We only take on 4 clients per month. Join our April cohort. 2 spots left.
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 Laura Kornhauser, CEO and Co-Founder of Stratyfy, a predictive analytics and decision management solutions provider that has raised $10 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
- Laura’s Journey to Founding Stratify: Laura shares her transition from a decade-long career at JPMorgan Chase to entrepreneurship, influenced by her engineering background and a personal mission driven by her family’s entrepreneurial spirit.
- Inspiration from Literature: Laura discusses how “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” have significantly impacted her outlook as an entrepreneur, emphasizing lessons on societal issues and the entrepreneurial journey.
- Stratify’s Mission: Stratyfy is focused on enabling financial institutions to better understand customer risk through advanced analytics, aiming to improve financial inclusion by addressing structural biases within the financial system.
- Early Challenges and Breakthroughs: Laura recounts the initial difficulty in convincing risk-averse financial institutions to adopt Stratyfy’s innovative technology and the persistence required to secure their first customers.
- Rapid Growth and Team Expansion: Over the past year, Stratyfy has seen a 400% increase in its customer base and nearly doubled its team size, testament to the company’s impactful mission and innovative technology.
- The Importance of Mission Alignment and Problem-Solving in Talent Attraction: Laura attributes Stratyfy’s success in attracting top-tier talent to a shared commitment to their mission of financial inclusion and the opportunity to solve complex, meaningful problems.
Actionable
Takeaways
Leverage Personal Experiences for Inspiration:
Laura's story of being inspired to start Stratyfy after facing credit rejection emphasizes the power of personal experiences in identifying market gaps and opportunities. Founders should consider how their own experiences can highlight systemic issues or unmet needs, serving as a catalyst for innovative solutions.
Mission-Driven Approach Attracts Talent:
Aligning your company's mission with broader societal impacts, as Stratyfy does with financial inclusion, can be a significant factor in attracting and retaining top talent. Entrepreneurs should clearly articulate their mission and ensure it resonates with the team's values and aspirations.
Persistence in Customer Acquisition:
Stratyfy's early challenges in customer acquisition underscore the importance of persistence and creativity in sales, especially in conservative industries like finance. Founders should be prepared for a long engagement process, utilizing every opportunity to demonstrate value and maintain engagement without pushing for immediate conversion.
Iterative Product Development Based on Market Feedback:
Starting with a single product focused on credit risk assessment and expanding based on customer feedback and identified needs illustrates the importance of being responsive to market demands. Entrepreneurs should stay closely connected to their customer base to identify opportunities for product expansion or refinement.
Building a Supportive Founder Network:
Laura's openness to connecting with other founders for support and advice highlights the importance of a strong peer network. Entrepreneurs should actively seek out connections with peers for mutual support, sharing experiences, and navigating the challenges of startup life together.
Recommended Founder
Interviews
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
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
Reed Switzer
CEO of Hopscotch
Reed Switzer, CEO of Hopscotch: $10M to Build the Future of B2B Payments For SMBs
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
Don Muir
CEO of Arc
Don Muir, CEO of Arc: Over $180 Million Raised to Empower Startups with a Better Cash Management Experience
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
Rafael Loureiro
CEO of Wealth
Rafael Loureiro, CEO of Wealth: $16 Million Raised to Build the Future of Estate Planning
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
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
Shamir Karkal
Co-founder and CSO of Sila
Shamir Karkal, CEO of Sila: $20+ Million Raised to Build the Money API For Fintech
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
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
Kalpesh Kapadia
CEO and Founder of Deserve
Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO and Founder of Deserve: $50 Million Raised to Build the Future of Credit Cards
John Lunn
CEO and Founder of Gr4vy
John Lunn, CEO and Founder of Gr4vy: $27 Million Raised to Build the Future of Payments Infrastructure
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
Jack McDonald
CEO of PolySign
Jack McDonald, CEO of PolySign: $50 Million Raised to Power the Future of Digital Assets
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
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
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
Eric Velasquez Frenkiel
Founder and CEO of Pomelo
Eric Velasquez Frenkiel, CEO of Pomelo: $70 Million Raised to Build the Future of Remittance
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
Ben Borodach
Co-Founder and CEO of April
Ben Borodach, Co-Founder and CEO of April: $40 Million Raised to Embed Intelligent Tax Experiences
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
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
Bob Suh
CEO of OnCorps
Bob Suh, CEO of OnCorps: $18M Raised to Help Large Financial Institutions Solve Operational Problems with AI
Jonas Overgaard
CEO of Anyday.io
Jonas Overgaard, CEO of Anyday.io: $4M Raised to Transform the Buy Now Pay Later Market
Ahmad Ibrahim
CEO of NeoTax
Ibrahim, CEO of NeoTax: $13 Million Raised to Build the Future of Tax Automation
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
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
Rodney Reisdorf
Co-Founder & CEO of Co-Founder & CEO
Rodney Reisdorf, CEO of Verivend: $3 Million Raised Transform Private Capital Transactions