Alex Lazarow

San Francisco

Contributor at Forbes

Global VC. Author of #outinnovate @HarvardBiz & @Forbes. Prof @MIIS. Outdoor enthusiast. Raised on the Cdn prairie. Newsletter https://t.co/LTZRi37NzG.

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Articles

From Momentum To Reality: How Super Return Miami Signals A Shift In Venture & Private Markets

3 weeks ago | forbes.com | Alex Lazarow

Super Return has long been a bellwether for the state of private markets, but last week’s U.S. focused fundraising event in Miami marked a cautious shift. The exuberance of the past few years, characterized by high valuations, rapid deal velocity, and a focus on momentum-driven has given way to a more measured approach. Limited partners are prioritizing simple benchmarks like Distributions to Paid-In (DPI)—realized returns over paper gains.
Fintech Meetup 2025 - Key Trends Shaping The Industry

1 month ago | forbes.com | Alex Lazarow

Last week, representatives from over 2,000 companies attended The Fintech Meetup in Miami. What’s special about the event is that it isn’t a typical startup conference. The centerpiece is two days of back-to-back 15-minute meetings with startups, investors and other ecosystem players. Reflecting on over twenty meetings and a few conversations with friends, I wanted to share the following observations.
Four Business Models Riding The Silver Tsunami

2 months ago | forbes.com | Alex Lazarow

The "Silver Tsunami," a term coined nearly two decades ago, originally warned of a looming healthcare crisis. Today, its impact extends far beyond. One area relates to small business transitions. Across nearly every industry, as baby boomers retire in record numbers, small businesses will need to find new owners or be shut down.
Ten Things FinTech VCs Should (And Shouldn’t) Actually Care About

2 months ago | forbes.com | Alex Lazarow

As the founder of a global VC firm, a member of Kauffman Fellows, the global network of venture capitalists, and an investor in a number of startups around the world, I’m always astounded that in every deal, different VCs focus on different things. I’ve been fortunate to invest in several fintech unicorns from the early stage. Here are ten counterintuitive (and hopefully occasionally controversial) strategies for successful fintech investing. 1.
Fintech Wrapped: Three Surprising Things That Happened In Fintech In 2024

Dec 24, 2024 | forbes.com | Alex Lazarow

It’s always fun to do a retrospective on the year. 2024 was a year of surprises for the fintech sector. Some trends cooled. Others reignited with fervor. From a crypto renaissance in recent months, a continued slow exit environment and important shifts in emerging markets, 2024 was also a year of transformation. Here are three trends that stood out. 1. Crypto Is (May Be) Back2024 witnessed a dramatic rebound in the cryptocurrency market.
Takeaways From Money 2020: Trends, Transformations, And Predictions

Nov 5, 2024 | forbes.com | Alex Lazarow

The news would have you believe fintech is down and out. But fintech’s annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas for Money2020, the industry’s largest event, reminds us how much the industry has grown over the last few decades. Over 10,000 people attended from over 80 countries. Like I do every year, I wanted to share a round-up of key trends - driven by my own reflections and conversations with CEOs, founders, venture capitalists and other industry insiders, in and around the event. 1.
Fintech At The Frontier: 48 Hours At 24Fintech

Sep 10, 2024 | forbes.com | Alex Lazarow

I am just returning home from the inaugural 24Fintech Conference in Saudi Arabia, and am reflecting on the rapid rise of fintech in the region. The Kingdom is positioning itself as a center for growth in the fintech sector - and there are a few reasons I’m excited. 1. Government And Regulatory SupportSaudi Arabia’s fintech ecosystem extends beyond the entrepreneurs at the frontier. The government's Vision 2030 target is to encourage the establishment of 500 fintechs by the end of the decade.
The Rise Of Fintech Families

Aug 23, 2024 | forbes.com | Alex Lazarow

How Top Companies Are Shaping The Future Of Financial TechnologyIn the world of startups, we often hear about startup mafias like the "PayPal Mafia" - the group of PayPal alumni who went on to found and lead some of the most influential companies of our time – think Elon Musk, Reid Hoffman, Peter Thiel, Max Levchin and more. Arguably, Silicon Valley was created as a result of another mafia: the “Fairchildren” – the group of founders that came out of Fairchild Semiconductor.
5 Lessons From Super Venture

Jun 13, 2024 | forbes.com | Alex Lazarow

Last week, I attended Super Venture in Berlin, one of the world’s marquee venture capital fundraising conferences. The event offered a unique opportunity to gauge the pulse of the venture capital (VC) fundraising market and by extension, the future health of the startup landscape broadly and for readers of this column, the fintech ecosystem specifically.
What A Coming Wave Of Diffusion Means For Fintech

May 5, 2024 | forbes.com | Alex Lazarow

As we stand on the cusp of The Great Diffusion (the topic of my recent Tedx talk), an era defining shift from consolidated power to a more decentralized and distributed framework, financial services find themselves at a crossroads. The coming wave promises to reshape industries, none more so than the guardians of our capital. Here are critical questions financial services must grapple with in this new era:How is Fintech Powering Diffusion?