Fintech One•On•One

One of the many challenges for low and middle income (LMI) consumers is building wealth. If you are living paycheck to paycheck with no savings you are more focused on financial survival and likely don't feel you have the capacity to build wealth. This is where Stash comes in.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One Podcast is Liza Landsman, the CEO of Stash, a position she has held for around a year now. They are laser-focused on the LMI consumer and have built a suite of tools to help these people save and build wealth. Their Stock-Back Card is truly innovative and is often the first time their customers have ever owned public equities.In this podcast you will learn:What drew her to the CEO role at Stash.How Liza describes Stash and its mission.Who the typical Stash customer is and how they are using the app.Some of the changes she has made at Stash since becoming CEO.How their Stock-Back technology works and why it has been groundbreaking.The Stash 100 and their approach to financial education.What their customer base is focused on when it comes to learning.Why they created Stash Core, their back-end infrastructure platform.The thinking behind launching a B2B platform.What they learned in their Hardworking Americans Survey.The scale they are at today.How sticky their customers are and what they are doing to reduce churn.Liza's vision for the future of Stash.Connect with Liza on LinkedInConnect with Stash on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

The anti-fraud space has really heated up this past 12 months as fraud attempts have been on the rise and bad actors have become more sophisticated. Often, it can feel like an increasingly difficult battle to win, but there is reason for optimism.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Tommy Nicholas, the CEO and Co-Founder of Alloy. Tommy lays out in exceptional detail and with great passion why there is reason for optimism today. He also provides a blueprint for how banks and fintechs should be approaching their anti-fraud efforts. This is the third and final interview in the series I conducted at Fintech Meetup.In this podcast you will learn:The inspiration and motivation for the founding of Alloy.A description of their product offerings.Why it was so difficult to build their products.How fraud attacks have changed over the last 12-18 months.How new fintechs develop their fraud protocols.How to avoid the death spiral to zero good customers.The role social media has had in increasing first-party fraud.What is leading to an increase in fraud attempts recently.The types of fraud he is seeing today and how it is preventable.Details of the newly announced Alloy for Embedded Finance.How it will transform bank-fintech partnerships.The luck they have had in the timing of this launch.Connect with Tommy Nicholas on LinkedInConnect with Alloy on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

I don't think any fintech company has done more for small business than Square. They started with payment acceptance and have since expanded into many different areas of fintech. In fact, their lending business is now the largest in all of fintech. But it was the addition of Square Banking that has allowed this fintech pioneer to bring it all together.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Christina Riechers, the General Manager of Square Banking. She has been at Square nine years and was one of the architects of Square's push into banking. This is the second podcast in the series that I recorded live at Fintech Meetup in early March.In this podcast you will learn:What first attracted Christina to Square.Block's mission and how that resonated with her.The origins of Square Banking and Christina's role in it.How they built out their banking capabilities.The different starting points for small businesses in joining their ecosystem.Why established small business switch to Square Banking.The scale they are at today for Square Lending.How they are underwriting these loans.How they are able to see a holistic view of the small business's finances.How their customers are using the proceeds from their Square loans.The astounding percentage of women-owned business they are serving.What is top of mind for Square sellers today.How their payroll service works.What integration opportunities there are between Cash App, Afterpay and Square Banking.What they doing around Generative AI.The fintech trends that Christina is paying closest attention to right now.Connect with Christina on LinkedInConnect with Square on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

The area of fintech that has been in the news most so far this year is, without doubt, banking as a service (BaaS). We have seen consent orders, layoffs, banks ending fintech programs, ongoing disputes between BaaS companies and fintechs and there have been pivots from some of the BaaS providers.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Chris Dean, the CEO and Co-Founder of Treasury Prime. They were one of the original BaaS providers and have recently announced a pivot to working directly with banks. This resulted in the layoff of around half of the company. We do a deep dive into this pivot during our conversation, which took place live at the recent Fintech Meetup in Las Vegas.In this podcast you will learn:How his experience at Silicon Valley Bank led to the founding of Treasury Prime.Their original three lines of business.The driving force behind their pivot to dealing with banks directly.The reaction they have received from their fintech clients.How their direct service works for banks.Why banks will continue to want to partner with fintechs.Details of the process they go through when onboarding a new bank.The different ways that are working with banks today.Why Chris thinks the original banking as a service model is dead.Why banks have been universally positive on their recent pivot.How involved they are with the fintech sales process at the bank.The impact on the fintech startup scene of banks only wanting to work with established fintechs.Their approach to compliance automation.Why he never sees the alternative core banking providers.How Chris sees the bank-fintech partnerships evolving in the long term.How he defines success going forward.Connect with Chris Dean on LinkedInConnect with Treasury Prime on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Until fintech came along, there was a serious catch-22 when it came to establishing credit. There was no easy way to establish your own credit score without first obtaining credit. This became a real problem with Gen-Z and even younger millennials who have avoided credit cards. But for most people, successfully establishing a good credit score opens doors that are otherwise unavailable. Fintech has come up with some creative solutions to help both establish a credit score or reestablish one that has dropped significantly.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Julie Szudarek, the CEO of Self. She has been in this role for almost six months, taking over from founder James Garvey (listen to the episode with James here). Self was the inventor of the credit builder account and the space has grown a lot in the last few years as consumers are more aware than ever of the importance of a good credit score.In this podcast you will learn:What attracted Julie to the CEO role at Self.How she describes Self today.The different types of people who are coming to Self.How their credit builder account works.What people do once they have been through their 12-month program.What their customers like most about Self.How much on average the typical Self customer increases their credit score.Details of their new rent and bills reporting product.How they approach financial literacy with their customers.How she responds to the criticism of credit builder products.Why they decided to partner with SpringFour.What they do to help their customers when they get into financial difficulty.Why they decided to sponsor the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA.Where is Self going in the short to medium term.Connect with Julie on LinkedInConnect with Self Financial on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

The secondary loan market has played an important role in the history of fintech lending. It was important for those early loan buyers to know that there was a robust market in place if they needed to sell a loan portfolio. And sometimes platforms would hold the loans on their own balance sheet for a few months before offloading in a secondary loan sale. It was an essential ingredient in the growth of the space.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Dan Arlotta, Senior Vice President at Garnet Capital Advisors. He has been around the fintech lending space almost from the beginning and has been putting together loan portfolio sales across the industry. There are few people who know the ins and outs of the loan buying space better than Dan.In this podcast you will learn:How loan buying in the fintech space has evolved over the past decade.How fintech loans compare to banks and credit unions today.What Dan he being seen in activity in non-performing loans.How tightened credit boxes will impact secondary transactions.How high interest rates have impacted buyer activity.The types of buyers that Garnet works with on secondary sales.What lending platforms they are working with on the fintech side.How it was different working with Figure.The best practices for lenders looking to do secondary loan transactions.Connect with Dan on LinkedInConnect with Garnet Capital Advisors on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

AI is making its way into many areas of banking and fintech but one area where it already has a strong foothold is detecting financial crime. And there are some companies doing new and innovative things with this AI technology here.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Adam Famularo, the CEO of WorkFusion. His company has created these AI digital workers that are integrated into the workforce of a bank or fintech. These are real digital assistants that have been brought to life by WorkFusion.In this podcast you will learn:What attracted Adam to the CEO role at WorkFusion.How he describes the company today.How their AI Digital Workers operate and the different job roles they have.An explanation of the use cases for these digital workers.How they have trained the digital workers.How banks are augmenting these digital workers with their workforce.What kind of feedback they have received by humanizing their AI models.What is involved in the onboarding process.Where the AI digital workers fit within their core software.The typical organizations using WorkFusion today.A couple of case studies from banks using their software.How much they are reliant on LLMs and Gen AI.How they reduce the risk of errors or hallucinations.What this will all look like in five years.How this will impact the human workers interacting with the AI workers.Connect with Adam on LinkedInConnect with WorkFusion on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

When FedNow launched last July there was a lot of excitement in the financial community about the first new payments rail from the Fed in fifty years. There was also some trepidation. What would the rollout look like? Would banks take a wait-and-see approach? And how would the presence of RTP affect adoption?Now, almost eight months later we have answers to many of these questions. My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Mark Gould, the Chief Payments Executive at the Federal Reserve Financial Services. He is the head of FedNow and has steered the Fed through its successful launch and now into its growth stage.In this podcast you will learn:The many different roles Mark has held at the Fed.What the Fed's role is exactly in the payments system.The number of banks that are now on board with FedNow.How the FedNow system actually works.What Mark's pitch is when talking to prospective banks.The difference between signing up for send and receive.How fintech companies should think about FedNow.The primary use cases that are flowing through FedNow right now.How Mark thinks about RTP from The Clearing House.The idea of interoperability between RTP and FedNow.How Mark expects the mix of payment types to evolve over the next decade.The tools that the Fed has in place to prevent fraud.The transaction limits that are in place today.The short term product roadmap for FedNow.When Mark thinks there will be ubiquitous availability of instant payments.What it will take for consumers to have an expectation that payments will be instant.Connect with Mark on LinkedInConnect with Federal Reserve Financial Services on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

When it comes to financial health there is still much work to be done. While fintech has certainly made an impact here the average consumer is no more financially healthy than they were a decade ago. This is a problem that fascinates me and I love it when I talk to companies that are making a real difference in this area.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Ana Mahony, the CEO and founder of Addition Wealth. Their financial health platform is targeted at employers to offer as a benefit to their employees but what makes them unique is the human interaction. While they have a lot of digital tools for employees they also offer free one-on-one sessions with CPA and Certified Financial Planners. In this podcast you will learn:How the idea for Addition Wealth first germinated.How the program at First Round Capital really helped launch the company.The breadth of their product offerings to enhance financial health.Why the human interaction is such a differentiator for Addition.How they can scale with a human plus digital approach.How they vet these financial advisors and ensure they are providing quality advice.How Ana's experience at Uber has helped develop their platform.What is involved in implementing Addition Wealth with a new employer.Details of their go-to-market strategy.The scale they are at today.What people care about most when it comes to their financial health.The average percentage of employees that engage with their offering.Her vision for the future of Addition Wealth.Connect with Ana on LinkedInConnect with Addition Wealth on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Consider the humble email address. Most of us don't give this part of our identity a second thought but there is a wealth of information that can be gleaned from this one piece of data. And when it comes to fraud the email address is the most consistent predictor, more than any other data point.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Diarmuid Thoma, the head of fraud and data strategy at AtData. He has spent most of his 23-year career focused on fraud prevention and today he leads a team that has built the most extensive email database in the industry.In this podcast you will learn:The history of TowerData and the merger that resulted in the creation of AtData.The two areas of the company that Diarmuid leads.Why banks and fintech should care about email data.Why email is the most consistent fraud predictor.What other data points they take into consideration in their fraud models.The staggering percentage of every email in existence that are in their database.The number of new high risk domains that are being created every day.What is returned to the client when they provide an email address to AtData's API.How banks and fintechs are using this data today.Why they are included very early in the funnel for lenders.How the AtData quality score works and what it can tell their clients.How they have incorporated AI/ML into their fraud models.Details of their recent white paper on balance customer experience and fraud prevention.The trends that banks and fintechs should be paying attention to when it comes to email data.Connect with Diarmuid on LinkedInConnect with AtData on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Small business lending is still not a solved problem in this country, or anywhere around the world for that matter, despite a decade or more attacking the problem. But today, we are seeing some new business models and new go-to-market approaches that have the potential to make a huge difference.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Luke Voiles, the CEO of Pipe. Luke has been around fintech for many years and he became CEO of Pipe about a year ago now. He has a different perspective on small business lending and how to make it work best for the lender which he goes into in some depth in this episode.In this podcast you will learn:Some of the big names in fintech where Luke has had leadership roles.Why he decided to take on the CEO role at Pipe.What he did in his first weeks as CEO to fully understand the state of the company.How he describes Pipe today.How their working capital product works and where they sit in the payments flow.The size of the small business they will lend to.Why it is so important to get the payments data for their underwriting.How they inject themselves into the payments flow so they are paid first.Why vertical SaaS companies are the new community banks (see Luke's article here).Luke's thoughts on Section 1071 of Dodd-Frank and why it is a good thing for fintech.How Pipe is accessing the capital they need to lend.Why we haven't yet solved the small business access to capital problem.Why they are not concerned with the expense side of a business.The vision for Pipe for the next five years.Connect with Luke on LinkedInConnect with Pipe on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Embedded finance is a term that has only been around for a relatively short time. But some fintech companies have created services that could be embedded in non-financial firms for many years. It really began in the payments space and became a part of lending and we often called it lending-as-a-service before embedded lending was a thing. One of the pioneers of embedded lending is LiftForward.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Jeffrey Rogers, the CEO and founder of LiftForward, an embedded lending fintech that has been around since 2013. They have a fascinating story and might hold the record for the youngest fintech to partner with one of the tech behemoths.In this podcast you will learn:The founding story of LiftForward.How a small fintech company was able to land Microsoft.How their multi-faceted relationship with Microsoft works.How lenders are involved in this process.Details of how all the different parties come together.The demographic changes that are driving their business.The different types of payments plans and subscriptions they do.What the Mastercard Engage partner network is and how LiftForward is involved.What brands want to see when it comes to embedded lending.How LiftForward makes money.The changes they needed to make to become an international company very early on.The scale that LiftForward is at today.Where they are focusing this year when it comes to new markets.Jeffrey's vision for the future of LiftForward.Connect with Jeffrey on LinkedInConnect with LiftForward on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Even though banks have been going through digital transformation now for a decade or more there is obviously so much work still to be done. Big banks need help with this process, particularly when it comes to personalization as banks have historically provided products that were more in the one-size-fits-all category.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Amalia Avramov, she is the president of financial services at Amdocs. Now, Amdocs is a large global company that got its start in telecommunications but has expanded into financial services. I have been hearing their name around more and more so I wanted to get Amalia on the show to learn more.In this podcast you will learn:Amalia's long history at Amdocs.The core industries where Amdocs operates.Why they decided to expand into financial services.The services they provide for the banking industry.What banks are getting wrong in digital transformation.What successful personalization in banking looks like.Some examples of banks that Amdocs are working with today.What they working on with large banks around AI.The work Amalia is doing to promote diversity and inclusion.How the war in Israel is impacting Amdocs and their workers there.What is Amdocs' vision for the future of the bank experience.Connect with Amalia on LinkedInConnect with Amdocs on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

When you think of cutting edge fintech you probably don't think about the Caribbean. But some interesting developments are happening there that we should all be paying attention to.On this episode of the Fintech One-on-One podcast, I talk with Curt Persaud, the Co-founder and CTO of Fintech Islands and Andrew B. Morris, the Chief Content Officer at Fintech Islands. This is the biggest fintech event in the Caribbean and it is happening next week (January 24-26) in Barbados. I will be there along with many other U.S. and Caribbean fintech leaders.The Caribbean is an under-appreciated region, it is in our backyard with more people (45 million) than Canada. There is a strong entrepreneurial spirit and a thriving fintech industry there already, that is poised to grow significantly in the near future.In this podcast you will learn:The founding story of Fintech Islands.Why Americans should care about Caribbean fintech.The important fintech trends in the region.Details about the Fintech Islands event.The different topics being covered on their agenda.How their startup competition will work.How people can engage with Caribbean fintech beyond the event.Connect with Andrew B. Morris on LinkedInConnect with Curt Persaud on LinkedInConnect with Fintech Islands on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

The small business lending space has seen a lot of innovation over the last decade with fintech leading the way. But there is still much more work to do as many small business still lack the access to capital that they deserve.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Steve Allocca, the head of Funding Circle USA. He has worked at some of the biggest names in fintech (PayPal, LendingClub, Bluevine and now Funding Circle) working on this challenge of helping small business access capital. Funding Circle is a pioneer in this space and recently they received the news that they have been approved for a new SBA 7(a) lending license.In this podcast you will learn:Steve's deep and varied history in the fintech space.Some of the lessons he has brought to Finding Circle.What attracted him to the role at Funding Circle.The typical terms of their core term loan product.Their approach to underwriting small businesses.The impact on demand of the increase in interest rates.What it means for Funding Circle to be approved to be an SBA 7(a) lender.The timetable for when they will be able to start making SBA loans.How they are building their lending as a service offering.How they interact with the Funding Circle head office in the UK.Some of the new hires they have made to the leadership team.How they can get a clearer picture of small business data.What is top of mind for Funding Circle for 2024.Connect with Steve on LinkedInConnect with Funding Circle on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

When we think about embedded finance one of the biggest opportunities is bringing financial services to vertical software companies. These software companies already have the relationship within their vertical and it often makes logical sense for them to add financial services as an add-on offering, as long as it is simple and easy to implement.My first guest of 2024 on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Tom Bell, the CEO and co-founder of Maast (as in Money-as-a-service plus). They are a wholly owned subsidiary of Synovus Bank and have been in business for two years. They are bringing embedded payments acceptance and embedded banking to vertical software companies but doing it with the backing of a 130-year-old regional bank.In this podcast you will learn:Why Tom decided to come to Synovus and start Maast.The founding story of Maast.Why they decided to create a new brand rather than do it under Synovus.The suite of services that Maast provides todayWho they are working with today and their target market.Why software providers are a perfect match for embedded finance (see Tom's article here).The most interesting innovations in payments today.What is involved in integrating Maast into a software provider.How Maast stands out from other embedded finance providers.How they approach compliance requirements.Tom's view on the main trends in embedded finance that will be in play in 2024.How he thinks embedded finance is going to play out long term.Connect with Tom on LinkedInConnect with Maast on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Around the world, several digital banks have achieved impressive scale. But most of these fintech companies have been focused just on their home market. It is difficult to scale a global digital bank because regulations and compliance requirements differ so much between countries. But we have seen some traditional banks achieve scale in multiple countries so there is no reason why we shouldn't see the same in fintech. My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Sid Jajodia, the Chief Banking Officer for Revolut and the CEO of Revolut US. There is no other fintech company that is as focused on becoming a global fintech leader than Revolut. They already have 35 million customers in more than 30 countries around the world and they continue to open operations in new countries multiple times a year.In this podcast you will learn:What attracted Sid to the role at Revolut.How he describes Revolut today.What he means when he says it is a financial super app.The number of customers Revolut has globally.How Revolut is differentiated from other digital banking offerings in the US.The typical Revolut customer in the U.S. and globally.How they are getting the word out.Their ambition to be a bank in different markets.What Revolut 10 is and why it is important.Their approach to user experience.What CEO and founder Nik Storonsky is like to work with.What it is going to take for Revolut to reach scale in the US.Revolut's vision for the future of financial services.Connect with Sid on LinkedInConnect with Revolut on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

The Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBs) have been part of the financial landscape in this country since 1932. They were created (before the New Deal) in response to the housing crisis during the Great Depression. But their role has changed from a focus on housing to becoming a liquidity provider for large banks. And this has had a major impact on our financial system, including the fintech space.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One Podcast is Cornelius (Con) Hurley. He is a professor at the Boston University School of Law and was a founding member of the Online Lending Policy Institute that was folded into the American Fintech Council in 2021. Most importantly for this conversation, Professor Hurley was an independent director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston for 14 years. He has become an outspoken critic of FHLBs in recent years and is a co-founder of the Coalition for FHLB Reform.Professor Hurley provides a detailed history and the current state of play for FHLBs but also focuses on the role fintech companies can play here.In this podcast you will learn:Why everyone should be interested in what Federal Home Loan Banks are doing.The origins of the Federal Home Loan Banks and why they were started.How the FHLBs are regulated.How the FHLBs can claim they have never made a loan that has defaulted.The governance culture of the FHLBs.Why FHLB loans to banks should be made public.How the mission of the FHLBs moved away from housing and community development.Why banks go to an FHLB for liquidity instead of the Federal Reserve.How the FHLBs are funded and what subsidies they receive.The recommendations for reform from the recent FHLB report.Why FHLB members will need to beef up their mortgage exposure.The potential role for fintech companies here.What comes next for FHLBs.Connect with Cornelius on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

While most of us would agree that we have seen significant innovation in fintech and banking over the last decade, we still don't really have a new framework for how we look at banking. My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One is someone who has thought deeply about innovation in banking and he has lived it as a co-founder of some of the biggest names in fintech. Jason Bates is currently the co-founder and Deputy CEO at consulting firm 11:FS but he is also a co-founder of both Starling Bank and Monzo, two of the big three in UK fintech. His framework of four layers for retail financial services provides an interesting perspective and a possible foundation for future innovation.In this podcast you will learn:How Jason first got involved in fintech.What it was like in the early days of Starling Bank and Monzo.The founding story of 11:FS.How he described 11:FS today.The difference between digital banking and digitized banking.The four different layers of retail banking.What we still need to work on in digital banking.An explanation of the "Jobs to be Done" innovation philosophy.The best ways to apply AI to banking.The state of fintech in the UK today.Comparing the US and UK fintech landscapes today.What Jason is looking at as far as 2024 fintech trends.What he is most excited about for the next three to five years.Connect with Jason on LinkedInConnect with 11:FS on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

There are many options for raising growth capital for established startups. With all the attention paid to venture capital, we sometimes forget that the vast majority of companies are not funded that way. Revenue-based financing has been around for more than a decade and it is a good alternative for certain types of companies.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One Podcast is Melissa Widner, the CEO of Lighter Capital, a pioneer in the revenue-based financing space. We learn all about how this space works, what types of companies it works best for and how Lighter Capital has become one of the market leaders.In this podcast you will learn:How she first got involved with Lighter Capital.What attracted her to the CEO role.What it is like running a fintech company from Australia.The different countries where they are set up to lend.How revenue-based financing works (that was pioneered by Lighter).The types of companies that are in their sweet spot.The size and terms of their financing.How their underwriting works.Why most revenue-based financing lenders are not really doing revenue-based finance.The impact of the venture capital downturn on Lighter Capital.How the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank impacted demand for capital.Their historical loss rate.How loan demand has been overall in 2023.What it was like renewing their credit facility in the summer.Melissa's vision for the future of Lighter Capital.Connect with Melissa on LinkedInConnect with Lighter Capital on LinkedInConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes