Alpha Beta Launch | Fintech Founder Stories

Sila

Launching your own company in the financial tech industry is a lot of work! You start with this crazy idea. Maybe it’s a passion project, or something that gives you purpose. Maybe you're building a business based on necessity by creating software or solutions that don’t currently exist. The concept is as exciting as it is terrifying, but it doesn’t have to be. In Alpha Beta Launch we talk to founders and CEO who all started from the exact same place, an idea. read less
BusinessBusiness

Season 2

OKYapp | Victor Unda
Mar 1 2022
OKYapp | Victor Unda
Victor Unda, Co-Founder & CEO: https://okyapp.com/ If you live and work in one country but your family resides in another, sending money is how you stay in touch and support them. Sending money is expensive, so you do it in a lump sum once a month. Transfer fees are high. You have no control over how the money is spent. Loved ones might have to travel somewhere to even receive it. OKYapp changes all that. You pick a brand from the website (from pharmacies to fast food restaurants), prepay an amount, and your loved ones get an SMS with which they can pay locally. Hear from Victor Unda about the inspiration for this idea and what he had to do to make it a reality. The stories of his customers will warm your heart.  Linkshttps://www.linkedin.com/company/oky-yestupuedes/https://www.instagram.com/oky.yestupuedes/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFsJ3EESpOWkgvIqgdt6dNg/featuredhttps://www.facebook.com/oky.yestupuedes Website for Serviceshttps://okyapp.com This podcast was created by Sila and is hosted by Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist Katie Boer. Sila is a fintech software platform that provides payment infrastructure as a service, a business-critical element for companies whose software has to integrate with the US banking system and blockchain quickly, securely, and in compliance with applicable US regulation. To learn more visit silamoney.com. #PoweredbySila  Watch the video interviews of the show on our YouTube Channel and follow us at the links below:Sila Twitter: https://twitter.com/silamoneySila LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/silamoneyFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilaMoney/This podcast is produced by Rainbow Creative & Wild Boer Media with Matthew Jones as Senior Producer and Katie Boer as Producer, Editor, and Host. Find out more about how to create a podcast for you or your business at rainbowcreative.co
Eden Savings | David Wolfenden
Mar 8 2022
Eden Savings | David Wolfenden
Podcast Episode x Season 2 - Eden David Wolfenden, Founder & CEODavid was always perplexed by the fact that most of his peers could talk for hours about video games and get really excited in the process, but showed no interest in discussing investment strategies and wealth building. Even though the latter will have an oversized impact on their lives. So he had the idea to make wealth planning fun and addictive by creating a game around it with digital representations that would grow as your investments grow. It wasn’t an easy road but clearly something David has been enjoying tremendously. His biggest advice: The world around you was built by other people. If you want to build something, build it. But there is much more to learn from his quest. Listen, learn, and be entertained. Linkshttps://www.facebook.com/people/Eden-Financial-Technologies/100070767042300/https://www.linkedin.com/company/eden-savings/https://www.instagram.com/edensavings/https://twitter.com/EdenSavingshttps://www.reddit.com/user/EdenSavings/ Website for Serviceshttps://www.edensavings.com/This podcast was created by Sila and is hosted by Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist Katie Boer. Sila is a fintech software platform that provides payment infrastructure as a service, a business-critical element for companies whose software has to integrate with the US banking system and blockchain quickly, securely, and in compliance with applicable US regulation. To learn more visit silamoney.com. #PoweredbySila  Watch the video interviews of the show on our YouTube Channel and follow us at the links below:Sila Twitter: https://twitter.com/silamoneySila LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/silamoneyFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilaMoney/This podcast is produced by Rainbow Creative & Wild Boer Media with Matthew Jones as Senior Producer and Katie Boer as Producer, Editor, and Host. Find out more about how to create a podcast for you or your business at rainbowcreative.co
BluePallet | Patrick Salome
Mar 15 2022
BluePallet | Patrick Salome
Podcast Episode x Season 2 - BluePallet Patrick Salome, co-Founder & CEOPatrick always thought that e-commerce doesn’t live up to its potential because of a lack of trust about who’s on the other side of the deal. He had started his own companies but finally saw an opportunity to realize his vision through a merger with another firm; negotiating, collaborating, merging, and launching during a worldwide pandemic. And, doing this in a heavily regulated industry like the chemical industry, while attempting something that hadn’t been done before.  Hear from him about his journey, which as he describes it, “was ugly” at times. How “being impatient and doing everything at once” can turn out to be the biggest pitfall. How to deal with mistakes. How necessary it is to be open minded, even as you are sticking to your core values and following your vision as closely as possible.  Linkshttps://www.bluepallet.io/https://www.linkedin.com/company/bluepallet/https://twitter.com/bluepalletiohttps://www.instagram.com/bluepallet.io/ Website for Serviceshttps://www.bluepallet.io/ This podcast was created by Sila and is hosted by Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist Katie Boer. Sila is a fintech software platform that provides payment infrastructure as a service, a business-critical element for companies whose software has to integrate with the US banking system and blockchain quickly, securely, and in compliance with applicable US regulation. To learn more visit silamoney.com. #PoweredbySila  Watch the video interviews of the show on our YouTube Channel and follow us at the links below:Sila Twitter: https://twitter.com/silamoneySila LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/silamoneyFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilaMoney/This podcast is produced by Rainbow Creative & Wild Boer Media with Matthew Jones as Senior Producer and Katie Boer as Producer, Editor, and Host. Find out more about how to create a podcast for you or your business at rainbowcreative.co
Currencycloud | Stephen Lemon
Mar 22 2022
Currencycloud | Stephen Lemon
Stephen Lemon, Co-founder, VP, Strategic partnership and corporate development.With Currencycloud having been acquired by Visa late in 2021, you know this episode is going to be different. Hear from Stephen how he co-founded the company and the early-day struggles that he and his team had to overcome. Even after many financing rounds, “there is always something” as he put it. Building a company is never done. There is always something in front of you. Hear him talk about how crucial it is to hire smart people and let them tell you what to do. His advice to other entrepreneurs is don’t panic. Keep going. Regret is a waste of emotion. It’s the story of a fascinating roller coaster ride with a great ending. Or, in Stephen’s words, “we are very fortunate to have ended where we have.” Linkshttps://www.currencycloud.com/https://twitter.com/currencycloudhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/the-currency-cloud/ Website for Serviceshttps://www.currencycloud.com/ This podcast was created by Sila and is hosted by Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist Katie Boer. Sila is a fintech software platform that provides payment infrastructure as a service, a business-critical element for companies whose software has to integrate with the US banking system and blockchain quickly, securely, and in compliance with applicable US regulation. To learn more visit silamoney.com. #PoweredbySila  Watch the video interviews of the show on our YouTube Channel and follow us at the links below:Sila Twitter: https://twitter.com/silamoneySila LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/silamoneyFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilaMoney/ This podcast is produced by Rainbow Creative & Wild Boer Media with Matthew Jones as Senior Producer and Katie Boer as Producer, Editor, and Host. Find out more about how to create a podcast for you or your business at rainbowcreative.co
Wedge | Billy Roberts
Mar 29 2022
Wedge | Billy Roberts
Podcast Episode x Season 2 - Wedge.us Billy Roberts, co-Founder & CEO When the two co-founders had the idea for what would eventually become Wedge.us, they were convinced a Google search would tell them of other companies already doing it. It took a while to sink in that their idea was a novel one. Hear how they built their business out of a garage of all places. Why their first hire was a chief legal officer. And how they were driven by their belief that the future is digital, and that users want flexibility, seamlessness, frictionless and intuitive design. That when it comes to hiring a team, it is wrong to compromise on personality and values, even if the professional skills are a great fit.  Linkshttps://wedge.us/https://www.linkedin.com/company/wedgefinancial/https://twitter.com/wedgefinancialhttps://www.instagram.com/wedgefinancial/ Website for Serviceshttps://wedge.us/ This podcast was created by Sila and is hosted by Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist Katie Boer. Sila is a fintech software platform that provides payment infrastructure as a service, a business-critical element for companies whose software has to integrate with the US banking system and blockchain quickly, securely, and in compliance with applicable US regulation. To learn more visit silamoney.com. #PoweredbySila  Watch the video interviews of the show on our YouTube Channel and follow us at the links below:Sila Twitter: https://twitter.com/silamoneySila LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/silamoneyFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilaMoney/ This podcast is produced by Rainbow Creative & Wild Boer Media with Matthew Jones as Senior Producer and Katie Boer as Producer, Editor, and Host. Find out more about how to create a podcast for you or your business at rainbowcreative.co
Lithic | Bo Jiang
Apr 5 2022
Lithic | Bo Jiang
Podcast Episode x Season 2 - Lithic Bo Jiang, Founder & CEO Bo started Lithic with 2 childhood friends in a basement. Hear how the pandemic came just as they were scaling from 25 up to 100 people. While it was very stressful, moving out of a shared office and transitioning to a remote work environment forced the firm to be crisper in communication and more deliberate in how they communicated as a team. Hear him talk about customers, how they still blow him away with the use cases they create for Lithic’s product. He talks about his conviction that if you take something that is really complex and make it available to developers, you can’t imagine what they will come up with down the road. His advice to budding entrepreneurs is that all advice is situational. He found that the most helpful advisors and investors for your business are those that are 2-3 steps ahead of you in their journey. Find out what he loves about fintech and what he says it is that makes our industry unique. And why it is important to learn and understand the language banks use when discussing fintech.  Linkshttps://lithic.com/https://www.linkedin.com/company/lithic/https://twitter.com/lithic Website for Serviceshttps://lithic.com/ This podcast was created by Sila and is hosted by Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist Katie Boer. Sila is a fintech software platform that provides payment infrastructure as a service, a business-critical element for companies whose software has to integrate with the US banking system and blockchain quickly, securely, and in compliance with applicable US regulation. To learn more visit silamoney.com. #PoweredbySila  Watch the video interviews of the show on our YouTube Channel and follow us at the links below:Sila Twitter: https://twitter.com/silamoneySila LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/silamoneyFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilaMoney/ This podcast is produced by Rainbow Creative & Wild Boer Media with Matthew Jones as Senior Producer and Katie Boer as Producer, Editor, and Host. Find out more about how to create a podcast for you or your business at rainbowcreative.co
getBamboo | Blake Cassidy
Apr 12 2022
getBamboo | Blake Cassidy
Podcast Episode x Season 2 - getBamboo Blake Cassidy, CEO getBamboo’s mission is to make crypto investing as easy as possible by using round-ups to the next dollar to feed your crypto portfolio (“micro investing”). They are a successful business in Australia, about to launch in the US. Hear from Blake Cassidy about how different the regulatory environment is in these two countries and how they learned to deal with that. Why perseverance is key and really the only thing that keeps you from failing. Why Ether and Bitcoin could serve as a hedge against other investments more subject to inflationary pressures. Blake shares how after university, when he didn’t want to work in a company and follow existing structures and hierarchies, fintech was an awesome place to be and to make your own rules. Why he says sitting on the fence doesn't do any good. Rather, making mistakes, making them quickly, and learning from them is the far better strategy.  Linkshttps://www.getbamboo.io/https://www.instagram.com/getbambooapp/https://www.facebook.com/getbambooapphttps://twitter.com/getbambooapphttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkg81C-orU0Lj5YjEDfSJYAhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/getbambooapp/ Website for Serviceshttps://www.getbamboo.io/ This podcast was created by Sila and is hosted by Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist Katie Boer. Sila is a fintech software platform that provides payment infrastructure as a service, a business-critical element for companies whose software has to integrate with the US banking system and blockchain quickly, securely, and in compliance with applicable US regulation. To learn more visit silamoney.com. #PoweredbySila  Watch the video interviews of the show on our YouTube Channel and follow us at the links below:Sila Twitter: https://twitter.com/silamoneySila LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/silamoneyFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilaMoney/ This podcast is produced by Rainbow Creative & Wild Boer Media with Matthew Jones as Senior Producer and Katie Boer as Producer, Editor, and Host. Find out more about how to create a podcast for you or your business at rainbowcreative.co
Otonomi | Yann Barbarroux
Apr 19 2022
Otonomi | Yann Barbarroux
Podcast Episode x Season 2 - Otonomi.aiYann Barbarroux, co-Founder & CEO Yann spent decades on Wall Street being involved with derivatives and risk management. For a long time, he was thinking about starting a company to modernize insurance given that that industry was lagging. It took the inspiration from a friend and now co-founder to combine Yann’s idea with blockchain technology to really bring significant change to how business was conducted. Otonomi is now revolutionizing how parametric insurance is being created and sold. Hear from him how he successfully raised funds over multiple rounds, the value of participating in an accelerator program, lessons learned along the way, and his plans for the future of the company.  Linkshttps://www.otonomi.ai/https://www.linkedin.com/company/otonomi/https://twitter.com/OTONOMI3https://otonomi.medium.com/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjzVFir_pfUZx1k2xzVCXDA Website for Serviceshttps://www.otonomi.ai/ This podcast was created by Sila and is hosted by Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist Katie Boer. Sila is a fintech software platform that provides payment infrastructure as a service, a business-critical element for companies whose software has to integrate with the US banking system and blockchain quickly, securely, and in compliance with applicable US regulation. To learn more visit silamoney.com. #PoweredbySila  Watch the video interviews of the show on our YouTube Channel and follow us at the links below:Sila Twitter: https://twitter.com/silamoneySila LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/silamoneyFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilaMoney/This podcast is produced by Rainbow Creative & Wild Boer Media with Matthew Jones as Senior Producer and Katie Boer as Producer, Editor, and Host. Find out more about how to create a podcast for you or your business at rainbowcreative.co
FRICH | Katrin Kaurov and Aleksandra Medina
Apr 26 2022
FRICH | Katrin Kaurov and Aleksandra Medina
Podcast Episode x Season 2 - FRICHKatrin Kaurov, CEO and co-founderAleksandra Medina, CPO and co-founder Best friends Katrin Kaurov and Aleksandra Medina are the two founders of FRICH, an app with the stated goal of making money social. As young professionals, they struggled with learning how to deal with money and hated the awkwardness that comes with how people talk about finances. Since there was no personal finance app available they liked, they started FRICH. Not unlike fitness apps, FRICH users rely on the accountability towards friends, and the commitment to shared goals, to reach their stated financial goals - often in the form of a playful and fun contest. FRICH is how GenZ likes to save money. Learn why FRICH succeeded where others failed; how the founders turned a disadvantage (not knowing anything about finances) into a competitive advantage. And, how ‘resourcefulness’ is one of the most important traits of an entrepreneur.  Linkshttps://getfrich.com/https://twitter.com/frichapphttps://www.tiktok.com/@frichapphttps://www.instagram.com/frichmoney/ Website for Serviceshttps://getfrich.com/ This podcast was created by Sila and is hosted by Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist Katie Boer. Sila is a fintech software platform that provides payment infrastructure as a service, a business-critical element for companies whose software has to integrate with the US banking system and blockchain quickly, securely, and in compliance with applicable US regulation. To learn more visit silamoney.com. #PoweredbySila  Watch the video interviews of the show on our YouTube Channel and follow us at the links below:Sila Twitter: https://twitter.com/silamoneySila LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/silamoneyFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilaMoney/This podcast is produced by Rainbow Creative & Wild Boer Media with Matthew Jones as Senior Producer and Katie Boer as Producer, Editor, and Host. Find out more about how to create a podcast for you or your business at rainbowcreative.co

Season 1

Troperial Technologies | Olu Akinbayo, Co-Founder
Jun 15 2021
Troperial Technologies | Olu Akinbayo, Co-Founder
The Troperial Story: Over the past years, we have witnessed a large disruption in mobile international money transfers. Transacting business got easier, although at a high cost to individuals. This is where Troperial says 'I'm here to help'. Troperial was created to reduce high transaction costs and to provide a personal trading experience. Troperial offers an ever-evolving payment experience designed to foster quicker and fairer ways to exchange currencies. And the best part is, it's all at your prefered rate.Olu was an international student abroad when he sold his car in Nigeria. But accessing the money from the sale proved to be a major pain. First, there was a daily limit for his ATM transactions; second, a high transaction fee for each one. To access the money, Olu had to go to the ATM about 10 times and pay transaction fees each time. Out of his experience, he found a way to exchange currencies at a lower rate by eliminating the middleman. Instead, Troperial facilitates trading directly with other people looking to exchange the same currency, and negotiating your own rate. You choose what currency you'd like to exchange. Troperial matches you with a trusted trader. You negotiate the exchange rate and trade. https://www.troperial.com/ This show was created by Sila, Inc. Sila is a fintech software platform that provides payment infrastructure as a service, a business-critical element for companies whose software has to integrate with the US banking system and blockchain quickly, securely, and in full compliance with US regulations. To learn more visit www.silamoney.com #PoweredbySila Watch this show on our YouTube here and follow us at the links below:Sila Twitter @SilaMoneySila LinkedIn @SilaMoneyFacebook @SilaMoney This podcast is produced by Rainbow Creative & Wild Boer Media with Matthew Jones as Senior Producer and Katie Boer as Producer, Editor, and Host. Find out more about how to create a podcast for you or your business at rainbowcreative.co
Constitution Lending | Ricardo Sims, CEO
Jun 15 2021
Constitution Lending | Ricardo Sims, CEO
In this episode we talk with Ricardo Sims, CEO of Constitution Lending. Real Estate credit opportunities can be very lucrative, but are usually restricted to few market participants. Constitution Lending was founded by a team and advisors with Wall Street experience and a track record of generating returns across asset classes. Their vision is to  introduce sophisticated techniques to an unsophisticated market. Hear from Constitution CEO Ricardo Sims what drove the team to start the company, the challenges they had to go through, and how they succeeded.  Constitution was built for accredited investors who want to participate in a high yielding safe asset class previously only available to hedge funds and other institutional investors. Constitution is for borrowers that are tired of dealing with answering 500 questions from lenders just to have them delay closing because they decided that they needed to ask you another 500 questions before they give you a loan. Constitution’s loan application process is simple and straightforward. An average loan takes only 12-15 days to close. Connect with Constitution LendingWeb: constlending.com Twitter: @ConstLending Facebook: @ConstLending This show was created by Sila, Inc. Sila is a fintech software platform that provides payment infrastructure as a service, a business-critical element for companies whose software has to integrate with the US banking system and blockchain quickly, securely, and in full compliance with US regulations. To learn more visit www.silamoney.com #PoweredbySila This podcast is produced by Rainbow Creative & Wild Boer Media with Matthew Jones as Senior Producer and Katie Boer as Producer, Editor, and Host. Find out more about how to create a podcast for you or your business at rainbowcreative.co
Sloan | Bryan Harris, Angie Mayer, & Alec Tremaine
Jul 14 2021
Sloan | Bryan Harris, Angie Mayer, & Alec Tremaine
One out of 4 Americans has a student loan, is a co-signer, or is affected by one in other ways. That’s roughly 45 million people. These are individuals like Bryan Harris, CEO and co-founder of SLOAN. He noticed that while it had gotten way easier to get paid (Zelle, Venmo, others), paying down a debt has remained very difficult as if debt collectors preferred it that way. Bryan had been looking for years for a company that would help him organize and pay down his student loan. He wasn’t able to find one, so he decided to start one himself - with a twist! Today, SLOAN is a financial technology platform that blends payment solutions and charitable giving to efficiently manage your student loans. Think Venmo meets GoFundMe. Listen to the 3 senior executives talk about what it took to turn this simple idea into a reality. Learn from their experience creating a fintech app. Hear how critical it is to iterate and refine your plans. How to run a shoestring operation with money from friends and family and how to overcome the difficulties of securing funding. About the importance of spending time on getting the foundation of your business 100% right. And why “Why?” is the most important question to ask when starting a company.   Linkshttps://www.facebook.com/SloanApphttps://twitter.com/sloanapphttps://www.linkedin.com/company/sloanapp/ Website for Serviceshttps://www.sloanapp.com/ This podcast was created by Sila and is hosted by Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist Katie Boer. Sila is a fintech software platform that provides payment infrastructure as a service, a business-critical element for companies whose software has to integrate with the US banking system and blockchain quickly, securely, and in full compliance with US regulations. To learn more visit silamoney.com. #PoweredbySila  Watch the video interviews of the show on our YouTube Channel and follow us at the links below:Sila Twitter: https://twitter.com/SilaMoneySila LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/silamoney/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilaMoney/This podcast is produced by Rainbow Creative & Wild Boer Media with Matthew Jones as Senior Producer and Katie Boer as Producer, Editor, and Host. Find out more about how to create a podcast for you or your business at rainbowcreative.co