Mojo Mortgages CEO and co-founder Richard Hayes tells Lloyd Wahed how he went from a studying music to founding a leading UK online mortgage broker, that disrupts the sector through its hybrid of smart tech and human mortgage experts.After their Series A funding of £7.6 million, mojo has excelled, recently being the finalist at the British Bank Awards 2021. With their acquisition by RVU (the owner of Uswitch, Confused.com and Money.co.uk) underway, this is set to be a monumental deal that will enable mojo to set its vision to scale faster and have a greater impact.Richard has over ten years of experience in the financial services sector, this, combined with his passion for technology, is the driving force behind Mojo. On the podcast, Richard and Lloyd discuss the reason Mojo didn’t just focus on the mortgage broking service, and expanded into the development of their own suite of APIs, the creative and musical traits that make so many great founders and what it takes to disrupt the archaic mortgage sector. Plus, Richard shares his favourite books and how to balance family life whilst leading a successful fintech startup.For more episodes on founders, fintech and careers please visit: searchingformana.comFollow Mana Search on TwitterFollow Mana Search on LinkedInEpisode Highlights:02:12: The Acquisition annoucements04:44: The potential of UK mortgages 13:48: The first mortgage broker with the API suite17:49: Who’re the right people to be on the right problems 24:37: From music to a fintech founder33:34: A book guide for founders42:21: Disrupting the mortgage industry51:43: Richard’s Mana

Chris Eastwood, co-founder and co-CEO at Penfold, sits down with Lloyd to talk about how his digital-based pension platform for self-employed workers and SME’s. After entering the industry as a consultant with the Big Four, Chris leads now a UK-based fintech company that reached in 18 months 25,000 users with £25m of assets under management. The company is on a mission to give people more visibility and control over the environmental or social impact of their pension investments.In this episode, Lloyd and Chris discuss the motivations behind his journey to revolutionise the pension landscape, the opportunities to serve the UK SMEs and self-employed sectors, and Penfold’s partnership with Starling Bank or Just Eat, reaching their 300k SMEs and 18k riders customer base. Later they delve into Chris’ journey as an entrepreneur and the experience of leading a fintech company in midst of the COVID-pandemic.Follow Mana Search on TwitterFollow Mana Search on LinkedIn Episodes Highlights:01:32: Reaching 25,000 users in 18 months06:47: Building an end-to-end backend tech platform09:42: How can we track our old pension investments?13:37: Balancing the sustainability goals with performance21:18 Partnerships with Starling Bank and Just Eat30:05: Journey from management consultant, M&A to entrepreneurship40:01: Future plans 44:31: Chris’ Mana

This week, Lord Holmes, MBE joins Lloyd in this special episode, within the Fintech Week London 2021, for an enlightening chat about fintech, financial inclusion, crypto and so much more! Lord Holmes is the Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Groups on Fintech, AI, Blockchain and 4IR. He is a member of the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology and has co-authored Lords Select Committee reports on: Digital Skills, Social Mobility, Financial Inclusion, AI, Intergenerational Fairness and Democracy and Digital Technologies. He has also authored a report on ‘Distributed Ledger Technology for public good: leadership, collaboration, innovation.’A ex-Paralympic swimmer, Chris won nine gold, five silvers and one bronze Olympic medal across four Games, including a record haul of six golds at Barcelona 1992.Touching on everything from the importance of community building in fintech, UK financial landscape potential, Chris and Lloyd talk everything fintech and crypto has to offer. Then they dig into Chris’ career to provide inspiring advice: how to win gold medals, how to take feedback effectively, the importance of teamwork and other valuable lessons!Mana Search on TwitterMana Search on LinkedInEpisode Highlights:02:15: Passing financial services bills 09:35: Why should fintech IPO in the UK?13:38: The UK fintech talent pipeline16:36: Chris’ passion for tech20:08: Winning Olympic gold medals33:59: Predictions for the crypto space48:50: Chris’ Mana

This week, Kraken’s Managing Director Jakub Zakrzewski joins Lloyd for an enlightening chat about crypto, fintech, angel investment, career progression and so much more! A Forbes 30 under 30 superstar, with experience at companies like Rocket Internet and Revolut, Jakub offers incredible insight into both blockchain and fintech.Kraken is one of the world's largest and oldest cryptocurrency exchanges, with more than $1 billion worth of cryptocurrencies stoked to date. Touching on everything from the importance of the centralised side of DeFI, Jakub and Lloyd talk everything crypto has to offer. Then they dig into Jakub’s career to provide crucial advice: how to improve your own career algorithm, how hardworking is the core of many successful stories, how to cold email Revolut’s CEO for a job and other valuable lessons!Mana Search on TwitterMana Search on LinkedIn Episode Highlights:02:30: Kraken’s strategic development in APAC11:55: Should we regulate DeFi and digital assets industry?17:59: The cyclical nature of the cryptocurrencies’ market21:08: Building own career’s algorithm and the next-day flight ticket to Malaysia26:40 Working with Nik’s from Revolut28:28: Building a company from scratch in Hong Kong36:46: Angel investing, the traits of best founders and future of fintech43:44 Jakub’s Mana

Nick Mills, CircleCI GM EMEA, joins Lloyd to discuss the future of tech and software engineering. The company, which is a software delivery platform automating development workflows and IT operations, has just reached a $1.7 billion valuation, after the recent $100 million Series F.And Nick has a unique perspective on the subject. Since 2008, he joined the tech giants like Microsoft or Facebook (pre-IPO stage), and later worked at Stripe closely with their founders Patrick and John. Since then, he's become an early-stage investor, non-exec director and board advisor in Fintech companies and the mini-CEO for CircleCI EMEA region.Lloyd and Nick discuss how Nick joined tech from a law degree, the VC and investment landscape in Europe, and differences between leading at large tech organisations versus early-stage startups. Plus, Nick tells us how software can be a catalyst for innovation and how investing can affect social impact with high leverage.Follow Mana Search on TwitterFollow Mana Search on LinkedInBooks:AccelerateOutliersBounceEpisode Highlights:01:32: How can we optimise software development?06:59: Global expansion with regionalisation and localisation12:47: Trends in software engineering18:52: Early-career and joining the tech industry25:36: DIfference between launching and scaling a fintech in the US vs Europe30:34: Lessons from working with Facebook engineers34:39: Working at early-stage startups and large organisation42:34: Nick’s Mana51:44: CircleCI’s growth plans and the future of software development hiring

Mark Mullen (CEO anad co-founder of Atom Bank) joins Lloyd to discuss the state of UK fintech, mortgage and SME lending and what it takes to disrupt UK banking.And he should know. Throughout his 30 years long career, Mark built his banking experience in a major incumbent bank - HSBC, and later resigned from the CEO position of first direct - one of the earliest adopters of digital UK banking - to take the first step on the next bold phase in his career, In 2014, he founded Atom Bank (with ex-Metro Bank co-founder) - UK’s first mobile bank built, with no branches, and the first digital-only challenger bank to be granted a full UK regulatory licence.In this episode, Mark and Lloyd talk about who actually finances the UK banking sectors, why the current account system is broken, can we process a mortgage application in under 15 seconds, as well as the journey of building a company from employee one to +400. Plus, he shares with us, how is it to work with Atom Bank’s strategic advisor - Will.i.am.Follow Mana Search on TwitterFollow Mana Search on LinkedInEpisode Highlights:03:04: How is the current banking system broken, and who is financing the banking sector09:06: Why we shouldn’t have all banking products from one provider14:35: How to process a mortgage application under 15 seconds22:32: The need to change the banking industry and resigning from the firstdirect CEO role27:36: Building a company from employee one to +400 and the importance of the organisational culture35:19: The vision for the next 10 years40:32: Mark’s Mana

We’ve got startup lending on the brain this week as serial VC Andrew D’Souza sits down with Lloyd to talk working capital, angel mentorship and so much more.As Founder and CEO of Clearco, Andrew made his name raising hundreds of millions of dollars in venture capital and is an adviser and investor to companies such as WealthSimple, Properly, and Tulip Retail. Since graduating engineering and working for McKinsey, he’s joined Chamath Palihapitiya in his venture right after his exit from Facebook in 2010, meeting the teams behind Instagram (before being Instagram) and Slack (before being Slack) whilst being in the Andreessen Horowitz’ fund. Today, he runs Clearco, an equity-free startup lender that has reached a $2B valuation.To kick off the episode, Andrew walks Lloyd through Clearco's aim to offer founder-friendly capital solutions for e-commerce, mobile apps, and SaaS founders; as well as access to a powerful global network, insights and data, and recommendations through their Angel branch, the conversation dives into the ways Andrew’s entrepreneurial journey since the age of 10, and how couples that work, can work.Follow Mana Search on TwitterFollow Mana Search on LinkedInCouples that Work, Professor Jennifer Petriglieri Episode Highlights:02:42: The difference between traditional venture capitalists and Clearco08:57 Why the world doesn't need another VC firm11:04: Clearco’s $2B valuation14:43: How Clear Angel offer founders access to a powerful global network, data, and mentorship17:24: How data can help to get through business volatility20:54 How to keep sane as a co-founder of a rocket ship26:17: Being an entrepreneur since the age of 1028:24: The difference between an engineer and a strategy consultant29:38: How was Silicon Valley in 201041:00: How to leverage the geographic diversity of talents and founders43:55: The issue of the distribution system of capital / Why half of the world is overweight and half still starving?48:31: Couples that work58:24: Andrew’s Mana

Shachar Bialick (Founder and CEO of Curve) joins Lloyd to discuss how Curve helps its users consolidate multiple cards, and even allowing them to switch pre-COVID-19 purchases back onto a different card in 2020, and what it takes to build one of the UK’s fastest-growing FinTech firms.And he should know. With his background in computer science and special forces in the military, Shachar has co-founded innovative digital challengers since 2001. He later took on an MBA at INSEAD, and joined a then-10-person startup Checkout.com as Head of Product in London. In 2015, he founded Curve, which simplifies personal finances with a single bank card for multiple accounts from different providers. In 2019, Curve has smashed Crowdcube - the world’s leading equity crowdfunding platform - records after raising £4M within 42 minutes. Almost 10,000 people backed Curve, reaching the highest number of investors in a raise on Crowdcube.In this episode, Shachar and Lloyd talk about Shachar’s path from a military soldier to founder at Europe’s fastest growing fintech, as well as the importance of patience and the right employee culture.Pre Register for Curve’s second 2021 crowdfundFollow Mana Search on TwitterFollow Mana Search on LinkedIn Episode Highlights:02:37: Curve is going crowdfunding again08:32: Explaining the convergence and rebundling13:05: What Formula 1 car do you need to build for fintech?20:06: From a soldier to an entrepreneur28:28: Is it worth taking an MBA?39:12: Growing the team of 400 employees52:10: Shooting for the stars1:00:00: Bonus Story: How Curve successfully migrated away from Wirecard after the outage in less than 60 hours and over the weekend.

Rob Straathof (CEO, Liberis) sits down with Lloyd to talk about how his company offers pre-approved revenue-based SME financing.After entering the industry as an investment banker, Rob developed his expertise in small-business lending at such companies as Wonga, Everline (UK’s first digital SME lender) and Newable BusinessFinance (responsible finance provider backed by the British Business Bank). In 2015, he joined Liberis, which helps SMEs get working capital without fixed repayments, through partnerships with the likes of Worldpay, Sagepay, or Xero. To date, Liberis has provided over $800 million of funding in more than 40,000 transactions across 7 countries.In this episode, Lloyd and Rob discuss the ways Liberis has already helped companies weather pandemic-related crises before outlining the benefits of revenue-based financing with repayments linked to the cashflow, and embedded finance through establishing fintech partnerships. Later they delve into Rob’s entrepreneurial experience, highlighting the value of investing in people and sharing Rob’s story of being the youngest pilot in Netherlands and his dream of becoming an astronaut!Follow Mana Search on TwitterFollow Mana Search on LinkedIn Episode Highlights:2:48: How SMEs are switching from in-store to e-commerce7:02: What is embedded finance and how flexible repayments work?10:46: The neural network behind the credit decision science14:45: Throwback to Rob’s being one of the first guests of the Mana’s podcast16:42: The dream of becoming an astronaut and Rob’s journey to an entrepreneur24:00: SME lending through partnerships being the embedded finance market worth $3.6Tr29:20: The power of the team and investing in people30:30: Looking forward36:29: Rob’s mana

The future of finance is here as Airwallex’ Jed Rose sits down with Lloyd to discuss how he plans to expand the UK operations of this $2.6B valued fintech unicorn.After starting his career in product at Microsoft in the 2000s, Jed moved into finance leading Paymentsense, and into the venture capital sphere with Antler. Since 2020, he joined Airwallex as EMEA GM with huge ambitions to grow the company’s London presence this year - aiming to double the headcount in just a few months and grow the team by over 500% by the end of the year. Following the recent $100M at its Series D funding round, raising a total of $500M in capital from investors including Seqouia Capital, Salesforce Ventures, and Horizons Ventures, Airwallex is now valued at $2.6B. In 2018, it has knocked back $1B offer from Stripe.In this in-depth conversation, Jed tells us all insights and experience Jed has gained as an investor and former CEO, currently serving as a Venture Partner for Antler, and how this has provided him with key insights into startup lessons, failures and how to approach growth; what are the challenges of building Airwallex’s infrastructure in a market at a different stage of growth compared to its presence in Australia and China, and what lessons can be learnt from this.Plus, Jed lets us in on how is it to study the BA major at Stanford, which produced the likes of Reid Hoffman, Marissa Mayer or Mike Krieger, and training for improv theatre that led to performing at the Fringe Edinburgh Festival. Follow Mana Search on TwitterFollow Mana Search on LinkedInBooks recommended by Jed:Truth in Comedy: The Manual of Improvisation: AmazonSmile: Halpern: BooksImprov Wisdom: Don't Prepare, Just Show Up eBook: Madson, Patricia Ryan: AmazonSmile: Kindle Store Episode Highlights:02:10: Airwallex raising $100m reaching a $2.6B valuation13:45: How to leverage the global team and remote hiring19:00: Techie at heart, and experience at Stanford University BA Symbolic Systems25:00: How to apply agile thinking mindset in other processes?28:00: Product at Microsoft in the mid-2000, and Bill Gates’ writing team experience30:50: Cambridge University and fintech experience33:25: Venture Capitalist experience and career with impact36:16: Improv theatre as 🧠 muscle training39:00: What the future of finance looks like as lockdown measures start to ease and why the market is more prime than ever for disruption42:25: Jed’s mana