Listen Here

| |

Conversation
Highlights

 

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech’s most innovative B2B founders. In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Dan Beck, CEO & Co-Founder of 401GO, a retirement benefits platform that’s raised over $14 Million in funding.

Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:

  • Diverse Entrepreneurial Background: Dan has a history of starting and exiting various businesses, ranging from consumer products to consultancy in China, and even a food truck.
  • Motivation for 401GO: Inspired by a personal finance class in college, Dan’s goal was to make retirement savings accessible and easy for small businesses after struggling to set up a 401K for his employees.
  • Simplifying Complexity: 401GO focuses on reducing the complexity and cost traditionally associated with setting up 401Ks, allowing small businesses to set up a retirement plan in just 10-15 minutes.
  • Advisor-Centric Platform: The decision to build a platform that integrates financial advisors was crucial, providing both high-tech and high-touch service to clients.
  • Regulatory Tailwinds: State mandates requiring small businesses to offer retirement benefits have increased demand, positioning 401GO to capitalize on this growing market.
  • Sustainable Growth: 401GO has experienced consistent month-over-month growth of 8-10%, with a strong focus on partnerships with financial advisors and payroll companies driving this success.

 

Actionable
Takeaways

Leverage Advisor Relationships:

Building a platform that supports and integrates financial advisors can create a unique distribution channel and drive adoption.

Automate Backend Processes:

Focus on automating non-customer-facing processes to ensure efficiency and scalability while maintaining high-quality customer service.

Adapt to Regulatory Changes:

Stay informed about industry regulations and position your product to meet new compliance requirements, creating opportunities for growth.

Continuous Fundraising Preparation:

Always be prepared to pitch and build relationships with potential investors, even when not actively fundraising, to ensure readiness for future rounds.

Focus on Customer Service:

Providing exceptional customer service, even as a tech-driven platform, can differentiate your product and build long-term customer loyalty.

Recommended Founder
Interviews

Ben Goldin

CEO and Founder of Plumery

Ben Goldin, CEO and Founder of Plumery: $4.5 Million Raised to Power the Future of Digital Engagement for Banks

Magali Chapuis

Marketing Manager of Embat

Magali Chapuis, Marketing Manager of Embat: Strategic Insights for Scaling Fintech Marketing Across Borders

Colin Luce

CEO & Co-Founder of Basis Theory

Colin Luce, CEO & Co-Founder of Basis Theory: $20 Million Raised to Build the Future of Payments Tokenization

Olga Chin

CEO and Founder of InterPrice Technologies

Olga Chin, CEO and Founder of InterPrice Technologies: Over $10 Million Raised to Build the Future of Capital Markets Treasury Management

Steven Greene

CEO of Standard Practice

Steven Greene, CEO & Co-Founder of Standard Practice (Previously Nibble Health): $8 Million Raised to Bring the Fintech Revolution to the World Healthcare Payments

Arik Shtilman

CEO of Rapyd

Arik Shtilman, Rapyd: $15 Billion Valuation (Unicorn Builders)

Swapnil Shinde

CEO and Co-Founder of Zeni

Swapnil Shinde, CEO and Co-Founder of Zeni: $47+ Million Raised to Build the Finance Operations Category

Florian Wimmer

Co-Founder & CEO of Blockpit

Florian Wimmer, Co-Founder & CEO of Blockpit: $15 Million Raised to Power the Future of Crypto Tax Management

Ankit Ratan

Co-Founder and CEO of Signzy

Ankit Ratan, Co-Founder and CEO of Signzy: Over $38 Million Raised to Build the Future of Digital Onboarding Infrastructure

Rafael Loureiro

CEO of Wealth

Rafael Loureiro, CEO of Wealth: $16 Million Raised to Build the Future of Estate Planning

Wade Arnold

CEO and Founder of Moov

Wade Arnold, CEO and Founder of Moov: $77.5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Embedded Payments

Brian King

CEO of LODAS Markets

Brian King, CEO of LODAS Markets: $8.5 Million Raised to Power the Future of Alternative Investments

Bob Suh

CEO of OnCorps

Bob Suh, CEO of OnCorps: $18M Raised to Help Large Financial Institutions Solve Operational Problems with AI

Don Muir

CEO of Arc

Don Muir, CEO of Arc: Over $180 Million Raised to Empower Startups with a Better Cash Management Experience

Kevin Hart

Founder and CEO of Green Check Verified

Kevin Hart, Founder and CEO of Green Check Verified: $16 Million Raised to Power the Future of the Cannabis Business

Fady Hawatmeh

Founder and CEO of Clockwork

Fady Hawatmeh, Founder and CEO of Clockwork: Nearly $3 Million Raised to Make Financial Modeling and Cash Flow Forecasting Easy

Stephany Kirkpatrick

CEO and Founder of Orum

Stephany Kirkpatrick, CEO and Founder of Orum: Over $85 Million Raised to Build an API integration for Instant Payouts

Sohaib Zahid

CEO and Co-Founder of Railz

Sohaib Zahid, CEO and Co-Founder of Railz: $15 Million Raised to Build to Accounting Data as a Service Category

John Lunn

CEO and Founder of Gr4vy

John Lunn, CEO and Founder of Gr4vy: $27 Million Raised to Build the Future of Payments Infrastructure

Helen Chong

Head of Growth of Puzzle

Helen Chong, Head of Growth at Puzzle: Collaborating with Founders – Insights for Effective Marketing Alignment

Thibaut Sahagian

CEO of Multis

Thibaut Sahagian, CEO of Multis: $9 Million Raised to Build a New Category of Software Designed to Meet the Needs of Web3 Organizations

Laura Kornhauser

Co-Founder and CEO of Stratyfy

Laura Kornhauser, Co-Founder and CEO at Stratyfy: $10 Million Raised to Power the Future of Financial Inclusion

Iris Pfeifer

VP of Growth of Wisetack

Iris Pfeifer, VP of Growth at Wisetack: Mastering B2B Marketing Through Sales Alignment and Product Strategy

Rodney Reisdorf

Co-Founder & CEO of Co-Founder & CEO

Rodney Reisdorf, CEO of Verivend: $3 Million Raised Transform Private Capital Transactions

Ahmad Ibrahim

CEO of NeoTax

Ibrahim, CEO of NeoTax: $13 Million Raised to Build the Future of Tax Automation

Steve Pomfret

Steve Pomfret, CEO & Founder of Cygnetise: $8 Million Raised to Build the Future of Signatory Management

Kalpesh Kapadia

CEO and Founder of Deserve

Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO and Founder of Deserve: $50 Million Raised to Build the Future of Credit Cards

Felix Rodriguez

CEO & Founder of Finally

Felix Rodriguez, CEO & Founder of Finally: $110 Million Raised to Power the Future of Finance Automation

Shamir Karkal

Co-founder and CSO of Sila

Shamir Karkal, CEO of Sila: $20+ Million Raised to Build the Money API For Fintech

Reed Switzer

CEO of Hopscotch

Reed Switzer, CEO of Hopscotch: $10M to Build the Future of B2B Payments For SMBs

Daumantas Dvilinskas

CEO & Co-Founder of TransferGo

Daumantas Dvilinskas, CEO & Co-Founder of TransferGo: $125 Million Raised to Build the Future of Cross-Border Payments

Scott Dorey

Co-Founder of OpenPath

Scott Dorey, Co-Founder of OpenPath: $25 Million Raised to Build the Future of Payments

Eric Velasquez Frenkiel

Founder and CEO of Pomelo

Eric Velasquez Frenkiel, CEO of Pomelo: $70 Million Raised to Build the Future of Remittance

Brendan Playford

CEO of Pngme

Brendan Playford, CEO of Pngme: $18 Million Raised to Support Financial Inclusivity and Unlock Economic Potential Across the Developing World

Jeremy Almond

CEO & Founder of Paystand

Jeremy Almond, CEO & Founder of Paystand: $100M Raised to Power the Future of B2B Payments

Jonas Overgaard

CEO of Anyday.io

Jonas Overgaard, CEO of Anyday.io: $4M Raised to Transform the Buy Now Pay Later Market

Julio Martínez

Co-Founder and CEO of Abacum

Julio Martínez, Co-Founder and CEO at Abacum: $40 Million Raised to Build the Future of FP&A

Nik Talreja

CEO & Co-Founder of Sydecar

Nik Talreja, CEO & Co-Founder of Sydecar: Over $16 Million Raised to Make Venture Deal Execution a Frictionless Process

Ben Borodach

Co-Founder and CEO of April

Ben Borodach, Co-Founder and CEO of April: $40 Million Raised to Embed Intelligent Tax Experiences

Patrick Mollard

CEO & Co-Founder of Fipto

Patrick Mollard, CEO & Co-Founder of Fipto: $16 Million Raised to Build the Future of Blockchain Payments

Jack McDonald

CEO of PolySign

Jack McDonald, CEO of PolySign: $50 Million Raised to Power the Future of Digital Assets

Daniel Grunstein

CEO and Co-Founder of Crowded

Daniel Grunstein, CEO and Co-Founder of Crowded: $6.4 Million Raised to Transform Nonprofit Financial Management

Ron Benegbi

CEO & Founder of Uplinq

Ron Benegbi, CEO & Founder at Uplinq: Over $5 Million Raised to Transform SMB Lender’s Existing Credit Evaluation Process

Yasmin Graeml

Marketing & Communication Leader of Flourish Fi

Yasmin, Marketing & Communication Leader at Flourish Fi: Driving Financial Engagement with Innovative Tech