Hi, fintech fam! 💜

I’m still riding high after the incredible Women in Fintech Breakfast we hosted during Fintech MeetUp this week.

Remember when you would leave a friend's house as a kid and get sad because you missed them already? That’s how it feels whenever one of our events ends.

Luckily, I’ll host impactful and value-driven events throughout the year! My favorite thing about this job is bringing us together because nothing is more powerful.

Here are a few upcoming ways to get together with the Fintech Is Femme community:

1. The Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit on April 8 is shaping up to be the best event yet. We’ve sold 120 tickets, and early birds are going fast! Be sure to grab yours to meet and learn from women like Liza Landsman, CEO of Stash; Elise Brown, CMO & Partner of Anthemis; Cleve Mesidor, Executive Director of The Block Found; and more! Grab your ticket here.

2. On March 19, I’m hosting a virtual event celebrating Trailblazing Women in Fintech with an afternoon of virtual learning and networking. Grab your virtual seat here to hear from industry icons like Betsy Cohen and more!

Now, let's dive into some takeaways from Fintech MeetUp!

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#TRENDING

What’s Up In Fintech

Every Thursday, I share news stories and trending pieces I follow. Think of it as a way to quickly find the most essential news in the fintech world.

But today is a bit different. 🤑 

During the Women in Fintech Breakfast at Fintech MeetUp in Las Vegas, I interviewed three fintech leaders from different sectors: one founder, one investor, and one operator.

Here’s what they had to say on the state of the industry (edited for clarity and brevity).

Asya Bradley | Founder & Super Angel Investor

Asya Bradley has a track record of serial entrepreneurship, having achieved four successful exits. She actively invests in 40 startups as a super angel and provides fundraisers guidance. She particularly enjoys getting involved at the pre-seed stage and advising female founders, encouraging them to secure a solid institutional seed or A round of funding.

Nicole Casperson: Which sector do you find the most underrated in fintech but personally enjoy investing in?

Asya Bradley: Anything dealing with health tech diagnostics. Everyone is talking about the buzzword AI right now, but what I look at and am excited about is how we can prevent disease and catch disease quickly using technology.

It has a fintech component because everything is so intertwined with payment and insurance.

I'm also excited about insurance (insurance tech) because most of the nation is uninsured or underinsured.

People are always going into medical debt, and your health is just so important. Nobody should have to be worried about that. We should be doing something about it.

NC: What is the most common mistake founders make that turns you off from investing?

AB: Not being willing to see a different perspective.

I love a strong founder. I want someone really strong who knows what they're building but is also open to hearing perspectives.

I'm not saying that you will suddenly blow with the wind and change your business model because an investor said to.

One key factor when I look at a female founder is whether her board and leadership team are all men.

I'm an activist investor. I will invest in you if you have a real mission to do good.

Doing good doesn't necessarily mean the product you're building — it can also be you as a person.

I can look at a founder and know you are going to go out there, you're going to be a force, and you're going to be someone that all the little girls are going to look up to—and the little boys because I've got four boys at home.

So I want you to be that, but you can't if you stack your leadership team with all men.

I don't care if you're building the diagnostic tool to screen for breast cancer. I won't invest in you if you haven't made the intention to invest in female leaders in your team.

NC: One piece of advice you could give a founder seeking to raise money in the current environment?

AB: Share. This is something that I feel like a lot of us don't do enough.

We're all in the scarcity mindset. We've all been traumatized. We're constantly battling. We're continually paddling upstream.

When you get a “no” from an investor, that investor could be a “yes” for your sister.

If you share, your sisters will share with you.

I've gracefully been able to bow and say this didn't work out for me, but guess what? I've got this real badass woman that I know, and you need to meet and then follow through and make those connections.

Support each other and be genuinely happy for your sister's success.

Vanessa Di Frances | Senior Vice President at Silicon Valley Bank

Based in San Francisco, Vanessa is a relationship manager for Series A Fintech companies. After launching her career in Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley and Bank of America, Vanessa has worked in various roles as a Fintech operator and Fintech accelerator participant. These experiences nurtured her passion for supporting women and diverse founders, and now, at SVB, it is her role to help these founders succeed.

NC: What characteristics do you consider most crucial for early-stage fintech founders today?

VDF: Talent. Startups are like a marriage. Finding the right talent and the right culture is really important.

NC: How does your role contribute to helping founders achieve success?

VDF: I'm a relationship manager and strategic advisor for our fintech team. With our expertise in seeing different companies, we can help them with insights or introductions to networks through events like this. I've always been a big believer in women and networking support.

NC: Could you highlight a few key focus areas that early-stage fintech founders should prioritize?

VDF: Early-stage fintech founders should prioritize efficient capital models. VCs are focusing on efficient businesses, and our latest report across the sector shows that 46% of companies got burned last year.

Kelsey Willock Jones | Founder & CEO at Aura

Kelsey is the co-founder of Aura, a financial wellness and investment platform. She is also the Founder and editor-in-chief of Stuck in Notes magazine and the Author of the weekly newsletter "Not Your Boyfriend's Investment Advice."

NC: What’s the most challenging part about being a founder today?

KWJ: It’s no secret that the past two and a half years have been particularly challenging for fundraising, and they've also been isolating.

Surround yourself with communities that can uplift you, whether calling a friend for strategic advice on how to talk to an investor, win a new client, or cry on the phone.

Having a community has been so helpful in challenging environments. And for me, in particular, I started Aura as a direct-to-consumer brand, and everyone knows how difficult it is to scale consumer products.

CAC is high. Everyone will question you, especially in a world constantly chasing how to become more SaaS-like products. But sticking to your vision and mission is important, even when naysayers exist.

It doesn't make it any less hard, especially in challenging environments.

NC: How do you turn this challenge into opportunities to unlock growth?

KWJ: Good businesses come in the most challenging times, like the 2008 financial crisis — so many of the best companies we know today came from that.

When you can't find capital, you find money in a better way to access capital: revenue. So you are pushed to make really good decisions.

You don't solve problems with money. You solve problems with good ideas.

So, I feel very fortunate to be a business owner at a time that has been particularly challenging because it's pushed us to make hard decisions but the best ones for us.

For example, we recently pivoted from a direct-to-consumer to a B2B2C business to reduce our cost to acquire customers, allowing us to scale faster. It has also opened up conversations to doors I had initially thought were close to a year ago.

NC: One piece of advice for female founders?

KWJ: Be shameless. I'm not afraid of “no” anymore.

“No” is an opportunity — because maybe you did it incorrectly and should present yourself differently. Or perhaps it wasn't the right partner. So don't be afraid of being turned down.

Just keep showing up. And when I say “be shameless,” tap someone you've never spoken to before.

It's so easy to flock to people you recognize and know. So meet someone new because you don't know what door you can open for them—and they can also open for you.

For the past few years of my career, I've always considered how to uplift myself.

Now, this year, I'm thinking more about how I uplift others, not in a transactional way, but in a way that we can continue bolstering each other because that's how we're all going to continue growing together.

_{MARK YOUR CALENDARS}

Earlier this year, I asked my friend, Jasmine Boyce, of Empire Startups, to write to the Fintech Is Femme community and share more about herself.

Here’s what she had to say.

_{WEDNESDAY 4/10}

[NYC] Empire Startups Fintech Conference

Starting my career in the startup ecosystem, my journey took a pivotal turn during COVID-19 when I joined RevTech Labs, a FinTech accelerator program.

This transition marked my deep dive into FinTech, fueled by my background of humble financial beginnings.

I'm fascinated with the industry's commitment to make financial wellness accessible to all, particularly underserved communities. 

One of the things I’m most excited about this year is the opportunity to combine my creative passions with my FinTech career.

At the Empire Conference this April, I’m debuting a collection of 9 artworks that intertwine our “circus” theme alongside the narrative of FinTech in 2024.

Attendees will experience the feelings, emotions, and narrative of our current financial landscape brought to life across various colorful canvases. 

Mixing art with FinTech isn't just about adding some “AI creative flair” to the header of your breaking story.

To me, it’s a reminder that the most important FinTech stories are ones that keep human experiences at the forefront.

We've set up a FintechisFemme15 code that subscribers can use for 15% off of their conference pass. Grab yours here.

_FINTUNES

🎵 Cleo Sol - I Love You

That’s all for now! Stay safe, everyone. Hug your loved ones. See you Sunday!

Love,

Nicole

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