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Miguel Armaza sits down with Nico Simko, CEO and co-founder of Clair, for an inside look at the journey, pivots, and insights behind one of the most innovative companies in earned wage access and embedded fintech.

From his early days as a competitive fencer on the Swiss national team—where he learned the mental agility and resilience needed for entrepreneurship—to his high-impact stints at J.P. Morgan, Nico shares how his personal story shaped his approach to building and scaling Clair. He dives into founding Clair and the surprising early missteps around product-market fit, the company’s evolution toward deep partnerships with payroll and workforce management platforms, and why saying “no” is a crucial leadership skill for founders.

Timestamped Overview

• 00:00 Intro
• 05:31 Entrepreneurship as Mission, Not Title
• 08:35 Building Empowered Engineering Teams
• 09:29 Rethinking Direct Deposit Banking
• 14:22 Transparency in Company Pivot
• 16:32 AI-Driven Efficiency in Fintech
• 21:05 Strategic Partnerships with Payroll Firms
• 24:06 Business Payment and Tip Challenges
• 27:15 Unique Payroll Underwriting Edge
• 30:07 Passion Drives Success and Growth
• 31:27 Startup Reality's Tough Lessons

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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.

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