#20 An introduction to fintech with Sempli’s Esteban Velasco

An introduction to fintech with Sempli’s Esteban Velasco, Ep 20<br /><br />In this episode of How to be the Difference, Johanna and Paul invite Esteban Velasco to talk about his journey as an entrepreneur and a venture capitalist. In addition to founding Velum Ventures, Esteban is CEO and co-founder of Sempli, a fintech company that focuses on improving the financial health and wellness of Colombian small businesses through its all-in-one finance digital bank.<br /><br />Sempli has supported over 2000 small businesses in Colombia, lent over $55 million dollars, and created the first credit card for small business that isn’t backed by a traditional financial institution in Colombia. <br /><br />Esteban shares with Johanna and Paul the lessons he learned declaring bankruptcy during his first entrepreneurial experience, why he decided to work in venture capital and some of the startup success stories he’s invested in. They also discuss his decision to become an entrepreneur again and the importance of education – in particular, financial education – for small businesses in Latin America.<br /><br />To learn more about amazing internship opportunities, check out The Intern Group’s website.<br /><br />Outline of this episode:<br />[0:27] - Daylight savings in Ireland<br />[2:05] - Introducing Esteban Velaso<br />[3:26] - Coming from an entrepreneurial family<br />[10:54] - Lessons learned from bankruptcy<br />[16:40] - Credit cards for small businesses <br />[21:00] - What is fintech?<br />[23:50] - Financial inclusion for women<br />[26:25] - The power of education <br />[29:45] - Startup success stories<br />[32:18] - What gets you out of bed<br />[34:22] - What’s next for Esteban?<br />[36:25] - Sempli’s mission statement<br /><br />Resources & people mentioned:<br />Esteban Velasco<br />Sempli<br />Velum Ventures<br />Merqueo<br />Domicilios<br />Habi<br />Nubank<br />Konfio<br />Johanna Molina<br />Paul Lynskey<br />The Intern Group<br /><br /><br /><br />What career is right for me? I don’t know what to do with