The Founders Peak Podcast

Moussa once pitched a Bus Scheduling and Ticketing system to a bus company owner, despite lacking experience with large systems, showcasing his boldness and determination. Even during personal challenges, like his mother's funeral, Moussa maintained professional boundaries, teaching valuable lessons about entrepreneurship and respect. Starting from an incubator prototype, Moussa's vision has trans...

Start-up Founders, is your millions of dollars idea protected? Here is a 15-minute crash course by Seth Graham on safeguarding your creations and works of art. Gain the knowledge to shield your competitive edge - from essentials of patents to trademarks to copyrights to trade secrets. Empower yourself better to navigate the complex but critical world of intellectual property. Tokyo-based tech &amp...

Chie Ito is the CEO of FINOLAB. She spent 14 years as an IT engineer in capital markets at DentsuSoken, but don't let that fool you – a stint working at a German bank sparked her entrepreneurial spirit, leading her to boldly quit and move to the US! Talk about taking a leap of faith! And guess what? Fate - or maybe some impressive coding skills - brought her back to DentsuSoken, where she pivoted...

Nikos Andrikogiannopoulos  has one of the longest last names with 19 letters! Nikos is the CEO of Metrika and is no stranger to beating the odds – he secured a coveted spot at MIT as one out of just one Greek student every two years! And when faced with a competitivereservation system, Nikos channelled his inner engineer and wrote a script to get what he wanted. In his talk titled " Beyond the Red...

Ever dream of a global career but land smack into a financial crisis in a new country, not knowing a word of English? That's the wild ride Ryota Hayashi , Co-founder & CEO of Finatext Holdings , took at the beginning of his journey. But Ryota's story isn't just about weathering storms – it's about emerging stronger with a will powered by optimism (which, coincidentally, is the perfect segue to...

Eric Wei, the Founder & CEO of timelyhero is a total trailblazer – he left a big tech job to dive headfirst into the wild world of startups. This Taiwanese immigrant brought his digital transformation skills from the global stage to Japan, and guess what? He fell in love with the culture! Now, he's on a mission to connect Japan to the world with timelyhero, a global skill-sharing platform powe...

Ever dreamed of building rockets but ended up inFinTech? Buckle up, because this episode features Koji Yamamoto, the CEO of Atlas Technologies – a company that deified the odds...just like Koji's career path! At 18, Koji set his sights on space, but his 20s took him on a different trajectory. Don't worry, it wasn't a black hole – in his 30s, he landed in FinTech with SoftBank, eventually founding...

Calling all globe trotters and movie buffs! Thisepisode features Gordon Niamatali, the founder of Authentic Indication –a FinTech company that's shaking things up in the market, just like Gordon's heritage - half-Guyanese, half-Filipino, and raised in the US. With 18 years of experience under his belt, Gordon is no stranger to the financial game. In his talk titled " Keep the players. Change the g...

Shin Sakane, Co-CEO of GFIT Inc, is a man who knows a thing or two about bouncing back. Shin's talk, " Bankruptwith $100 Million: How to Re-imagine Success After Catastrophic Failure ," will leave you inspired and ready to tackle any challenge. But before we dive into his insights, let's get to know Shin a bit better. He holds a Ph. D. with highest honors in Physical Chemistry and Biochemistry fro...

Aaron Mollin is a guy who's as comfortable dropping into a half-cab heelflip as he is, dropping legal knowledge. Aaron spent his childhood skateboarding and nearly 20 years living and breathing Japan - and yes, his Japanese is fluent, folks! He even ran a bar in Kyoto after graduation! Aaron ditched the law books to take a wild ride with Ichijiku, a sustainable hyper-luxury fashion brand he founde...

Keiko Sydenham is the co-founder & CEO ofLUCA Japan. Her journey " from corporate heights to startup realities " is anything but a straight climb. This mom of three boys isn't afraid to take risks (good ones, that is!), and with over 20 years crushing it in alternativeinvestments for big institutions, she's got the experience to back it up. In her talk, Keiko dives deep into the "Evolution of...

Calling all Jedi wannabes and financial whizzes! Spyro Mentzas is the Founder and CEO of HiJoJo Partners – a company that's launching FinTech startups into the stratosphere, just like Spyro himself! He traded in his suit for a metaphorical light saber when he ditched the world of program trading to become a guide for startups andinvestors in the FinTech galaxy - may the ROI be with you! But Spyro...

Atsuko Yamada is the founder of Invite Japan, a company as diverse as its founder. Yamada-san might be a little "unconventional" (let's just say social norms aren't her cup of tea), but her curiosity and a healthy dose of "selfishness" (as she'll explain in her talk, " How Powerful Selfishness Fuels Success ") turned a career detour into a thriving FinTech company. They even pivoted their business...

Ever dreamt of being a serial entrepreneur with an impressive exit rate? Buckle up, because Liam has done just that…four times! Liam's the Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Habitto, a FinTech company on amission to banish financial anxiety for young Japanese. They offer the best interest rates and free financial advice, because let's face it, sometimes the biggest hurdle is just knowing whe...

Sunil might not have planned to be an entrepreneur, but a college stint at a friend's shop sparked a fire that's still burning bright. This family man, with two little ones and a wife who (lovingly) funded his initial venture, brings a unique perspective to the world of startups. His company, Fidel Technologies, is one of the first SMEs to bridge the Japan-India gap with a public listing on the In...

This episode features two influential leaders in the fintech world! Neil Tan, Chairman of the Hong Kong FinTech Association, bringing over 20 years of experience in Corporate Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Business Development across leading banks like HSBC and Deutsche Bank. As Chairman of FTAHK and a member of the Hong Kong Government's Web3 Task Force, Neil's insights on Embedded Fin...

An eye-opening episode with the legendary inventor of electronic money and a pioneer in online anonymity - David Chaum. In this episode, David takes us through his groundbreaking contributions that have shaped today's digital currency landscape. As the mastermind behind digital cash and cryptographic protocols, David has been instrumental in architecting our modern financial systems. Leading the x...

In this episode, Madhu shares his journey of the past 9 years, building and scaling M2P into the largest API Infrastructure platform across 10 markets in Asia. As a fintech entrepreneur with a mission to make every company a fintech, Madhu's passion for solving challenges faced by startups shines through. Join us as we explore his vision to uplift MSMEs and transform businesses in the financial la...

Meet Varun Mittal, the driving force behind Singlife's Innovation and Ecosystem. In this episode, we delve into the world of financial innovation as Varun shares his journey from spearheading FinTech business development across 130 emerging markets to founding "The Fintech Nation" project, comprising a book, podcast, and investment fund dedicated to nurturing Singapore's fintech ecosystem. As a co...

Darrell Ang is co-founder of CapBay, a groundbreaking Supply Chain Finance platform. With a background spanning fintech entrepreneurship, investment banking, regulation, and management consulting, Darrel brings a wealth of experience to the table. CapBay, under his leadership, has funded over US$600 million for thousands of SMEs, earning recognition as one of CNBC's "Top 200 Global Fintech Compani...

With a background as a former Goldman Sachs Executive Director and now heading the Digital Assets Think Tank at the FinTech Centre of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Thomas brings unparalleled expertise to the table. From completing over 100 IPOs to leading APAC business for Hamsa, Thomas is at the forefront of the future of finance. In this episode, Dr. Zhu takes us on a journey through the wor...

Meet the visionary mind behind Citi's Future of Finance team - Ronit Ghose. In this episode, Ronit dives into the future of tech, money, and finance. With reports on FinTech and Web3 that have captivated readers worldwide, Ronit brings unparalleled insights into the evolving landscape of finance. As an advisory board member for tech and VC firms, and a former researcher for a UK Prime Minister, Ro...

Prasanna is a dynamic leader in the technology and innovation sector. In this episode, Prasanna shares insights from his roles as CEO at Block Stack and Chief Innovation Officer at PayCircle, driving the Next-Gen movements in disruptive Web 3.0 technology. With a wealth of experience as a founder of India Blockchain Forum and advisory roles at Thakur Institute of Management Studies, TransBnk, and...