Born to Build: The Entrepreneurial Spark

Some entrepreneurs are made—but the most remarkable ones are born. Abla is one of them.

Raised in a family of healthcare professionals in Togo, a small West African nation, Abla charted her own path early on. An exceptional student, she was named the best math student in the country and selected to represent Togo at a prestigious pan-African STEM camp. Though her academic brilliance pointed toward a career in engineering or academia, her heart was elsewhere.

At just 13 years old, Abla launched her first venture—selling handmade goods at a school fair. She earned $100 that day, a small fortune at the time, and discovered the thrill of turning ideas into value. That spark would grow into a lifelong passion.

From the Trading Floor to the Startup World

Abla began her career in finance, honoring her parents' aspirations. She was one of the few select classmates/the only student in her year, recruited as a Quantitative Risk Analyst at the London Stock Exchange in Paris. There she built risk models that safeguarded more than €3 trillion in transactions. The impact of her team's plans and execution only fueled her entrepreneurial hopes.

A few months into the role, she launched a data analytics startup that generated over €100,000 in its first year—and she proved to herself that her talent wasn't just technical, she was a visionary and a builder. That success fueled her next bold move: pursuing an MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she focused entirely on entrepreneurship.

At Stanford, she built a powerful network of investors, engineers, and product leaders—relationships that became foundational in co-founding Twelve, a fintech startup transforming the way nonprofits collect and manage donations.

A Mission Born from Passion and Experience

Abla and her co-founder, Ruth, quickly identified a gap: nonprofits lacked the digital tools needed to meet modern donor behavior. Administrative inefficiencies, manual tax reporting, and limited payment options were slowing down their impact. With a background in finance and machine learning, Abla saw an opportunity to use technology not just to streamline giving—but to supercharge it.

Twelve is an AI-powered platform that enables nonprofits to accept donations from any digital wallet—Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, and more—and automatically generates tax-compliant receipts in real-time. The result: fewer hours spent on admin, fewer errors, and a significant increase in donation volume for many of its early users.

Redefining Nonprofit Tech with AI

While most fundraising technology is built for large institutions, Twelve focuses on leveling the playing field. Its AI engine doesn't just process donations—it learns from them. It identifies patterns, optimizes outreach strategies, and helps small to mid-sized organizations make data-informed decisions without needing an internal tech team.

By automating reconciliation, integrating across wallets, and delivering actionable insights, Twelve turns friction into fluidity. For nonprofits operating with limited resources, this means more time spent on mission-driven work—and less time buried in spreadsheets.

Designed for Inclusion and Built for Scale

What truly sets Twelve apart is its commitment to help improve nonprofit financial health. In a space where digital transformation often overlooks smaller players, the platform empowers even grassroots organizations with enterprise-grade capabilities. It makes giving easier for donors, more efficient for administrators, and smarter for leaders who want to grow their community impact.

And as younger generations shift their giving habits toward mobile-first tools, Twelve positions nonprofits to stay relevant—and even thrive—in the new digital economy.

Looking Ahead: Beyond Donations

In the months following its launch, Twelve has already demonstrated what's possible when advanced AI meets unmet need. Its algorithms continue to improve as donation data accumulates, revealing broader applications beyond philanthropy.

Twelve is now exploring new models that could extend its technology into other parts of the financial ecosystem—bringing powerful reconciliation and reporting tools into spaces like microfinance, cross-border remittances, and decentralized giving. "For me, the vision isn't just about transforming nonprofit donations—it's about redefining the way we manage and move money across the world."