Ben Savage (Clocktower Technology Ventures) - Why the future is Fintech, Fractional Ownership and Lessons Learned from Ray Dalio

The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I Brands

Our guest today is Ben Savage, Partner at Clocktower Technology Ventures. Ben and his fund focuses on investing in Fintech and financial services. As you could image, we're going to be talking about the consumer side to fintech. You'll also learn how his time working under Ray Dalio at Bridgewater shaped him as an investor, why digitally native financial services haven't taken off as fast as digitally native CPG brands, and opportunities in fractional ownership. Without further ado, here's Ben.

Some of the questions I ask Ben:

1. I'd love to first hear about your background since you've had a breadth of experiences as an investor. What was your attraction to finance and how did you get your start?
2. You worked at Bridgewater Associates. On this program we always ask each guest what's one book that inspired you personally and one book that inspired you professionally and Principles has come up time and time again. What was it like working there first hand and what did working with Ray and his team teach you? Transparency you deliver for feedback. Pick your battles
3. Receive honest feedback for founders?
4. How did Clocktower come together? Why the fintech focus?
5. Why has it taken so long for consumer financial services to be adopted D2C models? Is it harder to obtain consumer trust?
6. How are these consumer financial services able to build trust?
7. What is the reason why Alipay
8. How do you think about this era of new investable assets? What's not currently investable that you think could be become investable in the future?
9. What's the best new idea that you've heard - fractional ownership, technology is allowing us to trade into tradeable wealth.
10. They say that the future of consumer is fintech. What do you think investors don't understand about fintech?
11. How are you thinking about the current state of cryptocurrency?
12. At a macro lends what makes fintech in Latin America interesting and one of your focuses?
13. Why are the margins going up
14. How are you going to accelerate consumer adoption for banks?
15. We talk about how every consumer tech company becomes a fintech company. Do you think investors are truly prepared for this?
16. Are you also thinking about ways to make private markets more liquid?
17. What was your biggest learning due to COVID?
18. What's one thing you would change about venture capital?
19. What's one book that inspired you personally and one book that inspired you professionally?
20. What's one piece of advice that you have for founders?