Daniel Macklin
Venture Advisor
Accomplished fintech founder and executive, Dan Macklin has seen the highs and lows of the entrepreneur’s journey. As a venture advisor, Dan works with entrepreneurs at AI Fund, counseling them as they build their companies through the early stages of growth.
“In the very early days, there are many things the founding team can be working on as they build the company. Success requires the team to concentrate on the things that really matter. Prioritization of time, effort and resources is absolutely critical.”
“The founding team cannot do everything and that’s absolutely fine” says Dan. “It’s better to methodically focus on the main priorities than to chase every shiny object that exists. With limited time and resources, the team needs to agree on these priorities and execute.”
Dan got his start as an entrepreneur co-founding SoFi in 2011 and growing it to be one of the largest online lenders in the US and its eventual $20 billion IPO in 2021. Dan’s roles at SoFi included leading business development efforts. By the time Dan left SoFi in 2017, the company had lent more than $20 billion in mortgages, personal loans and student loan refinancing to more than 300,000 customers and employed more than 1,000 people across five states.
Following SoFi, Dan led employee financial wellness company Salary Finance Inc as CEO for three and a half years. Prior to SoFi, Dan spent twelve years at Standard Chartered Bank leading enterprise sales and product development teams across London, Singapore and Shanghai.
Dan was named as one of the “25 Inspiring Entrepreneurs to Watch” by Inc and, much to the amusement of his kids, was selected as one of the “40 Coolest People Under 40 in Silicon Valley” by Business Insider.
Dan is a graduate of the University of Durham in England and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He’s passionate about football, avidly supporting Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League and following the England team to World Cup matches around the globe.
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