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[Original air date, May 9, 2023] Miguel Armaza sits down with David Haber, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), one of the largest Venture Capital funds in the world, founded in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz.

Based in NYC, David focuses exclusively on investing in global fintech. Before a16z, he founded Bond Street, a NY fintech that aimed to transform small business lending in the US. Bond Street was eventually acquired by Goldman Sachs in 2017.

We discuss:

• Company building lessons from his experience at Bond Street and why he always looks for people with “humble confidence”
• The power of storytelling and why David believes effective storytelling is crucial for entrepreneurs and investors
• The future of fintech
• Key qualities of a good venture capital investor
• A look inside a16z and the vision of Mark and Ben for the firm… and a lot more!

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Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.

Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4Z

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Fintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIp

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Miguel Armaza interviews Rakefet Russak-Aminoach, Managing Partner at Team8, a global Venture-Creation and VC Fund with over a 1 billion dollars in AUM, that creates and invests in companies focusing on Fintech, Cybersecurity, Data & AI, and Digital Health. Since launching in 2014, Team8 has built 20 companies and achieved over two billion dollars in exits.

Prior to Team8, Rakefet was the CEO of Bank Leumi, which she drove to become the largest company by market cap in all of Israel.

We discuss:

• Team8’s process behind incubating and launching massive companies
• Transforming and building a company’s culture
• How great talent is the most important ingredient behind achieving great results
• Why embedded fintech will drive the future of financial services… and a lot more!

Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.

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Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.

Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4Z

Miguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBc

Fintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIp

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[Original air date, July 4, 2023] Miguel Armaza brings you a curated selection of the best lessons, stories, and candid reflections about raising venture capital.

You’ll hear directly from some of the strongest fintech entrepreneurs around the world spanning four continents. The founders featured in this episode have built revolutionary companies. Many of them multi-billion-dollar enterprises. To get there, they’ve successfully raised venture capital from some of the most respected investors in the world.

We feature nine founders:

• Alex Prot, CEO/Co-Founder of Qonto
• Laura Spiekerman and Tommy Nicholas, Co-Founders of Alloy
• Itai Damti, CEO/Co-Founder of Unit
• Brynne McNulty Rojas, Co-Founder of Habi
• Katlego Maphai, CEO/Co-Founder of Yoco
• Jorge Combe, CEO/Co-Founder of DD360
• Kurt Lin, CEO/Co-Founder of Pinwheel
• Rob Petrozzo, CPO/Co-Founder of Rally

Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur just starting your journey, or a seasoned founder facing new challenges, we hope you find valuable takeaways in this episode.

Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.

Do you prefer a written summary? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join ~70,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!

Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.

Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4Z

Miguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBc

Fintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIp

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• What it takes to be a great trader on and off the trading floor
• How technology, client demands, and regulation transformed the trading industry in the last two decades
• Why Webull decided to expand beyond the US, making a big push in places like Latin America and Asia
• Webull’s plan to go public via a $7 Billion SPAC… and a lot more!

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Miguel Armaza interviews Mikhail Lomtadze, CEO of Kaspi.kz (NASDAQ:KSPI), one of the largest publicly traded fintechs in the world and the leading tech platform in Kazakhstan. Kaspi is traded on the Nasdaq and has a current market cap of $24 billion dollars.

They also have incredible numbers. They serve 15 million customers, in a country with a population of 20 million; 2/3 of their clients use them daily; 2023 revenue was $4.2B with net income margin of 45%, and they’re growing at ~50% YoY.

We discuss:

• Transforming the company from a bank to leading tech giant
• Kaspi’s obsession around product, customer service, and Net Promoter Score
• Mikhail’s background from humble beginnings in Georgia to Harvard Business School, to CEO of Kaspi
• The amazing story of Kazakhstan’s digital transformation and how digital payments replaced cash from 15% to 85% market-share in just eight years… and a lot more!

Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.

Do you prefer a written summary? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join ~70,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!

Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.

Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4Z

Miguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBc

Fintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIp

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Miguel Armaza interviews Blake Hall is the CEO & Co-Founder of ID.me, one of the leading US companies in identity verification with over 130 million users. Founded in 2011, ID.me has raised around $300 million in equity from BoxGroup, Blu Venture, Moonshots Capital, Capital G, Morgan Stanley, Viking Global, and a long list of impressive funds and angels.

Blake is also a decorated war veteran and he was awarded 2 Bronze Star medals from the US Army for his service in Iraq.

We discuss:

• Leadership lessons from his days of combat in Iraq with the US Army
• Transition from military service to entrepreneurship
• What he's learned from building a friendship with Elon Musk
• Importance of feedback, learning, and decision-making in the entrepreneurial journey
• Early challenges, the growing threat of identity theft and fraud… lots more!

Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.

Do you prefer a written summary? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join 65,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!

Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.

Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4Z

Miguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBc

Fintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIp

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Miguel Armaza interviews Vishal Garg, CEO & Founder of Better.com (NASDAQ: BETR), a publicly traded online mortgage lender that has funded more than $100 billion in mortgage volume in the last decade. Prior to going public in 2023, they raised capital from a long list of VCs, including Activant, Softbank, AmEx, Citi, and Goldman among others.

We discuss:

• How Better’s business volume exploded in 2020 & 2021, but later dropped 99% in a matter of months
• Going from 1,500 to 10,000 employees within almost a year and then having to layoff most of them
• An inside look into Vishal’s controversial decision to let go 900 people over zoom
• Better’s latest product innovations, the state of the residential real estate market… lots more!

Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.

Do you prefer a written summary? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join 65,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!

Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.

Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4Z

Miguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBc

Fintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIp

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Miguel Armaza interviews Charles Moldow, General Partner at Foundation Capital, a 30-year old venture capital firm with $3+ billion in AUM. Charles joined Foundation in 2005 and over the last two decades has led early-stage investments for many companies, 14 out of which either went public or were successfully acquired. Some of his investments include Lending Club, DOMA, Rappi, Rover, and OnDeck Financial.

I learn a lot every time I talk to Charles and I hope you’ll enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

We discuss:

• Why data is the new gold and a framework on how to invest in the sector.
• The reason why different market dynamics require different types of founders to succeed.
• Thinking selectively about credit-driven fintechs.
• Valuable portfolio and liquidity management lessons… and a lot more!

Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.

Do you prefer a written summary? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join 65,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!

Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.

Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4Z

Miguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBc

Fintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIp