A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders How he grew to $100M ARR—then exited for $460M. | Zuben Matthews, Founder of Brigit
11 snips
Jul 14, 2025 Zuben Matthews, the founder of Brigit, transformed his personal battle with overdraft fees into a booming fintech company that sold for $460 million after reaching $100 million ARR. He discusses uncovering massive market pain, emphasizing how solving real customer issues fuels growth. Zuben shares invaluable insights on validating product-market fit quickly and why unit economics are crucial early on. He offers a candid look at navigating tough fundraising challenges and the emotional rollercoaster leading up to a major acquisition.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Personal Overdraft Struggles Spark Idea
- Zuben Matthews turned his own overdraft fee struggles into the foundation for Brigit.
- His personal and co-founder's family experiences shaped the company's mission to help similar stressed populations.
Banks Profit From Financial Stress
- Banks earn massive profits from overdraft fees, mostly from financially stressed, paycheck-to-paycheck Americans.
- This creates no incentive for banks to reduce fees where needed most, leaving a big market opportunity.
Validate with Customer Research
- Always start with deep customer interviews that are non-leading to find the true pain points.
- Validate the thesis by combining market research with direct user feedback for product feature guidance.