Recently, I joined Bond as the Director of Strategic Initiatives. Before Bond, I spent a decade at McKinsey leading the Firm’s North American fintech practice and worked at two venture-backed startups: Flyhomes and Teralytics.

I've met with and advised dozens of fintechs over my time at McKinsey. After years of being a trusted advisor, I decided it was time to move into an operating role myself. I wanted to join something early, in a huge market, and with the right team. Many in my network have asked me why I decided to join Bond. Here’s why:

1) The People: Every person I met through interviews inspired and impressed me

In our world with so many unknowns, the best way to ensure the success of any organization is to bring together the best team possible. At Bond, every person — yes, every single one — is truly exceptional at what they do. Every day, I enjoy working with and learning from incredibly talented colleagues, from analysts to co-founders. As a first-generation immigrant myself, I've also found myself at home within Bond's culture of ambition, hard work, and kindness.

2) The Product: Many of my clients at McKinsey were searching for a partner and a product like Bond

‍During my time at McKinsey, the question CEOs most frequently asked me was, "How can I create more value for my shareholders?". While the answer differed on the tactical level, strategically, it was always the same:
a) Grow your top line by better serving your customers
b) Expand your valuation multiple by changing the narrative of your company

Bond empowers companies to achieve both of these goals: grow their core business by increasing the lifetime value of customers and bring an entirely different high-growth fintech angle to each business.

3) The Market: Every company is already a fintech company

‍Companies across industries are beginning to realize that finance was always an embedded part of their product. It's hard to imagine a house without a mortgage, a Peloton bike without a monthly gym-like payment plan, or an iPhone without the Apple Card. Companies are looking for simple and innovative ways to remove the barriers to purchasing a product. Bond is a critical partner in helping every company simplify and augment their customers' purchasing experiences. The time for the explosive growth of embedded finance is NOW.

Whether you're simply curious about embedded finance, Bond, or looking for a new opportunity, please feel free to reach me at bora@bond.tech. I can also be found on Twitter at @boracansekerel or LinkedIn.