Fintech Leaders

Jouk Pleiter, CEO & Founder of Backbase, shares insights from his journey of bootstrapping the fintech company to a remarkable €2.5 billion valuation. He discusses the challenges of building a tech firm focused on banking and the pivot from diverse industries to customer-centered financial services. Placing emphasis on leadership and company culture, Jouk reveals the significance of authentic communication in fostering collaboration. He also highlights the power of innovative technology in modernizing banking while navigating market dynamics.

Send us a textMiguel Armaza interviews Benjamin Fernandes, CEO & Founder of NALA, a global, cross-border payments company that helps customers send money in and out of Africa.Founded in 2018, NALA today is profitable and has raised over $50 million from Accel, Acrew, Amplo, Bessemer, DST, and NYCA.We discuss:Why NALA built their own infrastructure and stopped relying on local African incumbentsChallenges of going through a company pivot from local to cross-border paymentsThe important role that VCs can have on founders, positively and negativelyHow Benjamin’s background as a TV host led him to payments… 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? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join ~70,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and 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/3jWIp

Richie Serna, CEO and Co-Founder of Finix, shares his journey from Southern California to shaping payment processing for e-commerce. He discusses the complex landscape of payments, emphasizing the need for customer-centric product development. Richie shares valuable fundraising lessons and the significance of building trustworthy partnerships in fintech. He also highlights challenges faced by Latino entrepreneurs and the potential of stable coins in the payments environment, showcasing how diverse leadership can drive innovation.

Send us a textMiguel Armaza interviews Pedro Arnt, CEO of dLocal (NASDAQ:DLO), a multi-billion dollar payments company that specializes in cross-border and local payments in emerging markets. Founded in Montevideo, Uruguay, dLocal today operates in 40 markets across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.Pedro has an impressive background and you’ll learn a lot from him. Prior to his appointment as dLocal CEO, he spent 24 years at MELI and was the CFO of the company from 2011 to 2023. During his tenure as CFO, MELI had an amazing run and went from a market cap of $4 Billion to $70 Billion. Today, MELI has a market cap of over $100 billion.In this episode, we discuss:Lessons from the early days of MELI and launching Mercado PagoStepping into the role of CEO as a non-founder, and avoiding Manager ModeHow to build beautiful productsExpanding globallyHow to hire amazing people… lots 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? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join ~70,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and 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/3jWIp

David Fortunato, CEO of Wealthfront, transformed the company from a software engineer in 2009 to leading a $70 billion asset management revolution. He dives into building a unique engineering culture that prioritizes automation and client feedback in product development. Fortunato discusses their SaaS-like business model, effective strategies for engaging millennials and Gen Z, and the importance of cultivating inquiry within teams. He also shares insights from impactful books on long-term life strategies and finance, providing a fresh perspective on modern wealth management.

Send us a textMiguel Armaza interviews Abdon Nacif, Co-Founder of Nexu, the leading auto financing and dealership software platform in Mexico and one of the fastest-growing fintech companies in the Americas.Nexu is growing fast, approaching $50 million in net annual revenue, and has been profitable for nearly two years. They have raised just over $30 million in equity and over $150 million in debt from Altos Ventures, Valor, HSBC, Wollef, Y Combinator, Fintech Collective, Clocktower, FJ Labs, and Gilgamesh Ventures.I’m a big fan of Abdon and I love getting a shot of inspiration after every conversation with him. Not only have I known Abdon for over a decade, but at Gilgamesh Ventures we have been investors in Nexu for the past three years, with a front row seat into their incredible story.In this episode, we discuss:Developing mental toughness as an entrepreneurThe principles and discipline that led them to build a profitable business at a very early stageNear-death experiences and a pivotal decision that resulted in a shift in business modelAbdon's leadership philosophy and focus on authentic, selfless leadership… 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? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join ~70,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and 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/3jWIp

In this conversation, Rujul Zaparde, CEO and Co-Founder of Zip, shares insights on building a $1.5 billion SaaS and fintech platform. He discusses the rigorous validation process for big business ideas and emphasizes the need for speed, learning, and iteration in entrepreneurship. Rujul also highlights the significance of nurturing talent within the company and effective strategies for navigating complex procurement challenges. The episode wraps up with a look at future-proofing tech businesses through continuous improvement and leveraging AI innovations.

Send us a textMiguel Armaza interviews Michael Tannenbaum, CEO of Figure, one of the largest US fintech platforms building infrastructure and embedded products. Founded in 2018 by Mike Cagney, also the founder of SoFi and past guest of the show, Figure is now the largest non-bank originator of Home Equity Lines of Credit in the US having done $11 billion in AAA securitizations.Every time I talk to Michael I’m impressed by his clarity of thought and his skill in sharing valuable insights. He was previously COO of Brex and you can check out our 2023 Fintech Leaders episode for an in-depth conversation about his time there.We discuss:Bringing fresh energy and founder mode, even as a non-founder CEOThe importance of organizational design and aligned priorities for a company’s successHow Blockchain helps Figure provide “Truth over Trust” to reduce transaction and origination costsWhy standardization is crucial to enable embedded finance services at scale… 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? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join ~70,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and 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/3jWIp

Send us a textMiguel Armaza interviews Diya Jolly, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Xero (XRO.AX), a $22Bn tech giant that offers accounting and CFO management services for small businesses worldwide.Xero is one of the largest fintechs in the world. Their latest total annual revenue was $1.6Bn and they’ve doubled in size over the last three years.Prior to Xero, Diya was the Chief Product Officer at Okta and before that she held multiple leadership product roles at Google. She’s extremely thoughtful and this conversation is a delightful masterclass on building a tech and software business.We discuss:The tensions of product managers and how to navigate themIs cannibalizing your own product ever a good idea?How AI is revolutionizing accounting.Frameworks to make good decisions with incomplete information… 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? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join ~70,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and 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/3jWIp

Send us a textMiguel Armaza interviews Raimundo Morales, CEO of Yape, the dominant fintech app in Peru and certainly one of the biggest consumer fintechs in the world. Yape has 16 million users in Peru, which represents 80% of the country’s total population. On average, they process 550+ million payments a month and are doubling in volume on a yearly basis. They are big and extremely important for the country. If Latin America runs on WhatsApp, it’s fair to say Peru runs on Yape.In this episode, we discuss:The strategy to led them to onboard 65% of Peru’s adult population as daily active users in just eight yearsYape was built within Credicorp, a $14Bn company traded on the NYSE. How were they able to build a fintech disruptor within a large corporation?The road to building a super-appWhy you should always set irrational goals, winning the war on cash… 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? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join ~70,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and 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/3jWIp