In partnership with

Hey fintech fam, 💜

Happy Juneteenth! If you’ve had the day off, I hope you’ve found a moment to rest and recharge.

I’m writing to you from the Fiat Growth office in San Francisco, where I’ve been recording new podcast content and catching up with Academy members on the West Coast. (Also—I needed better Wi-Fi than my hotel. Shout out to my co-host and co-working buddy, Drew Glover.)

This week in SF has been a blast, and I’m already excited to return in October when we host our second Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit during SF Tech Week.

Since today’s a holiday, we’re throwing it back.

Today’s newsletter features three standout stories and insights from three powerhouse women who spoke at the Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit in April.

Next week, I’ll be back with fresh stories and coverage—plus the official launch of Season 2 of Fintech Mavericks, powered by Brex. New episodes drop every Wednesday starting next week.

Scroll down for a preview of what’s coming. Let’s get into the good stuff.

#SPONSORED

Keep more of what you earn

Collective is the first all-in-one financial solution exclusively for solopreneurs. Members save an average of $10,000 a year by optimizing their taxes via an S Corp.*

Membership includes:

• LLC and S Corp formation

• Payroll

• Monthly bookkeeping

• Quarterly tax estimates

• Annual business tax filing

• Access to a team of experts

Enjoy peace of mind while maximizing your profits, and enjoy extra time to focus on growing your business.

Use code SPRINGFREE at checkout and get your first month free!

Get started

_{*Based on the average 2022 tax savings of active Collective users with an S Corp tax election for the 2022 tax year}

#TRENDING

What’s Up In Fintech

Every Thursday, I bring you the latest fintech news and trends, delivering the key insights that matter most to the industry—and you.

#1 The Light She Left On: Tanya Van Court’s Strategy to Make Financial Literacy a Cornerstone of Family Wealth

Tanya Van Court was born on July 2, 1972—eight years to the day after the Civil Rights Act became law.

It was a date that marked a seismic shift in American history, but Van Court points out that while the law changed the belly of America, it did little to touch its heart. And that heart, she says, is capitalism.

Today, as the founder and CEO of Goalsetter—a fintech platform focused on financial education for families—Van Court is working to rewrite that reality.

One investment account at a time.

Her journey didn’t start in a boardroom. It started in a public school classroom in East Oakland, where her mother, a teacher and counselor, instilled in her daughter a relentless drive to learn.

That drive carried Van Court to Stanford for two engineering degrees and then to Silicon Valley. But even with all her credentials, no one had taught her how to navigate equity compensation, stock options, or the fundamentals of financial literacy.

By the time she realized the million-dollar potential of her early stock package, the dot-com crash had reduced it to $20,000.

That financial whiplash wasn’t just a personal loss—it was a wake-up call. And it would become the catalyst for a mission rooted in education, equity, and intergenerational impact.

Goalsetter was born when Van Court’s daughter Gabrielle asked for two birthday gifts:

1. A bike

2. Enough money to open an investment account

That moment reframed everything. If she could get every eight-year-old in America to say the same thing, Van Court believed, she could change the trajectory of wealth in this country.

The Long Road to Capital

But building a fintech company as a Black woman meant navigating a very different path than her counterparts.

In Van Court’s words, "They get the Acela to Manhattan. I get rerouted through Birmingham, Cincinnati, and finally dropped in Newark."

Her story is a masterclass in persistence. Early funding was scarce, and she was nearly out of money when a few key allies stepped up: Linda Wilson introduced her to billionaire investor Robert F. Smith, who invested $200,000. Barbara Clarke, an angel investor focused on women of color, wrote a check and connected her with Astia, which led to her seed round.

As she recounts, the journey forward was often lit by others holding their own small torches.

People like David Stiffler at Edward Jones, Sue Harnett who joined Goalsetter in an operating role without pay, and Liz Roberts at MassMutual. Their support was critical.

"Those lights are the only reason that Goalsetter and I remain standing," Van Court says.

Since then, she’s gone head-to-head with sharks on Shark Tank, earned the backing of investors like Kevin Durant, Mark Cuban, Sterling K. Brown, and Nike, and built a financial education platform used by schools, banks, credit unions, and families across the country.

And the momentum hasn’t stopped.

In 2021, Van Court closed a $3.9 million seed round, with commitments from a star-studded investor list. One month later, Mark Cuban joined as a strategic partner to help one million kids—particularly Black youth—open their first savings accounts.

Then came Nike, investing $1 million as part of its $140 million racial equity initiative.

Today, Goalsetter is scaling with innovative features like “Learn to Earn” and “Learn Before You Burn”, gamified tools designed to help kids master money early. And with brand partnerships including Delta Air Lines, American Express, and The Edward Jones Foundation. 

Van Court has now raised $30 million for Goalsetter. And she’s just getting started. 

Why It Matters

Van Court’s story is a powerful reminder that systemic barriers in fintech aren’t going away on their own. Founders like Van Court are building the infrastructure for a more inclusive financial future, but they need the ecosystem to meet them halfway.

True transformation comes when capital, access, and opportunity are shared. That means:

• VCs funding outside their comfort zone.

• Corporates investing in founders who don't look like them.

• Communities showing up not just as consumers, but as co-builders.

Goalsetter isn’t just teaching kids about compound interest—it’s modeling it, socially and economically. And Van Court is proving that while some paths are longer and harder, they can still lead to power, purpose, and profound impact.

So the question remains: Who are you leaving your light on for?

Want her blueprint? 🎧 Listen to my interview with Tanya on Fintech Mavericks via Apple, Spotify, or YouTube. 🚀 

#2 Inside Angel Rich’s $1 Billion Blueprint to Redesign Credit from the Inside Out

At April’s Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit, I opened the day with a force of nature: Dr. Angel Rich.

Forbes once called her “the next Steve Jobs.” President Biden awarded her the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. But accolades aside, Rich isn’t chasing tech stardom — she’s engineering a financial system that actually works for the people it’s long excluded.

Her fintech CreditRich is more than an app — it’s a full-stack financial engine built to close the wealth gap with intention, automation, and unapologetic scale.

And she’s doing it her way.

Reverse-Engineering the Credit System

Rich didn’t build another budgeting app. She broke down the FICO algorithm line by line, then rebuilt it to work for everyone else.

“They told me it was too complicated to understand,” she said. “It’s not. You just have to care enough to peel it apart.”

With that knowledge, she designed CreditRich — a mobile banking and credit optimization platform that:

• Rounds up purchases and applies the spare change toward strategic debt payments
  

• Uses AI to prioritize liabilities based on credit score impact
  

• Delivers personalized credit reports in partnership with Experian and Equifax

“If you help people simply pay their bills on time, you can raise their scores significantly,” she shared. “Half the battle is just creating a system designed for people to win.”

Scaling Through Partnerships, Not Permission

Angel knew venture capital would likely overlook her — so she went straight to the top.

She cold-called executives. No warm intros. No gatekeepers. Just direct pitches to Visa, Experian, and Equifax.

“Everyone said it couldn’t be done. I picked up the phone and did it anyway.”

• Visa signed on to launch a Signature debit card through CreditRich
  

• Experian integrated its data directly into the platform
  

• Equifax inked a follow-up deal, giving Rich major leverage in credit reporting

Today, her enterprise contracts are valued at ~$400 million, and she’s in the midst of a $100 million Series B raise — on track for a $1 billion+ valuation.

Why It Matters

Angel Rich didn’t wait for fintech to make space for her — she built her own room. And in doing so, she’s rewritten the playbook for what success can look like when purpose meets precision.

• CreditRich isn’t a budgeting tool. It’s behavioral tech built to scale upward mobility.
  

• She didn’t chase VC money. She proved product-market fit through revenue-driving deals.
  

• She didn’t ask for validation. She engineered it into her model.

Her next moves?

• Launching Credit Cooks, a nationally syndicated show offering real-world financial advice to underserved communities
  

• Targeting a $5–10 billion exit, with eyes already on building her next venture

“We can’t afford to sit this one out,” Rich told the audience. “The economy’s changing. People need real tools, not empty promises.”

The Big Picture

Angel Rich’s story isn’t just inspiring — it’s operationally instructive. For fintech founders, especially those building from the margins, she’s proof that:

• You can lead with innovation and win with grit

• You don’t need permission to disrupt systems that never served you

• And you definitely don’t need VC to prove your company has value

She’s building what comes next — and leaving the door open behind her.

Watch the full fireside chat live from our mainstage here.

#3 Built for This — How Ashley Fox Is Turning Financial Empowerment Into a Movement

Ashley Fox stood on stage and asked the crowd a simple question:

“Have you ever wanted to give up?”

Hands raised. Heads nodded. And then she had everyone say it together — louder:

“I am built for this.”

It’s more than a mantra. It’s the foundation of Fox’s story — one that stretches from the trading floors of Wall Street to a couch in Philadelphia where she rebuilt her life and her company, Empify, from scratch.

Born and raised in Philly. Finance major at Howard. Asset manager on Wall Street.

By 24, Fox had what she thought she wanted: a coveted job at a global bank managing money for the ultra-wealthy.

But as she put it:

“I kept rich people rich for a living… and I realized if I stayed at my job for 10 years, I’d never be in the position to be that client.”

So she quit. No plan, just purpose: to bring financial literacy to the 99% Wall Street ignored.

That choice came with sacrifice.

She lost everything — her apartment, her income, her savings — and moved back to her parents’ couch in Philly.

“How could a woman teach money when she had none?” she said.

“Because I knew I was built for this.”

Through that hardship, she created Empify — a platform designed to democratize wealth-building through financial education in schools, prisons, and homes.

It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t fast. But it was real.

And in her words, “Wealth doesn’t have a color. Therefore, it looks like all of us.”

Then, she faced another blow — losing her father.

But it was in her father’s death that she found an even deeper truth.

He didn’t have a finance degree. He didn’t go to college. He worked in law enforcement.

And yet — he left behind generational wealth.

“My mom never had to work. My siblings and I get paid every month. He left us debt free.”

“If he could do it, anyone can — and I’m going to show them how.”

Today, Empify is a 7-figure business. Their Wealth Builders Community app teaches people how to invest, build wealth, and leave a legacy. Collectively, Fox’s members have invested over $11.5 million — many of them first-time investors.

Why It Matters

In a fintech ecosystem focused on innovation, Ashley Fox reminds us of something more fundamental: you can’t disrupt what you never had access to in the first place.

Financial literacy isn’t just a product or a curriculum. It’s a human right — and when you center education and community, you unlock power that no algorithm can replace.

Fox built Empify not to mimic the old systems, but to rebuild new ones — grounded in inclusion, accessibility, and belief. Her success isn’t just in revenue or rankings — it’s in shifting people from survival mode to ownership.

“When we go from here [the head] to here [the heart], that’s when life becomes worth living.”

🎧Want to learn more from Ashley? Tune in to my interview with Ashley on Humans of Fintech on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.

_{MARK YOUR CALENDARS}

Join us every Thursday to keep up with fintech events!

_{THURSDAY, JUNE 26}

[CHIEF CLUBHOUSE NYC] Climate Fintech Roundtable with TED Speaker & Wiley Author

​Join us for an exclusive 12-person roundtable hosted at Chief, designed for executive leaders ready to shape the future of fintech, climate, and capital.

​Led by Bhuva Shakti, former Wall Street exec and acclaimed TED speaker, and yours truly, this intimate gathering is more than a conversation—it’s a strategic session to influence the agenda of the Emerald Climate Fintech Summit, the flagship event opening Climate Week NYC this September.

​We’ll explore why the intersection of climate and fintech is urgent and highly investable. This is where institutional capital meets real-world sustainability, and women like you are poised to lead.

​Expect:

• ​Strategic connections with top women in finance, tech, and climate

• ​Hands-on input shaping a high-impact industry event

• ​A private, energizing space for clarity, collaboration, and action

• ​Charcuterie and light refreshments provided

​Only 12 slots are available.

_{FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19}

[NEW YORK] EMERALD CLIMATE FINTECH SUMMIT

Happening Sept 19 in NYC during Climate Week.

Where climate meets capital.

Where women lead.

Where fintech scales what matters.

At Fintech Is Femme, we follow the money—and it’s heading straight to climate.

Climate fintech is not a niche. It’s the next big business strategy.

✅ $12B in ROI if we close the gender funding gap

✅ Women-led startups are scaling smarter

✅ Clean energy, carbon markets, and ESG—this is where fintech grows next

I’m teaming up with Bhuva Shakti to launch something different.

Not just a summit. A strategy session for what’s next.

Want in?

We’re looking for sponsors, speakers, and builders. Reach out.

Early bird tickets are already flying.

_FINTUNES

🎶 Little Simz - Lion feat. Obongjayar

New song alert! This is an absolute jam to get you vibing over the weekend. You’re welcome.

_{LET’S CONNECT}

📰 Share this newsletter with a friend and start growing your network.

🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn for daily insights on leadership.

🤝 Grow your business through content & community by partnering with me.

📣 Promote yourself to 50,000 subscribers by sponsoring this newsletter.

🎤 Host an epic event by booking me as a speaker, moderator, or emcee.

📚 Increase your expertise by ordering your copy of my book, Fintech Feminists: Increasing Inclusion, Redefining Innovation, and Changing the Future for Women Around the World.

⭐️ P.S. If you’ve read Fintech Feminists (or listened to the audiobook!), I’d be so grateful if you could take 30 seconds to leave a review or rating on Amazon here. Your support means the world to me. A million thanks in advance!

That wraps up today’s edition—thanks for reading! Until next week, keep innovating and challenging the status quo. See you Tuesday!

Love,

Nicole 💜