Pre-Seed Startup Hiring - Founder Interview with Preston Lee

from Your Next Tech Startup · host Isabel Rasmussen

In this episode, host Isabel Rasmussen interviews Preston Lee, the founder of Tribe Money. They discuss the unique aspects of hiring and building a startup team at the pre-seed stage. Preston elaborates on his strategy of hiring friends or friends of friends within the U.S., the importance of having multiple eyes on complex FinTech code, and the significance of passion and curiosity in engineering, aside from technical skills. The conversation delves into Preston's unconventional hiring approach that emphasizes project-based interviews over traditional coding tests and explores his experiences and insights on building a robust engineering team from the ground up. Host: Isabel Rasmussen https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabelrasmussen/ Guest: Preston Lee https://www.linkedin.com/in/prestonwlee/ 00:00 Welcome to Your Next Tech Startup 00:26 Building a Team in the Pre-Seed Stage 01:09 The Importance of Hiring Friends and Local Talent 02:27 Challenges in FinTech Development 04:12 Hiring Philosophy and Vetting Process 05:43 Technical Deep Dives and Real-World Problem Solving 13:33 Unexpected Learnings from Hiring 15:56 Future Hiring Strategies and Conclusion Music by: https://www.bensound.com Artist: Marcus P. License code: 4YKVHGTNVRLVH3BV

What this episode covers

In this episode, host Isabel Rasmussen interviews Preston Lee, the founder of Tribe Money. They discuss the unique aspects of hiring and building a startup team at the pre-seed stage. Preston elaborates on his strategy of hiring friends or friends of friends within the U.S., the importance of having multiple eyes on complex FinTech code, and the significance of passion and curiosity in engineering, aside from technical skills. The conversation delves into Preston's unconventional hiring approach that emphasizes project-based interviews over traditional coding tests and explores his experiences and insights on building a robust engineering team from the ground up. Host: Isabel Rasmussen https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabelrasmussen/ Guest: Preston Lee https://www.linkedin.com/in/prestonwlee/ 00:00 Welcome to Your Next Tech Startup00:26 Building a Team in the Pre-Seed Stage01:09 The Importance of Hiring Friends and Local Talent02:27 Challenges in FinTech Development04:12 Hiring Philosophy and Vetting Process05:43 Technical Deep Dives and Real-World Problem Solving13:33 Unexpected Learnings from Hiring15:56 Future Hiring Strategies and Conclusion Music by: https://www.bensound.com Artist: Marcus P. License code: 4YKVHGTNVRLVH3BV

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Pre-Seed Startup Hiring - Founder Interview with Preston Lee

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This episode was published on July 2, 2025.

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