Written by
Kevin Perez
Published on
April 16, 2020
The Top 50 Fintech Influencers You Need to Follow (Part 2)
Each year, we publish our list of 50 Fintech Influencers You Should Follow to keep abreast of fast moving developments in fintech and financial services. Each one of these leaders delivers sharp insights about the trends, issues and ideas in fintech. These are founders, CEOs and senior executives at fintech start-ups and banks that are respected thought leaders. We also include several leading tech and finance reporters, analysts and industry watchers you should know and follow.
Today, with COVID-19 wrecking havoc, economic issues are affecting nearly every American, and leadership has never been more vital.
This group of influencers represent the vanguard of change and innovation in financial technology.
Without further ado, and in alphabetical order, here is Part 2 of this year’s list:
26.) Brock Blake
Founder & CEO, Lendio
Lendio is an online marketplace for small business loans. It offers borrowers access to loan options from more lenders than any other marketplace in the industry. Blake is an Inc. 500 CEO, national keynote speaker, and Forbes columnist
27.) Stephanie Cohen
Chief Strategy Officer, Goldman Sachs
In addition to driving strategy and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) for the firm, Ms. Cohen leads Launch With GS, Goldman Sachs’ $500 million commitment to invest in companies and investment managers with diverse leadership. Prior, Ms. Cohen was Global Head of Financial Sponsor M&A in the Investment Banking Division (IBD).
28.) Susan French
SVP, Head of Product, BBVA Open Platform
Susan is a payments, digital commerce, and financial services expert. A true believer in the API Economy and in growing the “digitalization” of commerce.working to make BBVA Open Platform a leading provider of Banking-as-a-Service to fintechs.
29.) Jason Gardner
Founder & CEO, Marqeta
Under Jason’s leadership Marqeta has defined the global standard for modern card issuing, developing an industry-leading issuer processor platform that now powers the world’s most innovative companies.
30.) Jeff Glass
CEO & Co-Founder, Hometap
Jeff co-founded Hometap as, a data-driven residential real estate platform whose mission is to make homeownership less stressful and more accessible. Hometap offers an alternative to debt for homeowners in need of capital to fund college tuition, new businesses, health care expenses and pay off debt.
31.) Mark Goldberg
Partner, Index Ventures
Mark focuses on investments in financial services, insurance, real estate, and enterprise software. With both an operating and VC background, he specializes in working with entrepreneurs to scale their businesses.
32.) David Green
Chief Product Officer, Earnest
David Green oversees Product Management, Product Design, and User Research. Known for constantly seeking out new challenges and driving better outcomes by continuously improving his skill set, David loves to build companies and products he believes in.
33.) Charlie Javice
Founder & CEO, Frank
Frank is the leading platform connecting students to financial aid at US colleges; it’s software aims to make the application process for student loans faster and easier. Charlie founded the company in 2016. Frank has helped 300,000 users apply for financial aid.
34.) Rishi Khosla
Co-Founder, OakNorth
Rishi Khosla OBE is the CEO and co-founder of OakNorth, the next-generation credit platform that’s solving business borrowing to unlock the middle – the growth businesses who are the backbones of economies and communities globally.
35.) Brandon Krieg
Co-Founder & CEO, Stash
Stash is one of the fastest-growing consumer investing and banking platforms in the U.S., pioneering the future of financial services. Brandon has been recognized by Goldman Sachs as one of 2018’s “100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs.”
36.) Bradley Leimer
Co-founder, Unconventional Ventures
Bradley is the co-founder of Unconventional Ventures, a consulting firm that provides advisory to corporates, and opportunities in the digital banking space. He also serves as an ambassador for Invest Tokyo, a business development centre focused on providing support and consultancy services to companies looking to expand in Japan.
37.) Jim Marous
Publisher, Digital Banking Report
Jim Marous is the publisher of the Digital Banking Report, a subscription-based service that provides digital banking insights, and co-publisher of The Financial Brand, a platform that covers marketing and strategy related issues affecting financial institutions.
38.) Bernardo Martinez
Managing Director, Funding Circle
Bernardo joined Funding Circle as the US Managing Director in March 2018. He has worked in Financial Services for more than 20 years, especially in the Small Business and payments side of the industry.
39.) Steve McLaughlin
Managing Partner, FT Partners
Steve McLaughlin is the Founder and CEO of FT Partners and former senior banker at Goldman Sachs covering FinTech and Financial Services for over 20 years.
40.) Adrian Nazari
Founder & CEO, Credit Sesame
Adrian Nazari is the Founder and CEO of Credit Sesame, a leading personal finance company that helps consumers manage their credit and credit decisions.
41.) Rosita Najmi
Sr. Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Rosita is a Senior Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, overseeing Financial Services for the Poor. She has been an international social and economic development specialist since 2001
42.) Zach Perret
Co-founder & CEO, Plaid
Zach Perret is CEO and co-founder of Plaid, which builds infrastructure that allows consumers to interact with their bank account on the web, powering a number of third-party applications. Prior to Plaid, Zach was a consultant for Bain and graduated with degrees in physics and chemistry from Duke University.
43.) Ryan Rosett
Co-Chief Executive Officer, Credibly
Ryan Rosett is a Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Credibly, a Data Science-driven FinTech lending platform which improves the speed, cost, experience, and choice of capital to SMBs. Previously, Ryan was the Founder of IDEA Real Estate Group, a real estate development and distressed debt joint venture with Fortress Investment Group
44.) Michael W. Ross
Partner, Jenner & Block
Michael Ross is a litigation partner in the Complex Commercial Litigation and Securities Litigation Practices, representing corporate clients in complex disputes, investigations and regulatory challenges.
45.) April Rudin
Founder and President, The Rudin Group
The Rudin Group founder and President April J. Rudin is widely acknowledged as a top marketing strategist for the financial-services and wealth-management sectors. April is recognized by IBM as an “Influencer” in wealth management and fintech, and is a regularly-featured source of expert commentary to international news and business outlets.
46.) Angela Strange
General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
Angela is a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz where she focuses on investments in financial services including fintech infrastructure, insurance, real estate, and increasing financial inclusivity. She is currently a board member of Addi, SynapseFi, and Tally, and board observer for: Earnin, HealthIQ, Mayvenn, PeerStreet, and Point.
47.) Jennifer Tescher
President and CEO, Financial Health Network
Jennifer Tescher is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Financial Health Network, the nation’s authority on financial health. Tescher founded the Financial Health Network in 2004 and has since achieved notable success in championing increased access to high-quality financial products and services for under served consumers as an objective for the industry.
48.) Saeed Valadbaygi
Global Policy Advisor, The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation
Saeed Valadbaygi is a top fintech influencer specializing in technologies such as analytics, IoT, cyber security, and blockchain. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Global Center for Risk and Innovation, an independent marketplace for fintechs and non-profit organizations to collaborate and exchange insights.
49.) Jason Wilk
CEO & Co-Founder, Dave
As co-founder and CEO of Dave, Jason Wilk, 34, has 13 years of experience building successful digital companies. He is also the founder of WriteyBoards and an investor in many other startups.
50.) Eva Wong
Co-Founder & COO, Borrowell
Eva is Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Borrowell, a fintech company that helps people make great decisions about credit. With its free credit score and report monitoring, automated credit coaching tools and AI-driven financial product recommendations.
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So, here are the Actual Top 50 2020 Fintech Influencers You Need to Follow. Do you have feedback on our selections, or suggestions for the list? Don’t be shy — let us know!
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