Ready to build your own Founder-Led Growth engine? Book a Strategy Call
Frontlines.io | Where B2B Founders Talk GTM.
Strategic Communications Advisory For Visionary Founders
Actionable
Takeaways
Identify Pain Points Through Personal Experience:
Ben's motivation to transform the banking experience stemmed from his own frustrating interactions with traditional banks as a teenager. Founders should look for opportunities to solve problems they've encountered firsthand, as this personal connection can fuel their passion and provide valuable insights into user needs.
Combine Out-of-the-Box Solutions with Customization:
Plumery's "buy plus build" approach recognizes that banks need both standardized features for parity and the ability to differentiate through custom development. When designing products for complex industries, consider how to balance pre-built functionality with flexibility and extensibility.
Apply Proven Principles from Adjacent Industries:
By bringing headless architecture, a proven concept in e-commerce and content management, to the banking sector, Plumery is introducing a novel solution to a traditional industry. Founders should look for opportunities to adapt successful strategies and technologies from related fields to solve problems in their target market.
Leverage Founder Expertise and Networks for Fundraising:
As a repeat founder with extensive domain knowledge, Ben had an advantage in raising capital for Plumery. Entrepreneurs should highlight their relevant experience and cultivate relationships with well-connected investors who can help generate interest and momentum in their fundraising efforts.
Trust Your Instincts and Maintain Perspective:
Ben's advice to his younger self underscores the importance of staying grounded and confident as a founder. While the challenges of building a startup can feel overwhelming at times, it's crucial to trust your gut, maintain a healthy perspective, and not take things too seriously.
Conversation
Highlights
From BBS to Banking: How This Founder is Reimagining Digital Banking Experiences
At age 15, Ben Goldin was already running a BBS (Bulletin Board System) from his home in Lithuania, much to his parents’ dismay. “This thing was driving my parents crazy with all the nerdy modem sounds coming in all day,” he recalls. That early passion for technology would eventually lead him to spend nearly 25 years building banking technology, culminating in his current venture as the founder of Plumery.
In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, Ben shared how his teenage fascination with technology and an early, frustrating experience with banking would shape his career trajectory and eventually lead to founding a company that’s pioneering a new approach to digital banking experiences.
The Genesis Story: When Personal Pain Points Meet Professional Opportunity
Ben’s journey into banking technology began with his own first banking experience. “I had to get permission from my parents, obviously, and I experienced a very clunky, slow and unreliable interface of a traditional bank,” he explains. “And I said, gosh, if I would have a chance to change that sometime in the future, that would be awesome.”
That early frustration would prove prophetic. After serving as the CTPO of Mambu, a leading cloud-based core banking platform serving over 300 customers across 60 countries, Ben noticed a persistent pattern: banks were repeatedly building the same digital experiences, often failing on their first attempt.
Creating a New Category in Banking Technology
Rather than simply offering another banking software solution, Ben’s company Plumery is pioneering what he calls “the first headless digital engagement platform” in banking. This approach represents a significant departure from traditional banking software, borrowing successful patterns from e-commerce and content management while adapting them to banking’s unique needs.
“We recognize the importance for banks to differentiate themselves and innovate where it matters the most,” Ben explains. “But we also acknowledge that there are things that banks would better take out of the box.”
The Buy vs. Build Dilemma: Finding a Third Way
Perhaps the most innovative aspect of Plumery’s approach is how it resolves a longstanding tension in banking technology. Instead of forcing banks to choose between buying everything out of the box or building everything from scratch, Plumery promotes what Ben calls a “buy for feature parity and build for competitive edge” approach.
This hybrid model allows banks, particularly mid-sized and smaller institutions, to implement standard features quickly while maintaining the flexibility to innovate where differentiation matters most. It’s an approach that acknowledges both the resource constraints and competitive pressures these institutions face.
Lessons in Early-Stage Growth
For B2B founders, Ben’s experience offers valuable insights into early-stage company building. His advice? “Don’t be too serious. Keep it simple and relaxed,” he shares. “We sometimes take things too seriously, right. We sometimes are too afraid of doing things we don’t feel confident about our own instinct and thoughts.”
This philosophy extends to his approach to fundraising. Having raised $4.5 million, Ben emphasizes the value of strategic networking, particularly the importance of connecting with well-networked angel investors who can create momentum and generate inbound interest from other investors.
A Vision Beyond Features
While Plumery’s immediate focus is on solving technical challenges, Ben’s ultimate vision extends far beyond software features. “My vision was always to change the way how people experience banking and do that for a meaningful number of people globally,” he states.
This combination of technical innovation and customer-centric vision offers a valuable template for B2B founders: the most successful enterprise platforms will be those that enable their customers to better serve end-users, rather than just providing technical capabilities.
For founders building in mature markets, Plumery’s story demonstrates how combining domain expertise, innovative technology approaches, and a clear vision for user experience can create opportunities even in well-established industries. Sometimes, the most significant innovations come not from creating entirely new technologies, but from fundamentally rethinking how existing technologies can be combined and deployed to solve persistent problems.
Recommended Founder
Interviews
Arik Shtilman
CEO of Rapyd
Arik Shtilman, Rapyd: $15 Billion Valuation (Unicorn Builders)
Nathan Beckord
CEO of Foundersuite
Nathan Beckord, CEO of Foundersuite: $13 Million Raised to Build the Go-To Platform for Startup Fundraising
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
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
Ankit Ratan
Co-Founder and CEO of Signzy
Ankit Ratan, Co-Founder and CEO of Signzy: Over $38 Million Raised to Build the Future of Digital Onboarding Infrastructure
Kalpesh Kapadia
CEO and Founder of Deserve
Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO and Founder of Deserve: $50 Million Raised to Build the Future of Credit Cards
Halle Kaplan-Allen
Head of Marketing of Sydecar
Why LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads Beat Traditional B2B Creative
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
John Lunn
CEO and Founder of Gr4vy
John Lunn, CEO and Founder of Gr4vy: $27 Million Raised to Build the Future of Payments Infrastructure
Renaud Laplanche
Co-Founder and CEO of Upgrade
How Upgrade built 6 billion-dollar products by designing for multi-product from day one | Renaud Laplanche ($6B Valuation)
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
Rodney Reisdorf
Co-Founder & CEO of Co-Founder & CEO
Rodney Reisdorf, CEO of Verivend: $3 Million Raised Transform Private Capital Transactions
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
Bob Suh
CEO of OnCorps
Bob Suh, CEO of OnCorps: $18M Raised to Help Large Financial Institutions Solve Operational Problems with AI
Debbie Soon
Head of Marketing of Privy
Storytelling for Technical Products w/ Debbie Soon
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
Yasmin Graeml
Marketing & Communication Leader of Flourish Fi
Yasmin, Marketing & Communication Leader at Flourish Fi: Driving Financial Engagement with Innovative Tech
Colin Luce
CEO & Co-Founder of Basis Theory
Colin Luce, CEO & Co-Founder of Basis Theory: $20 Million Raised to Build the Future of Payments Tokenization
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
Patricia Montesi
CEO & Co-Founder of Qolo
Patricia Montesi, CEO & Co-Founder of Qolo: $30 Million Raised to Build the Future of Omnichannel Payments Infrastructure
Reed Switzer
CEO of Hopscotch
Reed Switzer, CEO of Hopscotch: $10M to Build the Future of B2B Payments For SMBs
Steve Pomfret
Steve Pomfret, CEO & Founder of Cygnetise: $8 Million Raised to Build the Future of Signatory Management
Patrick Mollard
CEO & Co-Founder of Fipto
Patrick Mollard, CEO & Co-Founder of Fipto: $16 Million Raised to Build the Future of Blockchain Payments
Jonas Overgaard
CEO of Anyday.io
Jonas Overgaard, CEO of Anyday.io: $4M Raised to Transform the Buy Now Pay Later Market
Don Muir
CEO of Arc
Don Muir, CEO of Arc: Over $180 Million Raised to Empower Startups with a Better Cash Management Experience
Felix Rodriguez
CEO & Founder of Finally
Felix Rodriguez, CEO & Founder of Finally: $110 Million Raised to Power the Future of Finance Automation
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
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
Tal Shahar
CEO & Co-Founder of Atlas Invest
Tal Shahar, CEO & Co-Founder of Atlas Invest: $13 Million Raised to Transform Real Estate Financing
Magali Chapuis
Marketing Manager of Embat
Magali Chapuis, Marketing Manager of Embat: Strategic Insights for Scaling Fintech Marketing Across Borders
Iris Pfeifer
VP of Growth of Wisetack
Iris Pfeifer, VP of Growth at Wisetack: Mastering B2B Marketing Through Sales Alignment and Product Strategy
Carmen Li
CEO of Silicon Data
Carmen Li, CEO of Silicon Data: $5M+ Building the World’s First GPU Compute Risk Management Platform
Bryan McCarty
Director of Product and Product Marketing of Orum
Donuts & Product Launches: Orum’s Unconventional Event Strategy
Jeremy Almond
CEO & Founder of Paystand
Jeremy Almond, CEO & Founder of Paystand: $100M Raised to Power the Future of B2B Payments
Rafael Loureiro
CEO of Wealth
Rafael Loureiro, CEO of Wealth: $16 Million Raised to Build the Future of Estate Planning
Steffen Vollert
Co-Founder of Volt
Steffen Vollert, Co-founder of Volt: $87 Million Raised to Build the World’s Leading Global Real-Time Payment Network
Daumantas Dvilinskas
CEO & Co-Founder of TransferGo
Daumantas Dvilinskas, CEO & Co-Founder of TransferGo: $125 Million Raised to Build the Future of Cross-Border Payments
Helen Chong
Head of Growth of Puzzle
Helen Chong, Head of Growth at Puzzle: Collaborating with Founders – Insights for Effective Marketing Alignment
Shamir Karkal
Co-founder and CSO of Sila
Shamir Karkal, CEO of Sila: $20+ Million Raised to Build the Money API For Fintech
Matt Bivons
CEO & Founder of Canopy
Matt Bivons, CEO & Founder of Canopy: $30M Raised to Build a Modern Servicing Platform for Scaling FinTechs
Jessica Zhang
CEO & Co-Founder of Pier
Jessica Zhang, CEO & Co-Founder of Pier: $2.5M Raised to Build the Future of Credit Infrastructure
Tate Hackert
Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer of ZayZoon
How ZayZoon built 300+ payroll partnerships to reach 15,000 businesses without direct sales | Tate Hackert
Chandini Jain
CEO & Co-Founder of Auquan
Chandini Jain, CEO & Co-Founder of Auquan: $8 Million Raised to Transform Financial Intelligence Through AI
Omri Mor
CEO & Co-Founder of Routable
Omri Mor, CEO & Co-Founder of Routable: $100 Million Raised to Transform AP Automation for Fast-Growing Companies
Nicholas Lembo
VP of Marketing of Coast
Navigating GEO: Earned Media & SEO Tactics That Actually Work
Fiona Sherwood
CMO of Dasseti
The Death of Gated Content: Why This CMO Gives Everything Away
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
Caleb Avery
Founder & CEO of Tilled
Caleb Avery, Founder & CEO of Tilled: $40 Million Raised to Build (and Dominate) the PayFac as a Service Category
Brian King
CEO of LODAS Markets
Brian King, CEO of LODAS Markets: $8.5 Million Raised to Power the Future of Alternative Investments
Daniele Grassi
CEO of Axyon AI
Daniele Grassi, CEO of Axyon AI: $5.5 Million Raised to Power the Future of Financial Markets with AI
Henrique Dubugras
Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Brex
Henrique Dubugras: the Story of Brex ($12 Billion+ Valuation)
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
Klas Bäck
CEO & Co-Founder of Pagos
Klas Bäck, CEO & Co-Founder of Pagos: $44 Million Raised to Power the Future of Payments Operations
Ahmad Ibrahim
CEO of NeoTax
Ibrahim, CEO of NeoTax: $13 Million Raised to Build the Future of Tax Automation
Jack McDonald
CEO of PolySign
Jack McDonald, CEO of PolySign: $50 Million Raised to Power the Future of Digital Assets
Steven Greene
CEO of Standard Practice
Steven Greene, CEO & Co-Founder of Standard Practice (Previously Nibble Health): $8 Million Raised to Bring the Fintech Revolution to the World Healthcare Payments
Scott Dorey
Co-Founder of OpenPath
Scott Dorey, Co-Founder of OpenPath: $25 Million Raised to Build the Future of Payments
Ben Borodach
Co-Founder and CEO of April
Ben Borodach, Co-Founder and CEO of April: $40 Million Raised to Embed Intelligent Tax Experiences
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
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
Eric Velasquez Frenkiel
Founder and CEO of Pomelo
Eric Velasquez Frenkiel, CEO of Pomelo: $70 Million Raised to Build the Future of Remittance
Sandro Zweig
CEO and Co-Founder of tiun.
How tiun validated product-market fit with 6-12 months of pilot data before scaling | Sandro Zweig