Episode 108: ChartIQ's CEO Talks About the Challenges of Creating a Fintech Startup

Dan Schleifer, co-founder and CEO of charting specialist ChartIQ, joins the podcast to discuss some of the challenges that he and fellow co-founder Terry Thorsen faced when they created the company out of a barn in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2012. 1:00 Dan talks about some of the early growing pains. 3:00 Did you know that, not only did they start out of a barn (just like Markit), but that the barn had been renovated previously by the Dave Matthews Band to be a recording studio? 5:00 Some more advice on traps to avoid early on. 7:00 Oh, and the long sales cycle—always remember that. 9:30 What were the advantages in starting in a suburban area, as opposed to New York or London? 11:30 What about finding talent outside of tech hubs? 14:00 Why is the fintech sector becoming more viable—relatively speaking—than it was a decade ago? 17:30 Is the market becoming so flooded with niche firms now that having a startup grow into a Wall Street giant is impossible? (Dan managed to hold out saying, “ChartIQ for the greatest charts,” or some variant for 21 minutes!) 22:00 There is still disintermediation between systems, so there’s room for specialists and the need to create workarounds to make sure everything talks together—in case you’re sitting at your desk listening to this and wondering if you, too, can create a startup. 23:30 Dan talks about being weaning off social media. 32:15 The best mentally-friendly releases on TV.