Sell your gold at fair prices without risking dangerous travel to unregulated markets
War-torn Sudanese economy forces unregulated miners to risk death and injury daily hunting for gold with metal detectors in remote mountains because conventional livelihoods have collapsed.
GoldLink shows verified daily gold prices from trusted regional buyers. Miners photograph and list their daily finds; the app intelligently matches them with verified buyers who arrange safe collection or meet at agreed neutral points. Escrow via Flutterwave mobile money protects both parties.
Artisanal gold miners and their families in conflict-affected northern Sudan
The only platform that verifies buyers through Sudanese business associations and uses mobile-money escrow tailored to artisanal miners, removing middlemen exploitation common in northern Sudan.
professional
Aggregated and verified prices from 12+ regional buyers updated daily
miners upload photo, estimated weight and purity for instant listing
Algorithm matches listings with nearest verified buyers based on price and safety
End-to-end encrypted chat with translation hints for price negotiation
Funds held until gold is verified received by buyer using Flutterwave
Complete record of all past sales with ratings of buyers
Public ratings and verification badges for buyers
Groups of miners can combine lots for better pricing power
Simple charts showing 30-day price movements by region
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| phone | text | No |
| role | text | No |
| verified | bool | No |
| location_region | text | Yes |
| created_at | timestamp | No |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| seller_id | uuid | No |
| grams | int | No |
| asking_price | int | Yes |
| latitude | float | Yes |
| status | text | No |
| photo_url | text | Yes |
| created_at | timestamp | No |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| listing_id | uuid | No |
| buyer_id | uuid | No |
| final_price | int | No |
| status | text | No |
| escrow_reference | text | Yes |
| completed_at | timestamp | Yes |
Relationships:
/api/listingsCreate new gold sale listing with photo
/api/pricesRetrieve latest verified gold prices by region
/api/match-buyersFind and rank suitable buyers for a listing
/api/escrow/initiateStart Flutterwave escrow for agreed transaction
Limited to 4 transactions/month
None
None
| Month | Users | Conversion | MRR | ARR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 180 | 18% | $1,134 | $13,608 |
| Month 6 | 1,450 | 24% | $12,180 | $146,160 |
Stop risking your life traveling to dangerous gold markets. GoldLink connects Sudanese miners directly to verified buyers with escrow protection.
Secure first 3 buyers through the Sudanese Minerals Chamber of Commerce in Khartoum. Offer free Buyer Pro for 90 days to credible local traders. Simultaneously recruit 25 miners in target villages by offering free listings for first month through village chiefs.
Established relationships
Unfair pricing and unsafe travel required
Transparent pricing, escrow, and no travel
Broader African reach
Not focused on Sudan conflict realities or artisanal scale
Hyper-local Sudanese buyer network and safety-first matching
Verified buyer network in Sudan creates two-sided marketplace moat. Reputation data becomes increasingly valuable over time.
Mobile money adoption (especially through companies like Mobitel and Zain Cash) has reached critical mass in northern Sudan at the same time traditional trading routes have become lethally dangerous due to ongoing conflict.
Buyers may not adopt the platform
Start by onboarding established traders with free access and incentives for first 50 transactions
Regulatory uncertainty around gold trading in conflict zone
Work only with already licensed buyers and maintain strict KYC on buyer side
Photo-based purity estimation disputes
Include clear photo guidelines and simple dispute resolution with community moderators
Success: Confirm at least 30% price improvement opportunity and strong interest in escrow
Success: Minimum 35 completed transactions with 80% satisfaction score
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