In the first episode our rebooted podcast, host Vicki Hyman chats with Fonta Gilliam of Wellthi and Dennis Cail of Zirtue in honor of Black History Month. They are both part of Mastercard's Start Path programming dedicated to supporting minority-owned startups that further efforts to close the racial wealth and opportunity gap.

Gilliam founded Wellthi, an app and white-label solution for financial institutions that modernize the concept of savings circles, enabling family and friends to encourage one another to reach their savings goals. Cail is the co-founder and CEO of Zirtue, a leading relationship-based lending app with a mission to drive financial inclusion. Recently, Zirtue launched a debit Mastercard card for the unbanked and underbanked, potentially removing financial barriers for millions of American families.

They discuss their mission to bring more financial security to underserved communities, the challenges Black fintech founders face and the worst advice they’ve ever received.