Summary: In our latest episode of the Wharton Fintech podcast, Miguel Armaza (WG’21/G’21) is joined by Pierpaolo Barbieri, Founder & CEO of Ualá, one of the fastest growing fintechs in Latin America. Ualá is an Argentine mobile banking app and lending platform that's also one of the fastest growing fintechs in Latin America. Since launching in October 2017, the company has issued over two million cards, raised almost 200 million in funding, and has grown to over 300 employees. Pierpaolo Barbieri grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He moved to the US to study at Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude. He then moved to the UK to pursue a Master degree in Cambridge and obtained his postgraduate in history and economics. In 2016, he returned to Argentina to launch Ualá. He is fluent in Italian, Spanish and French. In this extensive interview, Pierpaolo shares: - What motivated him to move back to Argentina and launch Uala in 2017 with the vision of building an inclusive financial company - The challenges of building a banking institution from scratch - Why simplicity can be transformational and why this philosophy drives Uala’s mission to build a beautiful and simple product that is easy to understand - The importance of providing “skin in the game” to your team and why over 15% of the company is owned by Ualá employees - His advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and why he is convinced this is the best environment to test the feasibility of a business idea - And why it’s hard for him to stop answering to clients directly on his own personal Twitter feed!
