02 May 2022 |

How Flori Marquez is Redefining Banking

By

Timestamps:

  1. How to Fix a Toilet (or Run a Team of 200): 4:56
  2. Find The People Whose Career You Want: 6:58
  3. Life in The Minority: 11:16
  4. Responsibility X 2: 14:53
  5. Handling Performance Anxiety: 17:02
  6. Crypto For Displaced People: 20:32
  7. Bitcoin in The Mainstream: 29:38
  8. Trust Through Education: 35:30
  9. No Job Too Small: 41:52
  10. BlockFi Forwards: 54:47

Real World Crypto Investing

“And I do believe that if an opportunity comes across your door, even if you’re not fully prepared to go with your instincts, know that you can figure it out on the job.” – Flori Marquez, Co-Founder of BlockFi

For someone who never felt ready to become a founder, Flori Marquez has nailed that niche and is bringing crypto investing into the real world.

When traditional marketing around crypto investing is aimed at one demographic, it’s tough to bring equity into that space. But Flori and Co-Founder Zac Prince are changing the mood by providing credit services to markets with limited access to simple financial products.

Founder Fears

Imposter syndrome plagues even the biggest and brightest, and Flori is no exception but she has turned it to her advantage, using it to spur her on to learn more, listen more and constantly grow in her role.

Her place as a founder sees her wearing many hats. Constantly reinventing herself and, in her words, wiping the slate clean everyday, ready to adapt and deal with whatever life throws at her.

And her motivation? A dual sense of responsibility to convert people into the crypto space from traditional finance backgrounds and open up the space to a new wave of crypto enthusiasts. For Flori this means changing the way we talk about the industry. Gearing it away from just one demographic and converting it into plain English, more easily digestible to a wider audience.

Crypto in The Wider World

Flori is at pains to point out the real world applications of crypto, not simply as an investment tool but a stable resource for displaced people. For those fleeing a war-torn country, unable to take currency with them or losing access to a banking system, having an app like Blackfire and holding Bitcoin is a stabilizing influence.

Her own experience watching hyperinflation affect her home country of Argentina, has also given Flori a unique insight into how fintech directly impacts wellbeing.

It’s this human perspective that drives BlockFi towards creating greater inclusion in the crypto space. And that happens, Flori believes, when diverse voices start talking about opportunities in the space, not just traditional dialogues.

“I think there’s this exponential impact of them circulating the knowledge to their friends and family and converting other people.”

Building For The Future

The future is international for BlockFi. And clients can expect to see new trading assets added to the platforms, more features appearing on the credit card, and the launch of five new ventures.

True to character BlockFi is investing in early stage startups in the crypto space. With 15 investments already made, there’s no sign of slowing down.

And I just think it’s amazing to be able to lift up other founders in the community.”

Follow Flori:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/founderflori

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