Why I Joined Bond: Zach Anderson Pettet
Born and raised in Kansas City, I saw firsthand how businesses struggle and how, even in the land of the American dream, people who work really hard can still find success elusive. I had a lot of questions around finance and, early on, I set the personal and professional goal of leveling the financial playing field for others in the United States. Those goals led me to financial technology and, now, to Bond, where I’m thrilled to share that I’ve joined as Director of Strategic Partnerships.
Prior to Bond, I worked at nbkc, a community bank in Kansas City, as VP of Fintech Strategy. When I joined nbkc two and a half years ago, there was a sense of, “What does the future hold?” New fintech companies were emerging but without a clear path to partnership with banks. As I started speaking with these companies and building partnerships, I learned about their specific needs and challenges — so we built an accelerator inside the bank to serve and partner with early stage companies. One of the biggest challenges these startups faced was the time and complexity required to get off the ground so we set up Fountain City Fintech to do partnerships in 75 days while the average partnerships were taking 18–24 months. It gave a signal to other banks and the world of finance that the status quo was not acceptable anymore and that moving faster was clearly possible.
When I met the group at Bond, I found kindred spirits who share this same passion for the future of fintech and are determined to remove obstacles for startups, brands, and those they serve. The team was a huge draw for me to Bond; I feel fortunate to be part of something that aligns with my longtime life goals and has the potential to level the financial playing field in a pretty transformational way. How do you pass up the opportunity to build with people like this?
As part of my love for fintech, I write on the subject and host a podcast. In addition to building partnerships, I am excited to tell the Bond story and the stories of our partners building the future of finance. We’re living in an incredible time where the world of finance is changing faster than it ever has before. It’s an amazing time to be part of this particular story — and I hope you’ll tune in to hear more.
