Fintech Takes x Pipe Vertical SaaS: Fintech Disruption by a Thousand Cuts Episode 6: Scaling Up

11 snips

Oct 27, 2025

Dara Buckley, Founder and CEO of Increase, previously an early employee at Stripe, dives into the intricacies of scaling vertical SaaS companies. He discusses the delicate balance between specialization and growing into adjacent markets while emphasizing how real-time AI monitoring can transform financial oversight. The conversation includes insights on how tailored products can empower small businesses, the importance of transparency in banking, and the evolving roles within the fintech ecosystem. Buckley highlights staying close to users as a key to avoiding stagnation.

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INSIGHT

Banks Have Great Rails; Need Last-Mile APIs

Increase is an API-first banking core that exposes bank functions programmatically for developers.
Dara argues US payment rails are strong; the missing piece is last-mile delivery and high-fidelity programmatic access.

ANECDOTE

Stripe Got Error Emails From Banks

Dara recounts Stripe receiving emails from Wells Fargo when wires failed, which broke product reliability.
He uses this to show why programmatic access to underlying networks matters for modern scale.

INSIGHT

Narrow Focus Creates 'I'm Home' Moments

Vertical SaaS succeeds by speaking directly to niche user workflows and creating that 'I'm home' moment.
Dara compares Stripe's developer-first UX to vertical SaaS that tailors features and language to specific professions.

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In the finale of our new miniseries, Vertical SaaS: Fintech Disruption by a Thousand Cuts (sponsored by our friends at Pipe), we confront the biggest questions yet, like:

How can maturing vertical SaaS companies scale without losing the obsessive focus that made them indispensable?

Should they expand into adjacent markets, or double down on their niche?

And, as AI transforms oversight from slow, sample-based audits into continuous real-time monitoring, who will own the responsibility for keeping these systems safe?

With Luke Voiles (CEO of Pipe) as cohost, we welcome special guest Darragh Buckey (Founder and CEO of Increase – and, before that, the first employee at Stripe).

Along the way, we get candid about the capital “S” Specialization that’s making this ecosystem work: Vertical SaaS companies own the workflows, fintech partners like Pipe handle capital and risk, and infrastructure providers take on the tough, regulated money movement no one else wants to touch.

Get a front-row seat to how the “lasagna” of financial services is being rebuilt, one specialized layer at a time.

And how, if we get it right, it will serve small businesses, developers, and the broader economy far better than the systems it’s replacing.

Don’t miss this closing chapter of our Vertical SaaS: Fintech Disruption by a Thousand Cuts miniseries.

Thanks for listening!

This episode was brought to you by Pipe. Pipe helps vertical SaaS platforms unlock fast, flexible capital, right inside their product. Learn more at pipe.com/fintechtakes.

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