Orly Stern Izhaki - Building Meaningful Products for SMBs – Trust, PLG, and Sustainable Growth

Orly Stern Izhaki - Building Meaningful Products for SMBs – Trust, PLG, and Sustainable Growth

In this episode, Martin is joined by Orly Stern Izhaki, a seasoned product leader with a deep track record of building platforms for small businesses — from her time at Wix Restaurants to leading business applications at Payoneer. They explore what SMBs really need from the products they use, and how to earn their trust when it matters most. The conversation covers product strategy, pricing, PLG execution, internal culture change, and the evolving role of AI in driving value and insight for busy SMB operators. Whether you’re scaling a SaaS platform, building a fintech product, or leading a cross-functional product team, this episode is packed with practical insights. About Orly Orly is a global product leader with 20+ years of experience across fintech, SaaS, and digital platforms. She previously served as GM of Business Applications at Payoneer and led key business units at Wix.com, including Wix Restaurants and monetisation. Her expertise spans product, engineering, design, and GTM, with a focus on building impactful, scalable tools for SMBs around the world. Connect with Orly on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/orly-stern-izhaki-705b3444 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/orly-stern-izhaki-705b3444/] Resources & Links * Learn more about the podcast: scalepointpartners.com [https://www.scalepointpartners.com] * Connect with Martin: linkedin.com/in/koderisch [https://www.linkedin.com/in/koderisch] * Subscribe and follow for future episodes

Carlos Del Valle, Co-Founder and CEO of Tonder.io - Building Fintech Infrastructure for Latin America

In this episode, Carlos Del Valle, Co-founder and CEO of Tonder, shares the story behind building one of Latin America’s emerging payment infrastructure platforms. Born out of a first-hand pain point in his previous startup, Tonder was created to address the challenges of low card approval rates, fragmented payment systems, and the lack of reliable, unified solutions across the region. We explore how Tonder is navigating the complexity of cross-border settlements, why composability is central to its platform architecture, and how stablecoins now power a significant portion of its operations. Carlos also reflects on what it takes to scale across multiple markets in LatAm, the reality of building remote-first teams, and the regulatory and cultural barriers that still need to be addressed to accelerate digital payments in the region. From on-the-ground experience to future ambitions, this conversation is a deep dive into what it really takes to build resilient, regionally attuned fintech infrastructure in Latin America. Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cdelvalleg/ https://tonder.io/

José Manuel Peral Cortés, From Bootstrap to Exit: Lessons in Fintech, Funding, and Control

In this episode of The Scale Point Podcast, Martin is joined by José Manuel Peral Cortés, co-founder of FinTK Consulting. José reflects candidly on his entrepreneurial journey—starting with Easy Payment Gateway, which he helped build from scratch and eventually exited to Global Payments. From bootstrapping and building early product-market fit, to navigating investor misalignment and watching competitors outpace on valuation and visibility, José offers hard-won insights into what it really takes to grow and exit a fintech startup in Europe. He recounts building one of the earliest orchestration platforms before “orchestration” was even part of the industry’s vocabulary—serving high-risk merchants and solving for complex routing and integration challenges that many didn’t yet know they had. “We were too early. Back in 2012, no one in Europe was talking about orchestration—except maybe gambling and forex companies. They had the pain and they understood it. That’s who we went after.” As the company scaled, José shares the highs and lows of fundraising in a market where venture capital lacked fintech expertise—and how chasing valuations came at the cost of long-term strategic alignment. “We raised around €25 million, but lost control along the way. Our investors had capital but not the right context. They didn’t understand that fintech is a long game—you get to profitability in year eight, not year three.” The sale to Global Payments was a milestone, but also a cautionary tale. José and his co-founder exited the company just as they had secured an acquiring licence—missing what he believes could have been their breakthrough moment. “We were competing with Checkout at the same size. Imagine what could’ve happened if we’d had the right backers with the right vision.” This is a must-listen episode for founders, fintech operators, and investors alike—especially those thinking seriously about the trade-offs between bootstrapping, strategic capital, and sustainable growth in payments. 00:00 – Intro and welcome 01:00 – José’s early career and the founding of Easy Payment Gateway 03:00 – Bootstrapping, MVP building, and early product-market fit in high-risk verticals 05:00 – Explaining orchestration before it was mainstream 07:00 – The challenges of raising VC in Spain and early-stage Europe 09:00 – Exit dynamics: dilution, board control, and investor misalignment 13:00 – What went wrong: missed opportunities, license timing, and reflections on valuation 17:00 – Life after exit: from Cabify to co-founding FinTK Consulting 20:00 – What FinTK does and why they remain senior and selective 23:00 – Future ambitions: branding, M&A, and expanding expert-led services 25:00 – Rise of the expert “virtual bench” in consulting 26:00 – Payments innovation: instant rails, stablecoins, and new protocols 30:00 – BEUM explained: Spain’s instant A2A success story 31:00 – Wrap-up and final thoughts Resources & Mentions: * https://fintkconsulting.com * Guest: José Manuel Peral Cortés on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/josemanuelperalcort%C3%A9s/]

Parijat Banerjee, Global Head of FS at Latent View Analytics: Evolution and Impact of APIs and AI in BFSI Sectors

In this episode of the Scalepoint Podcast, I sit down with Parijat Banerjee, Global Head of Financial Services at Latent View Analytics, to discuss the transformative role of APIs and AI in the banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) sector, as well as the healthcare insurance ecosystem. They explore the shift of APIs from backend technical enablers to crucial front-end commercial products and delve into case studies illustrating their impact on open banking, regulatory compliance, and customer experience. They also discuss the challenges and benefits of AI in healthcare, focusing on data fragmentation, predictive analytics, and personalised care. The episode concludes with practical advice for organizations looking to leverage AI and data-driven strategies, highlighting the importance of robust data architectures and collaborative partnerships. ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/parijat-banerjee-752a318/⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/parijat-banerjee-752a318/] 00:00 Introduction to the Scale Point Podcast 00:25 Meet Perri Jets Banerjee: Global Head of Financial Services at Latent View Analytics 01:15 The Evolution of APIs in Financial Services 02:48 Open Banking and Regulatory Compliance 04:14 APIs: Enhancing Customer Experience and Market Competition 06:39 Geographical Differences in API Commercialization 08:23 The Unbundling and Rebundling of Financial Services 12:49 Challenges of Legacy Technology in Banking 15:25 Introduction to Healthcare Insurance Ecosystem 18:11 Data Flow Challenges in Healthcare 18:58 AI and APIs: Transforming Healthcare 20:13 Case Study: Data Integration in Healthcare 22:17 The Role of APIs in Data Transformation 23:10 AI's Impact on Data Consolidation 23:48 Improving Digital Adoption and Reducing Costs 26:00 Creating a Comprehensive Member DNA 27:26 Leveraging AI for Faster Data Processing 29:22 Practical Advice for AI Transformation 31:08 The Importance of Data Foundations 38:07 Balancing Build, Buy, and Partner Strategies 43:00 The Future of AI and Partnerships 45:09 Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks

Panagiotis Kriaris, Director and Head of Business & Corporate Development at Unzer: The Blueprint for Fintech Partnerships and Sustainable Growth

In this episode of The Scalepoint Podcast, Martin is joined by Panagiotis Kriaris, Director and Head of Business & Corporate Development at Unzer.  We explore: * The evolution of fintech partnerships: from competition to collaboration with banks * Why partnerships have become a key accelerator for innovation—and why execution matters * Different partnership models: strategic alliances, acquisitions, and standalone digital innovation centres * The shift from high-growth-at-any-cost to sustainable, profitability-focused fintech models * The critical role of software in payments, embedded finance, and vertical ecosystems * Lessons from the Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) boom—and the new compliance pressures reshaping the model * How embedded finance and the rise of vertical SaaS are changing SME banking * The growing importance of data, AI, and platform strategies in financial services * What startups can learn about sustainable growth, pivoting, and building capital-efficient businesses 02:17 Understanding FinTech Partnerships 05:32 Challenges and Evolution in FinTech 11:54 The Role of Software in Financial Services 17:08 Banking as a Service: Current Trends and Challenges 18:51 Understanding Embedded Finance 19:45 The Role of Regulatory Scrutiny 20:52 Comparing US and European Regulatory Models 22:11 The Rising Cost of Compliance 22:22 Fintechs and Compliance Challenges 24:37 Emerging Trends in Fintech 27:01 Balancing Innovation and Sustainability 30:00 Pivoting for Sustainable Growth 34:13 AI's Role in Fintech 36:18 Conclusion and Final Thoughts