Dave Girouard - Making Better Loans - [Founder’s Field Guide, EP. 52]

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">My guest today is</span> <a href="https://twitter.com/davegirouard?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Dave Girouard</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, co-founder and CEO of Upstart, a lending platform that leverages AI to make loans more accessible and affordable. Dave started in Silicon Valley as a Product Manager at Apple and later spent eight years at Google, where he built their suite of cloud apps. In our discussion, we cover the lessons Dave has learned about building speed into a habit, the intricacies of training an AI model to predict the future, and what it was like to start a fintech business as an outsider. We also discuss the past, present, and future of lending, why Dave and his team have no plans to build a super app and the differences between public and private market investors from a founder’s perspective. One of the tropes you hear these days is that lending has become a customer acquisition tool for FinTechs, but as Dave explains, the market and opportunity set in lending itself should not be underestimated. Please enjoy this great conversation with Dave Girouard.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page</span> <a href= "https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes/91470262/girouard-making-better-loans"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><strong>-----</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>This episode is brought to you by</strong> <a href= "https://www.klaviyo.com/founders"><strong>Klaviyo</strong></a><strong>. Klaviyo is the ultimate marketing platform for e-commerce. With targeted segmentation, email automation, SMS marketing, and more, Klaviyo helps you create your ideal customer experience.</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>See why brands like Living Proof, Solo Stove, and Nomad trust Klaviyo to grow their business. For a free trial, che