Episode 6: From Naval Academy to Georgia FinTech Hall of Fame: Sean Banks’ Journey

We sit down with Sean Banks, Partner at TTV Capital and recent Georgia FinTech Hall of Fame inductee, to unpack two decades of early-stage fintech investing. From Atlanta’s payments hub to navigating 2008-09 and today’s AI wave, Sean shares portfolio wins, hard-won lessons, and what it takes to build category-defining companies in venture capital.

Key Topics:

• Sean’s path from Naval Academy & JD to venture capital
• TTV Capital’s evolution: Fund I to a $250M Fund VI
• Why Atlanta became the global payments hub
• Operating through the 2008-09 crisis: reserves, concentration risk, and learning to “lean into winners”
• Portfolio highlights: Bill.com, Green Dot, Greenlight, Featurespace, and more
• Seed & Series A focus: check sizes, pacing, and pre-seed “placeholders”
• Category creation in fintech: embedded accounting, household finance, vertical SaaS + payments
• AI in fintech: getting the last 20% right, timing adoption, and data access shifts
• Regulation: Volcker Rule fallout, MTLs, CFPB dynamics, EU data/PII hurdles
• Where TTV is bullish/cautious: BNPL infrastructure, stablecoins’ impact on FX, practical Web3 use cases

What You’ll Learn:

• How a fintech-focused VC scaled through multiple market cycles
• The traits of founders who raise well and build enduring businesses
• Why diversification, partner selection, and reserves matter in early-stage portfolios
• How to evaluate AI and vertical SaaS opportunities in financial services
• Practical guidance for fintech founders on readiness, regulation, and being coachable

Links mentioned in this episode:

TTV CAPITAL: https://ttvcapital.com/ ASSET CLASS: https://www.assetclass.com/

LinkedIn: Sean Banks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-banks-93b3471/ LinkedIn: Ferdi Roberts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ferdiroberts/

Podcast Producers: Des McGouran Sam Roberts