E36: Pamela Cytron: Wealth Isn’t Just for the Rich: How Fintech Is Changing Who Gets a Shot

Pamela Cytron, founder of The Founders Arena WealthTech accelerator in Arlington, Texas, has spent more than three decades at the center of fintech, wealth management and enterprise sales. In this episode of Fortunes of the Brave, Pam and host Lance Woodson dig into how wealth is really created, who gets access to it, and why the current system leaves so many founders and everyday investors on the sidelines. They unpack the broken incentives inside venture capital, the realities of raising capital in fintech, and why sales is still a contact sport even in an AI driven world.

Pam explains how The Founders Arena selects WealthTech companies that already have real revenue but need help breaking into large institutions and enterprise contracts. Instead of chasing demo days and pitch contests, her boutique accelerator pairs founders directly with decision makers at firms like Goldman Sachs, Schwab and Morningstar, focusing on revenue growth, strategic balance sheet capital and sustainable business models.

The conversation goes far beyond cap tables. Pam challenges traditional wealth management to serve the next generation, from college athletes and creators to solo entrepreneurs, and highlights the role credit unions and community focused funds may play in the next phase of wealth innovation. She shares why most founders are under taught in sales, why free POCs quietly kill startups, and how performance based equity could realign incentives between capital and value creation.

On a personal level, Pam opens up about resilience, sobriety, beating cancer and building a global career while staying grounded in service. She leaves founders and investors with a simple lens for the future of wealth creation and generational wealth transfer. If you care about fintech innovation, community capital and building wealth on your own terms, this Fortunes of the Brave episode is a masterclass in both money and mindset.

Key Takeaways:

• Redefine wealth as a personal, values driven target instead of a number in a bank account
• Build fintech and WealthTech products that serve real people, not just elite clients and legacy institutions
• Prioritize revenue and sales discipline so you are not codependent on venture capital
• Design funding paths that include strategic balance sheet capital, community capital and retail investors
• Invest in resilience, self awareness and daily reflection to lead teams through uncertainty

Chapters:

• 00:00 – Behind the scenes and Pam’s track record in fintech and exits
• 07:00 – Dallas, Texas and the rise of a new financial services corridor
• 14:00 – Why B2C fintech is so hard and the shift to B2B WealthTech
• 18:30 – Credit unions, community focus and the future of wealth management
• 20:30 – How The Founders Arena selects founders and companies
• 26:30 – Rethinking venture capital, performance based equity and “all money is not good money”
• 36:00 – Broken enterprise sales cycles and why free POCs hurt startups
• 49:40 – Redefining wealth and why it is not just for the rich
• 54:30 – Gen Z, gaming, trading and missing financial literacy guardrails
• 1:10:40 – Sales as a contact sport and teaching founders to sell
• 1:48:30 – Resilience, sobriety, cancer and how adversity shapes leadership

Resources Mentioned:

• The Founders Arena WealthTech Accelerator
• CU Wealth (credit union focused fund)
• AlgoPair behavioral finance platform for students and athletes
• Texas Stock Exchange initiative
• Robinhood, Chime and neo banks in consumer fintech

Connect with Pamela:

• Website: The Founders Arena

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