Fintech Leaders – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Miguel Armaza travels to San Francisco for an interview with David Fortunato, CEO of Wealthfront, an asset management giant with $70+ billion in assets under management and over a million clients.

Founded by Andy Rachleff almost 15 years ago, Wealthfront is now one of the most defining financial brands for millennials and Gen Zers. David joined the company in 2009 as a junior software engineer and became CEO almost four years ago.

In this episode, we discuss:

Building a culture of engineers and automation
Product expansion strategies
A sustainable business model that looks a lot more like SaaS and not a financial institution
Buy, Build, or Partner, and what it takes to successfully build most of your tech in-house… 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/3nKha4Z

Miguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBc

Fintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIp

Abdon Nacif, Co-Founder of Nexu - Building a Profitable Fintech, The Power of Servant Leadership, Developing Mental Toughness

Épisode 151

mardi 1 octobre 2024 • Durée 38:29

Miguel 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 entrepreneur
The principles and discipline that led them to build a profitable business at a very early stage
Near-death experiences and a pivotal decision that resulted in a shift in business model
Abdon's leadership philosophy and focus on authentic, selfless leadership… and a lot more!

Alex Konrad, Forbes Senior Editor - Covering the Pulse of Tech, Fintech, and Venture Capital

Épisode 142

mardi 30 juillet 2024 • Durée 40:50

Miguel Armaza interviews Alex Konrad, Senior Editor at Forbes, where he covers venture capital and startups. Alex also edits and curates the famous Midas List and The Forbes 30 Under 30 VC category. He is a central figure in the world of Venture Capital, Tech, and Fintech and I suspect you’ll enjoy hearing what he has to say.

We discuss:

A behind-the-scenes look of the Forbes Midas List and the growing influence of FinTech in it
The Impact and adoption of AI in the financial industry
Evolution and future of the VC industry
The role of media in tech, curating the 30 Under 30… and a lot more!

Matan Bar, CEO/Co-Founder of Melio – Always Remember to Keep The Main Thing, The Main Thing

Épisode 52

mardi 1 novembre 2022 • Durée 40:17

Miguel Armaza sits down with Matan Bar, CEO & Co-Founder of Melio, a B2B payments platform for small businesses. The company has raised over $500 million from a who’s who of fintech investors, including Accel, Coatue, Bessemer, General Catalyst, Thrive, Tiger Global, and more.

In this episode, we discuss:

Understanding your customer. Prior to writing a single line of code, the Melio team setup an old-school bookkeeping business in Manhattan to truly understand the challenges of their future clients. What did they learn?
Importance of velocity to launch products and being comfortable with making mistakes (but correcting them very quickly!).
Matan used to lead peer-to-peer payments at Paypal, but then built a business-to-business payments company. What led him down this path?
Why his biggest mistake was optimizing new hires for skills and not for culture… 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 47,000+ readers and listeners 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/3nKha4Z

Miguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBc

Fintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIpqp

Hristo Borisov, CEO/Co-Founder of Payhawk – Building Bulgaria’s First Unicorn, Over-investing in Talent, & How to Keep Your Team Focused

Épisode 51

mardi 25 octobre 2022 • Durée 40:08

Miguel Armaza sits down with Hristo Borisov, CEO and Co-Founder of Payhawk, the first-ever Bulgarian unicorn where they’ve built an all-in-one finance platform serving businesses across 32+ countries in Europe and the US.

Founded just four years ago, Payhawk now enjoys unicorn status and has raised equity from Greenoaks, QED, Lightspeed, Endevor, Hubstpot, and many more.

In this episode, we discuss:

Scaling to unicorn status – Hristo shares hacks and techniques that helped them scale from zero to one
The growing Bulgarian startup ecosystem and why it pushed them to build a global company from day one
Payhawk’s unique model for building and shipping products extremely fast, while keeping everyone at the company laser-focused
Early mistakes and challenges as a fintech founder and why you should always overinvest in talent… 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 46,000+ readers and listeners 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/3nKha4Z

Stephanie Choo, Partner at Portage Ventures – Counter-Cyclical Fintech Opportunities, The Great Canadian Fintech Market, & The Future of Crypto

Épisode 50

mardi 18 octobre 2022 • Durée 33:15

Miguel Armaza sits down with Stephanie Choo, Partner at Portage Ventures, a global fintech-focused VC that traces its roots back to Canada. The firm focuses on fintech companies and currently manages over $3 billion in AUM.

We discuss:

The fintech opportunity in Canada and why most fintech verticals in the country are winner-take-all
In light of a looming recession, what are some of the counter-cyclical fintech themes Steph is investing in these days?
Portage’s take on crypto and why they remain very bullish on the category
The future of fintech partnerships and why a lot of the growth from the industry will be driven through collaboration between fintechs, big tech, and incumbent banks… 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 46,000+ readers and listeners 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/3nKha4Z

Sergio Fogel, dLocal Co-Founder & Sergio Furio, Creditas Founder/CEO - The Fintech Revolution in Brazil, LatAm, and Beyond

Épisode 49

mardi 11 octobre 2022 • Durée 47:44

Today we have a special episode, as we bring you the recording from the Vamos Latam Summit organized by Latitud in Sao Paolo, Brazil, where Miguel Armaza sat down in front of a packed audience of 1,000+ people for a conversation with Sergio Fogel, Co-Founder of dLocal and Sergio Furio, Founder/CEO of Creditas – two of Latin America’s largest companies.

They discussed:

Providing new and innovative products and services to consumers vs corporate clients
Wartime or a peacetime CEO – is there such a thing as a peacetime CEO in Latin America?
How to deal with challenges like international expansion, currency fluctuations, and even going public
And what makes fintech in Latin America unique compared to the rest of the world.

Special thanks to Brian and the entire Latitud team for the invitation.

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 45,000+ readers and listeners 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/3nKha4Z

Immad Akhund, CEO/Founder of Mercury – Focus on Your Clients and Forget About Competitors, Planning for Startup Winter, & The Power of Networking

Épisode 48

mardi 4 octobre 2022 • Durée 37:42

Miguel Armaza sits down with Immad Akhund, CEO and Founder of Mercury, a US-based neobank built for the next generation of startups. Founded almost five years ago, Mercury now enjoys unicorn status and has raised equity from great investors including CRV, Coatue, a16z, and Clocktower.

In this episode, we discuss:

Why he’s short term pessimistic and how startups should prepare for winter and some tough times
Founders: focus on your customers and stop wasting time thinking about your competitors
The power of cold outreach and how entrepreneurs should perfect and embrace networking
Company formation and interesting startup trends he’s seeing from Mercury’s clients… 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 45,000+ readers and listeners 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/3nKha4Z

Mary Ann Azevedo, Senior Reporter at TechCrunch – The Good and Ugly Sides of Fintech, What Great Journalism Really Means, & Why Startups Represent Hope

Épisode 47

mardi 27 septembre 2022 • Durée 29:20

Miguel Armaza sits down with the talented Mary Ann Azevedo, Senior Reporter at TechCrunch, where she’s responsible for covering all things Fintech, co-hosts the Friday episode of the Equity Podcast, and recently launched the newsletter The Interchange.

In this episode, we discuss:

Why she loves covering the startup world and some tips on how to pitch your story to tech reporters
The summer slowdown and fall bounce back. Deal activity during the summer was definitely slower, but according to Mary Ann she’s now as busy as ever, yet some things have changed.
2022 has been a hard year for fintech and Mary Ann has found herself writing some tough stories. What has she learned in the process?
The future of tech media, what good journalism really means… 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 45,000+ readers and listeners 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/3nKha4Z

Julio Vasconcellos, Atlantico Managing Partner – Rollercoaster Startup Stories, Making Hard Decisions, & Why Brazil is a World-Class Fintech Hub

Épisode 46

mardi 20 septembre 2022 • Durée 47:54

Miguel Armaza sits down with Julio Vasconcellos, Managing Partner and Founder of Atlantico, one of the largest Venture Capital firms in Latin America that looks to invest in a better future for the region and beyond.

Julio is also a seasoned tech entrepreneur and investor, having been Facebook’s first country lead for Brazil, co-founded Peixe Urbano which scaled to 1,200 people and raised hundreds of millions of dollars, and then joining Benchmark as an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR).

In this episode, we discuss:

Scaling his company, Peixe Urbano, to 1,200 people and then having to cut 2/3 of the company's workforce
Why Brazil is one of the most attractive Fintech markets, not just in Latin America, but around the world and how the Central Bank played a key role in developing this thriving ecosystem
Parallels with today’s Latin American tech scene and Silicon Valley 15 years ago, back when Julio was in the middle of Silicon Valley’s heart
Atlantico’s Latin America Digital Transformation Report. This episode is being published the same day as Atlantico’s annual report on the tech trends of LatAm. What were the highlights of 2022?
The incredible fintech and tech opportunity to empower SMBs and unlock a lot of value for small enterprises and build massive tech companies in the process… 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 44,000+ readers and listeners 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/3nKha4Z