UrbanGeekz 50 2025: Fintech

Rodney Williams: Cofounder, Solofunds

Rodney Williams is the co-founder and president of SoLo Funds, the nation’s largest community finance platform and the only Black-led, Certified B Corp fintech in the United States. Founded in April 2018 in Los Angeles, SoLo Funds was built to reimagine access to short-term capital through a community-first model that prioritizes speed, dignity, and trust.

SoLo operates as a mobile peer-to-peer lending marketplace, enabling members to access emergency funds in an average of 30 minutes. Borrowers set their own loan terms, including optional tips for lenders and contributions to community initiatives through SoLo Causes. Since launch, the platform has facilitated more than 1.5 million loans, serving over 2 million users, with 82% of members living in underserved ZIP codes—redefining how capital flows to communities historically excluded from traditional finance.

Before founding SoLo, Williams launched LISNR, a Visa-backed ultrasonic data platform that enables secure device-to-device communication. LISNR partnered with global brands including Lenovo, Jaguar Land Rover, and Ticketmaster, and raised more than $40 million in funding.

Williams began his career at Procter & Gamble, where he played a pivotal role in advancing the company’s digital strategy, e-commerce, and social media initiatives. His leadership has earned widespread recognition, including multiple appearances on CNBC’s Disruptor 50 list, Ad Age’s 40 Under 40, and a Cannes Gold Lion award. Across ventures, Williams remains focused on building scalable technology that expands financial access and economic mobility.

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Dana Wilson: Founder and CEO of CHIP

Dana L. Wilson is the founder and CEO of CHIP (Changing How Individuals Prosper), a fintech marketplace designed to connect individuals and small businesses with culturally competent Black and Latinx financial professionals. Founded in 2019, CHIP was created to address the racial wealth gap by increasing access, visibility, and trust in financial advisory relationships.

Wilson brings more than 15 years of experience in financial services, having held roles at major institutions including Merrill Lynch, State Farm, and SunTrust Bank. Drawing from her firsthand experience navigating the industry, CHIP was designed as a B2B2C platform that connects consumers with vetted financial advisors, certified financial planners, attorneys, and other professionals who understand the unique financial realities of underserved communities.

Through its searchable marketplace, CHIP allows users to find professionals based on location, services, and credentials—such as fee-only advisors—while helping practitioners grow their client base and visibility. Wilson has positioned CHIP as both a technology platform and an advocacy engine, working to reshape how financial guidance is delivered and who gets access to it.

Her leadership has been widely recognized across the fintech and financial services sectors. Wilson was named a “See It, Be It” Role Model by InvestmentNews, a “One to Watch” in Fintech by Money20/20, and received multiple ThinkAdvisor awards for diversity and thought leadership. In 2025, she was honored with the Lola M. Parker Outstanding Woman of the Year Award. Wilson continues to champion inclusive innovation that drives measurable wealth outcomes.

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Yvette Sadler Butler: Founder and CEO of Hive Wealth

Yvette Sadler Butler is the founder and CEO of Hive Wealth, a next-generation fintech platform using artificial intelligence to help individuals and communities build generational wealth. Hive Wealth integrates financial planning, investing, insurance, and legacy-management tools into a single ecosystem designed to meet users wherever they are in their financial journey.

At the core of the platform is Bee AI, Hive Wealth’s intelligent financial assistant, which builds personalized financial profiles through conversational engagement. By incorporating factors such as career stage, income, and priorities, Bee AI generates tailored goals—ranging from retirement targets to net-worth milestones—making financial planning more accessible and actionable.

Butler brings more than 30 years of experience at the intersection of technology and wealth management. Prior to founding Hive Wealth, Butler served as President of SVB Private Banking & Wealth Management and previously led Capital One Investing, where the firm became the first major bank to launch an in-house robo-advisor. She also co-founded what became Merrill Edge, which now manages over $350 billion in assets, and led investor marketing at E*Trade.

She holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce. Butler serves on the boards of Voya Financial, Synctera, and Hillcrest Finance, and is treasurer and director of the Washington Area Women’s Foundation—continuing her commitment to inclusive wealth creation at scale.

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Michael Duncan: Founder and CEO of Bankjoy

Michael Duncan is the founder and CEO of Bankjoy, a Detroit-based digital banking startup founded in 2015 to modernize the technology stack of banks and credit unions. Bankjoy provides end-to-end digital banking solutions that allow community financial institutions to compete with national banks and neobanks.

Backed by Y Combinator, Bessemer Venture Partners, and SoftBank, Bankjoy’s platform includes mobile and online banking, digital account opening, loan applications, and conversational AI. The company’s technology is purpose-built to help credit unions and regional banks deliver seamless, consumer-grade digital experiences while maintaining their community-first missions.

Before launching Bankjoy, Duncan developed banking and payments software for nonprofits, Fortune 500 companies, and state and local governments. He previously served as a Software Development Manager at a Michigan-based credit union and worked on payment systems for the states of California and Oregon, as well as financial software for Unisys and the Detroit Tigers.

Duncan holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Kettering University and has been widely recognized for his leadership in fintech. He was named a Credit Union Times Trailblazer 40 Under 40 and has spoken at major industry events including Fintech Meetup in Las Vegas. Based in Rochester, Michigan, Duncan continues to champion technology that empowers community financial institutions to thrive in a digital-first economy.

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Carmelle Cadet: Founder and CEO of EMTECH

Carmelle Cadet is the founder and CEO of EMTECH, a New York-based fintech company building modern central banking technologies to advance financial inclusion and resilient market infrastructure. Founded in 2019, EMTECH partners with central banks to design digital solutions that modernize regulatory and monetary systems.

EMTECH’s work includes Digital Regulatory Sandboxes and Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) infrastructure, helping emerging markets safely adopt innovation while maintaining financial stability. Under Cadet’s leadership, EMTECH has partnered with institutions including the Bank of Ghana, Central Bank of the Bahamas, and Central Bank of Nigeria. In 2023, the company raised $4 million in venture funding to expand its global footprint.

Prior to founding EMTECH, Cadet spent a decade at IBM, where she served as Deputy CFO for IBM Blockchain. She led global product commercialization and financial strategy for enterprise clients including Walmart, JPMorgan Chase, and SoftBank. Earlier in her career, she helped launch an IBM product that generated more than $100 million in revenue and created over 200 jobs within three years.

An immigrant from Haiti at age 16, Cadet’s personal experience with financial exclusion informs her mission. She has been recognized with the NYC Fintech Women’s Inspiring Fintech Females Award and is a vocal advocate for women and minority entrepreneurs shaping the future of global finance.

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Angel Rich: CEO of CreditRich

Angel Rich is the founder and CEO of CreditRich, an AI-powered fintech app designed to help users build credit and improve long-term financial health. She made history as the first Black American woman to partner with Experian, launching CreditRich to expand credit access for underserved communities.

Prior to CreditRich, Rich co-founded The Wealth Factory Inc. in 2013, where she developed CreditStacker, a gamified financial literacy app teaching credit, entrepreneurship, and money management through interactive simulations. CreditStacker was recognized by the White House, U.S. Department of Education, and JPMorgan Chase as the nation’s top financial literacy product, reaching more than 200,000 downloads within weeks.

CreditRich allows users to build credit by reporting everyday financial activity to Experian, helping establish credit history and optimize scores. Through this work, Rich has become a leading voice in financial inclusion, innovation, and economic justice.

A three-time published author, Rich has received numerous honors, including being named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People of African Descent by the United Nations and receiving the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. She also founded Black Tech Matters, co-created a major Black hackathon with MIT, and has been featured in Forbes, Black Enterprise, and Fast Company. Her work continues to shape the future of credit access and financial empowerment.

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Natasha Bansgopaul: Co-founder of VegaX Holdings

Natasha Bansgopaul is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of VegaX Holdings, a fintech company building digital asset investment products and infrastructure for institutional and traditional investors. Founded in 2019, VegaX develops cryptocurrency indexes and investment solutions designed to bridge traditional finance and digital assets.

Bansgopaul brings more than a decade of leadership experience across Fortune 100 companies, including PepsiCo, where she held senior roles spanning innovation, brand activation, and strategy. Her expertise covers fintech, marketing, M&A, and operational scale.

In addition to VegaX, Bansgopaul co-founded DarcMatter and Konstellation—fintech platforms focused on digitizing private markets and financial services. Collectively, the three companies have supported more than $7 billion in assets under management and served users across 65+ countries.

She also serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and has led federal research initiatives as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow, focusing on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. Bansgopaul has been recognized by Forbes, Fortune, and Fast Company, and was named to Cosmopolitan and digitalundivided’s New C-Suite list. She holds an MBA from Penn State University with concentrations in marketing, entrepreneurship, and strategic leadership.

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