Conestoga graduate Solomon Koomson has been recognized with a 2026 CSI x CEC Venture Award for his work developing Klosa Technologies, a technology venture focused on addressing the needs of African diaspora communities.
Conestoga graduate Solomon Koomson has been recognized with a 2026 CSI x CEC Venture Award.
Koomson has combined his Conestoga education in Financial Technology and web development with nearly a decade of professional experience in banking, payments and financial technology to develop Klosa.
The cross-border support and payments platform was inspired by Koomson’s own experience living away from home and supporting family in Ghana. Klosa is designed to give users the option to send money or directly pay for essential services such as electricity, school fees, internet and groceries.
Through the Conestoga Entrepreneurship Collective’s (CEC) Venture Lab for Tech, Koomson received coaching and mentorship to validate his business model, refine his customer value proposition and prepare the venture for market launch.
“I joined the Venture Lab with an idea and a problem I believed was worth solving. The program gave me the structure, coaching, resources, and support to validate the problem, refine the business model, and turn the idea into something tangible,” said Koomson.
Since participating in the Venture Lab, Klosa has reached several key milestones, including developing a working MVP, incorporating federally, registering with FINTRAC as a Money Services Business and with the Bank of Canada as a Payment Service Provider, and establishing payment partnerships and integrations in Ghana. The venture has also built an organic pre-launch community of more than 300 sign-ups.
The CSI x CEC Venture Award was established through a partnership between Conestoga Students Inc. (CSI) and the CEC to support entrepreneurs as they develop and grow new business ventures.
The award recognizes entrepreneurial purpose, innovation, resilience and demonstrated progress, while providing recipients with financial support to help advance their business goals.
“For me, the award is both recognition of the progress we have made and encouragement to keep building,” said Koomson.
Klosa is now preparing for launch, beginning with the Canada-to-Ghana corridor. For Koomson, the next stage will bring the platform into the hands of users after extensive work developing the product, navigating regulatory requirements, building partnerships and listening to the community.
“Our ambition goes beyond one corridor. We want to build Klosa into a platform that helps people, wherever they are in the world, stay closer to the people and things that matter back home,” said Koomson.
The Conestoga Entrepreneurship Collective supports students, graduates and members of the Conestoga community in exploring entrepreneurship through programming, mentorship and pathways designed to help participants develop their ideas and build successful ventures.