20 Hires. 24 Months. Revenue Positive. Sasha Yablonovsky Tells the Story
Off to the Valley · Prateek Panda
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Show Notes
In this episode of Off to the Valley, I sit down with Sasha Yablonovsky, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Loanspark and former President at CareerBuilder, to unpack her extraordinary journey from immigrant beginnings to building a fintech that’s reshaping small business lending.
Sasha shares how Loanspark went revenue positive in under 24 months with a lean team of just 20 hires, proving that speed and focus can matter more than raising millions. We talk about:
→ The mindset shift from corporate executive to startup founder
→ Lessons from being a woman in tech in the 90s, and how she turned skepticism into strength
→ Why hiring the right people can make or break an early-stage company
→ How Loanspark’s embedded lending model is changing access to capital for SMBs, from equipment financing to real estate
→ The role of AI in speeding up approvals and underwriting in commercial lending
→ How founders can avoid “yes syndrome” by innovating with purpose and learning to say no
Packed with hard-won insights, candid reflections, and actionable takeaways, this conversation is a must-listen for founders, fintech operators, and anyone navigating the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.