Listen Here

| |

Conversation
Highlights

 

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech’s most innovative B2B founders. In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Ankit Ratan, co-founder and CEO of Signzy, a digital onboarding infrastructure platform that has raised over $38 million in funding.

  • Ankit’s early career experiences at Accenture and his first startup, Crosslink, which provided data analytics for enterprises, and how the learnings from those ventures shaped his vision for Signzy.
  • The once-in-a-lifetime transformation of the banking industry from branch-led to digital-first, and the challenges banks face in automating processes and distributing products through non-traditional channels.
  • How Signzy provides a single-stack solution for banks to access fintech APIs and no-code workflows, enabling faster, cheaper, and more customizable onboarding journeys compared to legacy vendors.
  • The evolution of Signzy’s positioning from risk and compliance to AI-led customer journeys, and the company’s ambition to establish this as a new category akin to CRM or core banking.
  • Signzy’s traction in key geographies like the US, Middle East, and India, with 15-20 million customer journeys per month translating to a $15 million ARR and 100% year-over-year growth.
  • Ankit’s lessons learned in selling to banks, the importance of demonstrating clear differentiation through rapid POCs, and the shift in mindset from “if” to “how” when it comes to digital transformation.

Actionable
Takeaways

Demonstrate "Magical" Differentiation Through POCs:

Ankit highlights the power of making a bold promise to prospects - like turning a 6-month workflow implementation into a 3-day POC - and then delivering on it. By rapidly standing up a functional (if not fully integrated) solution, Signzy proves its capabilities are vastly superior to legacy vendors. Technical founders should design POCs that create these "magical moments" showcasing an order-of-magnitude improvement.

Adapt Your Pitch to Investors' Priorities:

A key fundraising lesson Ankit shares is the importance of focusing not just on what your product is, but what it can do for customers. Founders, especially those with engineering backgrounds, often geek out about their technology - but investors care more about the business outcomes it enables. Crafting a narrative anchored in quantifiable value creation for a specific customer segment is critical.

Capitalize on Industry Inflection Points:

Signzy's growth has been propelled by the once-in-a-generation digitization wave sweeping the banking industry. Ankit notes that conversations with banks have shifted from "should we do this?" to "how should we do this?" - creating a massive opportunity for enablement solutions. Founders should closely monitor their target industries for these inflection points that create urgency and accelerate adoption.

Leverage Events for Category Evangelism:

To build mindshare around the emerging category of AI-led customer journeys, Signzy is doubling down on events as a key thought leadership channel. Ankit observes that banking decision-makers, especially from smaller institutions, are more engaged at conferences than with digital content. Founders should optimize their event strategy to deliver high-impact education on the strategic shifts reshaping their industry.

Pursue Expansion Vectors Within Anchor Accounts:

Signzy's land-and-expand model has been key to its 100% year-over-year growth. By going deep with anchor clients like the top 4 banks in India, the company has steadily increased its ARR while minimizing acquisition costs. Enterprise founders should seek out champions within lighthouse accounts and continuously add value through new use cases to drive efficient scaling.

Recommended Founder
Interviews

Brendan Playford

CEO of Pngme

Brendan Playford, CEO of Pngme: $18 Million Raised to Support Financial Inclusivity and Unlock Economic Potential Across the Developing World

Nik Talreja

CEO & Co-Founder of Sydecar

Nik Talreja, CEO & Co-Founder of Sydecar: Over $16 Million Raised to Make Venture Deal Execution a Frictionless Process

Daniel Grunstein

CEO and Co-Founder of Crowded

Daniel Grunstein, CEO and Co-Founder of Crowded: $6.4 Million Raised to Transform Nonprofit Financial Management

Florian Wimmer

Co-Founder & CEO of Blockpit

Florian Wimmer, Co-Founder & CEO of Blockpit: $15 Million Raised to Power the Future of Crypto Tax Management

Sohaib Zahid

CEO and Co-Founder of Railz

Sohaib Zahid, CEO and Co-Founder of Railz: $15 Million Raised to Build to Accounting Data as a Service Category

Arik Shtilman

CEO of Rapyd

Arik Shtilman, Rapyd: $15 Billion Valuation (Unicorn Builders)

Ron Benegbi

CEO & Founder of Uplinq

Ron Benegbi, CEO & Founder at Uplinq: Over $5 Million Raised to Transform SMB Lender’s Existing Credit Evaluation Process

Julio Martínez

Co-Founder and CEO of Abacum

Julio Martínez, Co-Founder and CEO at Abacum: $40 Million Raised to Build the Future of FP&A

Kalpesh Kapadia

CEO and Founder of Deserve

Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO and Founder of Deserve: $50 Million Raised to Build the Future of Credit Cards

Ben Borodach

Co-Founder and CEO of April

Ben Borodach, Co-Founder and CEO of April: $40 Million Raised to Embed Intelligent Tax Experiences

Jonas Overgaard

CEO of Anyday.io

Jonas Overgaard, CEO of Anyday.io: $4M Raised to Transform the Buy Now Pay Later Market

Bob Suh

CEO of OnCorps

Bob Suh, CEO of OnCorps: $18M Raised to Help Large Financial Institutions Solve Operational Problems with AI

Rafael Loureiro

CEO of Wealth

Rafael Loureiro, CEO of Wealth: $16 Million Raised to Build the Future of Estate Planning

Thibaut Sahagian

CEO of Multis

Thibaut Sahagian, CEO of Multis: $9 Million Raised to Build a New Category of Software Designed to Meet the Needs of Web3 Organizations

Shamir Karkal

Co-founder and CSO of Sila

Shamir Karkal, CEO of Sila: $20+ Million Raised to Build the Money API For Fintech

Don Muir

CEO of Arc

Don Muir, CEO of Arc: Over $180 Million Raised to Empower Startups with a Better Cash Management Experience

Swapnil Shinde

CEO and Co-Founder of Zeni

Swapnil Shinde, CEO and Co-Founder of Zeni: $47+ Million Raised to Build the Finance Operations Category

Olga Chin

CEO and Founder of InterPrice Technologies

Olga Chin, CEO and Founder of InterPrice Technologies: Over $10 Million Raised to Build the Future of Capital Markets Treasury Management

John Lunn

CEO and Founder of Gr4vy

John Lunn, CEO and Founder of Gr4vy: $27 Million Raised to Build the Future of Payments Infrastructure

Jack McDonald

CEO of PolySign

Jack McDonald, CEO of PolySign: $50 Million Raised to Power the Future of Digital Assets

Laura Kornhauser

Co-Founder and CEO of Stratyfy

Laura Kornhauser, Co-Founder and CEO at Stratyfy: $10 Million Raised to Power the Future of Financial Inclusion

Ahmad Ibrahim

CEO of NeoTax

Ibrahim, CEO of NeoTax: $13 Million Raised to Build the Future of Tax Automation

Eric Velasquez Frenkiel

Founder and CEO of Pomelo

Eric Velasquez Frenkiel, CEO of Pomelo: $70 Million Raised to Build the Future of Remittance

Fady Hawatmeh

Founder and CEO of Clockwork

Fady Hawatmeh, Founder and CEO of Clockwork: Nearly $3 Million Raised to Make Financial Modeling and Cash Flow Forecasting Easy

Stephany Kirkpatrick

CEO and Founder of Orum

Stephany Kirkpatrick, CEO and Founder of Orum: Over $85 Million Raised to Build an API integration for Instant Payouts

Ben Goldin

CEO and Founder of Plumery

Ben Goldin, CEO and Founder of Plumery: $4.5 Million Raised to Power the Future of Digital Engagement for Banks

Kevin Hart

Founder and CEO of Green Check Verified

Kevin Hart, Founder and CEO of Green Check Verified: $16 Million Raised to Power the Future of the Cannabis Business

Jonathan Sukhia

CEO and Co-Founder of Topkey

Jonathan Sukhia, CEO & Co-Founder of Topkey: $7 Million Raised to Build the Future of Financial Management for Short-Term Rentals

Wade Arnold

CEO and Founder of Moov

Wade Arnold, CEO and Founder of Moov: $77.5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Embedded Payments

Reed Switzer

CEO of Hopscotch

Reed Switzer, CEO of Hopscotch: $10M to Build the Future of B2B Payments For SMBs

Rodney Reisdorf

Co-Founder & CEO of Co-Founder & CEO

Rodney Reisdorf, CEO of Verivend: $3 Million Raised Transform Private Capital Transactions