Recorded live at Slush in Helsinki, Filip Szczeciński shares how sunbay.io is tackling one of B2B’s least glamorous but most painful problems: late invoice payments. We discuss why founders often over-polish products before speaking to customers, the emotional and operational toll of chasing unpaid invoices, and how automation can unlock healthier cash flow for SMEs. A practical conversation about persistence, product–market fit and building infrastructure that quietly keeps businesses moving.

Recorded live at Slush in Helsinki, Ilkka Puikkonen discusses Perkly’s evolution from consumer app to B2B fintech, building an AI layer that helps banks move customers’ idle deposits into investments. We explore open banking’s role in enabling new business models, the challenge of finding true product–market fit, and why reducing wasteful spending can create both financial and environmental impact.

Recorded live at Slush in Helsinki, Linda Du shares the story behind Moolah Money, a platform designed to help individuals make confident, long-term financial decisions. We discuss the rise of “HENRYs” (High Earners, Not Rich Yet), money dysmorphia, and why personal finance should be about agency rather than restriction. Linda explains how Moolah combines AI, structured financial modelling and human coaching to move beyond budgeting and towards future-focused financial planning.

Recorded live (and impromptu) at Slush in Helsinki, Maci Mechiche shares the story behind Avexana, an AI engine built specifically for ideation. We discuss the challenge of training models to uncover genuine research gaps, the breakthrough moment when the platform surfaced its first truly novel idea, and why we are still in the earliest stages of AI’s potential. A forward-looking conversation about originality, resilience and building technology that expands human creativity.

Recorded live at Slush in Helsinki, Rodrigo Malachias explores the structural challenges facing SMEs and why the traditional bank–small business relationship is under strain. He explains the $5 trillion global financing gap, how better data and deeper customer understanding can unlock smarter lending, and why AI must be applied with intention rather than hype. A thoughtful discussion on entrepreneurship, financial inclusion and building technology that serves the real economy.

Recorded live at Slush in Helsinki, Shensi Ding joins the podcast to discuss building Merge into a 120-person global company powering integrations for over 400 enterprise customers. She reflects on scaling through Covid, market cycles and the AI boom, the importance of landing high-bar early customers, and the cultural differences between building in the US and Europe. A sharp conversation on startup resilience, product standards and why the only constant in company building is change.

Episode Five of the Started Advisory Board podcast series.

With fintech events bigger and noisier than ever, how do brands avoid getting lost in the crowd? Raf De Kimpe, organiser of Fintech Week London, and Monica Millares, CPO at BigPay discuss how fintechs can show up with impact, from smarter messaging to better on-the-ground execution. They share real tips on how to win attention without gimmicks, why PR must start before the badge is printed, and how to turn a stand into a stage.

Episode Four of the Started Advisory Board podcast series.

The fintech space is filled with vision slides, future features, and inflated promises. But what happens when the hype fades? David M. Brear and Jason Mikula look at how fintechs can rebuild trust by speaking more honestly and realistically about what they do, and don’t, offer. This episode is a call for more grounded, authentic, and effective comms strategies in a sector that risks losing its audience if it doesn’t clean up its messaging.

Episode Three of the Started Advisory Board podcast series.

Too often, fintechs pitch their innovation, but fail to communicate their credibility. In this episode, UK fintech policy lead Katie Ramsey and investor/author Susanne Chishti explore what effective communication with regulators looks like. They unpack common mistakes fintechs make when engaging with the government and outline how companies can build trusted relationships through clarity, transparency, and alignment with policy priorities.

Episode Two of the Started Advisory Board Podcast is here!

Fintech often falls into the trap of overexplaining the tech while under-explaining the value. David Savage and Sarah Kocianski break down how to create messaging that real users can actually relate to, without sacrificing credibility. From Southeast Asia to the UK, they compare what resonates in different markets, how to communicate financial wellbeing in plain terms, and why human stories always land harder than features.