Propagate Fintech Podcast
Propagate Fintech is a podcast exploring how financial services actually evolve.
Hosted by Roland Howard, the show features in-depth conversations with fintech founders, bank and credit union leaders, operators, and industry voices shaping lending, deposits, payments, account origination, and go-to-market strategy.
Each episode cuts through hype to focus on real-world execution: how products get adopted, why institutions struggle to modernize, where growth stalls, and what works when fintechs and regulated financial institutions intersect.
The podcast is produced by Propagate Fintech, an end-to-end marketing and PR agency serving the banking and fintech industry. Propagate partners with fintechs, banks, and credit unions to clarify positioning, build credibility, and drive growth through brand strategy, content, PR, and go-to-market execution.
Propagate Fintech Podcast
How TruStage’s Discovery Fund Backs Underrepresented Founders in Fintech
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In this episode of the Propagate Fintech Podcast, Roland Howard sits down with Elizabeth McCluskey to unpack her journey from investment banking and wealth management to impact investing and now venture capital at TruStage, where she helps back early-stage fintechs advancing financial inclusion and credit union innovation.
00:00 Intro + DC “snowcrete”
01:00 From investment banking to values-driven investing
04:30 The ethics moment that changed everything
05:10 Finding impact investing (and fintech)
06:45 Why credit unions became the mission fit
09:30 Discovery Fund thesis and underserved founders
14:20 Angel investing, SPVs, and the non-alc movement
17:25 How VCs separate signal from noise
20:56 Why storytelling matters more than ever
26:50 Vertical themes: stablecoin, affordability, and insurance innovation
31:00 AI: implementation, guardrails, and enterprise reality
33:08 TruStage distribution and supporting portfolio companies
36:20 2025 portfolio winners: Hello Divorce + Debbie
40:00 Wrap
What you’ll learn
•What fintech impact investing looks like in practice and why it’s still early innings
•Why credit unions are under-invested in from a fintech standpoint and what that creates (opportunity)
•TruStage’s Discovery Fund thesis and who it’s designed to support (under represented founders)
•Why fintech angel investing has evolved (SPVs + platforms) and how that changes access
•How early-stage investors separate signal vs noise when data is limited
•Why reference calls matter, and what they reveal about founders
•The “tied to the problem vs tied to the solution” mindset
•Why authentic storytelling is becoming a competitive edge as AI increases content volume
•Stablecoin, AI implementation realities, and why execution takes longer in enterprise environments
•How TruStage helps portfolio companies with distribution and credit union introductions
•Portfolio winners to watch: Hello Divorce and Debbie
Key topics covered:
Elizabeth’s career arc
•Investment banking as a training ground, but not a lifestyle she wanted long-term
•Wealth management lessons across sectors, macro + bottoms-up analysis
•A personal ethics moment that sparked a pivot toward impact
Impact investing and fintech
•Discovering impact investing through business school work (including exposure to Acumen-style thinking)
•Investing in companies across education, healthcare, economic empowerment, and sustainability
Want to work with Propagate Fintech? Fill out a contact form at www.propagatefintech.com