Lipa Later appointed Tom Gong, co-founder of AliExpress, as its new chief technology officer in March 2022. The East African buy-now-pay-later platform aims to leverage his expertise to accelerate continental expansion.
Gong previously served as a technical program manager at Google Wallet from 2007 to 2009 and co-founded Wanda eCommerce (Feifan) in 2012. He also led technology initiatives at AllDragon, a SaaS provider for retail centers. His academic background includes a master's in computer science and MBA from Columbia University, along with a bachelor's in electrical engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
"Africa's demographic potential, with over 1 billion people and 50% under 18, presents significant opportunities," Gong stated. "Lipa Later can help consumers access products through flexible payment solutions." The company, established in 2018, uses data analytics and machine learning for instant credit approvals.
In January 2022, Lipa Later secured $12 million in funding to expand operations. CEO Eric Muli emphasized Gong's appointment as critical for building technology infrastructure to support African market growth. The firm's proprietary systems enable rapid credit approvals without extensive documentation.
