Podcasts about immad

In this LIVE version of The Room Podcast, we're thrilled to chat with Immad Akhund, Co-Founder and CEO of Mercury, a fintech company built specifically for startups and tech companies. Immad walks us through his journey from founder to industry leader, and how Mercury is reimagining banking with streamlined financial tools for growing businesses. Mercury's core product offers an intuitive digital banking experience, designed to handle startups' unique cash flow and management needs.Join us as we explore Immad's early entrepreneurial journey, his strategic shift from gaming with Hayzap to founding Mercury, and the insights he gained along the way. This episode highlights Mercury's goal to simplify banking for tech founders, Immad's take on the importance of resilience and adaptability, and how Mercury's modern approach is transforming financial services for the startup ecosystem.8:40 - Where did Immad grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?9:17 - Did Immad always think he would become a founder?10:22 - At what point did Immad move to the States?11:06 - What lessons did Immad learn when running HayZap?12:55 - How did Immad know who he wanted as cofounders when starting Mercury?14:07 - What advice does Immad have for finding a co-founder and resolving conflict with a co-founder?15:31 - Why did Immad want to tackle a problem in banking specifically?16:30 - How was Immad's experience breaking into the fintech space?19:28 - What advice does Immad have for founders in complex regulatory spaces?21:20 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Mercury?22:46 - What's a fundraising “hot take” that Immad has?24:39 - How did Mercury's go-to-market strategy change as they scaled?26:39 - How does Mercury scale their feature set and their product to meet the scaling needs of their clients?28:14 - How did the liquidity crisis at Silicon Valley Bank impact Mercury and the fintech space?30:01 - What traits does Immad look for when investing in a startup?31:03 - What advice does Immad have for founders looking to be acquired in the current market?33:53 - What does Immad expect in the future of fintech?34:48 - What's next for Mercury and for Immad personally?35:31 - Who is a woman in Immad's life that has had a profound impact on him and his career?For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletterFollow us on Instagram Follow us on TikTok Check out our guide to podcasting here! Don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music!Brought to you by Perkins Coie and Mercury.**Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.WX Productions

Immad Akhund, Mercury (https://mercury.com) CEO & Co-founder, discusses building a financial technology platform now profitably serving thousands of startups and businesses. Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank; banking services are provided by Choice Financial Group, Column N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust (Members FDIC); Mercury Treasury is offered through Mercury Advisory, LLC (an SEC-registered investment adviser). Learn why Kruze Consulting is one of the leading accounting firms in San Francisco and Silicon Valley by serving funded, early-stage companies. Our clients have raised over $15 billion in venture capital and seed financing, and our research and development tax credit (https://kruzeconsulting.com/research-and-development-tax-credit-us) work has saved clients millions of dollars in burn rate and payroll taxes. Contact Kruze to learn more.

Unlike Ramp or Brex, Mercury started with the account and built the ultimate dashboard for early-stage and growth companies.Immad is the founder's founder, serial entrepreneur, and angel investor, with over 300+ angel investments in his name (including Airtable, Substack, and Rappi).If anyone got the challenges growth companies have trying to operate a business while relying on traditional banking solutions, Immad is that founder.Where once startups could get an account, they had to pick between a specialist bank with a poor digital experience (like Silicon Valley Bank or First Republic) or a large one-size-fits-nobody larger bank.  The choice was between the stability of a big bank or the expertise of a local specialist, and regardless of your choice, the digital user experience was horrendous.Mercury flipped the model and pioneered an entirely different Go To Market. Taking the best of what SVB and FRB did - like access to debt capital markets, VCs, and partners and helping balance that with more FDIC coverage and a single dashboard to manage and automate everything.Today Mercury is a BEAST. Recently announcing, 8 quarters of profitability with more money on the balance sheet than ever raised (>$163m), 200k customers and 640 staff.Despite some challenges like the banking crisis and now the BaaS crisis, Mercury continues shipping new products like financial workflows powered by the bank account and personal accounts for founders.So what makes Mercury special?And what's under the hood of one of Fintech's fastest-growing companies?Find out in this Fintech Brainfood Interview.

How do you navigate the tide turn when your competitor collapses during one of the biggest banking crises in recent history? In this conversation, Sasha Orloff sits down with Immad Akhund, founder and CEO of Mercury*. Immad pulls back the curtain on the chaos and critical decisions made when Silicon Valley Bank fell. From mobilizing an all-hands effort to rapidly onboard new customers to developing new product features virtually overnight to instill confidence, Immad provides an unvarnished look at crisis management and steadfast leadership during turbulent times. He also shares insights on Mercury's customer-first approach to building, how rising interest rates transformed their business model, and how he thinks about investing in new product initiatives by allocating internal resources like venture investments. *Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC. --- SPONSOR: Attio is the next generation of CRM. It's powerful, flexible and easily configures to the unique way your startup runs, whatever your go-to-market motion. The next era deserves a better CRM. Join ElevenLabs, Replicate, Modal and more at https://bit.ly/attioturpentine --- Recommended Podcast: Company Breakdowns Each episode of Company Breakdowns dives into S-1s and series B-and-beyond companies, interviewing founders and investors to break down the companies. Profiled this season: Databricks, Reddit, Twilio, Copart + more. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0epyYBAxLeF0PsNagdDJAJ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/company-breakdowns/id1743119197 --- This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We're launching new shows every week, and we're looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co. --- LINKS: https://mercury.com/ --- X/SOCIAL: @sashaorloff (Sasha) @Immad (Immad) --- TIMESTAMPS:

Experienced venture founders talking about topics that can help others. Host @sm (Winnie) Guest @immad (Mercury)

Immad Akhund is the co-founder and CEO of Mercury, a business banking platform that has raised over $160M in funding and has over 100,000 customers. He has also founded two other companies – Clickpass and Heyzap; the latter of which was acquired in 2016. Immad is a husband and the father of two kids. In today's conversation we discussed:  Starting a family at a very young age (by San Francisco standards) Navigating founding and running several companies, including Mercury The difference between finding more time and finding more energy How to think about skill building with your kids Dealing with disagreements with your spouse The parallels between being the co-founder of a company and the co-founder of a family — Where to find Immad Akhund - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iakhund/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/immad - Curiosity Podcast: https://curiositypodcast.substack.com/   Where to find Adam Fishman - FishmanAF Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ — In this episode, we cover [1:31] Welcome [1:46] Childhood [2:44] Where does your extended family live now? [3:19] Why keep doing startups? [6:52] How did you meet your partner? [7:56] Tell me about your kids [8:42] Decision to start a family [9:51] What does your wife do? [10:59] Why did it feel like the right time to start a family? [17:13] Earliest memory of being a dad? [19:29] Advice for his younger self [22:36] What is something you worked on after having kids? [23:56] Skill building and teaching kids finance [27:46] How has his parenting style evolved? [30:29] What is an example of you getting out of balance w/kids [31:29] Has being a dad changed how you run companies? [34:36] Conflict/managing through disagreements [39:10] Kids relationship w/tech [42:07] Restore batteries [44:08] What is a mistake you made as a dad? [46:32] Follow along [47:23] Rapid fire round — Show references: Mercury: https://mercury.com/ Model X: https://www.tesla.com/modelx The Matrix: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/ Union Square Ventures: https://www.usv.com/ Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/ ClickPass: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/clickpass Hayzap: https://www.linkedin.com/company/heyzap-com/ Inside Out: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2096673/ Frozen: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294629/ Teen Titans: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343314/ Doona: https://www.doona.com/en-us Juni Learning: https://junilearning.com/ — For sponsorship inquiries email: podcast@fishmana.com. For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com  Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/

Immad Akhund is the co-founder and CEO of Mercury, a business banking platform that has raised over $160M in funding and has over 100,000 customers. He has also founded two other companies – Clickpass and Heyzap; the latter of which was acquired in 2016. Immad is a husband and the father of two kids. In today's conversation we discussed: * Starting a family at a very young age (by San Francisco standards)* Navigating founding and running several companies, including Mercury* The difference between finding more time and finding more energy* How to think about skill building with your kids* Dealing with disagreements with your spouse* The parallels between being the co-founder of a company and the co-founder of a familyListen now on Apple, Spotify, Overcast and YouTube.—Where to find Immad Akhund- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iakhund/- Twitter: https://twitter.com/immad- Curiosity Podcast: https://curiositypodcast.substack.com/Where to find Adam Fishman- FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/—In this episode, we cover[1:31] Welcome[1:46] Childhood[2:44] Where does your extended family live now?[3:19] Why keep doing startups?[6:52] How did you meet your partner?[7:56] Tell me about your kids[8:42] Decision to start a family[9:51] What does your wife do?[10:59] Why did it feel like the right time to start a family?[17:13] Earliest memory of being a dad?[19:29] Advice for his younger self[22:36] What is something you worked on after having kids?[23:56] Skill building and teaching kids finance[27:46] How has his parenting style evolved?[30:29] What is an example of you getting out of balance w/kids[31:29] Has being a dad changed how you run companies?[34:36] Conflict/managing through disagreements[39:10] Kids relationship w/tech[42:07] Restore batteries[44:08] What is a mistake you made as a dad?[46:32] Follow along[47:23] Rapid fire round—Show references:Mercury: https://mercury.com/Model X: https://www.tesla.com/modelxThe Matrix: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/Union Square Ventures: https://www.usv.com/Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/ClickPass: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/clickpassHayzap: https://www.linkedin.com/company/heyzap-com/Inside Out: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2096673/Frozen: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294629/Teen Titans: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343314/Doona: https://www.doona.com/en-usJuni Learning: https://junilearning.com/—For sponsorship inquiries email: podcast@fishmana.com.For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron athttp://www.armaziproductions.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit startupdadpod.substack.com

Today we're highlighting two fireside chats from the Newcomer Banking Summit on March 14. First up is Mercury CEO Immad Akhund. He talked about how the Silicon Valley Bank crisis sent customers rushing to his digital banking service. He pitched a world where software — not human bankers — solve most of customers' problems. Akhund told me, “My experience with relationship banking was I need to send a wire and I literally cannot figure out to do it, please help me. Which to me never felt like a relationship, it felt very transactional and painful — and with Mercury you don't have to do that.” Mercury is limited by the fact that it is not a bank — it's a software company on top of banking partners — at a time when regulators are looking closely at how banks work with fintech partners.We concluded our summit with Jackie Reses — who was a top executive at Square before leaving to buy a bank. Reses is the CEO of Lead Bank, a regional Kansas City bank that still serves local customers but has built an onramp for financial technology companies to connect with the banking system.“The thing I saw at Square — which I consider to be a very strong, innovative fintech — is that owning a bank and operating a bank is a 10X delta in understanding compliance to working in a tech company,” Reses said. At Square, Reses said, she learned to “appreciate the complexity of what it takes to do this, so that we could learn how to serve our clients better and help them scale — but make sure we never put ourselves in the position to risk the relationship that we have operating with our regulators.”You can give the episodes a listen or watch them on YouTube.Also: The Future of Banking with Rho, Jiko, and RippleIn case you missed it, we've posted another panel with three fintech/banking leaders. Rho CEO Everett Cook, Jiko CEO Stephane Lintner, and Ripple President Monica Long are all trying to solve shortcomings in the legacy banking system, with different approaches. Check it out to see their takes on the major problems with banking today. Get full access to Newcomer at www.newcomer.co/subscribe

Today we're highlighting two fireside chats from the Newcomer Banking Summit on March 14. First up is Mercury CEO Immad Akhund. He talked about how the Silicon Valley Bank crisis sent customers rushing to his digital banking service. He pitched a world where software — not human bankers — solve most of customers' problems. Akhund told me, “My experience with relationship banking was I need to send a wire and I literally cannot figure out to do it, please help me. Which to me never felt like a relationship, it felt very transactional and painful — and with Mercury you don't have to do that.” Mercury is limited by the fact that it is not a bank — it's a software company on top of banking partners — at a time when regulators are looking closely at how banks work with fintech partners.We concluded our summit with Jackie Reses — who was a top executive at Square before leaving to buy a bank. Reses is the CEO of Lead Bank, a regional Kansas City bank that still serves local customers but has built an onramp for financial technology companies to connect with the banking system.“The thing I saw at Square — which I consider to be a very strong, innovative fintech — is that owning a bank and operating a bank is a 10X delta in understanding compliance to working in a tech company,” Reses said. At Square, Reses said, she learned to “appreciate the complexity of what it takes to do this, so that we could learn how to serve our clients better and help them scale — but make sure we never put ourselves in the position to risk the relationship that we have operating with our regulators.”You can give the episodes a listen or watch them on YouTube.Also: The Future of Banking with Rho, Jiko, and RippleIn case you missed it, we've posted another panel with three fintech/banking leaders. Rho CEO Everett Cook, Jiko CEO Stephane Lintner, and Ripple President Monica Long are all trying to solve shortcomings in the legacy banking system, with different approaches. Check it out to see their takes on the major problems with banking today. Get full access to Newcomer at www.newcomer.co/subscribe

Immad Akhund had the idea for Mercury years before they started. In fact, he'd launched 3 other startups and been through YCombinator twice before even starting initial validation on what would become the beloved neobank of startups everywhere. And opinions were mixed. Immad himself recognized the need for a simpler and more efficient banking service while while operating Heyzap his previous company. But when he shared the concept with other startups, not everyone grasped its potential.Today, Mercury dominates in the neobank industry. Immad walks hosts Tyler Hogge and Sterling Snow through the early days of Mercury, shares advice on how to operate and his strategies on investing. Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:56 Immad's Entrepreneurial Journey - Previous Companies & Learnings00:08:27 What Does Mercury Do? 00:11:24 How He Launched Mercury 00:14:35 The Neo Bank Industry and Launch Timing 00:21:50 The SVB Fallout & How That Led To Big Growth For Mercury 00:32:50 Operating Advice: The Six-Year Vesting Plan00:43:35 Immad's Hot Takes & Predictions: AI Is a Hype Cycle 00:57:17 Rapid Fire & Wrap-upThings to Check Out: Immad's Memo - How to Not Be A Bottleneck as a CEO Immad's Podcast - Curiosity PodcastImmad's Advice on Operating - @immad on X___________________This episode of the IO Podcast is brought to you by PelionConnect on XFollow on TiktokHear Other Episodes on Our Website

Welcome to our first episode of 2024. We're excited to be back and be sharing such a riveting episode to kick off the year! Today we have the pleasure of welcoming special guest, unicorn founder and CEO of Mercury, Immad Akhund. Mercury offers banking and credit cards for ambitious companies and was founded in 2017. With Chris and Yaniv, Immad shares his insights from scaling after finding product-market fit and how the journey has brought diverse challenges. In particular they discuss:

Question for the audience: What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase: “Vest in Peace”?While you chew on that, I want to introduce you to Immad Akhund: Founder and CEO of Mercury and our esteemed guest this week on the show. We spend a lot of time talking about Mercury's amazing growth trajectory, the harsh realities of being a founder, Immad's passion (or lack thereof) for investing, the importance of having a network in San Francisco, Mercury Raise and more. Please note that Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC. Enjoy!!Links:MercuryMercury RaiseImmad on LinkedInOpen by Andre AgassiOn Writing by Stephen KingTopics:00:01:30) It's called a Zoom!(00:02:54) The industry avoids talking about SVB(00:06:54) Mercury's explosive growth(00:16:55) Immad's rolling fund and passion for investing(00:23:27) The harsh reality of being a founder(00:35:42) Immad's north star(00:39:51) The importance of having a San Francisco network today(00:43:27) Mercury Raise(00:46:35) Multi-product strategies(00:49:26) How much time do you spend thinking about Fintech?

Semil Shah is the Founder of Haystack, an institutional venture capital firm that backs outlier founders at the earliest stages. Semil started Haystack in 2013, and has since invested in X unicorns like DoorDash, Instacart, Figma, HashiCorp, Ironclad, Carta, Applied Intuition, and Opendoor. This episode takes us behind the scenes of Semil's two decade journey building Haystack from scratch. We'll dive into how he raised and deployed each of the first six Haystack funds, including all the mistakes made along the way, plus the details around Haystack's new $75 million and $25 million funds announced the date this episode was published. Read Haystack's announcement here: https://semilshah.com/2023/09/10/announcing-haystack-vii-same-model-fresh-funds-and-new-era/ — Brought to you by Mercury, the bank built for startups. Join more than 100,000 startups and venture capital firms on Mercury, the powerful and intuitive way for ambitious companies to bank. Sign-up now: https://bit.ly/3sQRzOw Listen to my conversation with Immad, the Co-founder and CEO of Mercury: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/24ujuXZ2uws48bvwOh9NcR Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lessons-from-building-mercury-with-immad-akhund-co/id1694440669?i=1000619360042 Disclaimer: Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC. — Topics discussed include: Juggling multiple jobs while living paycheck to paycheck his first eight years in Silicon Valley Failing to get his first job in venture three times Investing in the Seed rounds of unicorns DoorDash, Instacart, Hashicorp, and Envoy within the first six months of starting Haystack Why he initially thought Haystack would be a short-term thing Turning down multiple lucrative job offers two years in How the best LPs evaluate VC funds on the “Entry Ownership to Fund Size” ratio Semil's strategy of “crawl, walk, run” to increase Haystack's check sizes over time The pain he felt failing to hit his target fund size on the first four fundraises and how he handled it Why everyone should “pre-market” a fundraise, and how to do it The things most founders don't appreciate about raising a venture fund Fighting to invest in Ironclad's Seed round before he had his next fund raised How LPs reference VCs, and how a VC can become referenceable Why Haystack Fund IV was the scariest fund to raise How Semil builds relationships with LPs The hardest questions he faced raising each fund and what other VCs should anticipate while raising their own fund How LP investment committees make decisions What's going on behind the scenes at most large venture LPs today Why the traditional advice of “finding an anchor LP” makes no sense Spilling his secret on the best quarter to fundraise Why VCs should fundraise with a hard cap on fund size Why every VC should appreciate and remember how LPs supported them through the pandemic All the details on Haystack's new $75 million and $25 million funds Semil's plan for the next 10 years Three pieces of advice for emerging fund managers Where to find Semil: Twitter: https://twitter.com/semil LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/semilshah/ Where to find Turner: Newsletter: https://www.thespl.it Twitter: https://twitter.com/TurnerNovak Production and distribution by: https://www.supermix.io/ For sponsorship inquiries: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSebvhBlDDfHJyQdQWs8RwpFxWg-UbG0H-VFey05QSHvLxkZPQ/viewform

Immad Akhund of Mercury joins Nate to discuss Behind the Scenes at Mercury During the SVB Crisis, Tactical Fundraising Advice for Founders, Lessons from 300+ Angel Investments. In this episode we cover: The Importance of Understanding the Market. Banking for Startups and Entrepreneurs. The Collapse of SVB Lessons Learned from the SVB Crisis. Advice for Founders on How to Navigate a Startup Death Spiral. Guest Links: Twitter LinkedIn Mercury The hosts of The Full Ratchet are Nick Moran and Nate Pierotti of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter. Are you a founder looking for your next investor? Visit our free tool VC-Rank and we'll send a list of potential investors right to your inbox!

Immad Akhund is the CEO of Mercury, a bank for startups. He's also a multi-time founder and a Dual Threat CEO with over 300+ angel investments. Auren and Immad discuss the collapse of SVB and how Mercury handled an influx of over $2 billion in deposits. Immad explains some lesser-known structural aspects of the banking system that affect the product and customer experience. Auren and Immad also talk about crowdfunding a startup, how much focus founders need to succeed, and why Dual Threat CEOs can outperform conventional VCs. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts. You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Immad on Twitter @immad.

As a founder, you've got to be ready for anything, but nothing could have prepared Mercury CEO and founder Immad Akhund for the rapid growth his company experienced after the SVB bank crisis. We're mixing it up this week and sharing an interview from our sister podcast, Equity. TechCrunch fintech reporter Mary Ann Azevedo talks with Akhund about how they onboarded a record number of startup customers and helped guide their current users through the SVB bank crash, how he thinks about fundraising and investing during this downturn, and how he thinks about standing out against competitors like Brex.Becca and Dom will be back next week with an interview with Catherine Tabor from Sparkly. Be sure to check out the Eye on AI. You can find them at https://pod.link/1438378439 or on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@eyeonai3425.Found posts every Friday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcasts: Equity, The TechCrunch Podcast and Chain Reaction.Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each week.Connect with us:On TwitterOn InstagramVia email: found@techcrunch.com

We're switching things up and bringing you two interviews this week, so let's niche down to a single person, think about their work and unpack the rest.Mary Ann took the lead this time, and she sat down (virtually) with Immad Akhund, the CEO and co-founder of Mercury. For those who are unfamiliar, the fintech made headlines earlier this year for how it stepped in to help fill the business banking void left in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank's collapse. Here's what the pair caught up on:Mercury's impressive growth in the months since SVB crashedLessons learned from Immad's angel investing experienceWhat Immad calls the "Startup Death Spiral" and how to escape itAs always, Equity will be back for you bright an early Monday morning. Talk soon!For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity's Simplecast website.Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more!

Immad Akhund is the Co-founder and CEO of Mercury, a digitally native bank for startups. Mercury is supported by investors like a16z, Coatue, CRV, Chapter One, Ryan Peterson, Scott Belsky, Serena Williams, Terrence Rohan, Zach Coelius, Todd Goldberg, and more. Before Mercury, Immad was a part-time partner at YC, co-founded Heyzap which sold for $45 million, and co-founded and scaled Clickpass to millions of users. Brought to you by Secureframe, the automated compliance platform built by compliance experts: https://secureframe.com/request-demo-4?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=062023-thesplit Read the transcript: https://www.thespl.it/p/the-future-of-banking-remote-work In this episode, we discuss: - The future of banking - Why Mercury's beautiful onboarding was an accident - Cultural mistakes most startups make - Two lessons from selling his first company for $45 million - How to get free legal advice - Why it's better to build a network of entrepreneurs than investors - How to fundraise - Why its contrarian to start a non-AI company right now - How Mercury is thinking about AI - Why each operational team has its own engineering team - The embarrassing pitch meeting that raised his Series A from a16z - How crypto used up all its goodwill - The hiring advice he gives every founder Where to find Immad: Twitter: https://twitter.com/immad LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iakhund Podcast: https://curiositypodcast.substack.com/ Where to find Turner: Newsletter: https://www.thespl.it Twitter: https://twitter.com/TurnerNovak Mentioned in this episode: Mercury https://www.mercury.com The Logan Bartlett Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcL_cjZDeFU Timestamps: (0:00) Intro (5:58) Mercury's "accidentally great" onboarding experience (8:13) The fundamental banking business model (9:34) The basics of banking regulation (11:07) How Mercury works with banks (13:27) The future of banking (19:34) Immad's previous startups (22:30) What culture actually means (27:06) Importance of ideas vs execution (32:03) Learning banking from scratch (35:54) Why the first banking partnership failed (37:56) Why the second banking partnership worked (39:24) The difference between compliance and risk teams (42:08) Why compliance is so relevant for better banking (50:13) The biggest mistake for doing remote work (51:21) Mercury Raise (53:33) The game theory of fundraising (54:54) Playbook for generating fundraising momentum (60:45) Common fundraising mistakes (63:12) Hilarious fundraising mishap in front of a16z (68:16) Companies that aren't like this shouldn't touch AI (70:57) Who will win big from AI? (72:10) Immad's take on crypto (86:14) Outro Read the transcript: https://www.thespl.it/p/the-future-of-banking-remote-work Production and distribution by: https://www.supermix.io For sponsorship inquiries: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSebvhBlDDfHJyQdQWs8RwpFxWg-UbG0H-VFey05QSHvLxkZPQ/viewform

Since 2006, Immad Akhund has been investing in and building startups. But he always struggled with working with traditional banks to run his startups, especially as a non-US resident. He figured someone else would solve it, but the issue was still on the table by the time he exited his fourth startup in 2017. So, he launched Mercury, a bank for startups that now is a fintech unicorn valued at $1.62 billion. On the side, Akhund also is an angel investor of 240-plus startups, many of which are unicorns.  Listen to Nathan and Immad discuss:  How failure hooked him onto entrepreneurship  The origins of Mercury as a fix for startup banking How he used Twitter to earn customers Why the journey is better than the end result  Where he invests in future-state startups What makes a strong entrepreneur  Why your small customers matter  Common mistakes startups make with banks And much more fintech advice… Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode. Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.  Speak with our friendly course experts to get clarity on the next steps for your idea, business or career. You will get tailored insights from results achieved by our proven practitioners as well as thousands of students. Book a call now...  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

Immad Akhund is a serial entrepreneur and the CEO of Mercury, a FinTech Platform that was in the headlines recently for being the biggest beneficiary of the SVB crisis. In the 6 days after the crash, Mercury took in over $2B in new deposits from companies leaving SVB and raised FDIC insurance from 1 to 3 to $5M in a week.  (0:00) Intro(1:29) Adam Neumann's couch(4:03) No FinTech background(10:51) What is Mercury?(18:37) What does Mercury do?(27:14) Picking partner or sponsor banks(39:57) Uninsured deposits(50:59) What was the impetus for being so clear in your mission statement?(54:50) FDIC Insurance(1:09:35) Convoluted and esoteric US banking system(1:15:43) The day SVB played out(1:20:33) Why would you bank with anyone but JP Morgan?(1:24:30) The idea for Mercury(1:28:14) Will Mercury become a bank?(1:35:02) Tweeting Keith Rabois(1:40:02) Finding product market fit(1:46:31) Having a big network and strong relationshipsMixed and edited: Justin HrabovskyProduced: Rashad AssirExecutive Producer: Josh MachizMusic: Griff Lawson

Incredibly excited for this conversation with Immad Akhund, the Founder of Mercury, a business bank for startups. Mercury was founded in 2017 when almost no on had tried to build to a neobank for business. Today, Mercury has over 100,000 business customers and provides a suite of banking productsChecking and SavingsCredit Cards and expense managementTreasuryVenture DebtIn this conversation, we talk about just how hard, but rewarding the journey has been. Each year has been radically different from previous:2017 how?2018 build!2019 launch!2020 covid2021 ecommerce boom & tech bubble2022 tech crash2023 SVB fails...Most recently, the failure of SVB, their primary incumbent competitor, was a huge accelerant of the business with $2 Billion in deposits flow in a matter of weeks. This is a great story of what it takes to build in fintech.

Our guest on this episode is Immad Akhund, CEO and Founder of Mercury.Banking is complex, but thanks to companies like Mercury, it doesn't have to be. Now, startups all over the world are reaping the benefits and scaling new heights.Today, Immad shares how Mercury got to 80,000+ customers in more than 180 countries and provides insights into how startups and founders can effectively build and scale their businesses.Specifically, Immad will share:- Tactics for driving early customer acquisition and getting to go-to-market fit- How Mercury grew its customer base from 19,000 to more than 80,000 in just 18 months.- How to maintain sustained customer acquisition.- Why your onboarding process is the leading indicator for engagement.- How Mercury got 55% of their customers through word of mouth.- How to invest in things that are the right thing to do but may not necessarily provide monetary value- How to create a product-focused culture throughout an organizationLearn more at https://tractionconf.ioLearn more about Mercury at https://mercury.com/This episode is brought to you by:Intercom enables businesses to connect with their customers at exactly the right moment using powerful messaging and automation. Scale your customer service without additional investment while still providing efficient and personal customer experiences. Eligible startups get advanced Intercom features at a 95% discount. Visit https://Intercom.com/tractionEach year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don't get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AILaunch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.caContent Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com #product #marketing #innovation #fundraising #fintech #banking #startups

On December 5th, 1933, the 21st amendment of The U.S. Constitution was ratified, effectively ending Prohibition in the United States. 90 years later, alcohol has become a well-studied substance with universally accepted quantities for what constitutes a single drink. But recently, there's been a new player in town. Cannabis. Across the United States, widespread legalization of marijuana has hurtled our country into uncharted territory. In 2018, more than 12 million Americans admitted to driving while under the influence of cannabis. Unlike alcohol, with no “legal limit” or field sobriety test, the dangers of driving while impaired by marijuana become all the more consequential. In fact, it was found that the rate of fatal crashes attributed to impaired driving doubles in states that have recently legalized the drug. All in all, it doesn't matter if you are for or against cannabis, as my guest today is an advocate for safety. Hello, I am your host Mike Lake and in today's preview I will be talking with Denise Valenti, CEO of IMMAD, a company that has developed a technology that can measure visual field functions that are essential for safe driving. Support the show

Discussing weekly tech news w/ experienced venture founders. No investors. Guest - @immad (Mercury, YC Partner, Heyzap, Clickpass) @julien (Breather, Practice) @kevingibbon (Shyp, Airhouse) @berman66 (Nanit, Vowel)

“Whatever point you are at, you kind of have to go back and say ‘what is the thing that you're building?' And ‘do people really want it?'” — Immad Akhund This week Sachit (@sachitgupta) chats with Immad Akhund (@immad), CEO of Mercury — The company trusted by more than 100,000 startups for banking*. Mercury gives founders free checking and savings accounts, debit and credit cards*, domestic and USD international wire transfers, Treasury*, venture debt, and more. He co-founded the company in 2017 after his own frustrations as an entrepreneur with the traditional banking hurdles founders face as they set up and run their businesses. He started Mercury to remove that friction by building an intuitive product experience for necessary financial products in order to help founders manage their business with confidence. Launched in 2019, Mercury has raised $163M from a16z, Coatue, CRV and others. Immad is a serial founder who cuts through a problem and catalyzes change for the industry around it. Born in Pakistan and raised in the U.K., Immad immigrated to the U.S. to join Y Combinator with his previous startup Heyzap (acquired by Fyber). He is a former part-time partner at Y Combinator and is an active angel investor, with more than 250 investments in startups including Airtable, Rappi and Substack. Follow our host, Sachit Gupta on Twitter and sign up for the Creators Collective Newsletter. Do you want to learn how to make a living as a creator? Check out the CreatorsMBA. (02:27) - Dichotomy of being a business person and a creative person (04:42) - The impact and rise of no-code tools to build stuff (07:15) - What trends to look for to determine what to build and whether you should raise funds or not (10:00) - YC for creators (14:36) - The process they followed to build Mercury (17:44) - Product-led growth — What is it? (19:26) - 10x improvements they made during the building phase of mercury (21:46) - How they structured the production function (27:07) - Times when Immad wanted to give up (31:11) - How they were iterating to build, without having feedback from customers  (33:39) - Things they did in the early stages that have been giving them massive results (38:07) - What he looks for in people when building a start-up team (40:24) - The difference between great investors and people with money (43:18) - The transition from the building phase to the growth phase (45:50) - Best practices — Product first growth mindset (49:14) - How he enables the culture in order to make sure people support each other (53:45) - What are the first hires to make (55:09) - Has he ever hired 10x engineers (59:02) - Building a remote company with a strong culture and doing rapid innovation (01:03:28) - Mercury as a bank account and platform (01:06:49) - How has his love for SciFi influenced the product building (01:12:28) - How he propagated his ethics in the team (01:14:58) - Politics — His thoughts on banning people  (01:17:15) - Scifi books that have impacted him (01:18:45) - One piece of wisdom that changed the game for him (01:20:30) - One person he is grateful to (01:21:31) - How he has evolved as an entrepreneur (01:22:54) - What it means to be a conscious creator

On this episode, Immad Akhund, CEO & Founder at Mercury and Jon Fry, CEO & Founder at Lendflow discuss the key components of the FinTech ecosystem and how to embed FinTech into your products to drive exponential growth.   Want the key to unlocking the next unicorn?   Today more and more companies are embedding FinTech (banking, payments, lending, insurance, etc.) into their products not only to drive growth and revenue but also to stay competitive.   For example, Starbucks has the second most used payments application in the United States and they're not a bank.   This episode is moderated by Douglas Soltys of BetaKit.   Specifically, they discuss:   - Why every SaaS company will eventually become a FinTech company. - How to determine how many users will convert into your FinTech product offering. - How to build trust through transparency. - The recommended starting point for companies to take on FinTech systems. - Why Jon chose lending as the sweet spot for Lendflow. - Hidden costs that companies should look out for when embedding FinTech.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Learn more about Mercury at https://mercury.com/   Learn more about Lendflow at https://www.lendflow.com/   #startup #innovation #fintech   This episode is brought to you by:   Zendesk makes it easier to support your customers with customer service, engagement, and sales CRM solutions. Qualifying early-stage startups can get 6 months free of Zendesk Suite and Zendesk Sales CRM. Go to zendesk.com/startups to apply now.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don't get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at ContentAllies.com

Mercury, a banking service for startups, was launched in 2019 but their business idea had been brewing since 2013. Mercury has now grown to 357 employees and tens of thousands of customers.  CEO & Co-Founder Immad Akhund joined us to share some advice:   Classic strategies work. Encourage your investors to talk about you on social media to get word-of-mouth going. Show ambition. Make sure your message encapsulates the scale of what you're trying to achieve.    Get talking. Participate in podcasts or start your own and chat with other founders.

Miguel Armaza sits down with Immad Akhund, CEO and Founder of Mercury, a US-based neobank built for the next generation of startups. Founded almost five years ago, Mercury now enjoys unicorn status and has raised equity from great investors including CRV, Coatue, a16z, and Clocktower.In this episode, we discuss:Why he's short term pessimistic and how startups should prepare for winter and some tough timesFounders: focus on your customers and stop wasting time thinking about your competitorsThe power of cold outreach and how entrepreneurs should perfect and embrace networkingCompany formation and interesting startup trends he's seeing from Mercury's clients… and a lot more! Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today's global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.Do you prefer a written summary, instead? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join 45,000+ readers and listeners around the world!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder & Managing General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4ZMiguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBcFintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIpqp

On this episode of #ThePlaybook, Immad Akhund, Co-Founder & CEO of Mercury, shares his thoughts on: [:38] - Why he considers being an entrepreneur to be “a privilege” above all else [4:56] - How he got the confidence to start his own bank after 4 years of sitting on the idea  [6:28] - The reasons that their business model allows them to compete with the incumbent banks  [17:22] - How his journey in entrepreneurship has helped him gain skills and confidence that he never imagined  Tweet me your takeaway from today's episode @davidmeltzer  Email Me! david@dmeltzer.com Sign up for my Free Weekly Training https://free.dmeltzer.com/friday-training-1 Text Me! (949) 298-2905 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this Fintech Leaders episode, we bring you a special set of interviews from Money20/20 Las Vegas, one of the largest Fintech Conferences in the world.First, Miguel sits down with Tracey Davies, Money20/20 CEO, and Scarlett Sieber, Money20/20 Chief Strategy & Growth Officer.  We discuss: - Their excitement to bring the event back in person - Some of the key fintech trends from this year, including Crypto,  DeFi, Financial Infrastructure.Next, you will hear a conversation with Immad Akhund, CEO/Founder of Mercury, a US-based challenger bank built for startups and e-commerce companies.Founded less than four years ago, Mercury Bank recently became a unicorn valued at $1.6 billion and has raised $180 million from a long list of investors including Coatue, a16z, and Clocktower.Immad and Miguel explored:- The story and incredible growth of Mercury- Immad's vision on the future of business banking- Valuable Entrepreneurial advice: 1. Make something people really want2. Have a retentive product3. Focus on good unit economics4. Build a great distribution strategy5. And, most importantly, have a good story that you're genuinely passionate about!Finally, Immad reminded Miguel why his favorite type of people are entrepreneurs. They spent a long time looking for a quiet space to record our episode, and when the only available area was an empty corner with no chairs or tables, Immad didn't hesitate for a second to just record the episode while sitting on the floor. It was yet another reminder that you don't need a fancy recording studio or office to get shit done!Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today's global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond. Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder & Managing General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4ZMiguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBcFintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIpqp

This week we're having tea with Nick Tommarello, founder and CEO at Wefunder, a crowdfunding platform that allows anyone—customers, users, fans—to invest as little as $100 in companies they love. Nick is an alumni of Y Combinator (W13) and Techstars (Boston '10). In this episode, Nick and Immad discuss:How the law changed on crowdfunding optionsWhy founders might choose to raise funds on WefunderThe benefits of having distributed ownershipThe future of Wefunder and crowdfundingLinks:Nick TommarelloWefunder

There are a few things in this world that really get on my last nerves and the actions of some prejudiced individuals who want to continue to push a white supremacy agenda is one of them. The actions of the senate in Texas is deplorable. Trying to push a white supremacy agenda by omitting facts or perspectives from history is something that nobody should stand for. Whilst some may not realise, I am not phased by racists, I just want you to be upfront with what you stand for so I know where I stand. I believe that the majority of the western world is founded on systems that are institutionally racist and racism is the bedrock of most western governments. Laws and covenants that were created during slavery still persist and still create an unfair playing field for all. Financial institutions, law enforcement, the judiciary system, the academic systems are all designed in a way the puts people of colour at a disadvantage and there has been, there is and at the moment, I feel there will be no reform because it is not in the interest of those who sit at the top.To have the SB3 bill passed is a smack in the face of democracy and decency. The insinuation that it is to advance critical thinking in young people is an insult to their intelligence. Claiming that teaching things as they stand is promoting the 'left' agenda is ridiculous as the new bill clearly promotes a far-right agenda, so how does that promote critical thinking?MR DALEYIn this episode of the Daley Perspective, Mr Daley talks about the recent SB3 bill passed by the Texas Senate, which will now go to Washington to try and secure support. If this bill gets through in Washington, the curriculum in Texas will be changed to exclude the works of Marting Luther King Jr, Ceaser Chavez and others who fought against oppressive and racist agendas in the United States.Follow Mr Daley on Instagram @dydaleyFollow Mr Daley on Twitter @dydaleyJoin Mr Daley on clubhouse @dydaleyListen to the Daley Perspective live on Stereo by following Mr Daley @dydaleyEmail Mr Daley: David@daleyperspective.co.ukDrop Mr Daley a line if you would like to feature as a guest on the Daley Perspective or if you would like Mr Daley to feature as a guest on your podcast!Want to record better podcasts? Looking for great, professional and easy to use audio software? Look no further than Reason. Get professional recording functionality, effects and mastering all in one easy to use solution. Reason provides emulation of some of the worlds best audio hardware, therefore, giving you a world-class studio right on your desktop. If you would like to get Reason, click right here.Peace and blessings!   

In spite of a global pandemic, Australian property prices continue to rise and rise, which means younger people are increasingly left out of the dream of owning their own house.  Year after year, it's predicted the bubble will burst. Year after year, it doesn't.  The Quicky investigates what the future looks like for those who aren't on the property ladder yet. What can possibly change things and make it a more attainable dream once more? CREDITS  Host/Producer: Claire Murphy Acting Executive Producer: Melanie Tait  Audio Producer: Ian Camilleri Guests: Dr Chris Leishman, University of South Australia CONTACT US Got a topic you'd like us to cover? Send us an email at thequicky@mamamia.com.au Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you ever see the movie Broadcast News? If so, you may remember the closing scene in the movie where the network anchorman yells out a window for the entire world to hear that he's made as hell and he's not going to take it anymore. Well, today is one of those days for me. I'm mad as hell about God taking Pam. Unfortuntately there's nothing I can do about it but keep moving forward in life best I can. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jack-church/support

Everyone procrastinates, but there are many ways you can stop yourself from doing so! That's why Immad and Abdul discuss the ways in which you can stop procrastinating on today's episode. They discuss topics like completing the least liked task first, not attaching your self-worth to your performance, as well as utilizing short-term motivation.

Immad and Abdul discuss the habits that individuals can incorporate into their lives to become more efficient. Habits range from entering a flow state, to creating a strict daily routine, to even practicing gratitude.

Shehab joins Immad on todays episode as they discuss startup culture, the challenges behind building a team, and overcoming wishful thinking.

People experience many painful things throughout their lives and they let those moments stick with them throughout their lives. On this episode Immad and Abdul discuss the ways in which you can leave these painful memories in the past so they don't hinder you from achieving your goals.

The past year has been one massive rollercoaster with lives impacted and lessons learned. Abdul and Immad reflect on the past year on the things they have learned, how they have grown, but also touch on the negatives they have felt.

Misbah joins Immad to discuss his filmmaking journey, as well as overcoming challenges that present themselves.

Everyone has had a summer where at the end of August they wonder where they didn't complete everything they would have wanted and wonder where the summer went. That's why Immad, Abdul, and Hudson are discussing the various different ways to ensure that you make the most of your summer.

Have you ever wondered how your personality is built? In this episode, Abdul, Hudson, and Immad discuss the big 5 personality traits, what they are, and how they vary based on many factors.

Have you ever considered how your subconscious biases impact the way you make decisions? In this episode, Hudson, Abdul, and Immad discuss 8 different cognitive biases that all impact how people view and make decisions.

In this episode Hudson, Abdul, and Immad discuss why you should be an optimist, they discuss the impact optimism has on physical health, mental health, and touch on tips for you to become an optimist as well!

Have you ever felt out of it or overwhelmed before a big exam? In this episode, Hudson, Abdul, and Immad discuss why we should regulate these stresses as well as techniques to regulate stress and anxiety.

Immad Nayeem joins Abdul and Hudson again to discuss his experiences with balancing identities. They discuss how one defines their identity, the many different identities people have, as well as the traits people should look for in their mentors.

In this episode, Hudson, Abdul, and Immad discuss the topic of mental toughness. They dive into the ideas of the 4 C's of mental toughness, how to build mental toughness, as well as looking at the dark side of mental toughness.

Immad Nayeem joins Hudson and Abdul this week as they discuss the topics of finding your passions, being accepting of change, and the art of self-discovery.

What positives can we draw from 2020? In a world filled with negativity and a year that challenged each person in different ways, Abdul, Hudson, and Immad discuss the positives that came out of 2020. They also explore the potential of the future and the growth that 2021 will allow.

Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes