In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Nicky Senyard, CEO and founder of Fintel Connect.

Nicky shared the journey behind Fintel Connect—a digital acquisition platform that helps financial institutions across North America grow their customer base through affiliate marketing. She explained how the platform acts like the “plumbing” between banks and publishers like NerdWallet or Credit Karma, using a CPA (cost-per-acquisition) model that rewards performance and delivers real value.

Nicky also opened up about her roots in Australia and how the country's rugged environment shaped her entrepreneurial resilience. Before Fintel, she built and successfully exited the world’s largest affiliate platform for regulated online gambling. We talked about everything from building networks in unfamiliar markets to earning trust in a highly regulated space like financial services. Nicky emphasized the importance of curiosity, authenticity, and solving real problems—especially when selling to institutions that don’t always know what they’re missing.

Sit back and hear Nicky's biggest takeaway from years of building businesses in this episode of The First Customer!

Guest Info:
Fintel Connect
https://www.fintelconnect.com

Nicky Senyard's LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickysenyard/

Want to be a guest on The First Customer? Send Jay Aigner a message on PodMatch here.

Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayaigner/
The First Customer Youtube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@thefirstcustomerpodcast
The First Customer podcast website
https://www.firstcustomerpodcast.com
Follow The First Customer on LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/company/the-first-customer-podcast/

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview serial entrepreneur Eric McHugh once again!

Eric dives into his latest venture, dataing.io, an AI-powered matchmaking app built to challenge the typical swipe-based dating model. He shares how the Web3 space supports his builder mindset and leads to the creation of Hold On Labs, a platform that launches products focused on meaningful connection. With dating.io, the goal is to create intentional, high-quality matches using AI-generated personality tags based on users’ social media and digital activity. Unlike Tinder or Hinge, which aim to keep users engaged and swiping, dating.io focuses on helping people find lasting matches and offers a “relationship butler” that helps couples with date planning, gift ideas, and relationship support.

Eric also shares their go-to-market strategy, which focuses on building local communities by starting with Southern California colleges through campus events, partnerships, and free photography incentives. The team is currently focused on gaining users, with a goal of reaching 10,000 in Los Angeles before expanding further. Monetization is not the immediate priority, but future plans include earning a share from date bookings and offering targeted brand placements. Eric points out that AI is not just a trendy term for them; it powers the platform’s ability to understand behavior and preferences, leading to smarter and more accurate matches.

Be intrigued by Eric McHugh’s pursuit of meaningful tech, smarter matchmaking, and the vibes behind dataing.io in this episode of The First Customer!

Guest Info:
dataing.io
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dataing/id6478563884

Eric McHugh's LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericdouglasmchugh/

Want to be a guest on The First Customer? Send Jay Aigner a message on PodMatch here.

Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayaigner/
The First Customer Youtube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@thefirstcustomerpodcast
The First Customer podcast website
https://www.firstcustomerpodcast.com
Follow The First Customer on LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/company/the-first-customer-podcast/

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Keilian Knudsen and Prags Mugunthan, co-founders of Pangea.ai.

Keilian and Prags explored their journey from university roommates in Scotland to building a global tech talent platform. Keilian described how growing up in Switzerland with an American mother and Norwegian father gave him a multicultural view of the world and a drive to create something of his own. Prags shared how moving from Sri Lanka to Norway at a young age gave him access to education and opportunity, which shaped his path toward entrepreneurship. Their first ventures included a sandblasting startup and a digital memory bank, both of which failed but pushed them to solve the problem they encountered firsthand—how hard it was to find and hire reliable software developers.

That problem led to the birth of Digital Knights, a service-based business that eventually became Pangea. Keilian and Prags candidly shared about the tough early days, including running out of money, borrowing from friends and family, and nearly walking away from it all. What kept them going was their shared vision and complementary strengths. They also emphasized the importance of building repeatable systems and processes, especially after realizing that excessive hustle without structure could limit their growth.

Discover how missed hires, borrowed savings, and unwavering conviction led Keilian and Prags to build Pangea in this episode of The First Customer!

Guest Info:
Pangea.ai
https://www.pangea.ai

Keilian Knudsen's LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/keilian/

Prags Mugunthan's LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pragsm/

Want to be a guest on The First Customer? Send Jay Aigner a message on PodMatch here.

Connect with Jay on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayaigner/
The First Customer Youtube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@thefirstcustomerpodcast
The First Customer podcast website
https://www.firstcustomerpodcast.com
Follow The First Customer on LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/company/the-first-customer-podcast/