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I sat down with Andrew Endicott, fintech entrepreneur and my co-founder at Gilgamesh Ventures. Andrew is also the author of the recent book "Is Finance Technology?", a practical guide for founders, operators, and investors in financial services. The book covers everything. From the common mistakes that kill fintech companies, to how to think about risk, fraud, and regulation across verticals.

I highly recommend picking up a copy. Few people have operated across as many roles and verticals as Andrew has. Having been a financial services lawyer, investment banker, entrepreneur, board member, and now investor, this book reflects that breadth.

Timestamped Overview:
00:00 Finance origins and early technology
05:56 Necessity driving creativity
07:42 Solving everyday consumer challenges
13:49 Impact of emerging technologies
16:44 Fintech innovation and successful founders
19:30 Challenges of choosing customers and partners
21:39 Dealing with fraud challenges
26:00 First movers in payment industry
31:11 Writing the book and changing views
32:46 Fintech companies becoming banks
37:01 Venture capital trends and shifts
39:32 Writing process and challenges
42:27 Hoping to inspire future entrepreneurs

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
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I sat down with Ali Mazanderani, Chairman of Lesaka, a nasdaq traded, leading fintech in Southern Africa with over $400 million in revenue and 2 million active customers. Ali is a fintech veteran investor and builder, who’s been closely involved with several multi-billion dollar fintechs in emerging markets, including Stone, Pine Labs, Kushki, Thunes and is also a co-founder of Teya.
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We discussed why Southern Africa is one of the most exciting fintech opportunities in the world, how Lesaka is turning 120,000 merchants from cash-only to digital, the strategy behind acquiring Bank Zero, and why being a publicly traded company is a feature, not a bug.

Timestamped Overview:
00:00 Intro & Ali’s Background
05:00 Creating positive impact through fintech
09:23 Founding Taya Joy in Building
10:32 Customer first approach to success
14:49 Benefits of Public Market Discipline
18:12 Fintech's Limited Impact in Africa
20:36 South Africa's business opportunities
25:45 Bank Zero Digital Advantage
27:46 Customer-First Mindset & Innovation
32:27 Key Focus Growth and ARPU Trends
33:41 Value Over Price Wins Customers
38:35 Driving Merchant Payment Efficiency
42:52 Digitizing Africa's Future
43:58 Ambition for global excellence
47:14 Authenticity and empathy drive success

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 ~85,000+ 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: https://bit.ly/3jWIpqp

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Miguel Armaza interviews George Robson, Partner at Sequoia Capital, one of the most legendary venture firms in the world. Founded in 1972 by Don Valentine, Sequoia has backed some of the most successful tech and fintech companies in history including Nvidia, Apple, Google, Nubank, and Stripe. Sequoia-backed companies make up over 25% of the Nasdaq's market cap, and add up to $13+ trillion in market cap.

George is one of 19 investing partners at Sequoia and was previously a product manager at Revolut. We discuss how Revolut built a multi-product machine by treating every team like a startup, how Sequoia uses storytelling to calibrate its investors on what generational founders look like, and why the next wave of fintech winners will be full stack companies that internalize the technology instead of selling it to incumbents.

Timestamped Overview
00:00 Intro & George’s Background
04:14 Finding My People at Revolut
07:37 Building Self Sufficient Cross Functional Teams
10:57 Focus on Growth and Profitability
14:45 Crucial Decision and Growth
17:49 High-Conviction Investment Strategy
19:07 Parth's Inspiring Entrepreneurial Path
23:38 Entrepreneur Growth and Resilience
28:19 Storytelling Key to Early Success
31:05 Effective Board Dynamics
34:14 Entrepreneurs Investors and Problem Discovery
36:42 Outsiders Tackling Big Markets
40:21 Rewriting Business Laws of Gravity
44:04 Humbling Reads and Insights
46:17 Doug Leone Fierce and Kind

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 80,000+ 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