Ep 306 - The Hustle Behind Elevate Pay

EPISODE INTRODUCTION

Khalid Keenan is the co-founder and CEO of Elevate Pay, a Y Combinator-backed startup that provides US dollar bank accounts to freelancers and remote workers in emerging markets. Khalid shares his journey from a software engineer to a fintech founder, offering insights into the challenges and triumphs of building a startup in the highly regulated financial industry. He also reflects on the pivotal moments that shaped Elevate Pay, including a move to East Africa and a strategic pivot that redefined the company’s mission.

Episode Timeline: 

[00:04:11] -  Early entrepreneurial journey and first exposure to hustling.

[00:12:05] - Transitioning from small projects to large-scale systems at Goldman Sachs.

[00:17:48] - Leadership roles at ActiveVM and the evolution of coding skills.

[00:20:09] - The founding of Elevate Pay

[00:31:32] - The Y Combinator experience and speaking to users to validate ideas.

[00:35:00] - Building a core team, the challenges of hiring in fintech, and creating a transparent company culture.

[00:40:00] - Generating traction, leveraging word of mouth and  Khalid as a founder.

[00:45:00] - How to get started with Elevate Pay

"Titles don't mean shit, right? You have to have an evolution of and multiple levels up within yourself as a leader because there's a lot of things as you expand your responsibilities."

Links: 

Khalid Keenan (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/khalid-keenan-a381578a/

Elevate Pay (Website): https://www.elevatepay.co/

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