Copyright International Business Times
While most startups chase venture funding and pilot programs with fintechs, ZenithBlox is taking a different path. The blockchain integration company has made a deliberate choice to start at the very top partnering with governments on national blockchain projects before turning to the private sector. It's a bold strategy, but one founder, Fodé Touré, PhD, believes it is the only way to build lasting trust in an industry clouded by skepticism. "For now, we are mainly talking to governments," Touré explains. "When we finish with that, we will come to North America. In one Asian market, for example, the government itself will introduce us to all the enterprises at the country level. So we will not be talking to the enterprise, but the government will talk to them for us." Simplifying Blockchain for the Fearful Executive At the heart of ZenithBlox's value proposition is its ability to make blockchain adoption less intimidating for financial institutions. Dr. Touré has witnessed firsthand how executives often recoil when faced with unfamiliar terminology. "Big CEOs of corporations are scared of words they don't understand," he notes. To them, blockchain doesn't signify opportunity—it signals cost, complexity, and disruption. To address this, ZenithBlox reframes its offerings using familiar enterprise language: Universal Adapters are presented as iPaaS for Web3, referencing integration tools like Boomi or MuleSoft that banks already know. BloxBlueprint is described as a BPM suite extended to blockchain, similar to Camunda or Bonita, but purpose-built for Web3. "When executives start thinking about blockchain, we don't want them thinking about a new, alien technology," Touré explains. "We want them to think in terms they already know, BPMS and iPaaS. If you make them afraid, adoption is difficult. But if you present it through what they already trust, they'll embrace it." Trust as Strategy Trust has become a scarce commodity in the blockchain sector. The ICO era left deep scars, with many startups raising money through tokens only to disappear. Touré draws a sharp line between that history and ZenithBlox's model. "At the beginning of blockchain, a lot of startups were created just to raise funds through ICO and disappear," he says. "That even created the problem blockchain companies are facing today. In my system I am not talking about any token. There is no token in my system. It is just the technology we give. We bring the power of technology to enterprises and governments." By embedding compliance and trust into its platform using visual workflows, standard BPMN language, and automated smart contract generation ZenithBlox reduces both the fear of change and the risk of exploitation. "When you are in front of a new technology, if there is no trust, you will run away," Touré says. "So we simplify it for you, using concepts you already know." A Top-Down Market Entry ZenithBlox's most notable progress so far includes national-level blockchain initiatives in Asia and modernization work with customs bureaus in the region. Touré emphasizes this top-down approach is intentional: starting with governments ensures both credibility and scale. "Our strategy is top-down," he says. "If I take the deal we have with one national entity, in our agreement they mention their responsibility is to introduce us to country-level enterprises. That is exactly what we are trying to do: start at the top of the funnel and work down." It's a sharp contrast to the playbook most enterprise blockchain startups follow pitching one-off pilots to midsize banks or insurers and hoping for gradual uptake. ZenithBlox is betting that sovereign-level adoption will create a faster path to market dominance. A Founder's Sacrifice If ZenithBlox's strategy sounds unusual, so too is the story of its founder. Touré grew up in rural Guinea, ranked first nationally in high school, and earned a scholarship to study abroad. Later, he completed his PhD in Canada and built a successful career, earning more than $300,000 annually as a senior blockchain engineer. Then came a turning point. "When I applied for new jobs after my last contract, nobody wanted to take me," he recalls. "So I said, you know what, you don't want to take me, so I will just fix the problem. All my savings, I went to Morocco, I took four guys, and I trained them. Now they are leading the project." It was not a choice made lightly. "I don't have savings. I don't have anything. My family is supporting me," Touré admits. "But I had just one choice: solve this problem or fail. There was no second option." This mix of resilience and necessity runs through his narrative. "Every time I have to change my situation, I am in a position where I don't have two choices. There is only one choice, because the other choice is to fail." Beyond Finance: Education as Mission While ZenithBlox is Touré's main focus, he is also quietly advancing another project: Lony, an AI and blockchain-based platform that incentivizes education worldwide. Learners accumulate not just accreditation, but reward units they can exchange for scholarships or resources. "The quest for knowledge saved my life," he says. "I want to create a system that incentivizes learners, so talented students anywhere can be supported with resources and scholarships." Governments in Africa are already exploring the concept, suggesting Touré's vision extends beyond fintech into broader social impact. From Hype to Infrastructure The blockchain industry is at a turning point. Tokenization of real-world assets is projected by BCG to reach $16 trillion by 2030, and more than 90% of central banks are now piloting blockchain-based systems. Yet trust and usability remain barriers to adoption. ZenithBlox's approach combining simplification, compliance, and government partnerships offers one answer. Touré's personal sacrifices and top-down strategy underline the seriousness of his mission. As he puts it: "We are not reinventing things. We use standard language. We improve it. We make it easy for you to use it and bring this new technology to your system."
