Fintech Chatter: Conversations with Fintech Leaders

Simone Joyce CEO of Paypa Plane joins Dexter to share the good news of their US expansion.

In this chat we uncover:

• The challenges facing Aussie founders looking to launch in the US
• The opportunities for Aussie payments Fintechs in North America
• The US approach to regulation and how it fosters growth
• Getting the balance right between entrepreneurship, innovation and regulation in Aus
• Funding landscape down under
• Intersekt 2023

Find out more about Paypa Plane

** A call to arms.**

 Recent data shows the amount of Fintech funding in aus fell to 90% last quarter compared to the previous year.

I created this podcast to give a platform to Fintech founders to help promote their story to the world. Whilst we haven’t seen a 90% drop in listeners we have seen a drop. 

Fintech Chatter is in the top 1% of  downloaded podcasts in the world and one of the most shared podcasts on Spotify, so you’re already doing an amazing job, but if you could help us out just a little more I’d be forever grateful.

Please give us a share on your social media platforms. 

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Dexter Cousins  chats to Giuseppe Porcelli, the CEO and Co-Founder of Lakeba, a successful Fintech venture studio based out of Sydney.

Giuseppe founded Lakeba with a mission to conceive, create, and commercialise transformative ventures that reshape the future. Under his leadership, Lakeba offers a unique approach to technology investment, fostering disruptive ideas and turning them into profitable businesses.

Giuseppe's shares Lakeba's secret to spotting untapped opportunities which has led to the incubation and scaling of successful startups, across AI, blockchain, IoT, and other emerging technologies.

Dexter explores the Lakeba model from a B2B and B2C perspective and their approach to partnerships with major Australian corporations like Woolworths and Mirvac.

Find out more about Lakeba: https://lakeba.com/

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In today's Fintech Shot of positivity and good news, Dexter chats to Yanir Yakutiel to get his secrets behind the recent fundraising success of fintech company Loomi.

Hear how Yenir and his team managed to raise $15 million in their Series C round, even in the face of global economic uncertainty.

Learn about the determined approach of building a platform from scratch, prioritising profitability and cost control from day one. Discover the unique strategies that brought in new investors and enabled Lumi to close a round when many others are struggling.

Find out more - https://www.lumi.com.au/careers

Make sure to follow Dexter for his daily job-hunting tips on LinkedIn.

Dexter is also your gateway to top-tier talent if you're looking to grow or transform your fintech venture.

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Dexter Cousins is joined by Claire Alexander, founder of  Coach Claire. She's here to share her secrets on how to navigate the fintech job market.  

About Claire Alexander
Claire is a Global HR and Tech Talent Executive, Career Coach and ex-Employment Lawyer. She's also the founder of Thinktechstartup, an HR advisory business supporting tech startups turning into tech scaleups. Claire was previously Global Head of talent for Fintech unicorn Zip.

 About today's show
Claire shares her top tips on how to stand out in the job hunt, from engaging with potential employers online to the power of networking. We'll also be breaking down the pros and cons of LinkedIn's 'Open to Work' badges, the role of recruiters, and the art of approaching companies strategically. 

But that's not all. We're also addressing the tricky path of job applications and interviews. How do you follow-up without annoying recruiters? How do you handle rejection? And, most importantly, how do you determine your worth when evaluating a job offer? 

With Claire's expert advice, we discuss how understanding your motivations for wanting a job can aid in salary negotiation. This episode is an absolute treasure trove of practical, actionable advice – don't miss out!

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"Our success is defined by what we decide not to do because there are so many opportunities." - James Foster

It's been two years since James Foster last appeared on Fintech Chatter. And it has been an incredible two years for Ezypay with 50% year on year revenue growth, going from 60-100 people and now operating in 9 countries across APAC.

Summary:

In this episode, Dexter chats with James about the challenges and opportunities of being a profitable business in the fintech industry. James highlights importance of focusing on solving customer pain points and making money, rather than chasing funding and growth for the sake of it.

James also shares insights on the impact of Payto, a real-time account-to-account payment platform, and how Ezypay is leveraging this innovation to improve collection rates and enhance the customer experience. He highlights the need for businesses to adapt and innovate while staying true to their core values and profitability goals.

About James Foster and Ezypay
James Foster is the CEO of Ezypay, a payment solutions company that specialises in supporting businesses with recurring customer payments. With over 27 years of experience, Ezypay helps merchants optimise collection rates, improve the customer experience, and enhance cash flow. 

James has led the company through significant growth and profitability, navigating the challenges of the fintech industry while staying focused on solving customer pain points.

Follow Ezypay: https://www.ezypay.com/

Key Takeaways:

1. Being profitable and solving customer pain points should be the primary focus for businesses, rather than chasing funding and growth.
2. Payto is a game-changer in the payment industry, offering real-time account-to-account payments and improved customer protection.
3. Ezypay's success is attributed to its ability to focus on its niche market, make data-driven decisions, and adapt to the evolving payment landscape.
4. Doing business in Asia requires understanding the unique cultural and regulatory differences in each country, as well as being open to learning from failures and making course corrections.

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In this episode of Fintech Chatter I'm joined by ex-Fintech founder now HR tech founder Mark Lewis, CEO and Co-Founder of Crewmojo.

As we navigate the choppy waters of remote work and productivity, Mark offers valuable insights. We debate the challenge of managing remote workers, the shift from daily face-to-face interactions to asynchronous communication, and the importance of carving out a clear divide between work and home life. 

We also ponder the role of leadership in setting clear expectations and helping to grow their teams, the disconnect between high and low performers, and even the potential of a four-day work week.

Mark and I explore the evolution of performance management within hybrid work models, and how to build a mutually beneficial relationship in your organisation. We dissect the power dynamics between employers and employees, and discuss how to get work done effectively as if there was no hierarchy. 

Looking at the design of a flexible work policy, we emphasise the importance of aligning individuals, teams, customers, and company, and how to negotiate in a way that benefits all parties. Join us on this insightful journey, where we rethink traditional work norms and discover new paths to productivity and satisfaction.

About Mark Lewis

Mark is a people focused entrepreneur with a passion and curiosity for discovering new approaches to traditional ways. He likes a good challenge and has a need to continually improve himself but he really gets his kicks when he sees the team around him truly succeeding.

That's why Mark started Crewmojo, Performance development for the modern workforce. The Crewmojo platform helps leaders engage and motivate  employees with a real-time continuous approach to employee performance.

Previously a co-founder of IP Payments which rapidly became the go-to organisation for complex corporate payment solutions. In 2015 IP Payments was successfully acquired by Bambora Group, an entity of Nordic Capital.

To find out more about Crewmojo go to: https://www.crewmojo.com/

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Dexter Cousins is joined by Simon Lee of Patona, our newest member of the Fintech Chatter crew, to bring you our new monthly Fintech News show.

This month Dexter and Simon discuss:

- Parpera and Prospend on the Wise Platform
- Revolut launching in NZ
- The state of Aussie Fintech funding
- Why so many Fintech CEO's are resigning

Plus Dexter quizzes Simon on his command of the Aussie language!

Join us every month as we discuss the latest news, insights, hiring, firing, capital raises, product launches and more.

Brought to you in partnership with Patona - The #1 platform to hire, manage and pay teams

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Looking to leverage AI in your business? Gain valuable insights from Sam Wong, CEO of Curious Thing, as he discusses the transformative power of AI in customer communication and beyond.

In this episode of Let's Chat, Dexter chat's to Sam Zheng, CEO and Co-Founder of Curious Thing, an Aussie AI scale up. Sam was also co-founder of Hyper Ana one of Australia's most successful AI startups. With a background in statistics and actuarial work, Sam has extensive experience in the AI field.  

Sam and Dexter discuss the current state of AI and its impact on various industries. Sam emphasises the importance of focusing on solving real problems rather than just using AI for the sake of it. 

Sam also shares his journey as a founder and the challenges he faced transitioning from CTO to CEO. 

https://curiousthing.io/

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Dan McCarthy, APAC Regional Head for Wise joins Dexter Cousins to share news about the Wise Platform launch.

Aussie Fintech startups Parpera and Prospend will be the first Australian fintechs to use Wise’s infrastructure, to create deposit accounts and digital debit cards via their own apps.

If you'd like to find out more about the Wise Platform go to - https://platform.wise.com/

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Charlie Short, APAC Head of Growth for Revolut joins dexter to talk about their recent expansion into New Zealand.

Charlie also gives an update on Revolut's Australian product roadmap.

Their APAC growth plans including India.

And their measured approach to growth in the region.

Plus Dexter asks if Australia really is the test bay for fintech innovation.

You can download the Revolut app - https://www.revolut.com/en-AU/

And find out about careers - https://www.revolut.com/en-AU/careers/

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