Thokozani Mwale

I am a Zambian by birth and have lived in Zambia for most of my life.

At the time of creating ZedFind, I am a student at Northern Technical College pursuing a diploma in Heavy Equipment Engineering.

Although my academic path is in engineering, I have always been deeply rooted in technology. Ever since I was a child, I have been fascinated by what technology can create and what can be achieved through it.

Over the years, curiosity led me to build a wide range of skills. From graphic design and 3D game asset modelling in Blender to Python, JavaScript, HTML, CSS and C#, I kept learning simply because I wanted to understand how things worked and how I could build them myself.

One of the biggest reasons I created ZedFind is because I don't believe opportunities should depend on who you know.

In Zambia, finding work can often depend heavily on personal connections. If someone needs a bricklayer, for example, they may ask a friend if they know someone who can do the job.

That recommendation may work, but it does not necessarily tell you who the most skilled person is. It tells you who is accessible through your network.

This becomes especially difficult for people who are just starting out. They may have the skills but no experience, no reputation and no network of people who can recommend them.

I believe that is a system worth changing.

My vision for ZedFind is to create a marketplace that gives opportunities to people who may not otherwise have access to them.

I want anyone who has the skills for a job to have a fair opportunity to find that work.

Instead of relying entirely on connections, people should be able to build a profile, demonstrate their skills, earn reviews and build a reputation through the work they actually do.

I want ZedFind to become one of the first places people think of when they are looking for freelance work or someone to get a job done.

Whether someone is a teenager looking for their first opportunity, a young professional trying to build their career or an experienced worker looking for more clients, I want ZedFind to give them a place to start.

I also want employers and clients to see ZedFind as a trusted place to discover talent. A person's profile should become another way to understand what they can do, what work they have completed and how satisfied their previous clients have been.

My hope is that one day someone will hear the words "freelance work" and immediately think, "Let me try ZedFind."