Lothifa Chowdhury serves as the Head of Growth (UK) and Head of Partnerships at WE.VESTR, where she excels as a facilitator in cultivating dynamic, mutually beneficial relationships. Her role involves championing technological innovations poised to transform the industry landscape while collaborating with passionate individuals dedicated to making a positive impact and wholeheartedly enjoying their work. Lothifa is committed to fostering win-win partnerships and driving progress in the field.
Below are highlights of the interview:
As Head of Growth (UK) & Head of Partnerships at WE.VESTR, you play a crucial role in developing dynamic relationships. How do you approach building and maintaining partnerships that result in mutually beneficial outcomes?
Start with the intention of just building a champion first. Be the first to offer something without a proviso. We need to think, especially in the startup ecosystem, that we are no different than a tribe that needs to take care of its own within its means and without an immediate compensatory response. When we operate like this – as I’ve found with our partners, the mutually beneficial outcome not only takes care of itself, but you often end up with a partner who feels motivated to work with you in ways you hadn’t thought of.
How do you identify and collaborate with individuals or organizations that align with WE.VESTR’s mission and values?
Businesses that are also invested in supporting startups across the full spectrum of business needs, especially at the early stage of the startup journey, will usually be aligned with our own purpose of creating a space for startups to thrive.
As someone who deals with growth and partnerships, what challenges do you often encounter in fostering win:win relationships, and how do you overcome them?
As part of a young startup, we’re still very much in the infancy of many of our partnerships, and creating value for both parties in the long run is something that is only just beginning to unfold for us and will inevitably require more time to truly paint the picture. So perhaps not so much a challenge, but what we need right now is time to mature in our partnerships to deliver (and enjoy) the real value of the partnership.
The fintech industry can be competitive. How do you ensure that WE.VESTR stands out from the crowd and remains at the forefront of innovation and excellence?
We do this by being consummate listeners. We listen to our customers and their evolving needs; to our competitors and what they are doing in the market; to our advisors, peers, and partners who operate in complementary spaces; and of course, we do this by listening to our own team and where they feel we can chisel away at the proposition to make WE.VESTR the best it can be for founders and investors.
How do you facilitate effective communication and cooperation among various stakeholders, both within WE.VESTR and with external partners?
By communicating as often as you can. It’s as simple as that. When you have as many spinning plates as most startups do, things can change very quickly, and it’s important to keep everyone in the loop of what’s going on in order to be as agile and productive as you can. Both within the organization and with external partners.
As Head of Growth, you likely have a vision for the future of WE.VESTR. What are some of the key strategic initiatives you are currently working on or planning to implement to further expand the company’s reach and impact?
We have a very exciting initiative aimed at pre-revenue startups that we will be launching at the end of Q3, so do watch this space. It’s one I’m super excited about, as it will not only expand our reach and utility to a wider founder universe but will resonate with our mission of creating a better world for the next generation of startups.
Given your experience in the fintech industry, what advice would you give to startups or entrepreneurs looking to disrupt the sector with innovative technology solutions?
Start with the best team of talent you can find. If you have the right people on the bus who, in turn, are sitting in the right seats and understand the direction the bus is going, then you don’t need to worry about making an impactful destination. The chemistry between your team of talent will mean something magical will happen inevitably.
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