunate to have access to a very old TOSHIBA laptop, a gift from my sister. I taught myself computer programs and became the village's go-to person for smartphone and laptop software issues. I was also among the first to popularize mobile data in the village with my friend William, and when Android came along, the whole village was using my account.
After Matric, I moved to Tembisa, Ivory Park 2, to live with my mom in her shack and continue my studies. I initially enrolled in Office Management and Technology at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) because my first choice, IT, was full. However, after my first year, I realized I needed to pursue my true passion. My mom, retiring from decades of domestic work, received some money from her kind employers, Cara and Ivin. With that, she helped me enroll at Boston College to study Information Technology, where I proudly passed all my modules with distinctions.
I moved to Diepsloot to live with my sister. During college, I started a business selling 5 earrings and 2 electronic study materials online. When I faced exclusion from local marketplaces and denial of access to payment APIs, I decided to build my own platforms. With just a laptop and R4600 ($260) I'd saved over a year, I poured all my knowledge and strategies into creating these platforms. They aren't perfect yet, but we are committed to making them better and better over time.
Our ultimate goal is to build an inclusive digital economy where everyone can participate and access opportunities. I have an incredible amount of energy and determination to make this a reality. By enabling us, you are empowering millions of lives. There are over a billion people in the world, and if we work together, we can truly serve billion lives as partners."
