Finley CEO Jeremy Tsui on "Uncharted": Why debt capital matters and how he found his way into fintech
In Episode 116 of the Uncharted podcast, hosted by SaaS experts Poya Osgouei and Robby Allen, Finley CEO Jeremy Tsui shares why debt capital management is such a mission-critical challenge for high-growth companies, when his “a-ha” moment of entrepreneurship was, and how software can help companies turn their credit facility management into a competitive advantage.
Episode link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1XlWEEe0zpn7JtlX0VFj4I?si=aACSzqLkQcGWWz_GxGyOTw
Looking for a specific part of the episode?
Here's a quick outline of the interview:
3:15 — Jeremy’s background: Where he’s from and where he grew up, as well as how his journey through entrepreneurship has evolved from side hustles to a fintech backed by Y Combinator and Bain Capital Ventures.
4:54 — How Jeremy launched an Instagram pop-up: What the Museum of Memories was, and how Jeremy and his friends turned an abandoned Dallas nightclub into an Instagram museum that over 25,000 people have visited.
6:00 — Jeremy’s investing and finance experience: How Jeremy’s three years at Goldman Sachs as an investor have informed Finley’s product and GTM roadmap in managing debt capital in the $20-200 million range.
7:25 — Why understanding debt capital is key to understanding how the economy runs: How corporate debt capital is like a “jumbo credit card” that comes with a lot of rules for how money is spent, what needs to be reported, and what rules to follow.
9:30 — Where the inefficiencies are in debt capital: Some of the accessibility challenges companies face in obtaining capital, and Jeremy’s “a-ha” moment when it came to seeing how software could help companies access debt capital.
12:40 — What the key differences are between equity capital and debt capital: When it makes sense for companies to raise equity versus debt capital. Debt’s moment of innovation in today’s funding environment.
14:39 — Startup valuation and inflation: Whether rising valuations in equity are also showing up in debt capital, and what the future may hold.
16:45 — What Jeremy would tell his younger self: Why finding peers who are interested in entrepreneurship and creating a community is the key to launching a venture-backed company down the line.
About Jeremy Tsui
Jeremy Tsui is the co-founder and CEO of Finley Technologies, a Y Combinator- and Bain Capital Ventures-backed software company that helps companies raise and manage debt capital. Jeremy was previously an investor within Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division, where he witnessed firsthand how relationships between borrowers and capital providers can be made more efficient with purpose-built reporting, transaction, and management software. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Jeremy specialized in financial risk modeling at Oliver Wyman, where he worked with clients like State Street, Truist Bank, and PNC. Jeremy holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin.
Want to learn more?
Debt capital is a key part of the capital strategy for many high-growth startups, but debt capital management (and the reporting and compliance obligations associated with) can slow companies down or blindside them with unexpected engineering costs.
Today, innovative startups like Ramp, Even, and Ribbon are ensuring programmatic credit agreement monitoring and management by using Finley's debt capital management software to monitor covenants and execute funding requests for their credit facilities. As a result, they're getting the most out of their credit facilities and maximizing the efficiency of their Finance teams.
If you're interested in learning more about software that can help you scale your capital markets function and ensure debt capital compliance, just request a consultation with a Finley debt capital expert and we'll be in touch!