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How Elizabeth Gore Turned a Crisis Into a Case Study on Profitable, Purpose-Driven Fintech Leadership.

Hi, fintech fam! đ
Reporting from Sunny Orlando âïž Iâve been on the ground at FIS Emerald, covering the front lines of AI, banking, and the future of fintechâand itâs been a whirlwind.
As I write this, Iâm already en route to the airport, heading back to New York to be at Salesforceâs Agentforce World Tour bright and early tomorrow.
Just like FIS, Iâll be covering Agentforce liveâsharing key takeaways, behind-the-scenes interviews, tech demos, and everything shaping the next wave of innovation.
One moment from FIS that stuck with me: the CTO described himself as a futuristânot someone who predicts the future, but someone who helps others prepare for it. Thatâs the kind of mindset I know our community here aligns with.
Now, letâs get into todayâs column.
INNOVATION
How Elizabeth Gore Turned a Crisis Into a Case Study on Profitable, Purpose-Driven Fintech Leadership

When Elizabeth Gore took the stage at the Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit for a live recording of Fintech Mavericks, she was both exactly where she belongedâand a long way from where her journey began.
"We faced a black swan event, and instead of hiding, we owned it," Gore told the crowd. "The only way through it was straight throughâand we came out stronger, more profitable, and more united because of it."
Gore is the Co-Founder and President of Hello Alice, a fintech company that has provided more than $60 million in grants and financing to over 1.5 million small business owners. But long before she was an entrepreneur backed by MasterCard and QED Investors, she was, in her own words, just a "shit-kicking cowgirl from Texas."
That grit has become a defining feature of her leadership styleâespecially over the last year, when Hello Alice found itself at the center of one of the most high-profile anti-DEI lawsuits in fintech.
The suit claimed Hello Aliceâs grant program for Black-owned commercial vehicle businesses was discriminatory. Rather than settle or quietly backtrack, Gore and her team chose to fight.
"We knew this wasnât just about one grant programâit was about our core mission and the future of equitable capital access," Gore said.
They won the caseâbut not without cost.
Betting on Purpose
Before launching Hello Alice, Gore built a career spanning global leadership and tech innovation.
She served as Dell Technologies' first-ever entrepreneur-in-residence, held a senior leadership role at the United Nations, where she spearheaded global entrepreneurship initiatives, and has been recognized as one of People Magazineâs Top 100 Extraordinary Women.
Her mission has remained consistent: to democratize access to capital for Americaâs Main Street entrepreneursâthose too often left behind by venture capital and traditional finance.
âWeâve done almost $60 million in small business grants,â Gore said. âNot all, but most of those are $5,000â$10,000. And we fund everyoneâfrom veterans to Latina bakers in Detroit to Black-owned commercial fleets.â
Hello Aliceâs community-driven approach is a philosophy and the foundation of their business model.
In addition to funding, the company offers a proprietary Business Health Score: a free, pre-underwriting tool that helps business owners improve their financial readiness before they even apply for capital.
âWe realized that managing capital is just as important as accessing it,â she said.
The DEI Backlashâand the Decision to Fight
The lawsuit against Hello Alice centered on a targeted grant program, part of a broader philanthropic strategy. As Gore shared from the stage, the decision to fight the case rather than quietly settle was not taken lightly.
âWe had to weigh the legal costs, our mission, and whether we had the infrastructure to weather the storm,â she said. âAt the time, we had 650,000 Black-owned businesses on our platform. We felt like we had to fightânot just for our business, but for our mission.â
That decision nearly tanked their Series C. Days before closing the round, many investors pulled out. The company lost millions. Then came another blow: SVB, Hello Aliceâs second-largest investor, collapsed.
But there was a silver lining. MasterCard and QED stuck with them, leading the Series C round that brought Hello Aliceâs valuation to $130 million. The team cut costs, avoided over-dilution, and came out stronger. âIronically,â Gore noted, âour employees now have more equity, and we didnât end up needing all the money we thought we did.â
Controlling the Narrative
Gore is a seasoned communicator, but even she admitted a misstep early on: choosing to stay quiet while the lawsuit played out.
âWe didnât want to distract from the core business. But the other side went loud in the mediaâand we werenât controlling our own message,â she said. âThat was a mistake.â
Eventually, the Hello Alice team went on the offensive, aligning with a woman-owned PR firm and launching a proactive strategy.
âIf you donât control your own narrative, someone else will write it for you,â Gore said.
Tactical Takeaways for Founders

Season 1 finale of Fintech Mavericks recorded live at the Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit
For the entrepreneurs in the audience, Gore laid out a playbook. Here are a few of her most actionable insights:
1. Create a Decision-Making Matrix
In a crisis, emotions can cloud judgment. "You can't let fear drive the business," Gore said. "But you also canât ignore it." Her advice? Evaluate decisions through three key lenses:
P&L impact: What is the real financial cost?
Mission alignment: Does this reflect our core values?
Operational capacity: Do we have the team and stamina to follow through?
2. Communicate the Framework, Not Just the Decision
âYou wonât always get consensus,â she said. âBut if people understand how you arrived at a decisionâeven if they disagreeâtheyâll respect it.â
3. Embed Purpose Into the P&L
Gore praised companies that turn DEI initiatives into measurable business objectives.
âPut it in your sales goals. Your loan strategy. Treat inclusion like the growth engine it is,â she said.
4. Use AI to Serve, Not Replace
Hello Alice is now developing AI agents that will act as business consultants for its usersâautomating everything from bookkeeping to loan readiness.
âOur customers often canât afford an accountant or financial advisor,â she said. âThese AI agents will do that work for them. And theyâll be free.â
5. Listen to the Community
The most innovative features on Hello Alice, Gore admitted, often come not from brainstorming sessions, but from user forums and community chat threads.
âSmall business owners tell each other what they need before they tell us,â she said. âYou just have to listen.â
Why It All Matters
In a time when fintech leaders are feeling pressure to walk back their values, Goreâs story is a case study in what happens when you lean in instead.
âWe didnât do this for the media,â she said. âWe did it because equitable access to capital is our business. If we lost that, weâd lose the reason we exist.â
For founders navigating their own growth, uncertainty, or external pressure, Goreâs example is a reminder that values and value creation donât have to be at odds.
You can build a profitable business. You can build with purpose. And if youâre bold enough to do both, you can transform an industry.
Elizabeth Gore didâand won.
Listen to the full season finale of Fintech Mavericks here, or wherever you get your podcasts.
WTF ELSE?
Here's where fintechs are turning for funding
FTA to safeguard CFPB's Open Banking rule in court
Klarna's revenue per employee soars to nearly $1M thanks to AI efficiency push
Number of women startup founders nearly doubled over a decade \
The $1 billion promise: Tory Burch's bold bet on women entrepreneurs
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says the bank will let clients buy bitcoin
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I WANT IT, I GOT IT
đ§ Todayâs Listen: ICYMI: I published the opening keynote with Dr. Angel Rich from the Fintech Is Femme Leadership as a special season finale for Humans of Fintech. Tune in here or wherever you get your podcasts. More episodes are coming soon! Just taking a little break to catch my breath.
đ Todayâs Activity: After experiencing a bit of burnout recently, I took a long weekend ahead of my trip to Orlando to spend a few beach days in Miami. Spent Friday night at the Faena Theater, and the show and experience far exceeded my expectations! If youâre in Miami, do yourself a favor and go.
đ§ââïžTodayâs Self-Care: Iâm pretty sensitive about the sunscreen I use and I finally found a type I really love while facing the Florida sun for the first time in years. Clean and easy, itâs called Alba Botanica â 10/10 recommend for your summer essentials!
FINTUNES
This song is an entire vibe.

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Thatâs all for now! See you Thursday!
Love,
Nicole đ