Hi, fintech fam! 💜

Tomorrow’s the day.

When I first dreamed up the Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit, I wanted it to be more than just another industry event. I wanted it to feel different—intentional, electric, inspiring, a space where the stories that really matter take center stage.

Now, here we are. On the eve of our second-annual summit, I’m feeling all the things — excitement, gratitude, and honestly… a little bit of disbelief at how far we’ve come.

For months, my small but mighty team has been pouring everything we’ve got into curating this experience.

Every panel, speaker, and detail has been designed with a purpose—to spotlight the builders, the risk-takers, and the women redefining what leadership looks like in fintech.

This isn’t just a day of content. It celebrates our power when we show up for each other, share the blueprint, and build the future we deserve.

So whether I’ll see you IRL at The Times Center, or you’re cheering us on from afar, thank you for being part of this community. We’re proving that fintech doesn’t have to look or sound like it always has.

It can look like us. And tomorrow, we make that louder than ever.

Now, let’s get into today’s column.

INNOVATION

“You shouldn’t have to work on Wall Street to access financial freedom.”

That’s the conviction Ashley Fox carried when she walked away from a high-paying job at one of the world’s biggest banks—without a business plan, but with a vision.

Today, Fox is the Founder and CEO of Empify, a financial education platform built for the 99%.

While fintech giants chase the next embedded product or wealth management app, Fox is doing something radically different—she’s addressing the root cause of financial exclusion: mindset.

“I wasn’t put here to keep rich people rich,” Fox told me on a recent episode of Humans of Fintech. “I was put here to pull out the richness inside the people I serve.”

After spending years helping clients with $25M+ portfolios grow their wealth, Fox realized the real opportunity wasn’t in managing money—it was in empowering people who’d been systematically shut out of the conversation.

When Fox left Wall Street in 2013, she didn’t just pivot careers—she rewrote the blueprint.

With no roadmap but a clear mission, she created Empify—a name born from merging “empower” and “modify.” Because for Fox, financial education isn’t just about learning how to budget or invest—it’s about transforming how people see themselves in relation to wealth.

Since launching, Emplify has grown into what members call the “Netflix of finance”—offering 250+ hours of classes, tools, and resources designed to meet people where they are, whether that’s opening a first brokerage account or understanding how to build generational wealth.

And it’s working.

Fox’s community has collectively invested over $9 million, many of them first-time investors who once believed Wall Street wasn’t for them.

While much of fintech still struggles to monetize personal finance tools, Fox cracked the code by focusing on what the industry often overlooks: behavioral change.

“We don’t lack tools—we lack the identity of someone who builds wealth,” she said.

That’s not just a quotable line—it’s a blueprint fintech leaders should be paying attention to.

That’s why Empify isn’t just an app. It’s a safe space, a coach, and—most importantly—a mindset shift.

But don’t mistake Fox’s mission-driven approach for a lack of business savvy.

She’s already thinking about Empify’s next chapter—leveraging data, scaling B2B partnerships, and becoming the go-to bridge between underserved consumers and financial institutions that, frankly, need them more than they realize.

In an industry obsessed with speed and scale, Fox is playing the long game—building trust before transactions. As conversations around financial inclusion risk becoming buzzwords, Fox is proving that real impact—and real revenue—comes from doing the hard work no one else wants to.

Fintech has a hard truth to face: Access doesn’t equal empowerment.

For years, startups have launched budgeting apps, no-fee trading platforms, and slick interfaces promising to “democratize finance.” But if democratization were as simple as offering a debit card or fractional shares, we wouldn’t still be living in a world where nearly 60% of Americans can’t cover a $1,000 emergency.

Here’s where Fox stands apart—she understands that financial literacy isn’t solved by product alone. It’s solved by addressing the emotional, psychological, and cultural barriers that traditional fintech ignores.

While most founders chase user acquisition, Fox is focused on user transformation.

Her strategy?

And here’s where it gets tactical for the industry:

Fox is quietly sitting on a goldmine of behavioral data—tracking how underserved consumers engage, learn, and make financial decisions when given the right support.

This is data that banks, fintech platforms, and insurers desperately need to reach new markets authentically.

While legacy institutions struggle with trust deficits, Fox is earning loyalty—and that’s a currency with compounding returns.

In a market where customer acquisition costs are soaring and “engagement” is often shallow, Fox is proving that depth beats downloads.

She’s not building a feature. She’s building financial citizens—people who aren’t just using tools but understanding them, questioning them, and using them to create generational change.

At a time when fintech risks becoming just another arm of Wall Street—with shinier UX— Fox is a reminder of what this industry is supposed to be about: access, empowerment, and rewriting the rules.

And that’s precisely why her voice—and her model—need to be amplified.

Ashley Fox is closing out the Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit during our Evening of Storytelling.

You'll want a front-row seat if you’re serious about building a fintech that lasts.

FINTECH IS FEMME EVENTS

Tomorrow is the big day. Only eight tickets left. See you there!

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Cue the theme song for tomorrow’s summit—because honestly, Doechii isn’t just inspiring the soundtrack, she’s setting the fashion vibes too.

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That’s all for now! See you Thursday!

Love,

Nicole 💜