Valerie Moran was born into a five-child family. Her parents were successful entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe, where she was born. Her mother worked as a beautician, while her father ran a school uniform factory, a bakery, and a real estate investment firm.
Several of her uncles and aunts were university professors and deans, in addition to her parents being businesspeople. Her family placed a strong emphasis on education. She studied COBOL/Fortran/C (programming languages) in college and went on to become a skilled Systems Analyst. Valerie traveled to London since there was no work for a Woman-In-Tech in Zimbabwe, she stated in an interview with Anne Marie Ruby.
In 2008, she and her husband Noel Moran co-founded Prepaid Financial Services (PFS), a financial technology company. They control 81.5 percent of the company together as a couple. Valerie is the sole shareholder in the company, with a 16.3 percent ownership.
After quitting her paid job, she became the firm’s first employee, acting as its Implementation Project Manager. She was successful in putting the organization on the worldwide map of Regulated Financial Services. Her company is now one of the best-managed fintech companies in the world, with a 10-year track record of profitability.
When Zimbabwe slid into recession in 2003, Valerie relocated to London. She and her husband, Noel, now reside in Ireland. According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2020, they are worth a combined $278 million. Valerie was the first and only Black woman to make The Sunday Times’ annual Rich List, which lists Britain’s super-wealthy, in 2019.
PFS was founded by Valerie and her husband at a kitchen table in London. PFS lost $43,000 in its first year of business. They also tried and failed to raise funds in a variety of methods. They had to rely on their savings to keep the business afloat. They eventually got a major client and relocated to Hanover Square in London.
According to the Irish Times, the company had a $9.8 million profit in 2018.
The firm has also received numerous accolades. HRH Queen Elizabeth II and the British Government presented it with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2017. The couple also won the European Business Awards’ Business of the Year Award in September 2019.
Her lengthy hours correspond to her work philosophy of listening, learning, and taking criticisms. Valerie advises young entrepreneurs who wish to follow in her footsteps to give it their all in whatever they do.
