E71: How Scarlett's Joe Fakhri is living the "Entrepreneur's Dream"

In this episode of Mortgage Tech Talks, Tom Hall (BluMortgage) sits down with Joe Fakhri, founder of Axiom Innovations—the tech company behind Scarlett Mortgage, Scarlett Pay, and more. Joe shares his entrepreneurial journey, how he risked it all to build one of Canada’s most innovative mortgage tech platforms, and why machine learning—not just ChatGPT—is the real future of AI in our industry. From product innovation and automation to the evolving role of leadership in scaling tech companies, this is a must-watch for anyone serious about the future of mortgage and financial services. 🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe for more insights on mortgage tech and industry innovation. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – AI won’t replace you—but people who use AI will 00:38 – Intro to Mortgage Tech Talks & guest Joe Fakhri 01:00 – How Joe started Axiom & the origin of Scarlett 05:00 – Leaving a secure job to build Scarlett: the leap 10:00 – Living off savings for 4 years to build something great 12:00 – Building a "machine" of people and tech 14:00 – Why innovation needs to reduce friction—not add it 18:00 – The difference between machine learning & generative AI 21:00 – How Scarlett Genius uses data to recommend lenders 25:00 – Transitioning out of the CEO role: Joe’s leadership evolution 32:00 – Why trust and humility are crucial in fast-growing companies 34:00 – Joe’s take on the Internet revolution—and how AI compares 37:00 – The difference between machine learning vs ChatGPT-style AI 41:00 – What the next 24 months of real AI adoption will look like 46:00 – Final thoughts: picking trusted partners in a noisy AI market 💡 Want to connect with Joe? https://www.instagram.com/scarlettnetwork/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/scarlettnetwork/  https://www.facebook.com/ScarlettNetwork