In this week's interview, we sat down with two founders we’re proud to support, Rami Djebari and Maher Ayari, to uncover how they’re tackling one of the biggest pain points for freelancers: payments. From their innovative use of stablecoins to their ambitious plans for global expansion, Rami and Maher reveal how their startup, Sorbet, is transforming the way freelancers get paid - and shaping the future of work in the process.
Adaverse: First of all, please share with us your progress, how has it been going since the beta launch? Who are your biggest champions right now?
Sorbet: Since launching our payment module in late 2024, it’s been amazing to start seeing freelancers from the MENA region use the solution to invoice their international clients!
We’re also thrilled to also deepen our work with Circle by joining the Circle Alliance Program and seeing them set up in the UAE.
On the product side, we’ve seen users excited about 2 use cases:
Payment Flexibility: Clients not familiar with blockchain can pay in fiat currency, like USD, using methods they already trust (e.g., ACH or wire transfer). As a freelancer, the payment is instantly converted into USDC and deposited securely into their Sorbet wallet.
USDC Payment Collections: Freelancers can skip the hassle of sharing wallet addresses or creating invoices manually. Sorbet allows them to send professional and secure invoices in just a few clicks.
We’re actively onboarding freelancers who are already familiar with USDC, and in Phase 2, we’ll expand capabilities for non-web3 freelancers. By enabling USDC conversions to bank withdrawals and spending via a Sorbet card, we aim to bridge the gap for a broader audience.
With each step, Sorbet is growing as the go-to platform for freelancers looking for a more accessible, secure, and efficient payment experience.
Adaverse: A few months into building Sorbet, what does your community see as being the main advantage of using Sorbet over existing freelancer payment solutions such as Wise or even PayPal?
Sorbet: Unlike Wise or PayPal, which rely on traditional banking systems and multiple intermediaries to process payments, Sorbet leverages stablecoins as a modern payment infrastructure. This approach enables direct transactions between clients and freelancers, bypassing the inefficiencies of traditional methods.
Stablecoins not only offer wider accessibility but also significantly lower transaction costs—often reducing them to near zero—while providing faster payment processing. This ensures Sorbet users benefit from a more inclusive and efficient financial system.
More than just a payment tool, we have Sorbet to be the financial backbone for freelancers, empowering them to seamlessly collect payments, manage their finances, and scale their businesses on a global stage.
Adaverse: Are you facing any resistance? What is it and how are you addressing it?
Sorbet: Introducing users to a new payment experience requires establishing a high level of trust. In our early days, we focused heavily on building Sorbet’s social credibility by collaborating with top-tier technical partners and positioning ourselves strongly in the market.
Additionally, we invested time in cultivating direct relationships with freelancers through active engagement on social media, fostering a sense of community and reliability.
To ensure ease of use, we’ve designed the payment process to be as seamless as possible for clients. With Sorbet, clients can pay freelancers via USD or USDC without needing to log into the platform—they simply use a secure payment link. This intuitive, user-friendly design has been a standout feature, frequently praised by users for its simplicity and efficiency.
"Stablecoins are already the cheapest and most efficient way to send a dollar globally."
Adaverse: A lot of people are still skeptical of web3 - why is it important to use web3 technology within payment solutions moving forward? What problem is it solving that is not already overcome with existing technology?
Sorbet: The last major innovation in payment technology was the introduction of credit cards in the 1960s. Yet, even today, moving money across borders remains slow and expensive. Stablecoins represent a transformative use case within Web3, offering tangible benefits that are easy for the general public to understand and adopt.
For example, stablecoins are already the cheapest and most efficient way to send a dollar globally (as illustrated by a16z data). In November 2024 alone, 28.5 million unique users executed over 600 million stablecoin transactions. These users span nearly every country, leveraging stablecoins for their affordability, reliability, and resistance to inflation. This makes stablecoins a safe and practical way to save and spend, particularly in regions where traditional financial systems are inaccessible or unreliable.
To drive mass adoption, user-friendly design is key. Many freelancers and small business owners—who stand to benefit significantly from stablecoin-based payment solutions—lack technical knowledge about blockchain. By developing intuitive digital wallets that function like traditional banking services, we can bridge this gap. This approach enables millions to harness the advantages of USDC and other stablecoins without requiring an in-depth understanding of Web3, ultimately paving the way for a more inclusive and efficient global payment system.
Adaverse: Rami, your previous project ThriveIN was a platform empower creatives via web3. Did you identify a need for a solution such as Sorbet during this period and can you tell us more about the challenges faced by the creative community that Sorbet is seeking to solve?
Rami: I’ve always been passionate about leveraging web3 to support creatives. ThriveIn aimed to build a LinkedIn-like tool for creatives with web3 components to grow professionally. At the same time as building ThriveIn, I was doing blockchain development as a freelancer and realized the gap in the payment experience in web3 and outside.
This led to bringing the focus to the payment pain point with Sorbet. To this day, 65% of freelancers lose out on income opportunities due to incompatible payment systems—a challenge amplified in emerging markets, where currency volatility adds another layer of complexity.
With two-thirds of freelancers in these regions preferring stablecoin payouts, it became clear to me that while talent has gone global, payments have not kept pace. This insight drove my commitment to creating a global payment solution that truly empowers freelancers.
Adaverse: Maher, in your journey as a digital nomad, what have you observed on the payment challenges global workers face?
Maher: Having grown up between Canada and Tunisia, I’ve seen firsthand how access to opportunities can vary drastically depending on where you’re based. This disparity is even more evident for global talent today.
On one hand, some workers can collaborate with clients seamlessly and get paid without a hitch. On the other, many face significant challenges—whether it’s high fees, lack of trust, or delays in accessing their hard-earned money.
The rise of web3 technologies is starting to bridge this gap, offering safer, more transparent payment solutions. At Sorbet, we’re taking this a step further. Our goal is to onboard the next wave of freelancers and their clients onto a secure payment system that removes complexity and feels effortless. It's about ensuring everyone—regardless of location—can thrive in the global economy.
"The freelancing sector in the MENA region is one of the fastest-growing markets, with a 142% growth in registrations."
Adaverse: What does the future of payments look like for freelancers? Are we on the cusp of supercharged payment solutions courtesy of web3 technology?
Sorbet: The freelancing sector in the MENA region is one of the fastest-growing markets, with a 142% growth in registrations. Many of these talented professionals are now expanding their reach by working with global clients.
Stablecoin adoption is also accelerating, fueled by favorable regulatory environments and the entry of global players like Circle, which has established a presence in the UAE.
With nearly two-thirds of freelancers preferring stablecoin payouts over local currencies, the future of payments for global talent is clearly leaning toward digital currencies.
Regions like Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia have already paved the way, and the MENA region is poised to follow. Built on Base and leveraging Circle’s USDC via Bridge, Sorbet is collaborating with industry leaders to drive the next wave of seamless, efficient digital payouts for freelancers across the region.
Adaverse: Lastly, what does the Sorbet roadmap look like currently? Walk us through from now to launch and elaborate (where possible) on the types of features and use cases prospective users can expect to make use of in the near future.
Sorbet: In October 2024, we joined Outlier Ventures which allowed us to accelerate product development, refine our GTM strategy as well as getting ready for fundraising.
We are aiming to close the round by summer 2025 to work on enabling more use cases. For anyone excited about pushing stablecoin adoption in emerging markets feel free to reach out.
Since the beginning our vision has been to onboard all freelancers – regardless of their web3 knowledge – onto USDC payments. The first phase has been about allowing web3 native freelancers to streamline their payment collection process and collect from non-web3 client.
The next phase will now focus on enabling all freelancers to onboard and use their USDC in a simple and intuitive way without requiring to manually convert it to fiat. We are currently working to gather insights from early adopters while refining the features to roll out.
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