2025-2026: A Government Bid, a Scholarship Fund, and Growth Into Sierra Leone

We launched a scholarship program

UT student research found that while our core payment plan program was very helpful to students, scholarships could be generationally transformational. So we built one.

Our first scholarship student graduated this May using the Sadeka Hossain Memorial Scholarship, created to honor one of Jump Finance's biggest believers. Seeing what that meant for one student is why we turned it into something sustainable. 80% of every contribution funds a student's education, 20% goes toward administration. We tested it with friends and family first, and the application is now open.

Our site now leads with the scholarship offering

Our site now leads with the scholarship offering, alongside our core stats: 3 university partners, 7+ years operating, and 500+ students supported. Visitors can give monthly through our Community Fund, make a one-time contribution, or fund a full named scholarship.

This past year, we hit nearly every goal we set for ourselves and launched a new scholarship program. Here's what changed, what we built, and where we're headed next.

We met or made progress on every goal from last year's report

• Full integration with the WAVE digital payment tracking system: completed

• Expansion of small business loans into a full product offering: partial, with 5 successful loans in 2025 and WAVE integration ready to automate starting Summer 2026

• Opening our first university in Sierra Leone: our first pilot student starts in August 2026

• Reaching 1,000 students and profitability by 2027: on target. Our Gambian business made $10K in revenue on $12K in expenses, with only $2K in support from the US.

On a personal note, John William and Benaz also relocated to Portugal this year on a D2 Entrepreneurship Visa. Jump Finance, Inc. remains US-based. The move put us in the same time zone as our team in The Gambia, which has made working together easier.

We expanded to 100+ new students and now serve three Gambian institutions

We're still live in three universities, but now serving 600+ students, up from 500 the year before. We're also launching with our first pilot student in Sierra Leone this August, our first step into a second country.

In May, we applied to be the technology partner of the Gambian government's student loan system

We submitted an RFP to MOHERST (the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology) for a $125K bid to become the official student loan tech partner for the country. We're among only 7 companies to submit, and the only active student loan company with complete WAVE API integration. We hope to hear results soon.

"You saw potential in me when I felt like I was nowhere, and your belief in my abilities has transformed my life."

For $2,500, you can fund a Named Scholarship for a student in The Gambia

Our first named scholarship recipient, Fatou F., a Human Resource Management and Marketing major, graduated this May using the Sadeka Hossain Memorial Scholarship

Fatou F., Sadeka Hossain Memorial Scholarship, Class of 2026

Read Fatou's full message →

Our goals for June 2027

• Fund 10 named scholarships, with students applying for them directly through our app

• If selected, deliver the MOHERST student loan product successfully within 6 months

• Fully expand small business loans into a complete product offering (50 loans)

• Fully incorporate student job skills and job opportunities into our student app

• Sign an official partnership with the University of Sierra Leone

• Continue pushing toward 1,000 students and profitability by the end of 2027

Help us get there

We can't do this without people willing to invest in a student they'll likely never meet. If you'd like to be part of the next chapter, you can fund a scholarship. That could be a named, 4-year scholarship in someone's honor, or a contribution to our community fund starting at $10 a month. Every dollar is transparently split, with 80% going directly to the student.

© 2026. Jump Finance, Inc.