Vertical SaaS & Fintech Opportunities, Founder Lessons, and More with Matt Brown

Welcome to Fintech Layer Cake, the fintech podcast where industry leaders break down complex financial technology topics into digestible, actionable insights. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just curious about the world of fintech, we make it easy to understand—one layer at a time. Tune in for expert interviews, market trends, and insider tips that make fintech a piece of cake for everyone!
In this episode of Fintech Layer Cake, host Reggie Young speaks with Matt Brown, early-stage investor at Matrix Partners and former product leader at Afterpay.
Matt dives into the evolving landscape of vertical SaaS, why embedded fintech still has massive untapped potential, and how PE and VC are converging to create new opportunities. He also shares lessons from founding Bonsai, including counterintuitive insights about customer feedback and learning rate. They cover founder-investor dynamics, the future of BNPL, and Matt’s writing process behind his popular “X topic in 1,000 words” series.
If you're building in fintech, SaaS, or just want to understand the deeper trends shaping both, this is a must-listen.