FinTech Founders - Why We Need More Women in FinTech with Payswiff CEO Priti Shah
“I see a huge uptick in the number of women entrepreneurs and fintech founders in the young generation who are passionate about creating impact which is quite heartening to see.” Today’s woman dreamer Priti Shah is a fintech entrepreneur to know. Priti is the founder of Payswiff, and is on a mission to revolutionize payment systems. She has received numerous accolades throughout her career including “50 Most Influential Payment Professionals” and “30 Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in India. A must read story for women entrepreneurs, Priti shares her advice to women interested in fintech, how she grew Payswiff, and more!
1) What inspired your interest in fintech and entrepreneurship?
Since my childhood, I used to look at various magazine covers and business interviews of charismatic leaders and aspire to one day have a successful entrepreneur. However, I came from a very traditional middle class Gujarati family where I had limited options for studies or pursue my dreams. I lacked the professional backing and background but always had higher aspirations. It wasn't until after I had my daughter that I embarked on my professional journey in the fintech space and I'm always grateful to the support of my family which enabled me to chase my dreams. Fintech just happened. I chose a job that was into digital payments, which was near to my house as my daughter was small and i had to allocate her more time. I started as Asst Manager Admin but it was my passion & an opportunity to accomplish my dreams that made me more curious to digital payments. And that time India was at the cusp of digitization when I started my career with ecommerce picking up and need for online payments getting stronger
2) Do you see more women entering the fin-tech space? What is your advice to those looking to break into the industry? Secondly, what are some good career paths in fintech?
In India, there are many women in leadership positions in the banking & finance sector who inspire thousands of us, including me but not unfortunately that doesn't translate much into women in the financial technology sector which is currently still evolving. Although I see a huge uptick in the number of women entrepreneurs and fintech founders in the young generation who are passionate about creating impact which is quite heartening to see.
I think I would urge women to get into both, tech and finance positions, and find a niche area where they are trained to understand in today's innovative and disruptive technology like blockchain, but also understanding the financial implications of it. I see some wonderful women working in the research, product and strategy teams and I think they are very challenging and dynamic roles
3) You have scaled this company and been recognized for your work by multiple media outlets. What were some challenges and obstacles you faced along the way, and how did you overcome them?
I think I am often referred to as a "woman" or "female" founder which sometimes put me off - you don't refer to any of my other co founders as male as if that's automatically implied. Also, sometimes few people get nervous or uncomfortable while negotiating money with a female which is quite laughable in today's day and age
4) Rewind back to your first day creating Payswiff. What advice would you give yourself?
Continue to believe in yourself - always challenge your own assumptions on your abilities and don't hold back while demanding accountability
5) What are some of your hobbies? How do you decompress and relax after a long day?
Some quality family time with my husband and daughter, reading, mentoring woman lead start-ups, binge watching moveis & series or long walks