Fintech Leaders

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

Send us a textMiguel Armaza sits down with an absolute legend from the investing world - Martin Escobari, General Atlantic’s Co-President, Chairman of the firm’s Investment Committee, and Head of Latin America.Founded back in 1980, General Atlantic has become one of the premier global growth equity funds and grown to ~$80 billion AUM, with a team of almost 400 employees and 169 active portfolio companies.Over the past 41 years, the GA team has seen it all and, fortunately for all of us, Martin shared an incredible amount of knowledge and lessons, including:Martin’s transition from entrepreneur to investor.Importance of collaboration for young rapidly evolving industries, and what GA looks for in their co-investing partners.Common traits of the best entrepreneurs. Martin shares the top three traits those founders have in common.Ingredients for a successful board. Martin has been a board member of dozens of companies and has learned what a great board looks like.The incredible performance of Latin America tech, despite its macro challenges.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.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 Brian Barnes, Founder & CEO of M1 Finance, one of the fastest growing financial super-apps offering automated investing, borrowing, and banking products in the US.Founded in Chicago just five years ago, M1 currently manages over $6 billion for its clients and has raised over $300 million from top names including Softbank, Coatue, Clocktower, and Left Lane. We cover: M1’s meteoric rise over the past couple of years and why these are the early days for the company.The power of compounding. It took M1 18+ months to reach $100M AUM, but now they’re adding that number weekly!The fascinating and unique story of how Brian, personally bought First National Bank of Buhl, one of the smallest banks in the US. The thought process that drove this transaction and his plans for the future of the bank.Advice and reflections for aspiring entrepreneurs and why he enjoys mentoring up and coming founder 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

Send us a textToday, we bring you a special episode featuring Miguel Armaza's live conversation at Money2020 with Kristy Kim, Co-Founder & CEO of Tomo Credit, and Justin Howell, Co-Founder & CEO of Rize.To get us started, Miguel sits down with Kristy Kim, where they explore:Building a FICO-free underwriting model and how the challenges of her US immigrant journey drove Kristy to launch Tomo Credit, a next-generation credit card catered to young adults, students, and immigrants.Bridging the gap between crypto lovers and the traditional credit card industry, and why Tomo Credit is launching crypto features using customer crypto wallet data to improve their underwriting decisions and enable clients to build credit.And what Kristy considers to be the hardest part and the most rewarding part of being an entrepreneur. Next up, you’ll hear Miguel's conversation with Justin Howell, where they cover:How building a B2C customer-centric and intuitive financial services solution, eventually led them to pivot to a B2B FinTech infrastructure platform. The importance of providing the modern consumer with seamless interoperability across banking, brokerage, and crypto capabilities in a single platform.Thoughts from their fundraising experience and the importance of finding investors who support, not just the vision of the company, but especially the team.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

Send us a textWe bring you the second special episode featuring Miguel Armaza's live conversations at Money2020 Las Vegas with Dan Henry, Green Dot CEO, and Jeanniey Walden, DailyPay Chief Innovation and Marketing Officer.First up, Dan Henry and Miguel explore:Going remote-first and what this has meant for a publicly-traded company like Green DotLaunching Go2Bank to serve 100+ million Americans living paycheck to paycheckThree pieces of advice for aspiring leaders and entrepreneursMake sure you’re solving a real problem - don’t create a solution to try finding a problem.Be incredibly passionate about the problem, because whatever you start off doing is going to be 10 times more difficult than you thought. If you're doing it just to get rich, that's not going to get you to the finish line.Build a great team. Surround yourself with the best people and individuals you can trust.... and a lot more!Next, Jeanniey Walden and Miguel discuss:How DailyPay provides its earned wage access to 80% of the Fortune 200 companies, seven out of 10 of the largest fast food companies, and one out of six grocery store workers.The launch of their latest product - DailyPay Marketplace, which will give banks, credit unions, or even retailers, the ability to integrate DailyPay’s product through API's or white labeling.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