From Code to C-Suite Podcast

AI has made products faster and cheaper to build. But thatdoes not necessarily make them better.In this episode of From Code to C-Suite, Liam sits down withBrendan Grove, co-founder of PrizeOut, to discuss what it takes to build and scale a startup when technology is making it easier than ever to get a product into market.Brendan’s journey began in engineering before moving intoanalytics, data science and product at DraftKings. He later returned to entrepreneurship as a co-founder of PrizeOut, which evolved from gaming payouts into rewards technology for credit unions and their members.Brendan explains why cheaper development can also create aflood of average products, why distribution increasingly matters alongside product quality, and why founders still need to understand the real problem they are solving.They also discuss the difficult side of building a company,from deciding which fire actually matters to leading teams through uncertainty, learning from failure and knowing when raising more capital can create problems rather than solve them.In this episode, we cover:Brendan’s journey from engineering to DraftKings and PrizeOutHow PrizeOut evolved from gaming payouts to credit union rewardsWhy AI is making products cheaper and faster to buildWhy easier development can lead to more average productsWhy distribution can matter as much as productStaying focused when there are fires everywhereMaking difficult decisions without knowing if you are rightBuilding and leading teams through uncertaintyWhy raising more money is not always the answerWhy founders have to become comfortable with failureBuilding something has become easier. Building something people genuinely want, distributing it and turning it into a scalable business is still the hard part.  📲 Connect with Liam Moir-Holland and From Code to C-Suite:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liammoirholland/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-moir-holland-a194b3158/LinkedIn (Podcast): https://www.linkedin.com/company/from-code-to-c-suite/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@code.to.csuite  📲Connect with Brendan Grove LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendan-grove-63325966/ 📌 Subscribe for more conversations with founders, operators, and investors.

Faster payments are only useful if you can trust them. In this episode of From Code to C-Suite, Liam sits down with Richard Hoffmann, Head of Product at GrailPay, to discuss the risk infrastructure behind business payments, why trust matters so much in fintech, and what needs to happen before instant payments, stablecoins and agentic payments can scale.Richard joined GrailPay as employee number three and has helped build the company across operations and product. Today, GrailPay uses first-party and third-party data with machine learning to help financial institutions better understand payment risk and make transactions safer and faster.Richard also shares his unconventional journey into fintech, what he learned from working directly with founders, and why early-stage careers often require uncomfortable bets, patience and a willingness to learn from what does not work.We cover:•⁠  ⁠Why safer payments can become faster payments•⁠  ⁠The hidden risk behind business payment delays•⁠  ⁠Why trust matters more than hype in fintech•⁠  ⁠Stablecoins and the future of payment rails•⁠  ⁠Why agentic payments may be ahead of the market•⁠  ⁠How AI could make financial fraud more sophisticated•⁠  ⁠Making uncomfortable bets in startups•⁠  ⁠Why patience matters early in your careerThe future of payments may be faster and moreautomated, but better risk decisioning is what will make that possible.📲 Connect with Liam Moir-Holland and From Code to C-Suite:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liammoirholland/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-moir-holland-a194b3158/LinkedIn (Podcast): https://www.linkedin.com/company/from-code-to-c-suite/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@code.to.csuite 📲Connect with Richard Hoffmann:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richwhoff/📌 Subscribe for more conversations with founders, operators, and investors.

Fintech is changing again. This time, AI is accelerating what is possible, but technology only matters if it solves a real customer problem.In this episode of From Code to C-Suite, Liam sits down with Chris Hartley, Chief Product and Operating Officer at Kasheesh, to discuss more than 25 years in fintech, the evolution of product leadership, and how AI could reshape payments and financial decision-making.Chris began his career on the front lines of a credit union before moving into fintech and spending more than a decade across eBay and PayPal. Today, he is helping build Kasheesh, a fintech platform that enables consumers to split purchases across multiple debit and credit cards, giving them more flexibility over cash flow and credit utilisation.Throughout the conversation, Chris shares why staying close to the customer has shaped his entire approach to product, what he learned from building financial products at scale, and why product readiness and launch readiness are two very different things.He also explores what happens as AI agents begin making purchasing decisions on behalf of consumers, the new problems that creates when transactions go wrong, and why product teams need to think beyond automation to trust, control and the overall customer experience.In this episode, we cover:•⁠ ⁠Chris’s journey through more than 25 years in fintech•⁠ ⁠Building financial products at Fiserv, eBay and PayPal•⁠ ⁠Why staying close to the customer matters at every stage of your career•⁠ ⁠The difference between product readiness and launch readiness•⁠ ⁠What a failed PayPal experiment taught Chris about testing and iteration•⁠ ⁠Moving from individual performance to becoming a multiplier as a leader•⁠ ⁠Why customer empathy matters when building financial products•⁠ ⁠How AI agents could change payments and purchasing decisions•⁠ ⁠What happens when an AI-controlled transaction goes wrong•⁠ ⁠Why technology should always be tied to a real customer problem•⁠ ⁠Building teams that are confident enough to make decisions and learn from mistakesAI will change how financial products are built and used. The challenge is making sure the customer remains at the centre of every decision.

Being early can be just as damaging as being wrong.In this episode of From Code to C-Suite, Liam sits down with Phil Fogel, co-founder of Cork Protocol, to discuss more than a decade of building in crypto, the challenge of timing a market correctly, and what it really takes to keep going through the highs and lows of startup life.Phil began his career in traditional finance, trading options on the floor of the American Stock Exchange before discovering Bitcoin in 2013. Since then, he has built several blockchain companies, explored staking infrastructure and onchain carbon markets, and is now building Cork Protocol, infrastructure designed to help financial risk be priced and managed onchain.Phil shares why seeing the future is not enough if the market is not ready, how founders learn to handle setbacks differently over time, and why the team around you becomes even more important as businesses move faster.In this episode, we cover:• Phil’s journey from traditional finance into Bitcoin and Web3• Why being early can be just as costly as being wrong• Building infrastructure for onchain risk and liquidity• The emotional highs and lows of startup life• How AI is changing software development and team structures• Why smaller teams can now build and test much faster• The challenge of developing future engineers when AI writes more of the code• How agentic finance could reshape insurance and financial services• Why critical thinking becomes more important as AI improves• Why trust and fast feedback are essential when building a team • The security risks of building financial infrastructure in an AI-driven worldIn fast-moving markets, being right is only part of the challenge. Timing, execution and the people around you matter just as much.📲 Connect with Liam Moir-Holland and From Code to C-Suite:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liammoirholland/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-moir-holland-a194b3158/LinkedIn (Podcast): https://www.linkedin.com/company/from-code-to-c-suite/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@code.to.csuite 📲Connect with Phil Fogel:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philfog/ 📌 Subscribe for more conversations with founders, operators, and investors.

Entrepreneurship is not for everyone, and building a successful business is rarely a straightforward journey.In this episode of From Code to C-Suite, Liam sits down with Alex Cordover, CEO of Tradeable, to discuss the realities of entrepreneurship, making decisions with incomplete information, and building a fintech platform for private assets.Alex began his career working with artificial intelligence and machine learning before AI became a global conversation. He went on to work inside a Fortune 500 company, launch his own startup, and help incubate Tradeable inside Victory Park Capital before spinning it out as an independent business.Today, Tradeable is building financial infrastructure for private credit and alternative assets. Alex shares how the business moved from an internal idea to a growing marketplace, why adoption follows economics, and how founders can recognise when to stay the course and when the market is telling them to pivot.In this episode, we cover:• Building Tradeable from an internal idea into a private asset marketplace• Why solving a genuine market problem matters more than starting with the technology• How to know when to stay the course and when to pivot• Why good decisions do not always produce perfect outcomes• The realities of entrepreneurship that social media rarely shows• What founders should look for when making their first hires• Why early employees must think like operators and owners• How AI is lowering the barriers to starting a business• Why making yourself uncomfortable is essential for growthBuilding a company means learning to make sound decisions, adapt to the market and keep moving through uncertainty.--------------------------------------------------------------📲 Connect with Liam Moir-Holland and From Code to C-Suite:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liammoirholland/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-moir-holland-a194b3158/LinkedIn (Podcast): https://www.linkedin.com/company/from-code-to-c-suite/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@code.to.csuite 📲Connect with Alex Cordover:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-cordover-72a0a276/📌 Subscribe for more conversations with founders, operators, and investors.

Building software used to take months. Now, a prototype can be ready in three days. In this episode of From Code to C-Suite, Liam sits down with Gregor Siwinski, CEO/CTO at Payability, to explore how AI is changing software development, fintech and the way modern engineering teams operate. Gregor has helped build the technology behind more than $6 billion in financing for e-commerce businesses. He shares how Payability supports Amazon and Walmart sellers, why managing risk remains one of fintech’s hardest challenges, and how a team of fewer than 50 people can operate at significant scale. He also explains why faster development does not automatically create successful businesses. When almost anyone can build a product, the real advantage is understanding what should be built, who needs it and what happens after the prototype. We cover: •⁠ ⁠How Payability gives e-commerce sellers faster access to capital •⁠ ⁠Building the financial infrastructure behind $6 billion in financing •⁠ ⁠Why one poor risk decision can outweigh thousands of successful transactions •⁠ ⁠How AI has reduced software development from months to days •⁠ ⁠Why smaller teams can now build more with less capital •⁠ ⁠What the next generation of engineers needs to succeed •⁠ ⁠Why CTOs must remain hands-on with technology •⁠ ⁠The difference between building quickly and building something valuable When anyone can build, knowing what deserves to be built becomes the real advantage.📲 Connect with Liam Moir-Holland and From Code to C-Suite:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liammoirholland/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-moir-holland-a194b3158/LinkedIn (Podcast): https://www.linkedin.com/company/from-code-to-c-suite/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@code.to.csuite 📲Connect with Gregor Siwinski:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregor-siwinski/📌 Subscribe for more conversations with founders, operators, and investors.

In the AI era, building is cheaper. Distribution is everything. In this episode of From Code to C-Suite, Liam sits down with David Attermann, former Head of Web3 and AI investments at M31 Capital, to unpack the brutal truth about what actually getsfunded, what kills Web3 projects, and why timing and go-to-market matter more than most founders admit. David also shares why he’s moving from investing into operating, joining Twism as Chief Strategy Officer, and how Twism is building a merchant and consumer rewards layer using programmable digital currencies, loyalty data, and personalization. In this episode, we cover:• Why execution beats ideas in an AI world• The fatal flaws that stall Web3 startups• Timing: the right tech, too early, and how companies die waiting• Why distribution has to be a day-one plan• Why AI is only as valuable as the context you give it• How Twism uses programmable rewards to unlock retention and spend•Why you don’t learn from winning, you learn from losing The realities of execution, distribution, and surviving the timing game.📲 Connect with Liam Moir-Holland and From Code to C-Suite:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liammoirholland/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-moir-holland-a194b3158/LinkedIn (Podcast): https://www.linkedin.com/company/from-code-to-c-suite/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@code.to.csuite  📲Connect with David Attermann:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-attermann-70397915/📌 Subscribe for more conversations with founders, operators, and investors.

Self-employed people don’t get paid monthly, but every bill still is.In this episode of From Code to C-Suite, Liam sits down with Brandon Wright, co-founder and CEO of Tongo, to break down the hidden financial traps of irregular income, why credit scores misread millions of people, and what it takes to build a venture-backed fintech in a system that wasn’t designed for this audience.Brandon explains why the financial system is built for salaried workers, how real estate agents live through “five income events, 12 expense cycles,” and why the real solution is cash flow alignment, not budgeting apps.In this episode, we cover:• Why the financial system is built for people on salary• How irregular income breaks credit scores and monthly billing• Why “five income events, 12 expense cycles” makes budgeting unrealistic• How aligning repayment to income events changes outcomes• Why self-employed people often “get into debt or go without”• Why saving and retirement are also salaried constructs• The reality of building a venture-backed fintech and finding distributionThis is the cash flow problem hiding in plain sight.📲 Connect with Liam Moir-Holland and From Code to C-Suite:Instagram: www.instagram.com/liammoirholland/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/liam-moir-holland-a194b3158/LinkedIn (Podcast): www.linkedin.com/company/from-code-to-c-suite/TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@code.to.csuite 📲Connect with Brandon Wright:Instagram: www.instagram.com/tongofinancial?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/brandontw/📌 Subscribe for more conversations with founders, operators, and investors.

Waiting doesn’t make it safer. Sometimes the loss is bigger when you decide later.In this episode of From Code to C-Suite, Liam sits down with Maggie Zhou, Managing Director and COO at Alpha Square Group, a family office investing in global innovation across public and private markets.Maggie breaks down the fatal flaws that keep founders from getting funded, why execution is the hardest part, and how the best operators stay close to customers so their pipeline doesn’t run dry.In this episode, we cover:Why “if no one wanted to pay a dollar, it’s not worth it” is the real testThe biggest red flags investors see in early-stage founders Solo founder vs paired founders, and what actually worksWhy waiting rarely makes the decision betterHow to make decisions with incomplete informationWhy speed and clarity beat perfection in today’s marketHow to stay close to users so your pipeline doesn’t go dryThis isn’t theory. It’s the investor view founders need to hear.📲 Connect with Liam Moir-Holland and From Code to C-Suite:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liammoirholland/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-moir-holland-a194b3158/LinkedIn (Podcast): https://www.linkedin.com/company/from-code-to-c-suite/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@code.to.csuite 📲Connect with Maggie Zhou:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/venezia_fire?igsh=MTgxMmpkOGwwcWJpZw==LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-zhou-75484022/📌Subscribe for more conversations with founders, operators, and investors.

Waiting doesn’t make it safer. Sometimes the loss is bigger when you decide later.In this episode of From Code to C-Suite, Liam sits down with Maggie Zhou, Managing Director and COO at Alpha Square Group, a family office investing in global innovation across public and private markets.Maggie breaks down the fatal flaws that keep founders from getting funded, why execution is the hardest part, and how the best operators stay close to customers so their pipeline doesn’t run dry.In this episode, we cover:•⁠ ⁠Why “if no one wanted to pay a dollar, it’s not worth it” is the real test•⁠ ⁠The biggest red flags investors see in early-stage founders•⁠ ⁠Solo founder vs paired founders, and what actually works•⁠ ⁠Why waiting rarely makes the decision better•⁠ ⁠How to make decisions with incomplete information•⁠ ⁠Why speed and clarity beat perfection in today’s market•⁠ ⁠How to stay close to users so your pipeline doesn’t go dryThis isn’t theory. It’s the investor view founders need to hear.📲 Connect with Liam Moir-Holland and From Code to C-Suite:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liammoirholland/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-moir-holland-a194b3158/LinkedIn (Podcast): https://www.linkedin.com/company/from-code-to-c-suite/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@code.to.csuite 📲Connect with Maggie Zhou:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-zhou-75484022/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/venezia_fire?igsh=MTgxMmpkOGwwcWJpZw==📌 Subscribe for more conversations with founders, operators, and investors.