“Absolutely Brilliant”: Mzansi Women Build Software to Shield R82 Billion From Fraud Every Month
Two South African engineers, Thalia Pillay and Carla Wilby, built a Cape Town anti-fraud startup from a living room in 2024 that now shields R82 billion from fraud every month across 70 countries. A Facebook post by St Mary’s DSG, Kloof about their former pupil Pillay went viral, sending Mzansi into a frenzy of pride.
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Source: Facebook
South Africa could not stop talking after the school celebrated its alumna. Pillay earned nine distinctions at St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls in Durban before studying engineering at UCT.
From a living room to 70 countries
Pillay and Wilby met at the University of Cape Town over a decade ago. They both worked as software engineers at Cape Town fintech Stitch, where they noticed something no one was fixing. Fraud across Africa was growing fast, but the tools to fight it were built for other markets. Africa’s payment systems were simply different.
They launched Orca Fraud in January 2024, with Pillay as CEO and Wilby as chief technology officer. According to MyBroadband, the platform uses machine learning and smart algorithms to catch fraud the moment it happens. Banks, telcos, and payment providers across more than 70 countries now rely on it.
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The company raised R38.5 million in seed funding in March, one of the largest seed rounds by an all-women founding team on the continent. Orca also has partnerships with major players like Ozow and African fintech Cauridor.
Mzansi flooded the comments with pride after the Facebook post went live. Many called the pair an inspiration for young South African women in tech.
See the Facebook post below:
Source: Briefly News
