Fintech Leaders

Send us a textMiguel Armaza sits down with the outstanding Paulo Passoni, Managing Partner at SoftBank Latin America, the largest venture capital fund in LatAm that’s invested almost eight billion dollars in 80 companies like Nubank, Kavak, Creditas, Bitso, Rappi, Uala, Clip, Addi, and many many more.In this masterclass episode, we discuss:Navigating a bear market – Paulo shares lessons for entrepreneurs in a tough equity raising environment, where unit economics and execution are now more important than ever and why venture backed companies can’t afford not to tackle big problems.Shared traits of the strongest founders and why being holistic and talented in multiple different areas is critical for entrepreneursValuable advice for new international investors coming into Latin America, or any emerging market for that matter, and why it’s important to build a robust team and empower them with access to the global institutional knowledge of the firm.Reflections of the best company boards and key characteristics necessary for boards to succeed and add value to the company... and a lot more!Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.Do you prefer a written summary, instead? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join  31,000+ readers around the world!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder & Managing General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4ZMiguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBcFintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIpqp

Send us a textIn this Fintech Leaders edition, I sit down with the great Greg Krasnov, Founder & CEO at Tonik, the first and largest neobank in the Philippines, which officially started operating in 2021 and has since reached almost $150M in consumer deposits and is backed by Mizuho, Sequoia, Point72, Insignia, and many more.It’s worth mentioning Greg is a Ukrainian serial entrepreneur and about a decade ago he built Platinum bank in Ukraine and sold it once it became the third-largest consumer bank in the nation.We recorded this episode on Tuesday, Feb 22, 2022 – roughly 24 hours before Russia invaded Ukraine. Today Ukraine is under attack and during these horrific and difficult times for Greg’s country, my heart goes out to him, Tonik’s Ukrainian team, and their families. They are a resilient nation with incredibly talented people, and Greg and Tonik represent these values.If you are looking for ways to provide any type of support to the Ukrainian people, I’ve included a couple of vetted links below. 1. Ukraine: Relief for Children & Vulnerable in Kyiv - https://bit.ly/3MaNlql2. Donate to the Ukrainian Red Cross - https://bit.ly/3tbey3i3. Real ways you can help Ukraine as a foreigner - https://bit.ly/3HuOCF2---In this episode, we discuss:What Greg learned in over two decades of building banks and fintech businessesTonik’s approach to credit risk and how they are using their customer’s digital footprint and predictive analytics to expand access to the financial systemStaying innovative in a remote environment and how companies can balance internal cooperation and conflict to stay innovativeWhy it’s crucial for fintech founders to pick the right investors who actually understand their industry… and a lot more!Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.Do you prefer a written summary, instead? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join  31,000+ readers around the world!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder & Managing General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4ZMiguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBcFintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIpqp

Send us a textMiguel Armaza sits down with Eric Satz, Founder/CEO of Alto Solutions, a Nashville-based company offering a self-directed IRA platform that gives people in the US access to invest in alternative assets using their retirement funds in assets like crypto, private funds, and collectibles.Founded in 2015, Alto now administers over $1B and has raised over $60M from Advance Venture Partners, Unusual Ventures, Acrew Capital, Foundation Capital, Coinbase Ventures, and many more.In this episode, we discuss:The importance of diversifying your retirement portfolio with alternative assets and why crypto and digital assets are an increasingly meaningful part of Alto’s product.Lessons from other countries around the world and what could be done to help people in the US strengthen their retirement savings.Hypergrowth during the pandemic and how Eric has managed to expand his team from 20 to 140 since the start of COVIDAnd just like we’ve heard from other leaders from around the world, Eric reminds us that the only way to beat your competition is to surround yourself with great people!Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.Do you prefer a written summary, instead? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join  30,000+ readers around the world!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder & Managing General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4ZMiguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBcFintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIpqp

Send us a textIn this Fintech Leaders edition, I sit down with Adalberto Flores, Founder and CEO of Kueski, a Guadalajara-based “buy now, pay later” and online consumer lender, and one of LatAm’s Fintech OGs.Since inception in 2012, Kueski has issued more than 5 million loans online and has raised over $300 million from Altos Ventures, Core Ventures Group, Angel Ventures, Cathay Innovation, and many more.In this episode, we discuss:Challenges and lessons for founders in tough raising environments and emerging markets, and how Adal managed to raise Seed capital back in 2012.Importance of culture-building and how you can use your company culture to attract high quality talentState of BNPL in Mexico and how Kueski is using this product to enable the 60% unbanked population of the country to access the financial system and start building creditWhy Guadalajara is known for Tequila, Mariachis, and Technology and how it became the Silicon Valley of Mexico… and a lot more!Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.Do you prefer a written summary, instead? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join  30,000+ readers around the world!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder & Managing General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4ZMiguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBcFintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIpqp

Send us a textIn this Fintech Leaders edition, Miguel Armaza sits down with Jason Wilk, serial entrepreneur and Co-Founder/CEO of Dave, a US challenger bank that was able to reach 10 million clients in just four years.Founded in 2017, Dave went public in January 2022 via SPAC and currently has a market cap of close to $4 billion. As a private company, Dave raised almost $200 million and attracted top investors like Mark Cuban, Norwest Venture Partners, Financial Solutions Lab, and even Diplo.In this episode, we discuss:How losing a round of golf sparked his curiosity for international business, tech, and entrepreneurship.Fundraising lessons. What has Jason learned from multiple roadshows of equity fundraising as a private company and then as public company?Going public. Lessons learned from the SPAC process and why they chose this route instead of an IPO.Launching Dave as a non-bank and why listening to customer feedback led them to expand their product set and become a challenger bank… and a lot more! Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.Do you prefer a written summary, instead? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join  30,000+ readers around the world!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder & Managing General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4ZMiguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBcFintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIpqp

Send us a textIn this Fintech Leaders edition, Miguel Armaza sits down with the amazing Rana Yared, General Partner at Balderton Capital, one of Europe's leading venture capital funds that has raised ~$4.5B across ten funds over the past 21 years, and has backed companies like Revolut, GoCardless, ComplyAdvantage and many more global fintech leaders.In this episode, we discuss:The State of Fintech and entrepreneurship in Europe and why the continent’s startup scene is booming like never beforeDifferences between European and US founders and investors and some of the advantages found in the old continentBalderton’s Sustainable Future Goals. Their impact on the firm’s investing strategy and why being a great investor entails producing returns, while also improving the world around you.Risks of selling a company too soon or too late for your portfolio’s IRR and some lessons and reflections every VC should consider… and a lot more! Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.Do you prefer a written summary, instead? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join  30,000+ readers around the world!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder & Managing General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4ZMiguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBcFintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIpqp

Send us a textIn this Fintech Leaders edition, Miguel Armaza sits down with Gaston Irigoyen, CEO & Co-Founder of Pomelo, a company building and modernizing the fintech infrastructure of Latin America.Since inception, Pomelo has raised over $45 million from an impressive roster of backers including Tiger Global, Monashees, Sequoia, Insight Partners, Index Ventures, QED, and Gilgamesh Ventures. As well Jackie Reses, Max Levchin, Biz Stone, Angela Strange, Eric Glyman, and other impressive angels.We discuss:Modernizing LatAm’s financial infrastructure and how Pomelo is refreshing legacy tech that was built decades ago.Fundraising lessons – is it an art or a science? Gaston shares frameworks and best practices that have worked for him throughout his entrepreneurial journey and why it’s critical to also bring strategic angels and industry operators onboard.Gaston’s optimism for the next decade of entrepreneurship in the region and why the next wave of fintech will probably be led by B2B companies.Reflections for emerging markets entrepreneurs and what he learned from living in Dublin, Ireland… plus a lot more!Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.Do you prefer a written summary, instead? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join  30,000+ readers around the world!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder & Managing General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4ZMiguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBcFintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIpqp

Send us a textIn this Fintech Leaders edition, Miguel Armaza chats with Brad Levy, CEO of Symphony, a global communications platform that securely connects markets, organizations and individuals in the financial sector. Founded in 2014 by David Gurle, the company now powers over 170 million monthly messages and has raised over half a billion dollars from top industry investors, including Goldman, Google, Blackrock, Citi, and most of the major global banks in the world.We discuss:Symphony’s ambitious roadmap for the coming year and how Brad plans to pursue and find value at a very granular industry levelGrowth by M&A. Why this will be a foundational part of their strategy, plus lessons on how to successfully execute an acquisition and integration. Hint: make sure the people and cultures can fit together.Returning to the office and why he’s a big believer of a hybrid approach that brings people together often.Corporate Leadership Lessons:What are the three elements necessary to succeed at any stage of your career? curiosity, teamwork, and hard work. Why generalists thrive in a world of specialists and the best managers have a breadth of skills, experience, and relationships.... and a lot more!Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.Do you prefer a written summary, instead of the audio form? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join  30,000+ around the world!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder & Managing General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4ZMiguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBcFintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIpqp

Send us a textFor the first episode of 2022, we bring you a live recording of Miguel's keynote conversation with Maya Dadoo, on stage at LendIt Fintech Latam in Miami.Maya is the Co-Founder and CEO of Worky, a groundbreaking all-in-one HR software and payroll platform for Latin American SMBs. Founded in 2017, Worky is backed by top investors including QED & LEAP Global Partners.They discuss:The incredible opportunity at the intersection of Fintech and HR Tech and some of the steps Worky is taking to launch fintech productsWorky’s roll out a 4-day work week and how the company has adapted to this new realitySignificant Importance of the HR function and why startup founders should look to hire a Head of People as early as possibleState of talent management in Latin America and why this is a massive opportunity for companies like Worky… a lot more!Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.Do you prefer a written summary, instead of the audio form? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join  30,000+ around the world!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder & Managing General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4ZMiguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBcFintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIpqp

Send us a textMiguel Armaza sits down with the very genuine Eric Glyman, Co-Founder & CEO of Ramp, a finance automation platform providing an all-in-one banking solution for businesses.Founded less than three years ago, Ramp has scaled incredibly fast and is now the fastest growing corporate card in the US, having raised almost half a billion dollars from investors like Founders Fund, Coatue, Stripe, Goldman, and more.Eric is a second-time fintech entrepreneur, which made this conversation especially interesting. We discussed:Ramp’s internal process and secret sauce that has allowed them to scale extremely fast, while maintaining product quality and client satisfaction.Leadership lessons. Why startup founders with product market fit should prioritize hiring the highest quality of people and building internal processes.Strength of the Capital One school. Lessons learned from his time at Capital One and why most fintechs want to hire Capital One alums.A window into Eric’s vision of the future of business banking, where most tasks will be automated and companies will spend less money and time managing their banks… and a whole lot more!Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder & Managing General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4ZMiguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBcFintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIpqp