Built for Nigeria & emerging markets • Marketplace + Trust Infrastructure

The trust layer for digital interactions — starting with students.

TrustNest combines a student-first matching marketplace (accommodations, roommates, rides, essentials) with a lightweight AI verification and fraud detection engine — so people can connect, pay, and build durable reputations without getting scammed.

Identity verification Face match + liveness Fake transfer proof detection Dynamic trust scoring API-ready for SMEs
The problem

In emerging digital economies, trust is the missing infrastructure.

Online marketplaces move fast, but fraud evolves faster. Students get hit the hardest: fake landlords, impersonation, manipulated bank transfer proofs, and unverified agents — with little recourse.

Real-world pain → scalable trust tech

Scams are “systemic”

Fraud isn’t random — it’s optimized for weak verification and low accountability.

Fake transfer proofs

Edited receipts and reused templates cause massive losses for SMEs and individuals.

No portable reputation

People can scam, disappear, and restart — because identity and history are weakly bound.

The solution

TrustNest is a marketplace on top — and a trust infrastructure underneath.

We solve everyday needs (student matching) while quietly building a scalable trust engine: verify identity, detect fraud, score trust, and enforce accountability across interactions.

Student-first marketplace

Verified accommodations, roommates, rides, and essential services — optimized for the most vulnerable group.

  • Verified listings: landlord/agent ID checks + location consistency.
  • Safe matching: roommate compatibility + mutual trust thresholds.
  • Protected payments: fraud risk checks on receipts + dispute trails.
Scams drop Conversion rises Retention improves

Trust infrastructure layer

A lightweight verification engine that can run inside TrustNest — or be offered as a standalone tool for SMEs.

  • AI ID verification: document checks tuned to local formats.
  • Face match + liveness: reduce impersonation and account farming.
  • Fraud risk scoring: behavior + transaction + network signals.

Built for local realities

Existing solutions are often expensive, complex, or not adapted to region-specific fraud patterns. TrustNest prioritizes affordability, speed, and relevance.

Region-tuned models Lightweight deployment Anti-scam defaults
Product

Two surfaces. One mission: make trust measurable.

TrustNest starts with students, then expands as a trust utility for wider digital commerce.

Student Matching Marketplace

Accommodations, roommates, rides, and essentials — with verification embedded into every step.

  • Verified profiles & listings
  • Trust-based matching & messaging
  • Payments + dispute-ready logs

TrustScore & Reputation Graph

Dynamic trust scoring that reflects verification level, history, and transaction outcomes.

  • Portable reputation (within ecosystem)
  • Accountability triggers & thresholds
  • Safer network effects

SME Trust Engine (Standalone)

Affordable fraud prevention for SMEs: detect fake transfers, verify identity, and score risk in real time.

  • Receipt authenticity checks
  • KYC + liveness workflows
  • API / dashboard integration
Trust Engine

Lightweight, local, and designed to scale.

The core technology sits beneath the marketplace: verification, fraud signals, and risk scoring — tuned to region-specific patterns.

AI verification pipeline

A practical workflow that balances accuracy, speed, and user experience — without enterprise-level friction.

  • Document checks: format + authenticity signals
  • Face match: ID photo vs selfie similarity
  • Liveness: anti-spoof with motion/texture cues
  • Decisioning: risk thresholds + manual review hooks

Fraud detection layer

Detects common scam patterns with a focus on “fake transfer proofs” and repeated impersonation tactics.

  • Receipt tampering: fonts, edges, compression artifacts, metadata mismatch
  • Behavioral signals: rapid switching, failed verifications, unusual message templates
  • Network signals: shared devices / reuse patterns / suspicious clusters
  • Local pattern training: region-specific layouts and scam playbooks
Investor & grant positioning

A wedge into a massive market: trust for digital commerce.

TrustNest is built as both (1) a consumer marketplace with urgent demand and (2) a reusable trust layer that can be embedded across SMEs and platforms. Students are the wedge; trust infrastructure is the scale.

Wedge
Students → high frequency, high vulnerability, high referrals.
Moat
Local fraud patterns + reputation graph + workflow integration.
Scale
SME verification + fraud detection as product/API.
Impact: safer housing + reduced fraud losses Infrastructure: identity + accountability Local-first: Nigeria-ready from day one

Why now

Digital payments are mainstream, fraud tactics are accelerating, and trust is becoming the gatekeeper for online commerce. The next wave of platforms will win by making trust native — not optional.

  • Clear pain: scams are daily and costly.
  • Under-served: SMEs can’t afford enterprise tools.
  • Local advantage: region-tuned models beat generic detection.
Grant-friendly impact Investor-scale infra
Business model

Monetize where value is proven: protection, verification, and outcomes.

TrustNest can blend consumer marketplace monetization with a B2B trust utility — reducing reliance on ads and pushing towards defensible revenue.

Marketplace fees

Transaction fees on protected payments, escrow-like flows, or service fulfillment.

Low friction Outcome-aligned

Verification tiers

Freemium KYC + paid tiers for higher limits, faster approvals, and advanced trust badges.

Subscriptions Higher conversion

SME/API licensing

Offer fraud checks + KYC + risk scoring as a dashboard or API priced for SMEs.

B2B ARR Scales fast
Roadmap

Execution plan that’s grant-ready and investor-friendly.

Start with high-scam use cases and ship trust as a default. Expand into SMEs once the engine proves ROI.

Phase 1 — Student wedge

  • Verified listings + ID checks + basic TrustScore
  • In-app chat with safety friction + reporting
  • Receipt checks MVP + dispute evidence trails

Phase 2 — Trust engine expansion

  • Face match + liveness, stronger reputation graph
  • Fraud cluster detection + agent accountability
  • SME dashboard/API with pricing tuned for local markets
Contact

Want the deck, grant write-up, or pilot plan?

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Response-ready: investor, grant, pilot
Tip: Mention “grant type” or “ticket size” We can share KPIs + pilot structure