Our story

My path began from less than nothing. I spent my childhood at a landfill; my parents were illiterate and worked as farmhands, and my father was sixty when I was born. Yet even as a child I found discarded books among the waste and read them from the first page to the last. From them I formed my own view of the world and my own way, a firm belief that a path is always possible, even when it starts from the very bottom.

What you can’t change, accept — and learn something from it.

At some point I decided, on my own, to go back to school. Alongside work, my child and caring for my father, I finished secondary school and then studied at university.

Eighteen years ago I founded my own company. Today it’s a family one, small, but persistent and with heart in the work.

All it takes is the will and the first step.

NearGo started with a simple observation. Our towns are full of life, small businesses, workshops, events and people who do good, heartfelt work. Yet too often they go unnoticed. A great craftsman is hidden in a neighbourhood that doesn’t know about him. A workshop happens a few streets away, but you only hear about it the next day. A coupon gets stuck in a drawer and expires.

I wanted to change that. Not with big promises, but with a tool that is simple and useful: one screen where you can see what’s happening around you — today, this week, nearby. A place where a local business posts its offer in a few taps, and where you find it without any hassle.

I didn’t wait for someone to open a door for me. I learned to open it myself.

I built NearGo as a solo founder, step by step. Every feature grew out of my own observations, needs and wishes, from everyday moments when I myself missed a single place for events, deals and local vendors nearby. The result is an app that brings events, services, coupons, bookings and a loyalty programme together in one place.

I believe in local. In the idea that the best offer is often the one just around the corner, and that it deserves its chance. NearGo is my attempt to give that offer a space — and to make it easier for people to discover the world around them.

Part of this path is also giving back. Even though I don’t have much, I help where I can. In Africa, for example, we funded a water tank for a school for children with special needs. And we’ll keep helping, down to the basics, wherever we can. Because I know what it’s like when it isn’t there.

Submit a charity project proposal →

This is only the beginning. Thank you for being part of the journey.