USA Startup & FinTech Snapshot
Positives: Home to the world’s biggest capital markets, tech firms, and talent pools. Economy is relatively strong and rate of disruption is high. Huge domestic market. Mature, functioning legal system. English is handy.
Negatives: Competition is intense, especially from behemoths (Amazon, Apple, Google, JP Morgan). China market access difficulties. High taxes and employee benefits costs. Complex regulations & litigation risk, especially around HR. International localization is a problem for English-centric & USA-centric firms.
Steve in USA Today
Steve returns to living in USA November 2022. New York is home to much of his professional network as well as many members of his immidiate family and friends.
Steve also has deep roots in California’s Bay Area. Steve takes regular trips to meet his current and previous startup stakeholders, as well as a broader tech and funding networks. It helps that he has family there, including two excellent nephews young enough to still think Uncle Steve is the coolest.
Recently there has been more focus on the up & coming tech hub of Austin, Texas. The city is “East meets West” in several ways. Not only is it located between America’s left and right coasts, Apple has recently shifted some production from China to Austin. Virtually all major US tech firms are growing their Austin presence.
Steve’s History in USA
Steve began his professional career in a New York accounting firm helping small businesses. He passed the CPA exam and joined Arthur Andersen to focus on tax advisory and tax process reengineering for real estate invesment funds.
He earned an MBA from NYU Stern in 2002. Steve joined a private Swiss bank and later launched a consultancy. His projects included “SOX” internal control overhauls for three public companies and turnaround management of a distressed construction firm.
Steve joined Morgan Stanley in 2005 to run global SOX and integrated risk metrics reporting for FID an CFO Controllers. He was recruited by an Icelandic bank in 2007 to head the non-revenue functions for their USA and Canadian businesses.
Steve left New York in 2008 during the Financial Crisis to take on new challenges at a Dubai-based investment bank.
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