Founder Unfriendly Live AMA with Zuben Mathews of Brigit
For every 100 founders in the room, only a handful will raise venture capital — and most never get a straight explanation of why.
As part of the launch of Charlie O’Donnell's book, Founder Unfriendly: What Investors Won’t Tell You About Getting Funded, we’re hosting a series of live, 30-minute AMAs with experienced founders and operators who’ve been through the process — successfully and unsuccessfully.
These sessions are designed to give founders what they rarely get:
An honest look at how investors evaluate opportunities
Clear insight into where the bar actually is (and why)
Practical advice on when to push forward — and when to pause, rethink, or walk away
This session we're featuring Zuben Mathews of Brigit.
Mr. Mathews leads Brigit, the newest business segment of Upbound Group. He co-founded Brigit in 2017. Under his leadership as CEO, Brigit was one of the fastest fintechs to reach $100 million in annual recurring revenue, profitably. Brigit has grown to serve over one million paying subscribers and has helped users save more than $1 billion in overdraft or predatory fees. Prior to founding Brigit, Mr. Mathews led the Strategic Partnership Group at Deutsche Bank, leading equity, debt, and M&A transactions totaling more than $55 billion. He also served as Managing Director of Mergers & Acquisitions at Infosys. Mr. Mathews holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Chicago where he received a full tuition academic scholarship.