Earl Valencia is the co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Plentina, an AI and fintech company that aims to democratize financial services for emerging markets, starting with the Philippines.

They last raised a $2.2M seed extension in 2021 and their mobile app has been downloaded more than 500k times in the past two years.

Before Plentina, Earl was at Bridgewater and Charles Schwab. He also co-founded IdeaSpace and is a founding adviser of QBO in the Philippines.

👋🏼 How would you explain your job to someone outside tech?

We aim to help individuals in emerging markets secure their financial futures through credit and investments.

🧐 What's something about you or your job that would surprise us?

I used to be an aerospace engineer working with rockets and satellites as my first job. In my job, I read almost all customer service emails to understand the ways we can make our service better every day.

🏆 What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

I was part of the startup program of NASDAQ, and the graduation reward was a spot in the official NASDAQ Times Square Billboard. It was extra special that I was with my wife and my two sons.

Oddly enough, now my sons think it's normal for people and their companies to be shown in Times Square.

🔍 What's a startup trend or space you're watching this year?‍

We are looking for ways to merge AI and Financial services even more. We think that as more people enter the middle class, we can only scale "relationships" and "financial advice" often reserved for the rich and offer to the rest of the country.

💼 What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry?

The key is to keep on learning. The financial service and fintech industry broadly is like an "old boys and girls" club, where only a few people know the terminologies and even regulations. The key is to not be intimidated by this, keep the curiosity and don't feel intimidated by people with more experience or knowledge.

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🗣 What's one thing you can keep talking about for hours?

How we can make the Philippines a first world country in our lifetime, and also NBA games and NBA basketball trading cards.

🎥 What's your favorite movie/TV show?

Jerry Maguire (movie) and Undercover Boss and Shark Tank (TV shows)

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🍨 What's your go-to ice cream flavor?‍

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough