Elrina
Retief
Co-Founder/CEO at PickMe
Gold Winner in the categories:
Female Founder Rising Star Award (Pre-Seed/Seed Tech Startup)
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Elrina Retief Bio
Elrina Retief, Co-Founder and CEO of PickMe, is redefining how people work, earn, and live. A visionary entrepreneur, she built her path from the ground up—first launching an accounting firm in 2001, then an employment equity consultancy in 2008—each driven by a belief that opportunity should never depend on circumstance. Along the way, she discovered a painful truth: millions are left unseen. Over 1.1 billion people lack proper identification, locking them out of jobs, finance, and dignity itself.From that realization, PickMe was born—an AI-powered, blockchain-secured ecosystem where identity becomes empowerment. Every verified user owns a portable, tamper-proof profile that tells their story of skill, effort, and reputation. Jobseekers are matched to work that fits their ability and location; employers hire faster and smarter. But Elrina’s vision reaches further—PickMe isn’t just about finding work, it’s about building lives. Through micro-earnings (TipMe™), digital payments, and built-in pension support, each completed task moves people toward lasting financial freedom.
Her mission is bold yet simple: turn identity into opportunity and fight unemployment with innovation that restores trust, dignity, and mobility. PickMe is more than an app—it’s a movement growing from townships to the world stage, proving that when technology meets humanity, poverty loses its power. Elrina Retief leads not just a company, but a revolution of possibility
