The Genesis of AirLode: From Grit to Global Vision:
The Genesis of AirLode: From Grit to Global Vision
Every journey begins with a problem.
For us—my co-founder, who is also my blood brother—and I, it wasn’t just one. It was a chain reaction of broken systems, shady deals, and gatekeeping that stifled innovation.
I didn’t build AirLode because I wanted to compete with Tyro, SmartPay, or PayPal.
I built it because I had to.
The Spark
It all started with a restaurant POS.
We offered it for free—MenuBee, a beautifully built system powered by AI, designed to help restaurants thrive. But what we learned on the ground shocked us.
One operator—Eddie (he failed KYC and signed legal documents under a pseudonym)—used our system while secretly charging customers over 2% and only paying 0.68% to ANZ. The difference? Pocketed through a marketing contract for his partner.
It wasn’t just unethical—it was illegal under ACCC regulations.
I realised something: we were being used.
The system wasn’t broken—it was designed this way.
Major banks forced us through gatekeepers like Linkly.
Acquirers pushed us toward partners who only cared about transaction volume—not people.
Stripe worked—but at a cost that crushed margins for in-person payments.
There was no real partnership.
Just middlemen in suits.
The Sacrifice
For four (4) years, I’ve self-funded every line of code, every security audit, and every server upgrade.
I’ve built in silence—while watching others raise millions without a working product.
I’ve lost sleep, opportunities, and both my parents to cancer.
I cremated them myself, performing every ritual.
The pain didn’t break me—it sharpened my focus.
Before my mother passed, I promised her something:
That I would build something meaningful.
Something that could outlive me.
Something my daughter could one day be proud of.
That promise is now code.
It lives in every heartbeat of AirLode.
The Build
AirLode isn’t just a payment gateway.
It’s an ecosystem built on military-grade security, biometric authentication, AI-driven fraud detection, and zero lock-in.
We’ve built:
- MenuBee for restaurants
- GrocerBee for direct supplier connections
- PricerBee to automate demand-based pricing
- And we're launching Offboarding.team for GDPR compliance
We hardened every server—not because it’s trendy, but because your data is sacred.
Every piece is designed to replace shady middlemen with transparent tech—
and empower businesses to own their flow, not rent it.
The Mission
We’re not here to disrupt.
We’re here to reclaim.
To give power back to merchants—small and medium business owners.
To expose the gatekeeping pyramid schemes hidden behind every point-of-sale system.
To challenge the unchallenged.
And yes—eventually, to fund cancer research.
That’s my endgame.
Every transaction we secure, every fraud we prevent, every small merchant we empower—
is a step toward a world my daughter deserves to grow up in.
What’s Next
We’re finalising partnerships with acquirers who believe in our vision.
We’ve launched this blog to share our real timeline—no PR spin, no VC-friendly jargon.
Just truth.
And as we grow, we’ll stay true to one thing:
Integrity over hype.
This isn’t a startup pitch.
It’s a promise.
Welcome to AirLode.