Interviews with Leaders in Fintech & Web3 - Building Fintech Success: Christian Faes Shares Insights on Entrepreneurship, Technology, and Resilience

Building Fintech Success: Christian Faes Shares Insights on Entrepreneurship, Technology, and Resilience

10/18/24 • 42 min

Interviews with Leaders in Fintech & Web3

In this episode of Interviews with Leaders in Fintech & Web3, we sit down with serial entrepreneur Christian Faes, Co-Founder and Chairman of LendInvest and Founder of Faes & Co, to explore his remarkable journey from lawyer to fintech leader.

Christian recounts his transition from practicing law in Australia to becoming a major player in the fintech industry. He shares how he built LendInvest into a market leader, tackled the challenges of scaling the business, and the hard-earned lessons from taking the company public. Now launching a new venture in the US, Christian provides invaluable insights on entrepreneurship, the importance of resilience, and the ongoing disruption of financial services through technology.

In this conversation, he debunks misconceptions about entrepreneurship, reflects on the realities of IPOs, compares the UK and US fintech markets, and highlights the supportive ecosystem in London. He also stresses the importance of building a profitable business while enjoying the journey along the way.

Whether you're a fintech enthusiast or an aspiring entrepreneur, this episode is filled with practical advice for building a sustainable business in a rapidly evolving industry.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianfaes/
https://x.com/ChristianFaes
https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewcheung50/
Chapters
00:00 From Law to FinTech: Christian's Journey
03:45 Building LendInvest: Challenges and Successes
08:08 The Reality of Entrepreneurship: Misconceptions and Hard Work
12:37 IPO Insights: The Holy Grail of Entrepreneurship
17:27 Navigating Market Perceptions: UK vs US FinTech
20:29 Supporting FinTech: The Founders Group Initiative
24:15 Political Climate and Its Impact on FinTech
27:55 Why the US? Christian's Move and New Ventures
30:42 Building a New Lending Business: Strategies and Focus
34:02 The Ideal Founding Team: Traits and Dynamics
36:08 Breaking into FinTech: No Prerequisites Needed
37:54 Reflections on Career Choices: Learning from Mistakes

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Whether you're a fintech enthusiast or an aspiring entrepreneur, this episode is filled with practical advice for building a sustainable business in a rapidly evolving industry.

Previous Episode

Unraveling Retail Trading: Insights from Elina Pedersen on Fintech Innovations and Leadership

Eager to unravel the intricacies of retail trading and fintech innovations? Join us as Elina Pedersen, the dynamic co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Your Bourse, shares her fascinating journey from the fast-paced world of Admiral Markets to spearheading her own venture.
Through Elina's insights, gain a unique perspective on the rise of retail trading and how it sets itself apart from the institutional giants. She offers an inside look at the motivations behind launching Your Bourse, emphasising the critical role of technology in bridging gaps for retail brokerages and enhancing trading safety and conditions.
In an enlightening conversation, we cover the transformative trends shaking up retail trading, from the essential role of data centres and low latency to the emergence of brokers crafting their own trading interfaces. Elina provides an honest account of navigating the competitive fintech landscape, particularly as a female leader in a predominately male field. She discusses the hurdles faced by startup brokers and the pivotal importance of education and advanced tools for success. As we reflect on the historical evolution of the trading industry, Elina's candid insights leave us pondering what, if anything, she would change about her remarkable career.
Takeaways

Retail trading is speculative trading for personal gain.
Elina's journey from marketing to CEO showcases rapid growth.
Identifying gaps in the market led to the creation of Your Bourse.
Your Bourse connects brokerages to execution venues and risk management.
Low latency is crucial for trading efficiency and scalability.
AI is simplifying developer tasks but won't replace them.
Prop trading is a new trend in the retail trading space.
Gold remains a popular trading instrument due to its predictability.
The broker technology space is competitive and knowledge-intensive.
Leadership requires transparency, feedback, and addressing blockers.

Elina Pederson https://www.linkedin.com/in/elina-pedersen-59676014/
Matt Cheung https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewcheung50/

Next Episode

Mike Hudack on Building Fintech Unicorns: Lessons from Monzo, Facebook, and Deliveroo

Mike Hudak shares his journey from dropping out of high school to becoming a prominent figure in the fintech industry. He discusses his experiences at various startups, including Facebook, Monzo, Deliveroo, Blip TV and Sling Money, his latest venture.
Mike reflects on the differences between the UK and US startup ecosystems, the challenges of raising capital, and the importance of product management in building successful companies. He emphasises the need for dynamism in the UK to foster growth and innovation.
Mike discusses the evolution of team autonomy as a technology, the inception of Sling as a global payment solution, and the challenges of navigating regulation in the financial landscape. He emphasises the importance of user experience in blockchain technology, outlines potential revenue models for Sling, and offers valuable advice for the next generation entering the workforce during a time of rapid technological change.
Takeaways

Mike dropped out of high school due to a lack of interest in traditional education and learned coding at home before taking a job at a startup.
Transitioning to Facebook was like moving from the minor leagues to playing for Yankees.
Persistence and learning from failures are key to success.
Product management is crucial for aligning teams and ensuring project success. The product way of working is a form of technology.
Timing is critical in the tech industry.
Embracing novelty and risk is essential for career growth.
The current era is a golden age of technological advancement.
Learning from mistakes is vital for personal and professional development.
Future careers will be shaped by emerging technologies.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Mike Hudak and His Journey
01:00 Dropping Out of High School: A Personal Choice
04:15 The Birth of Blip TV: A Startup Adventure
07:12 Transitioning to Facebook: Learning in a Big League
09:54 Moving Back to the UK: A Personal Perspective
13:17 Starting a New Company: Insights on the UK Startup Scene
17:28 Navigating the Startup Ecosystem: Challenges and Opportunities
22:05 The Role of Product Management: A Key to Success
24:53 The Technology of Team Autonomy
27:07 The Birth of Sling: A Global Payment Solution
34:38 Navigating Regulation in the Financial Landscape
37:55 Building a User-Friendly Blockchain Experience
41:13 Revenue Models and Future Growth
46:23 Embracing Change: Advice for the Next Generation
https://twitter.com/mhudack

Interviews with Leaders in Fintech & Web3 - Building Fintech Success: Christian Faes Shares Insights on Entrepreneurship, Technology, and Resilience

Transcript

Matt (00:01.404)
This is Matt from Work in Fintech and in today's interview with Leaders in Fintech podcast we're delighted to be joined by Christian Faes who has a really interesting record I think we're going to learn a lot today. He's currently CEO and founder of Faes & Co out in the west coast of the USA but probably one of his claims to fame is he's CEO of Lend Invest and also co-founder which IPO'd here in the UK.
Also co-founder of Onate, which is Ireland's largest bridging fi