Money is weird. It’s simple in theory and complicated in practice. The founders in this section are building companies that help people and businesses make sense of it. From fintech platforms to financial advisory firms to investment tools, they’re tackling one of the most fundamental problems in business and life.
These interviews cover the full financial landscape. Personal finance. Corporate finance. Lending. Payments. Insurance. Wealth management. Cryptocurrency before it was cool, during the hype, and after the crash. The founders here have seen cycles.
What makes these conversations valuable is the honesty. Finance has a reputation for jargon and gatekeeping. The people featured here cut through that. They talk about building trust in an industry where trust is everything. About regulation, which in finance is not optional. About the challenge of making financial tools accessible to people who aren’t finance professionals.
You’ll find insights on building fintech products, navigating compliance, fundraising in financial services, and the particular challenge of disrupting industries that really don’t want to be disrupted. Whether you’re building in finance or just trying to understand it better, these founders have perspective worth hearing.
[quote style=”boxed”]I like batting ideas around in small groups with people of different backgrounds, expertise and opinions. Once something is half-baked, we’ll test it – either in-market or through modeling. [/quote]…
Meet Doug Lebda – Chairman, CEO and Founder of LendingTree.com
[quote style=”boxed”]Analyze (data is your friend 😉 ) and over-communicate (I’m a big believer in the hypothesis that startups work so well because everybody constantly knows what’s going on, why…
[quote style=”boxed”]Take the time to relate well to the people around you. [/quote] Steve Musick is the CEO of Destiny Capital, a financial advising firm he founded in 1977. In addition…
[quote style=”boxed”]I’m a big believer in just making it happen. Often times I have an idea in the shower or in the sauna or on a walk. My staff will…
Meet Chris Hurn – Co-founder and CEO of Mercantile Capital Corporation
[quote style=”boxed”]Don’t get me wrong, there is a method to the madness but you have to be able to shift focus and improvise and prioritize as things come your way….
[quote style=”boxed”]If you don’t try your ideas because people think it is “crazy” or “stupid,” then you will never have the chance to prove them wrong.[/quote] Andyshea Saberioon is 24…
[quote style=”boxed”]Be persistent and don’t let “No” or “Not interested” dampen your enthusiasm. Keep pounding away.[/quote] After graduating from University of Michigan Law School, Robbie Friedman went to NYC where…
Meet Robbie Friedman and David Schottenstein – Founders of Viewabill system
[quote style=”boxed”]”…we keep our overhead as low as possible. Call it bootstrapping or call it Lean – we call it ‘keep it in the bank.’” – Shannon Hughes, Spur Studio[/quote] Okay,…
[quote style=”boxed”]”Have heart. Don’t give up. Never be denied.”[/quote] Daniel Wesley is the founder and CEO of CreditLoan.com, a website that educates consumers about various personal finance issues. Among some…
[quote style=”boxed”]”I want our generation to go down as the one that changed everything. We have a lot of work to do.” [/quote] Matt Wilson, Co-Founder of Under30Media, began building…
[quote style=”boxed”]Use A/B testing very early on to figure out what kinds of messaging resonates with users. We have done this many ways – with AdWords campaigns, Google Experiments on…
[quote style=”boxed”]Do not ask someone to do something that you have not done yourself. If you are not willing to invest “your own” time and effort, you should not ask…