We sit down with Sean Banks, Partner at TTV Capital and recent Georgia FinTech Hall of Fame inductee, to unpack two decades of early-stage fintech investing. From Atlanta’s payments hub to navigating 2008-09 and today’s AI wave, Sean shares portfolio wins, hard-won lessons, and what it takes to build category-defining companies in venture capital. Key Topics: Sean’s path from Naval Academy & JD to venture capital TTV Capital’s evolution: Fund I to a $250M Fund VI Why Atlanta became the global payments hub Operating through the 2008-09 crisis: reserves, concentration risk, and learning to “lean into winners” Portfolio highlights: Bill.com, Green Dot, Greenlight, Featurespace, and more Seed & Series A focus: check sizes, pacing, and pre-seed “placeholders” Category creation in fintech: embedded accounting, household finance, vertical SaaS + payments AI in fintech: getting the last 20% right, timing adoption, and data access shifts Regulation: Volcker Rule fallout, MTLs, CFPB dynamics, EU data/PII hurdles Where TTV is bullish/cautious: BNPL infrastructure, stablecoins’ impact on FX, practical Web3 use cases What You’ll Learn: How a fintech-focused VC scaled through multiple market cycles The traits of founders who raise well and build enduring businesses Why diversification, partner selection, and reserves matter in early-stage portfolios How to evaluate AI and vertical SaaS opportunities in financial services Practical guidance for fintech founders on readiness, regulation, and being coachable Links mentioned in this episode: TTV CAPITAL: https://ttvcapital.com/ ASSET CLASS: https://www.assetclass.com/ LinkedIn: Sean Banks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-banks-93b3471/ LinkedIn: Ferdi Roberts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ferdiroberts/ Podcast Producers: Des McGouran Sam Roberts