Hey, fintech fam! 💜

One week post–Fintech Is Femme Summit and yep, still riding the adrenaline (and recovering from the comedown). Anyone else in a post-event fog?

But there’s no slowing down—because building a media company that redefines how B2B content is created, consumed, and connected is what I’ve been training for my whole career.

No VC check. No safety net. Just a tiny team (shoutout Anton & Keltoum) and a whole lot of conviction.

• → 2 newsletters a week

• → 2 podcasts a week

• → 1 private membership community

• → Endless convos turned into content, community, and revenue

Right now? I’m doubling down on the most high-impact channel I’ve seen: podcasting.

I’ve spent years building trust—not just as a journalist, but as a peer. Some of you have called me the “Oprah of Fintech” (which I love). I like to think of myself as the “Call Her Daddy” of the industry—because when people sit down with me, they get real. And that’s when the magic happens.

For today, I’ve got more exclusive interviews with leaders in fintech. And next week? I’m dropping a story on the most powerful woman in the space: FIS CEO Stephanie Ferris.

Let’s get into it. 

#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 How Two Fintech Leaders Built Scalable Companies by Centering the People Most Often Ignored

At last week’s Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit, I sat down with two women who are changing the fintech landscape—not by chasing headlines, but by building systems that work better for everyone.

Rochelle Gorey, CEO of SpringFour, and Kelly Uphoff, Chief Technology Officer of Tala, are building from different corners of the world, but both are scaling mission-driven fintechs with clarity, conviction, and results.

In a moment when the industry is calling for more focus and fewer buzzwords, their approach feels like a blueprint worth studying.

Turning Underserved into Understood

Gorey launched SpringFour in 2005, long before “fintech” was a household term.

Her mission was simple: help financial institutions connect struggling borrowers to real-world resources—like job assistance, food programs, and housing support—that could get them back on track. Today, SpringFour powers over 25 million such referrals across major banks like BMO, US Bank, and OppFi.

“We’ve always stayed focused on the root problem,” Gorey said. “You don’t miss payments because you want to. Something’s going on. And if you help someone navigate that hardship, they’ll pay you back—and they’ll stay with you.”

SpringFour’s model is B2B2C: financial institutions pay for the service because it improves their own repayment outcomes. Customers—often facing financial crises—never pay a dime. And they never will.

“We’ve had clients ask if they could start charging customers,” Gorey added. “The answer is always no. Our mission is non-negotiable.”

From Streaming to Scaling Global Credit

Uphoff took a different path into fintech. She spent a decade at Netflix, leading experimentation and AI strategy. But her career started in the Peace Corps, helping entrepreneurs access small loans.

When she joined Tala, a fintech platform serving 10M+ underserved users across four continents, it felt like a full-circle moment.

“Tala is the dream of what I was trying to do in the Peace Corps,” she said. “Only now, we’re doing it with technology and data—and at scale.”

Tala has originated over $6 billion in credit across markets like Kenya, India, and Mexico. Many of its users don’t have traditional credit scores, or access to banking infrastructure at all. But that’s where Uphoff’s data expertise comes in.

“We use alternative data and AI to assess creditworthiness,” she explained. “Our latest personalization algorithm increased originations and decreased defaults. That’s the sweet spot—serving more people and doing it better.”

It’s a reminder that inclusive fintech isn’t charity. It’s smart business.

Scaling with Focus and Guardrails

When asked how they maintain mission alignment while growing fast, both leaders pointed to one thing: focus.

“You’re not really focused until you’re saying no to something that hurts to say no to,” Uphoff shared. “We’ve learned to let go of great ideas that don’t serve the mission.”

SpringFour’s team takes a similar approach. They constantly track top areas of need—like food access and healthcare—so they can evolve their platform without drifting from their core value proposition.

And both leaders embed mission into performance. Tala regularly conducts longitudinal studies with research partners to ensure their credit products genuinely improve customers’ lives. SpringFour produces ESG impact reports for clients, showing how each referral drives better outcomes.

Leadership as a Learned Skill

Their leadership styles differ—Gorey leads with empathy; Uphoff leans on compartmentalization—but both are deeply intentional about how they show up.

“You have to be in the moment,” Uphoff said. “You can’t carry everything at once. That’s been a huge learning for me.”

Gorey added: “Empathy helps me lead with understanding, especially during tough conversations. But it also drives our work—we’re solving human problems.”

Their Advice for the Next Generation

Both offered refreshing honesty when I asked what they’d tell early-stage founders who feel pressure to chase trends or prove profitability.

“Niche isn’t a bad word,” said Gorey. “It means you’re solving a specific problem—and likely doing it better than anyone else.”

“Don’t get high on your own supply,” Uphoff added. “Customers don’t care that you’re using AI. They care that it works.”

They closed our conversation with reflections on trust—how hard it is to earn, how easy it is to lose, and how essential it is to scale.

“Our entire business depends on trust,” said Uphoff. “And trust starts with the choices we make as leaders—what we prioritize, what we say no to, and how we measure success.”

If there’s one takeaway from these fintech trailblazers, it’s this: Doing good isn’t a distraction from doing well. It’s how you do both, and win.

#2 Scaling Inclusion: The Fintech Legacy Elizabeth Gore Is Building

We closed out Season 1 of Fintech Mavericks live from The Times Center with a custom-built stage and an unforgettable conversation during NY Fintech Week.

Our guest? The icon herself: Elizabeth Gore, Co-Founder and President of Hello Alice.

Alongside my co-host Drew Glover, we recorded this powerful episode during the Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit—and let me tell you, Elizabeth did not hold back.

Under her leadership, Hello Alice has grown into a $130M fintech platform serving over 1.5 million small business owners. The company has distributed $50M in grants, built cross-sector partnerships, and remained unapologetically committed to inclusion—even when facing political and public pressure.

In this episode, Elizabeth opens up about:

• → Navigating black swan events

• → Leading through an anti-DEI lawsuit with strategy and strength

• → Building systems for founders, not just capital

• → And the decision-making matrix that kept her team grounded through it all

She also shares what she’s most proud of—and what’s next in her legacy-building journey.

This is what a Fintech Maverick looks like.

And her story? It’s now part of the growing library of content we’re building for the builders.

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.

#3 Redefining Wealth-Building in Latin America with Carlos Díaz of RUUT

This week on Humans of Fintech, I sat down (live on Nasdaq’s trading floor) with Carlos Díaz, Co-Founder of RUUT—Mexico’s largest Registered Investment Advisor—to talk about inclusion, innovation, and investing for the next generation.

RUUT is changing the game for first-time investors (average user age: 24!) and proudly reports that nearly 60% of its user base are women.

That’s powerful—especially when you consider that studies show women investors consistently outperform men over time thanks to lower-risk strategies, long-term thinking, and strong diversification.

With $4M in assets under management and $100K+ in returns generated for its community, RUUT is redefining what it means to invest—especially in markets with historically low financial literacy.

We get into:

• What it means to design for non-investors

• Why building for women isn’t niche—it’s smart

• How UX can drive trust and outcomes

• What’s next for fintech across Latin America

If you care about inclusive finance, next-gen innovation, or building high-impact fintech in real-world markets, this episode is a must-listen.

🎙️ Check us out on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify.

_{MARK YOUR CALENDARS}

Join us every Thursday to keep up with fintech events!

_{MAY 12}

[NEW YORK CITY] CAREER CREATORS SUMMIT

I’ve been working on something special behind the scenes with our friends at Frich—and today, I finally get to share it with you.

Introducing: Career Creators—a new educational platform designed to show graduating students, professionals, operators, and entrepreneurs how to turn storytelling into strategy… and passion into deal flow.

I’ll be kicking off the session by breaking down my exact blueprint—how I went from journalism grad to building Fintech Is Femme into a creator-led media company with impact at its core.

Then I’m sitting down with the incredible Katrin Kaurov, co-founder of Gen-Z money app Frich, who used that very playbook to raise $2.8M and grow a 1M+ user community—no money, no network, no connections. Just vision, guts, and a game plan.

🎓 Hosted at Pace University, this one’s for the builders, dreamers, and doers rewriting the rules of work. Everyone’s invited.

Let’s build this era of work on our own terms.

_{JUNE 11-12}

[CHARLOTTE] Fintech & Insurtech Generations

Let’s talk about where the future of fintech and insurtech is being built…

This June 11-12, Fintech + Insurtech Generations is taking over Charlotte, NC—and if you’re serious about shaping what’s next, you’ll want to be in the room.

Hosted by RevTech Labs, FIG is the premier gathering in the Southeast where founders, investors, innovators, and industry leaders collide to rethink finance and insurance from the ground up.

It’s not just a conference—it’s where ideas turn into action, partnerships spark, and the next generation of fintech gets its momentum.

✨ Ready to be part of it?

_FINTUNES

🎶 Lady Gaga - Vanish Into You

This week, I’ve had one song on repeat while I work—thanks to the magic of live performance. I tend to get hooked on songs after seeing them performed live, and this one by the incomparable Lady Gaga is no exception.

Bonus points: Her Coachella version of the track is something truly special—raw, heartwarming, and unforgettable.

_{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 💜