Fintech Chatter Podcast

About this EpisodeIn Episode 198 of the FintechChatter podcast, Dexter Cousins chats with Joel Yarbrough, CEO of Moment. Joel, an OG fintech leader, discusses his global journey with roles at PayPal, Grab, and now Moment, where he's tapping into Africa's fintech opportunities.Dexter and Joel discuss the qualities of successful individuals in startup environments, emphasizing the importance of passion, collaboration, and a growth mindset.Joel talks about the Importance of giving back and building diverse teams, as well as the challenges of hiring in a rapidly changing market. He also provides insights into the future of Moment and the importance of being mission-driven in the business world.About JoelA passionate leader whose love of technology drives him to deconstruct complex systems and rebuild them to solve real problems. He has spent most of my career helping strategise, design, product manage, and deliver multi-channel solutions in and around the intersections of financial services, commerce, and technology.He would describe himself as a great evangelist and dot connector, working with partners to understand their strategies and solve their problems. The delight of leading product teams to make the vision a reality is a real joy. His core belief is that together we can make the world a better place - even if it's through our own enlightened self-interest. By doing things well, and being decent to each other we will all keep pushing to a brighter place together.About MomentMoment is an integrated payments platform for Africa, incubated as a joint venture by MultiChoice, Rapyd, and General Catalyst. We connect businesses and consumers in over 40 African countries. We're able to do so through our broad network that aims to cover over 100 payment providers, 200 local payment methods, and 40 currencies.Key TakeawaysHow Africa's projected population growth presents unique opportunities for fintech.Moment's aims to build a comprehensive payment network for Africa, as the trend towards digital payments grows. Regulatory changes are shifting towards enabling innovation rather than just consumer protection.Australia's fintech scene is strong but needs to leverage its geographic and cultural assets more effectively.Regional trade clusters are more valuable than cross-oceanic trade relationships.The gig economy has empowered individuals in emerging markets, changing their economic prospects.The diversity in teams provides greater problem-solving capabilities and drives a growth mindset for individuals.Navigating hiring challenges requires clear communication to achieve high standards and cultural fit.Giving back creates a positive network effect and greater sense of fulfillment.Chapters00:00.  Introduction to Joel Yarbrough and Moment05:42.  The Unique Opportunity in Africa's Fintech Landscape14:01.  The Impact of Fintech on Personal Agency19:44.  Australia's Fintech Identity and Global Positioning25:08.  Understanding Human Capital in Startups30:32.  Passion vs. Mission-Driven Work39:01.  Navigating Hiring Challenges in a Changing MarketSend us a textSubscribe Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/fintech-leaders-7092732051488980992/Connect on Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3DsCJBp

Dexter Cousins shares an update from Tier One People with some exciting news on Executive hires.And a snippet from a fantastic podcast episode with Joe Yarbrough, CEO of Moment.Send us a textSubscribe Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/fintech-leaders-7092732051488980992/Connect on Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3DsCJBp

About this EpisodeIn episode 198 of the Fintech Chatter Podcast, host Dexter Cousins reconnects with Liam Millward, CEO and Co-Founder of Instant. They discuss the remarkable growth and evolution of Instant since their last conversation. Liam shares insights on shifting from a product-focused mindset to a revenue-driven approach, navigating challenges in a competitive landscape.He shares the importance of building a high-performance team. Liam emphasises the significance of leadership, decision-making, and the role of personal experiences in shaping his entrepreneurial journey. The conversation also touches on the future of Instant and the strategies for market expansion.The Instant Journey As CEO and Co-founder of Instant; Liam is on a mission to power the world's most innovative brands, helping to drive their revenue and retention on autopilot. He launched his first funding round led by Blackbird, at age 17, generating $7.5m, the biggest pre-seed to date in Australia. As the business grew to $1.5m in annualised revenue, they have raised an additional $30m across Seed and Series A rounds. Hitting a healthy 1 million shoppers within 12 months of their launch.Since Instant launched its Checkout product, they have gone on to develop Audiences and Targeting offering their 3 product across the US and Australia. This is a triple-pronged approach to customer retention and greater outcomes for business revenue. About Liam Millward Liam started his first venture aged 13 in a caravan, travelling around Australia and the world with his family. His love of travel resulted in him curating and developing a well-known travel magazine, Navigate Australia with a monthly readership of 50,000+.Key TakeawaysLiam Millward reflects on the rapid growth of Instant since its inception.The importance of focusing on revenue rather than just product development.Building a strong sales strategy is crucial for startup success.Creating a high-performance culture is essential for team motivation.Leadership requires transparency and accountability within the team.Identifying and nurturing talent is key to sustaining growth.Travel and personal experiences can significantly influence an entrepreneurial mindset.Having a clear vision can inspire teams to achieve ambitious goals.Market expansion requires understanding and adapting to new environments.Failing as a company is not an option; resilience is vital.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Instant and Liam's Journey05:28 Shifting Focus: From Product Obsession to Revenue11:04 Sales Strategies for Rapid Revenue Growth16:40 Leadership and Transparency in Startups22:27 Creating an Inspiring Vision for the Team27:00 High Performance Work Environments34:26 The Impact of Life Challenges on Entrepreneurship42:13 Setting Ambitious Goals49:14 The Realities of Starting a BusinessSend us a textSubscribe Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/fintech-leaders-7092732051488980992/Connect on Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3DsCJBp

About this EpisodeIn Episode 196 of the Fintech Chatter podcast, Dexter Cousins is joined by Graham Strain, Co-Founder of Citoplus a digital platform for commercial broking. The Citoplus Journey Dexter and Graham look back at their first meeting and discuss Graham's journey from traditional Banking to Start up. His recognition that he was a transformation guy at heart and wanting to do "cool stuff for customers" was the driver behind founding Citoplus. He chats about support from great shareholders, and how they funded Citoplus through, what he calls the "Friends, Families & Fools" model, who have shown great faith in their vision. Graham outlines the plans for the future and how Citoplus aims to reach 100% of the digital broking market through partnerships with Banks and Non-Banks. Watch out for lots of new announcements. About CitoplusCitoPlus is the cornerstone of modern, frictionless commercial lending. Designed by industry leaders, they launched a product that streamlines the laborious process of SME lending.Citoplus has focussed on removing the paperwork-heavy process through automation. The result is a broker-friendly data-rich system that delivers better client service and achieves quicker outcomes, meaning deals are closed faster.About Graham StrainAs Co-founder of Citoplus, Graham has a background in banking, including 13 years at NAB in product, business bank and corporate development executive roles. He held the position of interim CFO and Product Head at start-up Angle Auto Finance, an asset finance company. He was GM - Business Products at Judo Bank in the SME lending space.Chapters:00:01:15 Citoplus The Journey and Solution 00:19:45 Graham's Backstory and Career in Banking 00:25:20 Why Startups and Banks are so different 00:39:00 Big News from Citoplus Links & Resources:Visit Citoplus websiteConnect with Graham StrainConnect with Dexter CousinsLearn more about Tier One PeopleSend us a textSubscribe Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/fintech-leaders-7092732051488980992/Connect on Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3DsCJBp