• South African startup MILLI charges a fixed fee of 1,000 rand ($60) instead of taking a percentage of donations.
• The platform enables individuals, communities and organizations to launch fundraising campaigns within minutes.
• Co-founder Dario Eugenio wants to strengthen local solidarity through technology-driven community financing tools.

South African entrepreneur serves as chief executive officer of MILLI, a crowdfunding platform he co-founded in 2023 alongside his professor, Peter Konhäusner.

MILLI allows individuals, communities and organizations to launch fundraising campaigns within minutes through a simplified three-step process. Users first tell their story, then define a financial target and finally illustrate the project with images.

Once campaigns go live, users can share them through email, messaging applications and social media platforms to increase visibility. In addition, the platform enables users to monitor contributions in real time and transfer funds directly into bank accounts.

Unlike traditional crowdfunding platforms that deduct a percentage from each donation, MILLI applies a single flat fee of 1,000 South African rand, or about $60, regardless of the amount raised. The company says this model allows project owners to retain nearly all collected funds.

Beyond the financial model, the startup seeks to strengthen national solidarity by relying on an active donor community willing to support social, humanitarian and community-development causes.

“We do not simply host campaigns, we actively contribute to funding them through our audience and partners,” Dario Eugenio told Disrupt Africa. “The platform revolves around storytelling, video and social-media sharing, enabling users to create compelling campaigns and distribute them effectively. Our core belief remains simple: better stories generate more funding.”

To improve accessibility, MILLI also operates through mobile applications on iOS and Android devices. The application allows users to manage fundraising campaigns directly from smartphones, monitor donations, receive instant notifications and communicate with supporters.

Dario Eugenio holds a multidisciplinary academic profile. He graduated from the University of Pretoria in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and international relations. He completed a second bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2021 at the South African College of Applied Psychology.

He also earned a master’s degree in leadership for digital transformation in 2023 from the GISMA University of Applied Sciences.

This article was initially published in French by Melchior Koba

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum