53 | From a Small Village in Uganda to Tech Entrepreneur in Dubai

From a Small Village in Uganda to Building Tech Companies in Dubai

In episode 53 of the Nomad Summit Podcast, we meet Elias Hezron, a Ugandan entrepreneur, fintech builder, and remote tech worker now based in Dubai.

But this episode is not just about crypto, startups, or borderless finance. It is about what happens when someone grows up in a small village, follows the path laid out by family and society, and then suddenly realizes there might be a much bigger world out there.

And in Elias’ case, that realization involved a bar, a woman he was trying to impress, cocktails he could not afford, and the life-changing discovery that people were making serious money by working remotely in tech.

“I Was Just Living in the Moment”

Elias did not grow up dreaming of Dubai, startups, or blockchain. As a child in rural Uganda, his world was much smaller.

“When I was growing up in that small village, I was just living in the moment, to be honest. I wasn't even dreaming. I just needed to be the best in my class.”

His parents were teachers, and like many parents, they wanted a secure future for him. That meant education, hard work, and ideally becoming a doctor.

But when Elias moved into a more prominent secondary school, everything changed. For the first time, he met students from much wealthier families.

“That is when I started dreaming. Did I think I was going to do a tech company? No. Did I even think about tech at that point? No.”

The $1.50 Night That Changed Everything

After university, Elias studied economics and started looking for work. The job offer he received was around $100 a month.

At the time, he was sleeping on a friend’s couch and struggling to contribute even $40 toward rent. Still, he turned the job down.

“I was broke and proud, right? So I refused to work for $100.”

Then came the night that changed his direction completely.

He took a woman out for drinks. He had the equivalent of $1.50 to his name. She ordered cocktails. Several of them.

“Between me and absolute poverty, I only had $1.50, right? So I was very impressed by her ability and her spending power.”

At that point, Elias gave up on trying to impress her romantically and switched into full research mode.

“I asked her, ‘How do you do it? What do you know? How do you have this money?’”

She told him she was a remote software developer making between $5,000 and $6,000.

That was the moment Elias realized tech was not just something happening somewhere far away. It was a way out.

YouTube, Blockchain, and a New Path

Elias did not have a computer science degree. He did not follow a traditional route into tech.

He went to YouTube, started learning, and looked for a niche that could help him stand out. The choice came down to AI or blockchain.

Blockchain seemed to have momentum, so that is where he went.

“I was motivated by money. I cannot lie. I won't lie that I was motivated to solve a problem or anything. No, I was motivated by money.”

Within three months, he landed his first tech job. It paid $1,280 a month.

Suddenly, the $40 rent contribution that had once felt impossible was no longer a problem.

Why Seeing Someone Like You Matters

One of the most powerful themes in this conversation is how opportunity can feel impossible until you see someone close to you achieve it.

For Elias, the woman at the bar did more than tell him about remote work. She made it feel real.

“They seem out of reach until you see a person who is your peer achieving them, and then those barriers eventually are broken. Then it becomes possible.”

That is one of the big takeaways from this episode. Inspiration is not always a motivational quote. Sometimes it is simply meeting someone who proves that another path exists.

Building OneRamp Across Africa

Elias later founded OneRamp, a crypto payments company built from Uganda and scaled across seven African markets before being acquired by ViFi Labs.

That part of his story connects directly to one of the bigger questions in this episode: why do alternative financial systems matter so much in emerging markets?

For many people in Europe or North America, crypto still sounds like speculation. For Elias, the conversation is much more practical.

It is about payment access, business tools, currency issues, and what happens when traditional banking does not serve ordinary people very well.

Why Getting a Bank Loan Can Be Almost Impossible

I shared a story from my own visit to a poorer area outside Kampala, through 22STARS Foundation, started by Stella Romana Airoldi, who I know from Nomad Cruise.

There, I met small business owners using microloans to grow food stalls, salons, and tiny shops. It struck me how hard it seemed for ordinary people to access basic financial support.

Elias understood that reality immediately.

“I always knew that the bank would not come to my aid.”

He explained that bank loan rates in Uganda could be around 22 percent.

“It’s crazy. Highway robbery. You need a return of investment of about maybe 40 to 50% so that it makes sense.”

And even if someone does get a loan, the amount might not be enough to start a real business once rent, stock, family support, and daily survival are factored in.

The Cost of Starting Small

One of the most interesting parts of the conversation is how Elias explains the gap between getting money and actually being able to use it to move forward.

A loan might sound like a lot on paper. But once you need to pay several months of rent upfront, buy merchandise, support family, and cover basic costs, it disappears fast.

“It just wouldn't cut it. I think also that is one of the reasons as to why it's much, much harder to get out of poverty.”

That is where the episode moves beyond the usual digital nomad conversation. This is not just about laptops, coworking spaces, or moving to cheaper destinations. It is about access, systems, and the uneven playing field people are starting from.

Dubai as a Land of Opportunity

Today, Elias is based in Dubai, where he works remotely in fintech.

He describes Dubai as a place full of opportunity, with people from all over the world and several pathways for visas, including employment, investment, freelance, and even content creator options.

“It’s a land of opportunity. 200 nationalities around the world can easily get a visa there, and you can start from zero, pay 0% tax, multiply that money if you have the right ideas.”

But he also gives a more honest view of Dubai, including the reality that people can be paid differently depending on their passport.

That makes this part of the conversation especially relevant for digital nomads and remote workers. Location independence can open doors, but the world is still not equally open to everyone.

You Have to Be Findable

Toward the end of the episode, we ask Elias what advice he would give to someone who feels stuck and dreams of changing their life.

His answer is very Nomad Summit.

He talks about globalization, building for global audiences, creating content, going to events, and making yourself visible.

“No one is going to find you from under the rock, right? You have to get out there.”

For Elias, attending events was not just networking in the shallow sense. It helped him build trust with people who later supported his project.

That is a good reminder for anyone building remotely: the internet gives you access, but human trust still matters.

Why This Episode Matters

This episode starts in a small village in Uganda and ends in Dubai, Malaysia, crypto payments, global work, and the future of finance.

But underneath all of that, it is really about possibility.

It is about what happens when someone sees another way of living and working. It is about refusing a path that feels too small. And it is about how remote work, technology, and global networks can change someone’s life when they know how to use them.

If you have ever wondered whether it is too late, too difficult, or too far away to build something global from where you are, this episode is worth listening to.

Listen to the Episode

Listen to episode 53 of the Nomad Summit Podcast with Elias Hezron and Alexandra Mosnitska.

You will hear the full story of how Elias went from a small village in Uganda to building tech companies, working remotely, and creating financial tools for emerging markets.

Relevant Links

• Elias Hezron on LinkedIn
• ViFi Labs
• ViFi Labs on LinkedIn
• Elias Hezron on GitHub
• 22STARS Foundation
• Nomad Summit
• Episode produced by RadioGuru