“Bloom Money is a fintech company that serves diaspora communities with the tools they need to build generational wealth. Our mission is to create lasting wealth and to be good ancestors. We are driven by our desire to support our customers to create enough wealth to pass on to the next generation to give them a better start. In turn, this benefits not only the family but the community as well.”

“My background is working in fintech. I’ve had the great privilege to work at a number of fintech companies including Mastercard, Starling Bank, Bud, and Klarna. But throughout my career, this feeling constantly nagged at me that I was building products for the same people over and over again. [While] people who, like my parents, were immigrants and make up the backbone of the economy, weren’t being served properly.

“And so I left my job at Klarna a little over a year ago and started off the back of a lot of research that I did within diaspora communities. Since then, we’ve grown as a team and we’ll be launching our app soon, so it’s a very exciting time.”

“Sadly, the first thing I do when I wake up is check my email, which is not glamorous. I definitely need to have a cup of coffee. Before all the meetings start, I try to do a quick 25-minute yoga flow. It’s very grounding and puts me in a better mood for the day.”

“We are a small team of four, so a lot still falls on my shoulders as the CEO. Just this morning, I spoke to our insurer. Then I spoke to a brilliant refugee charity we’d like to partner with, and I just got off the phone with Equifax… so I jump all over the place.

“My favourite days are when I get to go out to Lewisham market or walk the streets of Peckham and speak to would-be customers and discuss the challenges they face in their financial lives. I share what we’re building and get them excited about that as well. Those are my favourite days. I’m Chief People Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Operational Officer, Chief Finance Officer – I wear lots of hats but I really enjoy it.”

“The people we serve. I can walk out my front door and see the people that we wish to serve every day. A lot of people forget that Bloom’s customers are the backbone of our economy. Despite how essential migrant communities are to our economy, they are paradoxically invisible. These are the people who have moved here, for whatever reason, in the face of whatever adversity, to build a better life. My dad grew up in a village in rural India, and my mother came from Taipei and moved to the US to build a better life. They put my brother and I in a better situation than they had. We want to do this for everyone who chooses to make the UK their home, so it’s a blessing to wake up and get to work towards that every day.”

You were one of the winners of our Go Beyond competition partnership with Meta. Part of the prize included access to a Digital Boost Small Business Boot Camp.

“We’re looking forward to boosting our growth with Meta. As a small business, it already takes a certain amount of courage to take the leap and start your own business. But there are so many unknown unknowns – like performance marketing, I have no idea how any of that works. So we need innovative approaches, and Meta have done a great job of finding new ways to reach new audiences. I’m looking forward to learning about how the sausage is made.”

“The world is a very small place, and it never costs to be kind. You never know, the person who you treat poorly who’s having a bad day could end up being a decision-maker down the line. And it’s free just to be nice to people. That’s how I carry myself in business, and it’s worked out so far.”

“Launching our app and seeing the feedback that we get within our communities. It’s very different to tell someone about the idea and they say, ‘Hey, that’s a great idea’ than it is to have it in the market and see how they interact with it. It could be supremely disappointing and they might say, ‘We don’t want to use it.’ But even that will be a learning experience. I’m looking forward to making a change and helping folks build a bit of financial resilience, especially at a time when it is so important.”