At the Duke FinTech Seminar: Logan Allin invited FinTech Students to find the values that will drive them forward

“My career was not a linear path”, said Logan Allin, Managing Partner and Founder at Fin Capital while lecturing to the Duke FinTech Students last Friday, as the weekly seminar speaker. Logan’s inspirational talk Spanned several decades of experience, from the moment he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public policy and political science from Duke to where he is today – a successful entrepreneur, investor, company founder and a member of the Master of Engineering in FinTech Advisory Board Member. He told students how his early career as a management consultant helped him acquire the experience and credibility for being an executive, entrepreneur, and investor. Each step prepared him for the next, like in a puzzle. He went back to school, at Stanford’s Business School where he was a Sloan fellow. “That was a pivotal point in my career,” he commented. “This is how the Duke FinTech Program will be a pivotal point in your careers, teaching you things and giving you the skills that you need to be successful.”  Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, he was a corporate executive – VP in Citibank’s wealth management division, then head of fintech strategy at Atlantic Trust. And before founding Fin Capital, he was the VP of SoFi Ventures where he invested in and worked with fintech companies while running SoFi’s accelerator and corporate development. “If you have not walked at least hundreds of miles in entrepreneurs’ shoes you cannot be credible as an investor. And if you have not worked in operations, you cannot be an entrepreneur,” he added.

Logan shared with students that the values that helped him grow are integrity, humility, and a growth mindset. “You are your health and your family. Without them, nothing else matters,” he said. He talked about the importance of investing in relationships that are long lasting and meaningful.