The Scalepoint Podcast

In this episode, Martin is joined by Orly Stern Izhaki, a seasoned product leader with a deep track record of building platforms for small businesses — from her time at Wix Restaurants to leading business applications at Payoneer. They explore what SMBs really need from the products they use, and how to earn their trust when it matters most. The conversation covers product strategy, pricing, PLG e...

In this episode, Carlos Del Valle, Co-founder and CEO of Tonder, shares the story behind building one of Latin America’s emerging payment infrastructure platforms. Born out of a first-hand pain point in his previous startup, Tonder was created to address the challenges of low card approval rates, fragmented payment systems, and the lack of reliable, unified solutions across the region. We explore...

In this episode of The Scale Point Podcast , Martin is joined by José Manuel Peral Cortés, co-founder of FinTK Consulting. José reflects candidly on his entrepreneurial journey—starting with Easy Payment Gateway, which he helped build from scratch and eventually exited to Global Payments. From bootstrapping and building early product-market fit, to navigating investor misalignment and watching com...

In this episode of the Scalepoint Podcast, I sit down with Parijat Banerjee, Global Head of Financial Services at Latent View Analytics, to discuss the transformative role of APIs and AI in the banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) sector, as well as the healthcare insurance ecosystem. They explore the shift of APIs from backend technical enablers to crucial front-end commercial produc...

In this episode of The Scalepoint Podcast, Martin is joined by Panagiotis Kriaris, Director and Head of Business & Corporate Development at Unzer.  We explore: The evolution of fintech partnerships: from competition to collaboration with banks Why partnerships have become a key accelerator for innovation—and why execution matters Different partnership models: strategic alliances, acquisitions,...

In this episode of The Scalepoint Podcast, Martin sits down with Martin della Chiesa, CEO of Skaleet - a next-generation core banking platform that’s reshaping how financial institutions approach digital transformation. In a market often paralysed by too much choice and too little clarity, Martin stresses the importance of guidance and execution. Banks aren’t making routine procurement decisions—t...

In this episode of the Scalepoint podcast, Martin interviews Gautam Pillai, head of FinTech at UK Investment Bank Peel Hunt. Gautam discusses the current state of the UK IPO market and shares his experiences and strategies as an investment banker adapting to market changes. He provides an overview of his career journey, from starting as a programmer at Cognizant to his role at Goldman Sachs and ev...

In this podcast episode, Martin sits down with Bernard Reiterer, founder and CEO of ID Canopy. They discuss the evolution of the Austrian tech startup scene and its challenges, especially in terms of fundraising. Bernard shares insights into ID Canopy, a company focusing on digital identity verification and onboarding solutions for various industries like finance and telecom. The conversation touc...

In this episode, Martin talks with Edy Bruinooge, co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of IBANXS, a leading open banking platform based in The Hague in the Netherlands. The conversation covers the company's rapid growth from its beginnings in 2019 to connecting with over 2,500 banks across Europe. Edy provides insights into their bootstrapped, profit-focused approach, contrasting with heavi...

In this episode, Martin speaks with  Suresh Vaghjiani, CEO & Co-Founder of CLOWD9, about the evolution of the fintech space and the challenges of building a payments infrastructure business without heavy reliance on venture capital. Suresh shares his extensive experience in the payments industry, explaining the difference between acquiring and issuing and how CLOWD9 is pioneering a fully cloud...

In this episode of Bootstrap Ventures - The Scalepoint Podcast , I interview Caleb Avery, CEO and founder of Tilled—a category leader in the PayFac-as-a-Service space. Caleb shares insights on Tilled’s phenomenal growth in 2024, achieving over 500% year-over-year growth, and highlights the company’s strategic move into enterprise. Caleb recounts his journey from bootstrapping the company in 2019 t...

In this episode, Matthew Steinbrecher, VP, Revenue at Reach shares insights into the intricacies of the merchant of record model, discussing common misconceptions and the inherent value it provides, particularly in cross-border transactions. The conversation also delves into the dynamic payments ecosystem, highlighting the importance of partnerships, how to identify and nurture effective collabora...

Tom Voaden, VP Commercial at Bridge (formerly Visa), discusses leading sales and partnerships at a high-growth fintech. Listen and watch the full episode on Spotify & You Tube Key Topics: • The reality of 4x team growth - balancing startup speed with process • Building enterprise partnerships vs. traditional networking • Maintaining culture through rapid hiring • AI in payments - opportunities...

In this episode, Karl Lillrud shares his insights on how advancements in AI, automation, and no-code tools have transformed the startup landscape, making bootstrapping more accessible than ever. He discusses the importance of prudent capital use, prioritizing simplicity, and building products that solve real customer problems. Karl emphasizes the value of learning quickly, iterating based on feedb...

Ozan Ozark is a serial entrepreneur who founded and successfully exited Norway's most popular social media platform before going onto found a portfolio of 5 fintech companies, including OpenPayd, without any external funding. In this first episode of the Fintech Ventures Podcast, he explores his remarkable journey with your host Martin and discusses important topics along the way. 00:00 Introducti...