#155: Alex Wheldon, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Rho Business Banking, and a Serial Entrepreneur With 3 Exits, on Creating Great Products and Innovating in a Highly Regulated Space

Alex Wheldon the Co-Founder of Rho Business Banking Alex is a 3x time entrepreneur and was the founder and CEO of Kanary, Europe’s first DMP/DSP, which was acquired in 2014.  Alex was previously CPO at Lyst, a fashion marketplace with over 65 million customers, and CPO at Smarkets, a betting platform that he helped grow to over $2 billion in transactions per year in less than 12 months.  Alex’s ventures have raised over $100m in venture capital from firms like Draper Esprit, LVMH, Accel, Oxford Capital and Deutsche Telekom. Alex is also an early-stage investor through Wheldon Bros. Investments.

• Rho Business Banking
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Medium
• LinkedIn
• Alex on Twitter

• What led to Alex starting Rho with his co-founder, Everett Cook
• What is Rho and their mission
• Understanding the inherent problems with the banking industry
• The sponsor bank model
• What Rho offers and who their typical clients are
• Fundraising for Rho
• Navigating a highly regulated industry
• How Alex evaluates opportunities in new markets
• Alex's first time asking for capital
• Understanding investors and Alex's advice for fundraising
• The process of exiting a company
• Foundational product thinking
• Incorporating feedback into product development
• How Alex views competition
• How Alex approaches hiring
• Alex's book recommendations

• Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux
• Inspired by Marty Cagan