David Haber, a16z General Partner - Fintech through the lens of an operator, entrepreneur & investor
Nov 13, 2023
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David Haber, a16z General Partner, discusses the outlook for fintech and his experiences as an operator, entrepreneur, and investor. He shares learnings from Bond Street, the importance of software, and his transition from VC to founder and CEO. They also explore opportunities in gaming and discuss the unique strategy of Kerry First.
David Haber emphasizes the importance of companies leading with software or a network in the FinTech industry.
David explores the intersection between FinTech and other industry verticals, such as healthcare and gaming, in his investment strategy.
Deep dives
Opportunities in FinTech Investing
The podcast episode explores the investing thesis of David Haber, a general partner at A16Z, focusing on opportunities between fields of expertise, such as healthcare and FinTech, and gaming and payments. He expresses a bias towards companies leading with software or a network. He also shares insights from his experience in operating, entrepreneurship, and investing roles, highlighting the importance of understanding different perspectives and how it shapes his approach. David discusses his previous company, Bond Street, and the key learnings from that experience.
The Outlook for FinTech Sectors
David discusses the outlook for FinTech, emphasizing the challenges faced by FinTech companies in a higher rate environment and the opportunities for companies that focus on workflow problems and offer financial products as part of their solutions. He highlights the growing acceptance of third-party technologies in large financial institutions and the potential for FinTech companies to sell into them.
Exploring Intersections in FinTech
David shares his investment strategy, which involves exploring intersections between FinTech and other industry verticals. He discusses investments in healthcare, gaming, and vertical software in FinTech. He also highlights the importance of platform businesses and network effects in the success of FinTech companies.
Challenges and Solutions in Small Business Lending
David reflects on his experience as the founder and CEO of Bond Street, a small business lending company. He discusses the challenges faced in acquiring customers and the need for unique distribution channels. He emphasizes the importance of leading with software and leveraging technology to streamline the lending process and deliver a better customer experience.
In today’s episode, Kailee Costello hosts David Haber, General Partner at a16z. David focuses on technology investments in financial services.David was previously a senior executive in Firmwide Strategy at Goldman Sachs where he helped lead partnerships, new ventures and M&A. Before joining the firm, David was the Founder and CEO of Bond Street, which aimed to transform small business lending through technology, data, and design. Bond Street was acquired by Goldman Sachs in 2017.
In this episode you will hear about:
- The outlook for fintech: challenges and opportunities
- How seeing the world from the perspective of an operator, an entrepreneur, and an investor has shaped David’s investing today
- David’s current investing theses
- David’s learnings from Bond Street about the importance of “leading with software”
- How David’s lessons from Bond Street and his time at Goldman Sachs have influenced what he looks for in an investment and a founding team
- David’s rationale for leaving his VC role at Spark Capital to found a startup
- What David liked and disliked about his roles in VC compared to his role as founder and CEO at Bond Street
For more FinTech insights, follow us on
WFT Medium: medium.com/wharton-fintech
WFT Twitter: twitter.com/whartonfintech
WFT Instagram: instagram.com/whartonfintech
Kailee’s Twitter: @KaileeCostello_
Kailee’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaileecostello/
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