Maya Parbhoe
Maya Parbhoe | |
|---|---|
.PNG) Maya Parbhoe in 2024 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 25, 1988 Paramaribo, Suriname |
| Political party | NPS |
| Alma mater | Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, Hogeschool Inholland, Florida International University |
| Website | maya2025.com |
Maya Parbhoe is a Surinamese business woman and politician whio is a candidate for the 2025 presidential elections of Suriname. Since December 2024 she is a member of the National Party of Suriname.[1] She is CEO of Daedalus Labs and board member of Icarus Geo.[2]
Biography
[edit]Youth and studies
[edit]Maya Parbhoe's father owned a computer store in the mid-1990s, which is how she learned to program and tinker with computers as a child. Her grandfather was politically active, and her father had similar ambitions.[3] On September 4th 2001, when Parbhoe was 13 years old, her father Vinodj Parbhoe was murdered[4], according to his daughter a couple of days after he had exposed corruption at the De Surinaamsche Bank.[5] Vinodj was active in the casino business in Suriname. [6] [7] [8] [9]
Entrepreneurship
[edit]Even before her studies, she started Quickship at the age of fifteen, a company in the field of real estate and logistics.[3]
Since the mid-2020s, she has been the CEO of Daedalus Labs, a company in the field of bitcoin and nostr.[2] The company focuses on developing the infrastructure of the capital market using bitcoin technology[3]. Additionally, she is a board member of the Surinamese engineering firm Icarus Geo.
She ensured that Suriname participates in the MIT REAP[10], the Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program (REAP) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which provides an approach to strengthening innovation-driven entrepreneurial ecosystems (innovation-driven entrepreneurial [IDE] ecosystems). In practice, she aims to help innovate agriculture in Suriname, increase exports, and ensure that the emerging Surinamese oil sector becomes a success. The ultimate goal for Suriname is the transformation towards prosperity, sustainability, and economic growth. However, according to her, the biggest challenge is to be taken seriously in the male-dominated world of Suriname.[3]
Political ambitions
[edit]In an interview with Parbode in May 2024, she shared her vision for payment systems in Suriname. The country is lagging behind in the digital transformation of the financial sector. Many Surinamese still pay in cash and do not have a debit- or credit card. As a result, Suriname could be missing out on many opportunities. She spoke at panels in America and Europe and approached institutions and companies at the World Economic Forum in Davos to invest in Suriname, in an effort to help unlock financial opportunities for the country. At her invitation, Canadian bitcoin entrepreneur Samson Mow visited Suriname at the end of 2023 to discuss the development of Suriname using bitcoin with President Chan Santokhi and Surinamese business leaders.[3]
She is given space by party chairman Gregory Rusland to operate within the NPS and share her plans[1]. The first version of her plans was shared through her website, where she presents herself as a presidential candidate, Running for Office - A New Type Of President. One of her plans is to replace the currency of Suriname with bitcoin, aiming to go further than how it has been introduced in El Salvador.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Maya Parbhoe gaat zich keihard inzetten voor de NPS, December 23rd, 2024, ABC Suriname (in Dutch)
- ^ a b c Maya Parbhoe: bitcoin, petróleo y el futuro de Surinam, December 11th 2024, La República (in Spanish)
- ^ a b c d e nl:Parbode, Complete digital financial inclusion for Suriname. The mission of entrepreneur Maya Parbhoe. (Volledige digitale financiële inclusie voor Suriname. De missie van ondernemer Maya Parbhoe) (Sneak Peak) May 2024
- ^ Nachtelijke liquidatie op terras, in Trouw September 5th 2001 (in Dutch)
- ^ Suriname the next Bitcoin Nation? Crypto inspires Parbhoe to fight corruption, Cointelegraph
- ^ Meet Maya Parbhoe: The Pro-Bitcoin Presidential Candidate Who Wants to Save Suriname, Frank Corva, July 9th 2024, Bitcoin Magazine
- ^ Hoe diep ligt de financiële sector in het Blauwmeer, Juni 23rd 2024, De Ware Tijd (in Dutch)
- ^ South American Casino Co-Owner Killed Amid Charges of Financial Wrongdoing, September 5th 2001, Casino City Times
- ^ Onvoorwaardelijke celstraffen geëist tegen bank- en casinotop, October 16th 2007 (in Dutch)
- ^ Maya Parbhoe - MIT REAP