Fintech – where finance meets technology – is typically thought of as something of a ‘boys club.’ However, some of the most exciting and forward-thinking firms in the industry today are founded and led by women.
To celebrate International Women’s Day 2024, we’ve rounded up five of our favourites.
1. Romi Savova – PensionBee
Romi Savova founded PensionBee – a Good With Money ‘Good Egg’ company – in 2014 to help people take the sting out of managing multiple pensions after she had a difficult experience trying to do so herself.
The user-friendly platform simplifies pensions for its customers by tracking down their lost pensions and consolidating them into one new plan. Its smartphone-friendly app allows savers to manage their pensions remotely and hassle-free – with back-up from the company’s customer service “Beekeepers.”
Romi says: “It was incredibly difficult to set up a new and disruptive business from scratch, but we were successful because we had all experienced the pensions market as consumers – and that experience showed why PensionBee was sorely needed to demystify pensions.”
PensionBee is also a leader in the industry for sustainable pension investments, offering an Impact Plan and ground-breaking Fossil Fuel-Free plan.
When the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange in April 2021, it was valued at between £346 million and £384 million. With a 45 per cent stake in the company, the float made Romi – now aged 35 – one of the wealthiest female technology CEOs in the UK.
2. Emilie Bellet – Vestpod
Emilie Bellet launched award-winning online platform Vestpod in 2016 to help give women the confidence and knowledge to take control of their finances.
A career in private equity and at Lehman Brothers had left Emilie with the stark realisation that although she earned good money, she wasn’t actively managing her finances and couldn’t find the support to do so.
She says: “Vestpod was born out of a desire to empower women by opening up the conversation”.
Vestpod provides relatable content, workshops and events about finance and careers specifically for women. Emilie is also the host of The Wallet podcast and author of the book You’re Not Broke You’re Pre-Rich.
3. Georgia Stewart – Tumelo
Georgia Stewart co-founded Tumelo in 2020 to enable pension members and investors to speak up on issues that are important to them. Tumelo’s software enables people to see the companies they have invested in and say how they would like the company to tackle the issues they care about.
The idea for the company was born at Cambridge University after Georgia and co-founders Will Goodwin and Ben King pushed for greater transparency of their university’s £6 billion endowment fund and its investments.
Tumelo’s vision is that by 2030, every investor will be empowered to use their shareholder rights. With 275 million investors holding £54 trillion in workplace pensions and investment products across the UK and the US (and most of this in funds), that’s a lot of impact.
Georgia says: “Fund managers control majority stakes in the world’s most influential companies. These companies feel untouchable and yet we own them. Our shareholder ownership system is broken. So, our mission at Tumelo is to enable platforms to empower investors, and to enable companies to listen to them.”
In 2023, Georgia was named as one of the Forbes ’30 under 30 Europe’ for her work within investor voting.
4. Charlotte Ransom – Netwealth
Charlotte Ransom co-founded wealth management firm Netwealth in 2015. Charlotte started her career at J.P. Morgan and spent 20 years at Goldman Sachs, 10 of which as one of its few female partners. But when it came to managing her own money and planning for her and her children’s futures, she struggled to find a wealth manager that could meet her needs.
She says: “We didn’t want anything particularly special. Simply a well-run, professional, transparent investment service that would help us reach our own financial goals as well as those for our children, our parents and potentially our broader families – all at the right price.”
So she and co-founder Thomas Salter designed their own service from scratch. Netwealth offers clients more control over their money, transparency and lower fees, and Netwealth Network – a collective investment service that lets you invest as a group and share the benefits.
Charlotte was recognised in the PAM Awards as one of the ’50 Most Influential’ in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 and awarded Wealth Manager of the Year and Woman of the year, in 2019.
5. Michelle Pearce-Burke – Wealthify
Michelle Pearce-Burke was just 25 when she founded digital investment firm Wealthify, which allows people to invest from as little as £1, in 2016.
After leaving medical school to pursue her passion for investing, Michelle gained chartered status and worked as a wealth manager. Frustrated with the lack of opportunities for “young people like her” with average sums to invest, she left the firm to shake up the industry and founded Wealthify.
The company went public in April 2016, was acquired by Aviva and now manages the investments of more than 30,000 customers.
Michelle says: “My best return on investment has been when I backed myself, to co-found online investment service, Wealthify. Not only has the money I have invested as a customer grown extraordinarily well – over 50% in five years – but also my shares in the company itself.”
Wealthify’s Ethical Plan is also one of the best ethical options out there from a so-called ‘robo-adviser‘ platform.
