A media platform for women in financial technology
By Tricia J. Capistrano
Wednesday, April 23 is a big day for Nicole Casperson and Anton Briones.
Nicole and Anton, who publish the newsletter “Fintech is Femme,” are hosting their biggest event, the Fintech is Femme Leadership Summit at the New York Times Center. Six thousand attendees are expected. The speakers include Angel Rich, founder and CEO of CreditRich; Drew Glover, founder & GP of Fiat Ventures; and Rochelle Gorey, founder & CEO of SpringFour, among many others.
Fintech is Femme is a media company created by Nicole and Anton.
“The focus is stories of women in the fintech space, with expert analysis and blueprints for success,” Nicole tells The FilAm in an interview.
In 2020, Nicole and Anton were living in the same apartment building and met at an outdoor gathering. They discovered that both their moms are from the Philippines. Nicole’s mom is from Mindoro and her dad from California. Anton’s mom is from Manila and his dad is from Mexico. At that time, Nicole was a financial journalist and Anton was in marketing.
In early 2021, Nicole was approached by an agency to write and start a podcast. In November of that year, the couple ventured out on their own. Nicole is the public face of Fintech is Femme while Anton handles marketing and operations.
Nicole explains: “We use the newsletter as our distribution. We created an ecosystem between newsletters, social media, and events that allows us to host events worldwide and get paid for speaking engagements. Our partnerships with larger companies help us find new and emerging entrepreneurs. We bundle everything together to bring more value to those we work with.”
The last seven Fintech is Femme conferences that they have hosted have been sold out. Past sponsors include large companies such as Nasdaq, Brex, and Stripe. Last December, they hosted the Femmy Awards at Rise by Barclays where they recognized Lule Demmissie, CEO of eToro a global trading platform, and Sheila Lirio Marcelo, founder of Care.com and now Ohai.ai.
“The power of the female consumer is reshaping industries and economies, and fintech has the potential to lead this transformation if the sector can adapt from within,” Nicole wrote in Forbes Magazine in 2023.
Research from Deloitte found that “women make up 85% of global consumer spending, translating into over $31 trillion annually.” Nicole and Anton opine that they will not run out of female entrepreneurs to feature.
The U.S. government’s effort for diversity, equity, and inclusion has now been cancelled by current leadership, but the power of women has already been unleashed—there is no stopping Nicole and Anton, and the women they feature.
Tricia J. Capistrano’s essays have appeared in The Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Philippine Star and Newsweek. She is a regular contributor to TheFilam.net and also writes about Filipino American entrepreneurs for the TutongNewsletter.com.
