| Omar Cissé | |
| Birth Name: | Omar Cissé |
| Birth Place: | Dakar, Senegal |
| Nationality: | Senegalese |
| Alma Mater: | École supérieure polytechnique de Dakar Institut supérieur de management |
| Occupation: | Entrepreneur, Business Executive |
| Known For: | FinTech |
| Founder & CEO at InTouch | |
Omar Cissé (born 1978), is a Senegalese entrepreneur and the CEO of InTouch Group, a financial technology company, he founded in 2014.[1] [2] Previously, Cissé established other tech ventures, including CTIC Dakar, a business incubator in Senegal launched in 2010, and 2SI, a software engineering and mobile solutions company founded in 2001. Cissé has a degree in computer science and design engineering, and an MBA, he is known for his contribution to the development of African technology and mobile payment industry.[3] InTouch, one of his ventures offers a mobile payment platform for financial transactions in Africa, spanning 16 countries and 23 subsidiaries across the African continent as of 2024.[4]
In 1997, Cissé attended the Ecole Supérieure Polytechnique de Dakar (ESP) in Senegal, obtaining a degree in engineering design in computer science and new technologies in 2001. Cissé later pursued an MBA at the Institut Supérieur de Management (ISM) in Senegal, graduating in 2007.[5]
During his engineering studies he and his peers developed websites for local businesses in Senegal, working from their student rooms with just their laptops. . In 2001, a year after completing his engineering degree, Cissé co-founded 2SI, a software engineering company.[6] The company grew to a team of approximately 40 employees. Cissé become the CEO in 2005; despite 2SI's success, Cissé left the company in 2010, a decision that surprised his partners and family..
Cissé earned certification in business incubation through Infodev, a program of the World Bank Group’s Private Sector Finance and Development Network which operates a network of more than 400 incubators across 100+ countries. Cissé worked as a business incubation trainer for Infodev over a span of three years.
In 2010, Cissé founded CTIC Dakar, reportedly the first technology incubator in French-speaking West Africa. [7] [8] In 2015, Cissé co-founded Teranga Capital, a Dakar-based investment firm that invests in SMEs, and he serves as its board member.[9]
Cissé's founded the InTouch in 2014, a fintech company aimed at solving interoperability issues in mobile payments. The platform was initially funded by Cissé himself and built with the support of four engineers. It grew, achieving a record $10 million fundraising round in 2017, the largest for a start-up in French-speaking Africa at that time.[10]
In 2014, Cissé founded InTouch, a fintech company with the mission to simplify payments and expand financial inclusion across Africa.[11] InTouch aimed to address Africa’s fragmented payment landscape by creating a platform where merchants could manage transactions across different payment channels. Through InTouch, Cissé enabled businesses to accept payments from various sources, including mobile money and card-based transactions, thereby reducing complexity and increasing accessibility for consumers.[12]
Since its inception, InTouch has grown significantly.[13] In 2017, the French companies TotalEnergies and Worldline invested €3.7 million in InTouch. n 2023, InTouch reportedly processed nearly €3 billion in transaction volume.[14] I n 2024 the company has expanded its presence to 16 countries and established 23 subsidiaries across the African continent.[15] In 2024, InTouch launched MyTouchPoint, a B2B2C platform that allows customers to interact via the web and the mobile app.[16]