Most platforms building embedded finance start with payments. Lending often comes next. What happens when invoices don't get paid is almost always the last thing on the roadmap — and for many SMEs, one of the most painful experiences.

In this episode, I speak with Matteo Benedetti, co-founder and CEO of Debtist, a digital debt collection provider based in Berlin. Debtist embeds collection directly into vertical software platforms and marketplaces, so SMEs can recover unpaid invoices without ever leaving the tool they already use. In just over two years, Debtist has built close to a dozen embedded partnerships, reached €12M ARR, and is already profitable.

In this episode, we cover:

• How embedded debt collection actually works and what the user journey looks like inside a vertical SaaS
• Why the same platforms that rejected Debtist in 2024 are now coming to them
• How Debtist built their entire tech stack in-house and why that turned out to be the right call
• The pricing model behind embedded collection and how platforms can monetise it
• What it takes to build a profitable fintech from day one as a penny pincher

Connect with Matteo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matteo-benedetti/

About Embedded Finance Review:

Embedded Finance Review is a newsletter, podcast, and event series covering the European embedded finance ecosystem. We offer Office Hours, free intro calls for companies navigating embedded finance, and our next in-person event takes place on April 15th in Berlin as an official FIBE side event. Find all details at embeddedfinancereview.com.

This episode was produced by https://orama.tv/(00:08) Intro(01:44) Meet Matteo Benedetti(02:11) Debt Collection in Embedded Finance(03:26) How Embedded Collections Work(04:56) User Flow Inside Vertical SaaS(07:46) The 10 Step Collection Process(10:26) Pre Court vs Court Escalation(12:11) Why Debtist Went Embedded(14:55) Platform Demand Is Shifting(18:01) Building Tech and Pricing Model(23:03) Profitability Advice and Wrap Up