The People of Private Capital

From Naval Academy to Georgia FinTech Hall of Fame: Sean Banks’ Journey

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We sit down with Sean Banks, Partner at TTV Capital and recent Georgia FinTech Hall of Fame inductee, to unpack two decades of early-stage fintech investing. From Atlanta’s payments hub to navigating 2008-09 and today’s AI wave, Sean shares portfolio wins, hard-won lessons, and what it takes to build category-defining companies in venture capital.

Key Topics:

  • Sean’s path from Naval Academy & JD to venture capital
  • TTV Capital’s evolution: Fund I to a $250M Fund VI
  • Why Atlanta became the global payments hub
  • Operating through the 2008-09 crisis: reserves, concentration risk, and learning to “lean into winners”
  • Portfolio highlights: Bill.com, Green Dot, Greenlight, Featurespace, and more
  • Seed & Series A focus: check sizes, pacing, and pre-seed “placeholders”
  • Category creation in fintech: embedded accounting, household finance, vertical SaaS + payments
  • AI in fintech: getting the last 20% right, timing adoption, and data access shifts
  • Regulation: Volcker Rule fallout, MTLs, CFPB dynamics, EU data/PII hurdles
  • Where TTV is bullish/cautious: BNPL infrastructure, stablecoins’ impact on FX, practical Web3 use cases

    • What You’ll Learn:

    • How a fintech-focused VC scaled through multiple market cycles
    • The traits of founders who raise well and build enduring businesses
    • Why diversification, partner selection, and reserves matter in early-stage portfolios
    • How to evaluate AI and vertical SaaS opportunities in financial services
    • Practical guidance for fintech founders on readiness, regulation, and being coachable

      • Links mentioned in this episode:

      TTV CAPITAL: https://ttvcapital.com/

      ASSET CLASS: https://www.assetclass.com/

      LinkedIn: Sean Banks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-banks-93b3471/

      LinkedIn: Ferdi Roberts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ferdiroberts/

      Podcast Producers:

      Des McGouran
      Sam Roberts

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      The People of Private CapitalBy Asset Class Limited