#243: Lori Shao, Founder & CEO of Finli, on Building an Innovative Fintech Company Powering Neighborhood Businesses

Lori Shao is a financial services veteran with deep expertise in payment technology and innovation. In April 2019, she walked away from her 17-year career in banking to build Finli, a vertical payment solution to power neighborhood schools and freelance instructors. Finli stands for financial lift and operates with the clear mission to financially lift communities through innovation and narrow the gap of accessibility, affordability, and outcome for all. Lori resides in Arcadia CA with her husband Derek and two children Ed and Ryan.

Some of the Topics Covered by Lori Shao in this Episode

• What Finli is and why Lori left a career in banking to start Finli

• How Lori decided to quit her job to start Finli

• Lori's decision to join Techstars and how impactful the experience was for her

• Raising a small seed round of $1.5M after Techstars

• How Lori has helped small business owners affected by COVID

• Lori's experience fundraising for Finli as a mom and a solo, first-time founder

• The conversations Lori had with her husband as she was starting Finli

• Understanding what you actually want in a career

• How Lori has gone about building the team at Finli

• The unique way Finli does customer acquisition

• How Lori invests in herself and what a day consists of for her

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