Articles by James
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A new day at the FDIC
A new day at the FDIC
Travis Hill, the former FDIC Vice Chairman, just became Acting Chairman, and he released a laundry list of immediate…
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Zero to Series E: My 7 Key Lessons
Zero to Series E: My 7 Key Lessons
During the last six months of my sabbatical, I’ve thought about what has made Self Financial such a great company with…
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Why fintech innovation is broken at its core
Why fintech innovation is broken at its core
Fintech innovation is broken at its core. Our financial institutions employ some of the sharpest minds in the world —…
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Self Lender-TechCrunch To Techstars: The Struggle To The Starting Line
Self Lender-TechCrunch To Techstars: The Struggle To The Starting Line
By James Garvey, co-founder & CEO of Self Lender When I was in college, I could walk on campus, and get a credit…
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Millennials Like Tacos More Than… Credit Card Companies
Millennials Like Tacos More Than… Credit Card Companies
Four months after President Obama was sworn into office, he signed in a bill that both supported his 2008 campaign…
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James Garvey posted thisLast week, I stepped back in as CEO of Self Financial, Inc. After getting close to the business, one thing became clear: we have a strong mission, but we need to move faster, simplify how we operate, and raise the bar on execution. So we're making changes. We're resetting how we work — fewer layers, clearer ownership, and a return to building like a startup. We've already made a few key leadership moves: • Karthic Hariharan is stepping in as CTO. He's been with Self for 10 years and knows our systems better than anyone. • Brett Billick, formerly CMO, is now COO, bringing together operations, customer experience, marketing, and analytics. • Ryan McLennan joins as Chief Legal Officer, after helping scale Avant and Amount. Self has helped millions of customers access credit. That mission matters more than ever. Now we're focused on building the best product in this category - faster, simpler, and driven by data. We're hiring across engineering, product, analytics, and credit. If you want to work on hard problems, move quickly and help expand access to credit, we should talk.
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James Garvey posted thisToday, I’m excited to share that I'm stepping back in as CEO of Self Financial, Inc. to lead the company’s next chapter. Three priorities will guide our path forward: First, we will stay relentlessly focused on our mission. Self exists to expand access to credit. Everything we build should help customers earn greater access to responsible, affordable credit over time. Millions of people remain underserved by the financial system, and helping them move forward financially is why we exist. Second, we are building a disciplined, durable company. Strong companies are built on focus and financial strength. Our goal is to operate with discipline, invest in what matters most for customers, and build a business that will continue to grow sustainably for the long term. Third, we will move faster and innovate more boldly for our customers. There is an enormous opportunity ahead of us. Technology, data, and AI are rapidly changing how financial services are built and delivered. Self is uniquely positioned to help millions of people build credit and gain greater access to the financial system. The team at Self is passionate about this mission, and I’m excited about what we will build together next.
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James Garvey shared thisFor far too long, the FDIC under Martin Gruenberg’s tenure seemed mired in controversy, driven by an environment that prioritized his career longevity over meaningful reform. The Wall Street Journal’s exposé on the toxic workplace culture, rife with allegations of harassment and misconduct, painted a grim picture of an agency struggling to uphold its own standards of integrity. This dysfunction not only harmed employees but also cast a shadow over the FDIC’s reputation.
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James Garvey shared thisDuring the last six months of my sabbatical, I’ve thought about what has made Self Financial such a great company with remarkable success. I have been advising early and growth-stage companies and thinking about key leadership lessons to share with aspiring entrepreneurs. As I contemplate my next steps—whether launching a new venture or joining an existing one—I will always cherish the invaluable experiences and insights gained from starting and building Self Financial.
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James Garvey shared thisAfter eight years at Self, I have decided to step away from the day-to-day leadership of the company and transition my focus as a member of our Board of Directors. Following an extensive search, I’m excited to share that I have found my successor in Julie Szudarek, a seasoned consumer-tech executive who has experience leading and growing highly-regulated, mission- driven companies. Having founded this company from the ground up, I am so proud of what we’ve built and accomplished together as a team. We've weathered challenges, celebrated numerous victories, and built a culture that puts people first. Leadership transitions are moments that allow for renewal, and Julie brings a wealth of experience, innovative thinking, and a shared commitment to our core principles. In my new role on the Board, I am excited to continue working with Julie to help guide our strategic direction, and I look forward to watching Self evolve under her leadership. #TeamBuilder #FinTech #Finance #Leadership #CEOJames Garvey shared thisWe’re excited to announce that we have appointed Julie Szudarek as the new CEO of Self! Our outstanding founder James Garvey will remain on the Board of Directors. “James’ leadership and dedication to finding more pathways to lower the barrier of entry for credit has made Self the company it is today. With millions of customers nationwide and an expanding list of new products underway, I’m excited to use my experience as a growth leader to guide the incredibly talented team at Self,” said Julie. Read more about her experience in the link below. Welcome to the team, Julie Szudarek! #TeamBuilder #FinTech #Finance #Leadership #CEO https://lnkd.in/g773DHaJSelf Financial Appoints Julie Szudarek as Chief Executive OfficerSelf Financial Appoints Julie Szudarek as Chief Executive Officer
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James Garvey shared thisI’m so humbled to have the Self logo on the Spurs jersey representing all of the people out there putting in the hard work and working towards their goals. We’re thrilled to partner with the Spurs - a like-minded organization- where together, we build dreams.James Garvey shared thisWe’re thrilled to announce Self is the official jersey patch sponsor for the San Antonio Spurs starting in the 2022–23 season. “Self and the Spurs believe in building toward something bigger than oneself,” RC Buford, CEO for Spurs Sports & Entertainment, shares. “The Self-branded jersey will be a symbol of our unified vision that we can all help each other be better by investing in yourself, your team, and your community.” For now, we can’t keep our eyes off that Jersey! Read the full press release below 👇 https://lnkd.in/eRrrhYpv #FInTechNews #SanAntonioSpurs #TeamBuilder
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James Garvey shared thisWithout our customers and our team, we wouldn’t be where we are today. I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish together, so this award is for you, Self Financial, Inc. employees and our customers.James Garvey shared thisOur founder & CEO, James Garvey was named a 2022 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2022 Central South award winner! James founded Self to make credit accessible to those who need it most and he's remained steadfast in this mission. We're proud to stand beside him in this journey and the award that he dedicated to all Self Builders- it's customers and employees. #FinTechNews #ATX #SelfCreditBuilder
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James Garvey shared thisI couldn’t be more excited that Self is sponsoring the Moody Center ATX , a new world-class entertainment venue that will give us the opportunity to introduce credit to the community and a campus full of young people who are building their lives.James Garvey shared thisWe’re a (proud!) sponsor of the new Moody Center ATX. Moody is an iconic name in #Austin, and we’re thrilled to be part of this state-of-the-art facility that will play host the world's top entertainment acts. The Self Concourse is on the west side of the building where most people enter the venue. There, you'll be greeted by our beautiful Self logo and then the Dream Builder stairs. We help our customers build their credit and dreams step-by-step, and this is reflected in the installation. You'll also see additional signage around the venue, so be sure to tag us if you spot a Self logo 👀 It was fun seeing the space built out! #ATX #InTheMood
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James Garvey liked thisI've lived in multiple countries because of my dad's job. New place, new people every few years and most of the time you just end up trying to fit in with the other kids. At some point I realized I wasn't really being me. No dramatic "aha moment", just kind of... noticed it? So I started living a bit more freely, in every situation. Probably wrong sometimes, but I think you can make an impact while having fun. For me that looks like annoying my team with AI things constantly, occasionally making memes and letting my intrusive thoughts win (professionally and personally). Turns out they not only tolerate it but they gave me an award for it. Feels like a win for the culture at Self as much as anything else. 💙James Garvey liked this🏆 Celebrating Our Builders: Self’s Core Value Awards 🏆 At Self, we call both our customers and employees Builders because we’re all working toward something meaningful. Every quarter, we’re proud to celebrate our employees who embody our core values through our Core Value Awards. 💙 Be Your Authentic Self 💜 We're Better Together ❤️ Own & Deliver 💛 Do the Right Thing 💚 Builders First 🧡 Transparency Matters These awards celebrate the individuals and teams who bring our values to life, putting people first, leading with integrity, collaborating effectively, and showing up authentically every day. Over the next few days, we’ll be highlighting last quarter’s winners, kicking things off today with Be Your Authentic Self. Congratulations to Ankit!
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James Garvey liked thisJames Garvey liked thisJoin us for an exclusive virtual fireside chat with James Garvey, founder & former CEO of Self Financial, Inc., as he shares how he scaled a mission-driven fintech to a $1B+ valuation. This session will be led by Zoe Evans as part of the Techstars Founder Catalyst programme. 💡💰 🗓️ Thursday 7th May ⏰ 4pm (sharp) - 5:30pm 🔗 Sign up: https://luma.com/x7cek4nn 🚀 Hosted by Techstars | Techstars Belfast, a Startup Community Partnership | Techstars Founder Catalyst | Founder Labs
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James Garvey liked thisJames Garvey liked this⚡ In 1991, the HTTP specification included a 402 "Payment Required" status code. It was never implemented and thus, the internet didn't have a payment layer. It just built workarounds like card networks, payment gateways, API keys, merchant accounts. Thirty-five years later, that status code is finally doing its job. x402, built by Coinbase and now stewarded by the The Linux Foundation, makes payment a native HTTP function. A server requires payment for a resource. The client pays with stablecoins. The resource is returned. No accounts. No KYC. No protocol fees. Sub-2-second settlement at ~$0.0001 per transaction. Easy peasy. In the last 30 days: 75 million transactions, $24M in volume. Cloudflare, the company that proxies roughly 20% of all web traffic, is already sending over 1 billion HTTP 402 responses daily. Stripe, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Vercel are all supporting it. This is not a whitepaper, this is real life product-market fit. Then there's MPP, the Machine Payments Protocol, co-released by Stripe and Tempo. Where x402 is stateless and per-request (think: TCP), MPP is session-based and streaming (think: HTTP built on TCP). An agent pre-authorizes a spending limit, then streams micropayments continuously as it consumes compute, data, or services- meaning no human intervention is required at each step. Together, x402 and MPP form the dual-layered stack: ⚡ x402 handles individual payments: instant, stateless, one request at a time 🔄 MPP handles workflows: sessions, streaming, complex multi-step agent tasks The internet finally has its payment layer, and it was designed from the start for machines, not humans. 🤖 Image c/o Grand View Research, Inc
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James Garvey liked thisOmg she looks so familiar!James Garvey liked this🏆 Self’s Core Value Awards: Do the Right Thing 🏆 Do the Right Thing is about leading with integrity, speaking up when something isn’t right, and setting the standard through your actions. It’s doing what’s right, consistently, in both words and decisions. Our Do the Right Thing Award goes to Charisse, whose clarity, commitment, and excellence set the tone for those around her. Congratulations! 💛
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James Garvey liked thisJames Garvey liked thisJoined Mia Labs to lead revenue. This wasn’t a “next step” move. It was a timing thing. AI-native companies are dealing with a completely different set of problems than traditional SaaS. The playbooks aren’t written yet. What works, what scales, what customers actually value is all being figured out in real time. The pace of change is borderline uncomfortable. I'm deep in the Claude code trenches. Things that felt impossible a year ago are now table stakes and take only a few hours. That’s what pulled me in. Mia is right in the middle of it. Real customers, real revenue, and an insane opportunity to disrupt an industry that represents ~5% of U.S. GDP. What I’m most excited about is building the team. We’re not copying a SaaS playbook. We’re building from first principles. A lot of our thinking starts with a simple question. Where should humans be involved and where should agents take over? We're investing heavily in GTM, RevOps, and data from day one. Not as a support function but as the engine. The goal is simple. Build a GTM team that great people want to be a part of. High standards. High ownership. A place where you come to get better. Grateful to the founders (Brian, Kelvin, Marwan) and investors (Mike, Brian, Jessie, Joe at Permanent Capital Partners and Daniel & Eric at Vine Ventures) for the trust. If you want to build in a zero to one environment and think you can raise the bar on a high performing team, my DMs are open. Should be fun. Might get weird.
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Salesfully.com
Startups don’t need VC to grow. Revenue-based financing doubled from $1.8B in 2021 to over $3.8B in 2024 and average deals are ~$350k with a 6% cap. Funding mix in 2025: VC 52%, crowdfunding 14%, RBF 11%, angels 10%, partnerships 7%, grants 6%. 1,500 companies raised $700M via crowdfunding in 2023. Explore smarter funding options: https://lnkd.in/ebTeA_MX #StartupFunding #AlternativeFinance
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James Bruegger
🚨 New Generation Space Podcast Episode Alert 🚨 Portfolio Spotlight with CEO Mike Gulla of Adaptive Insurance 🌍 Host Leah Martin chatted with Mike Gulla, CEO of Adaptive Insurance, a Texas-based startup using AI-driven parametric insurance to tackle climate risk head-on. Fresh off a $5M Seed round, Mike shares how Adaptive is helping communities and businesses stay resilient in the face of increasingly extreme weather. Lewis Alun Jones, Generation Space’s VP of Investment also joined the conversation, to unpack why Adaptive is a standout in the space. 🔗 Listen now: https://lnkd.in/eXNBtWkv
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Adolfo Diaz Gramont
In this article for LvlUp Ventures, I shared 15 of the best actionable lessons from top venture capital investors based in Texas and Latin America, focused on fundraising, product-market-fit, finance, and how they evaluate founders and startups. 📄 This article is based on in-depth VC insights from interviews 🎙️ featured on the InspirAcción Startup Podcast y Newsletter. (*) InspirAcción in Spanish = InspireAction in English. 🎯 No fluff. No recycled advice. Just real perspective from investors actively deploying capital across the U.S. and LatAm. ⬇️ Below are 4 of the 15 key takeaways 𝟏) 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝟓𝟎 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 - Content is crucial, but how you communicate it effectively matters just as much. - Ideally include one slide that highlights your competitive advantage versus both direct and indirect competitors, positioning your startup as the ideal solution to solve the problem for your target segment. - Use the main message of each slide as the headline (not generic titles like “The Problem” or “The Solution”). By Mariano González Vasconcelos, Founder & General Partner at MGV Capital. 𝟐) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞: 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬 You need to dedicate many hours not only to preparing materials, but also to mental and physical preparation to hear a large number of “no’s.” The human body is not built to handle that much rejection. Ending a 9–10 hour day of calls without a single “yes” can be brutal. If you’re not mentally prepared, it can really bring you down. By Damaris Mendoza Loera, Partner at 500 Global. 𝟑) 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐮𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 It’s critical to have a data room ready before starting the fundraising process. For us, interviewing employees, former employees, customers, and potential customers is essential. It’s one of the areas where we gather the most insights before investing. Having all of this ready in advance makes the process much more efficient. By Federico Gómez Romero, Head of Cathay Latam. 𝟒) 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 For example, have one person focused on business, one on technology, and one on operations. Execution capability is key, founders must be operators and move fast. To truly assess this, it’s important to look not only at what they’ve executed before, but also how they executed it. By Claudio Barahona Jacobs, General Partner at CVC Latam. 👉 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ebjkP9Rc #VentureCapital #Startup #Fundraising #Founder #VCInsights #LatAm #TexasVC #EarlyStage #LvlUpVentures #VC #Tech #Investor
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Afrique Monitor
Plaid’s CEO Reflects on Risky Beginnings That Revolutionized Fintech Integration Zach Perret, CEO of $6.1 billion fintech giant Plaid, shares how the company’s early decision to pull financial data from 12,000 banks via screen scraping laid the groundwork for digital finance connectivity across apps like Venmo and Robinhood. Despite legal hurdles and resistance from banks, Plaid's commitment to improving access to financial data spurred long-term industry change. Today, the company primarily uses secure APIs, reflecting a more sustainable and collaborative ecosystem in financial technology. A recent funding round led by Franklin Templeton raised $575 million, cementing Plaid's role as a leading infrastructure provider in fintech. #FintechInnovation #PlaidSuccessStory #BankingTransformation https://lnkd.in/d3irhjGd
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Kevin Holmes
“A great co-founder relationship is like steering a ship together—you both have your hands on the wheel, and if you’re not aligned, you’ll drift off course. Authenticity, transparency, and trust aren’t optional—they’re everything.” –Tanis Jorge A huge thank you to Tanis Jorge for joining our recent Founders Network global keynote! As a serial entrepreneur and expert on co-founder dynamics, Tanis shared heartfelt insights on what makes—or breaks—the most important relationship in a startup. She reminded us that beyond metrics and milestones, true success often comes down to the human connection between founders. When nurtured with honesty and empathy, that partnership can become one of the most meaningful relationships you’ll ever have—regardless of the company’s outcome. Tanis, thank you for your wisdom, optimism, and for reminding our community that great partnerships build not just strong companies, but lifelong bonds. #FoundersNetwork #CoFounders #StartupJourney #FounderWisdom #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #StartupLessons #TanisJorge #BuildingTogether #GlobalKeynote
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Jason Shuman
I’ve spoken to over 2 dozen MDs at PE firms I can confidently say that the arb of figuring out how to implement Vertical AI at portfolio companies is very real right now It will fundamentally change underwriting for those who can do it predictably and unlock generational returns. Most are aware they need to act. Very few have.
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OnlyFounders by Founders Hub Network
🚀 Stop chasing investors blindly. Here's the 5-step system that gets startups funded: Define financial needs (12-18 months) Research aligned investors Build a killer pitch deck Systematize outreach Prep due diligence docs Most founders skip steps 1 & 5. Don't be like most founders.
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Middesk
Plaid is built to make it easier for businesses to build and scale financial products that people trust. That trust starts with knowing who you’re working with. As Plaid helps platforms onboard and support millions of businesses, verifying business identity accurately and efficiently is foundational. That’s why Plaid partners with Middesk to automate business verification during onboarding — confirming core business details, reducing manual review, and helping teams make confident risk decisions without slowing down the customer experience. Together, we help Plaid deliver faster onboarding, stronger compliance, and a more durable foundation for growth across the financial ecosystem they power. We’re proud to support Plaid as they help teams move fast while maintaining trust at scale. #KYB #KYC #AML #BEV #businessverification #financialservices #onboarding #compliance #smallbusiness #SMBs
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How To SaaS
Founders are often optimistic about growth. Sometimes, that confidence leads to funding ideas that don't fully pan out. Royalty-based growth capital is structured to limit downside risk compared to traditional venture-backed paths. Vik Thapar of Cypress Growth Capital explains that, even if outcomes fall short of early expectations, founders often still exit with meaningful results because they retain the majority of ownership. 🎙️ Tune into the Private Equity Value Creation Podcast: https://lnkd.in/gxkEsH3Z 👇🏽 Find Us Here https://lnkd.in/gTdPMk8P #privateequity #privateequitypodcast #privateequityvaluecreation
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Kevin Spain
The insurance industry touches every aspect of our economy, but it’s long overdue for an update. As an AI-native brokerage, Harper (YC W25) is bringing insurance into the future. Quick coverage guarantees allow underwriters to refocus energy on bringing necessary coverage to our everyday businesses, not manually coordinating between the 400,000+ American insurance brokerages. Insurance quietly secures the world around us. Harper’s end-to-end platform makes sure that same security is ready for the AI era. Read more on why Emergence Capital and Carlotta "Lotti" Siniscalco are backing Harper’s $47 million raise: https://lnkd.in/gphhP4PA
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