Good morning. Seun Sodipo is the new chief financial officer at Plaid, a fintech startup that connects financial institutions. Sodipo brings a seasoned background in guiding high-growth businesses through strategic transformation and scaling.
Previously, Sodipo served as CFO at Glossier, where she led the company’s evolution from a direct-to-consumer pioneer to a fast-growing omnichannel beauty brand across North America and Europe. Before Glossier, Sodipo was head of product finance and strategy at payment service provider Stripe, partnering with the chief product officer and senior leadership. She began her career in investment banking at Centerview Partners and later worked as a private equity investor at Helios Investment Partners and Insignia Capital Group. At Plaid, Sodipo succeeds Eric Hart, who has returned to Expedia Group.
In April, Plaid completed a $575 million funding round led by Franklin Templeton, with participation from major investors including Fidelity and NEA. The round valued the company at approximately $6.1 billion.
Notably, the deal included a tender offer, allowing investors to purchase existing shares and provide liquidity to Plaid employees. It also helped address tax obligations tied to expiring stock units.
While this valuation reflects a drop from Plaid’s $13.4 billion peak in 2021, after its failed acquisition by Visa, the funding signals renewed investor confidence following the broader “fintech winter,” Fortune reported. Looking ahead, Plaid CEO Zach Perret hinted to Fortune‘s Leo Schwartz earlier this year that an IPO could be on the horizon in the next few years, calling the failed Visa deal a “blessing in disguise.”
At Plaid, Sodipo will lead the company’s global finance function as it moves beyond core data infrastructure to a broader suite of intelligence services, offering products in identity, payments, credit, and fraud. Her appointment highlights Plaid’s commitment to building a multi-product platform at the center of digital finance, according to the company.
Entering the next era of digital finance
I asked Sodipo about her top priorities as Plaid expands in a competitive fintech landscape.
“Plaid sits at the center of a financial system that is rapidly evolving as a result of data, AI, and modernization,” she told me in an email. “Today, more than half of Americans with a bank account have used Plaid to connect to an app or service. Over the past few years, we have expanded beyond bank connectivity into new areas like credit, anti-fraud, and payments, and revenue from these products has more than doubled this year.”
As CFO, her priority is driving sustainable, long-term growth. That means investing in areas of strong customer demand, strengthening data and analytics capabilities, and maintaining disciplined execution to balance innovation with profitability, she said. Adding: “Our focus is to power the infrastructure that enables this next era of digital finance while building a durable, independent company positioned for decades of growth.”
Sodipo’s blend of fintech, investment, and operational experience is set to support Plaid’s readiness for its next phase.
Sheryl Estrada
sheryl.estrada@fortune.com
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