FIVE MINUTES WITH ...
Q . WHAT ' S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU EVER RECEIVED ?
» “ Fall in love with a problem , not a solution .” For me , the problem I witnessed in Kenya was the friction in the remittance system that had a profound impact on sending and receiving money to and from loved ones . My first solution was to build an aggregator site that compared remittance services but soon discovered that this would not solve the problem . I wanted to solve the problem and , therefore , I pivoted to the right solution . By their very nature , problems can evolve over time requiring varying degrees and iterations of the solution . As an entrepreneur , it can be difficult if you fall in love with a solution that doesn ’ t have a problem .
Q . WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ – AND HOW LONG AGO DID YOU READ IT ?
» The last book I read is A Good Provider Is One Who Leaves by Jason DeParle . It ' s about the immigrant journey , specifically the Filipino immigrant journey . It ' s amazing . I read it a couple of weeks ago .
Q . NAME ONE PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY YOU COULDN ’ T LIVE WITHOUT AND TELL US WHY ( EXCLUDING YOUR MOBILE PHONE )
» WHOOP ! I love to run and try to do at least one marathon a year . WHOOP gives me a totally new perspective on my body in how I recover from the daily strains in life and training . A healthy body supports a healthy mind , and my WHOOP strap helps me manage sleep and recovery .
Q . WHO DO YOU LOOK UP TO IN TERMS OF LEADERSHIP AND MENTORSHIP ?
» I look up to so many people and I ’ m very , very lucky to have so many great mentors . One person in the fintech space that I look up to tremendously is Nigel Morris , who ' s a director at Remitly . He is the co-founder of Capital One , he ' s the managing partner at QED Investors . They led our Series A and I feel so fortunate to work with them . Nigel is an amazing operator and amazing human and amazing leader – the kind of leader that I ' d like to become .
Q . WHAT ’ S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE / ADVANTAGE YOU ’ VE ENCOUNTERED TO DATE IN THE FINTECH INDUSTRY ?
» The biggest challenge I see in the fintech space today is surrounding the ability for the banking and payments industries to innovate without eroding the trust that ’ s inherently important when it comes to money . Financial services need to be treated much differently than any other industry that has been disrupted because of this delicate concern .
A lack of understanding stems from this challenge . Many of the disruptors today are moving fast and aren ’ t attuned to the nuts and bolts of payments and banking . The complexities are endless , yet , they must all be understood . Otherwise , it could lead to an increase in the chance of failures and , as a result , loss of trust .
22 August 2022