011 Sam Power
Chief Growth Officer, Abound
Sam Power is Chief Growth Officer at Abound. He launched Wealthsimple in the UK, which is around the time we met, before moving to Chile for a couple of years to lead growth for Fintual. He’s deeply connected within the fintech ecosystem through his work advising and investing in early stage consumer startups across Europe, the US, Africa and Latin America.
“Because what’s needed varies drastically for each product.”
The interview
What’s your coffee ritual?
I don’t drink coffee - see below.
What was your first marketing job?
Growth at a startup called WhipCar. It was the world’s first P2P car sharing service and was sadly probably ahead of its time.
What’s an underrated growth channel in fintech?
B2B2C. There are so many interesting fintechs that want to test new product lines, can move quickly, and come with distribution..
What keeps you up at night?
I am really good at sleeping. I can sleep anywhere, any time.
What are the most useful measurement tools you use in your work?
We use Amazon QuickSight and PostHog.
What’s one fintech brand (other than your own) that’s getting marketing right?
Robinhood still seem to be delivering over and over again. They’re constantly shipping new products. They just launched prediction markets, their deposit and referral incentives are always creative and seem mutually beneficial.
Why is marketing so hard?
Because what’s needed varies drastically for each product. At Abound, our customers care about whether we’re giving them the best rate they can find and how quickly we can get money into their account. Brand, and design, don’t matter. It’s all about execution. Yet for many other places I’ve worked, brand and how the product makes you feel is crucial. So it’s all about understanding who your customers might be and coming up with a strategy to get in front of them while providing them with something they actually need/want.
Whose answers to the above questions would you most like to read?
Some of the people I follow on X for serious and not-so-serious takes on tech, like Greg Isenberg, Nikita Bier, and Trung Phan.