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I build and launch products that solve real customer problems, resulting in real business…
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Smith Forte shared thisJust wrapped up two years helping Quinn hit product-market fit, sustainable ARR, and an $11M seed. Now I’m open for what’s next: ✅ Fractional CPO engagements (2 slots available) ✅ Advisory/Coaching (on-demand or subscription via intro.co/smithforte) ⚡️ And for the right company, leadership team, and mission, I’d consider a full-time CPO role. If you’re scaling and need seasoned product leadership without the overhead, let’s connect. If you’re an investor supporting founders, I can give your portfolio the advantage of judgment, clarity, and systems that scale. Let’s build something great! #FractionalCPO #Fintech #ProductLeadership #StartupGrowth #VentureCapital
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Smith Forte shared thisWhen I joined Varo as CPO, the world didn’t need yet another digital bank for millennials. Working-class Americans, who traditional banks ignored, needed to be seen and served. Varo Bank would be a pivot in the market. No-fee accounts. Micro-lending. Real-world support. Help with building credit. We ran a full-page NYT ad highlighting how big banks collect $45B in fees from low-income individuals, and why we wouldn’t. The lesson? Solve real problems for real people. And if you’re listening, they’ll tell you what they need. I’m taking 1:1 calls and have 2 subscription slots left on @Intro to help with: ✔️ Finding real product–market fit ✔️ Customer discovery that actually works ✔️ Messaging that connects Link to book is in the comments 👉
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Smith Forte shared thisI was Chief Product Officer at Acorns from 2016 to 2020. Here’s the product framework we used to stress test ideas: • Will it drive new behavior? • Can we measure it? • Will real customers care? • Will we make or save money? We ran 5-day prototypes. Shipped early. Got real feedback. And only built what earned its place on the roadmap. That approach helped Acorns become one of the most-used fintech apps in the U.S. Since then, I’ve led product at Varo Bank, advised early-stage teams, and I’m building in fintech again. Along the way, founders and product leads keep reaching out for help with strategy, hiring, and getting unstuck. So I’m opening up 1:1 calls on @Intro. I can help with: ✔️ Roadmap and product strategy ✔️ Finding product–market fit ✔️ Building or scaling a product org ✔️ Coaching product leaders and founders ✔️ Shipping features that get used The link to book is in the first comment.
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Smith Forte shared thisQuick update: for years now, I've been building products that democratize access to financial services. At Acorns and Moneybox, we unlocked access to investing, retirement, and saving. At Varo Bank, we opened up banking and lending for typically disenfranchised customers. Over the last year, I've been continuing this mission - leading the Product and Design team at Quinn, a B2B AI financial planning and advisory platform that enables our customers to grow their business by providing fiduciary quality financial plans and advice at scale with no additional headcount. If you're out at Money 20/20 this week, my colleague Jonathan Dane, CFA is there and he can walk you through the opportunity and give you a demo of the platform. Cheers, Smith
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Smith Forte shared thisThe truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth… in 18min. Thank you Scott Galloway https://lnkd.in/e7-S8XxGHow the US Is Destroying Young People’s Future | Scott Galloway | TEDHow the US Is Destroying Young People’s Future | Scott Galloway | TED
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Smith Forte shared thisProud to be helping Lumi bridge the mental health gap for families!Smith Forte shared thisModern-day parenting is an Olympic sport (on a good day). But we're on a mission to make it easier: I can't lie - interviewing parents about their daily challenges is (nearly) enough to put you off having children. Bringing a child up today is difficult. Add in a health challenge and it becomes nearly impossible. When supporting a child who is struggling, parents told us: 'I don't know if I am doing the right thing to help' 'I have no one to talk to who understands what it's like' 'I don't where to turn for the right information/support/resources' Combine these with lack of time, feelings of guilt and the emotional pain of seeing your child struggle - you have a perfect storm. Lumi's philosophy revolves around creating confident and supportive environments for young people. This starts at home. That's why we are super excited to launch our Parents & Carers WhatsApp community. This is a collaborative space where people can access: • Bitesize content 🎓 • Practical strategies ⚒️ • Trusted resources and professional guidance 📚 You can join using the link in the comments and please feel free to share with anyone in your network! P.S. You can meet the wonderful Lumi team in the introductions group - please feel free to join and say hi! Lucy B.Dr Verity AlexisEuan Bell Smith ForteJames Blackwood CITP MBCS MCMI
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Smith Forte shared thisImagine a team where communication flows effortlessly, where everyone understands each other's strengths, and where collaboration feels like second nature. In my experience, this only happens in an environment where people are encouraged to be themselves, leveraging their unique skills to contribute to the team’s goals. Every team member possesses a distinct set of talents, strengths, and experiences that, when properly understood and harnessed, can contribute to remarkable achievements. It's like a “people puzzle” where every piece has its place, forming a picture that's both beautiful and powerful. When you assemble individuals based on their strengths, you create a team dynamic that propels everyone forward. But how does this translate into real-world success? It's all about building and nurturing relationships. It begins with self-awareness – understanding your own strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations. Once you grasp your own puzzle piece, you can begin connecting with others on a deeper level. By truly comprehending what drives each team member, their ambitions, and their natural inclinations, what emerges is a culture of support, creativity, collaboration, and deep trust. The “people puzzle” is about recognizing the power of human connection, celebrating individuality, and weaving strengths together into something extraordinary. I’m spending the second half of my career helping companies build product, design, and engineering teams where every individual feels valued, every team thrives, and every puzzle piece finds its rightful place. Let me know how I can help! 🧩 smithforte.com
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Smith Forte shared thisGreat article from Eric Taylor - our Dir. of UX Research! https://lnkd.in/gvFKQxW #varobank #research
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Smith Forte shared thisVaro has saved its customers over $100 million in overdraft fees in the last year through No Fee Overdraft - that’s real money back in the pockets of consumers at a critical time, and supports our mission for #financialinclusion and #financialwellness in communities across the US. https://lnkd.in/ggaAWPkSmith Forte shared thisIn one year, the Varo community has saved over $100 million with No Fee Overdraft! That’s over $100 million kept in the hands of hard-working Americans. Here’s to real banking, for real people. 💜 Overdraft fee savings calculated by: Frequency of Varo customers overdrawing account with No Fee Overdraft from August 2019 through August 2020 multiplied by average overdraft fee. #banking #financialinclusion #mobilebanking #challengerbank #varobank #fintechnews #newbanking
Smith Forte commented on a post
2mo
Congrats Conner, say hello to all my old Varo crew there!
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Smith Forte liked thisI’m grateful to be stepping into a new chapter at Acorns, leading Core Product. Acorns helps everyday people save, invest and build healthy money habits. The team is building a complete financial wellness system for the whole family, and I’m excited to contribute to that mission. In my role, I’ll be supporting teams across Banking, Investing, Money Management, AI Guidance, Benefits and Support. What stood out to me immediately about Acorns is the team. The people here are incredibly talented and care deeply about our customers’ financial wellbeing. Thank you to Noah Kerner and Jamie Henderson for the opportunity to join and help carry this work forward. When I accepted the role, I sent Noah a photo of a piece of art that’s been hanging in my kitchen for years. It reads: “The greatest oak was once a little nut that stood its ground.” Perhaps a subtle clue from the universe all along.
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Smith Forte liked thisSmith Forte liked thisMyCorner is live. 🗺️ It's a neighbourhood discovery app for London and New York — and it does things no map or listings site does: → Rate and compare 70+ neighbourhoods across safety, transit, green space, affordability, nightlife, and family-friendliness → Calculate real commute times from every neighbourhood to your work or school → Get personalised recommendations based on your actual priorities and taste → Build walking itineraries through curated local spots → Shortlist, rule out, add to visit list, and annotate as you go — your search, your way This is v1. It has v1 rough edges. But the core is solid and I think it's already a really useful tool for people figuring out where to live or explore in these two cities. The deeper goal: MyCorner is part of KalliDao's mission to help people navigate to a better life in the AI transition — this one through physical belonging and local connection. When we work with or create a new agent every hour, finding the right place in our distinctively human environment may never have been as important. More on the philosophy → https://lnkd.in/epPXGJUw Download on iOS → https://lnkd.in/es3eUz7v Download on Android → https://lnkd.in/eA9FRzHR Moving to or moving within London or New York? Know someone who is? This one's for them. 👇
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Smith Forte liked thisWe're hiring, and there has never been a better time to join Flawless. We're #5 in Film & TV on Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies list, and the leading AI company on the list. I couldn't be prouder of this team and what we've built together. We're actively looking for exceptional people across engineering, and science. If this mission resonates with you, check out our open roles here → https://lnkd.in/eXUsbmtRSmith Forte liked thisWe're proud that Flawless has been named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2026 – ranked #5 in Film & Television, and the leading AI company on the list. This recognition reflects something we've believed from the start: the film and TV industry deserves AI that works *for* it – not against it. While much of the AI conversation has centred on replacement, we've stayed focused on a different model for AI in cinema. Built in close collaboration with guilds, unions, and studios, TrueSync™ and DeepEditor™ are designed to: → protect artistic rights → honour real performances → preserve human authorship That's what pioneering assistive AI actually means. Thank you to Fast Company for this honor – and to every filmmaker, partner, and collaborator who has helped shape what Flawless is becoming.
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Smith Forte liked thisSmith Forte liked thisIf you’re a parent or professional wondering about ADHD support that doesn’t feel clinical or overwhelming, join our signature PAUSE online mixer today at noon! PAUSE People is a lighthearted, non-clinical parent coaching space grounded in CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics guidance -where parents bring a new, more helpful first line of support for kids with ADHD. How’s it different? We keep it simple and have an unforgettable cast of characters, starting with PAWS the Dog, our mascot! We’ll welcome back founding cohort members, friends from the Neurodiversion, colleagues and community partners. OMG the whole cast of characters will be there and we hope you will be there, too! RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/ggmDvB3v
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Smith Forte liked thisSmith Forte liked thisA year ago, an idea was born from seeing my mom’s reluctance to use traditional banking services because they did not align with her beliefs and values. That idea became NylaBank — Africa’s first digital Islamic bank. While global Islamic finance assets exceed $7 trillion, Africa accounts for only about 2% of the market despite having over 450 million people seeking financial services aligned with their ethical values and beliefs. Our vision is to build the largest Islamic bank in the world, empowering over 2 billion people with financial services grounded in transparency, fairness, and equity, starting in Africa. Today, we’re excited to share that we’ve finalized our partnership with Mambu, one of the world’s leading core banking platforms serving customers such as N26, Western Union, and Wio Bank. We announced the partnership on stage at the Inclusive Fintech Forum 2026 in Kigali, powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). Leveraging Mambu’s SaaS infrastructure, we will deploy and scale NylaBank across multiple markets while adequately meeting regulatory requirements. So far, we’ve achieved the following: -> 33,000+ waitlist users across 43 countries -> Integrated with a partner bank and a card processing partner (to be disclosed) -> Raised an oversubscribed pre-seed round led by Ingressive Capital with participation from Mubadala Capital partner Siddig Siddig, the Milken Institute, and others -> Selected as one of 10 startups for the Milken-Motsepe Prize in Fintech Our goal goes beyond digital products. We aim to build the infrastructure layer for Islamic finance across Africa and beyond, confronting financial exclusion with a lasting and practical solution. Join our waitlist at www.nylabank.com and stay updated as we prepare for our launch in Ghana. We’re deeply grateful to our advisors and supporters whose guidance continues to shape our journey. A special thank you to: Samantha Abrams Joe Bradford, CSAA R. Akwasi Kwarteng Adjei Lameen Abdul-Malik Dr Ziyaad Mahomed Smith Forte Daniel J. Barker Folarin Oreoluwa Aiyegbusi Nneka Chime Aishat Raji, CFA Christopher Ategeka Basil Carr Prasanth K An Nayal (安特）Prince Nii Lamptey Taeya Abdel-Majeed Dane Patterson Naa Alhassan Andani Moutia Murheb Abdul-Jalil Ibrahim, Ph.D. Dr. Mohammed Burhan Arbouna, PhD. Tom Phillips Jonathan Lee Ummahani Amin Mark Zubov, CFA Ashwin Ravichandran Expert Dojo Melissa Nsiah C3 - Companies Creating Change Africa Fintech Summit Naji B. Brooke Bilyeu Mayada El-Zoghbi ميادة الزغبى Salah Goss —- Read the full announcement: https://lnkd.in/e_sv5DuD
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Smith Forte liked thisSmith Forte liked thisBusy week! We started on Monday at MoneyLIVE with Marko Katavic, Tibby Palmer, Greg Zholdak, Danielle D'Lima and Laura Finlay covering the little discussed topic of "Artificial Intelligence" and how it will impact personal finance and financial institutions. On Tuesday we released our report into pension transfer practices alongside AJ Bell, Freetrade, Hargreaves Lansdown, Interactive Investor, J.P. Morgan Personal Investing, Monzo, PensionBee, and Vanguard which was picked up by patrick hosking at the Times. The biggest problem we have in the UK with pensions is engagement, so when someone makes a proactive decision to move their pension, the industry should be obligated to make that process as smooth, safe and quick as possible (Australia get it done in 3 days 👀 ) And it was great to finish the week with Maisie Grice, Martin Kimber and the team at City AM to bring the report to life and what it means for consumers trying to move their pensions, alongside Helen Morrissey. Full video here: https://lnkd.in/eZriM9je All the while the Moneybox team have been helping our customers navigate volatile markets ❤️ When you see the industry coming together to try and improve things for pension customers, investors not panicking when markets are choppy and AI leaders championing safety and trust in product development, it can sometimes feel like we are trending in the right direction 🤞
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Smith Forte liked thisSmith Forte liked thisA few weeks ago, I started a new role as the Director of Applied Research and Insights at Acorns. Joining this company and this incredible team is a literal dream come true for me for so many reasons. As someone who's spent the better part of the last decade studying and experimenting with leveraging technology to meet the needs of real families and real people, I am so grateful to be stepping into the opportunity of empowering folks around the world to achieve agency through deliberate, purposeful investing over time. I'm joining a team of world-class research, experimentation, and product leaders to advocate for a future that is supported by technology but led first and forever by humans. My journey to Acorns was innately human - every single touch point from the first conversations I had with the team until my first week onsite last month (where I took this picture from my first 1:1 with my new manager) has reaffirmed that I've found a home with people and purpose. I cannot wait to build a financial future that families around the world so deserve with this amazing team!
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Smith Forte liked thisSmith Forte liked thisWe're excited to welcome fintech founder and entrepreneur Randy Fernando to the Emprise Bank Board of Directors. Randy’s exceptional expertise in financial infrastructure and product development, track record of building and scaling successful companies, and growth-oriented mindset offer a valuable perspective to Emprise Bank and will support innovation across the bank. https://lnkd.in/gc8TJT54
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Smith Forte liked thisSmith Forte liked thisThis is tool stack of the best AI PMs I've talked to: (You just need one in each category) 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 Vibe Coding • Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, Replit, or Warp • You want to be able to build your own operating system • My guide: https://lnkd.in/gsH9RSfJ Prototyping • Lovable, Bolt, v0, Magic Patterns, or Base44 • A prototype is a key pair to the PRD these days • My guide: https://lnkd.in/eJujDhBV 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗧𝗬 Dictation • Wispr Flow, superwhisper, Tactiq, Speechify • You talk 2x faster than you type. Use that • My guide: https://lnkd.in/g3bRR7e6 Meetings • Granola, Fathom, Otter.ai, tl;dv, or Fireflies • Never take manual meeting notes again • My guide: https://lnkd.in/gWk_t49C General LLMs • Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Kimi, or Grok • Find your favorites and master prompt engineering • My guide: https://lnkd.in/d_qYCBT7 𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 Simple Agents • Zapier, Lindy, Relay, Bardeen, or Parabola • Start here if you've never automated a workflow • My guide: https://lnkd.in/eyamsW7a Full-Featured Agents • n8n, make, Activepieces, Workato, or Tray • Graduate here when simple feels limiting • My guide: https://lnkd.in/eeey5Cxr 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬 User Research • NotebookLM, Perplexity, Elicit, Consensus, or Grain • Use AI at every step to make it faster • My guide: https://lnkd.in/gcD8_wNS Customer Intelligence • Dovetail, Unwrap, Enterpret, Monterey, or Viable • Go from unstructured data to usable inputs • My guide: https://lnkd.in/evCwj4rU Want a pro version of each? ↳ Grab my bundle: https://lnkd.in/eYxxVhZr What would you add to the list?
Experience & Education
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Acorns
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Volunteer Experience
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Volunteer
Children for Change
- Present 11 years
Children
https://www.children4change.org/
Publications
Projects
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Civitas ID
Human-centered identity system designed by and for displaced persons and migrants. https://www.civitasid.org/
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Nyla
The money app for Islamic banking. https://nyla.money/
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Orli
Orli is a digital companion that helps parents understand, talk to, and feel more confident to support their children.
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