Get to know the hosts:
About Lori Shao
Lori Shao is the CEO of Finli, a technology platform that helps micro and small business entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur herself, Lori spent 17 years climbing the corporate ladder in various roles at Fortune 500 companies with a deep focus on payment technology and innovation. On the personal side, Lori grew up in a working class household, witnessing first hand that there is no lack of skill and grit but there is a lack of access to the right tools. She set out to build those tools that empower everyday Americans to springboard to new heights. Lori resides in Los Angeles with her husband Derek, two human children and 11 non-human children.
About Derek Eitel
Derek was born and raised in Marshall, IL and studied Mechanical Engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. In 2010, he became the first Rose-Hulman athlete to be drafted in any sport when the Arizona Diamondbacks selected him in the 17th Round. Derek played nine years of professional baseball, was part of two minor league championship teams and was selected to the AAA All-Star team in 2014. Derek also played five seasons of winter ball in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. Following his retirement in 2018, Derek spent three years at Pando, a FinTech Startup working with pro baseball players and entrepreneurs to better manage career risk. Derek and his wife Jessica live in Scottsdale, Arizona where Jessica is a Financial Advisor and they raise their daughters Arielle and Everly. In his free time you can find Derek playing guitar, shooting pool, golfing, and enjoying the great Arizona outdoors with his family.
About Mark Sievert
Mark Sievert has been a successful problem solver in multiple business verticals, including global supply chains, international finance and most recently in the digital payment space. For the last eleven years, Mark has had leadership roles at the premier bank for startups, Silicon Valley Bank. His focus was helping small companies develop their creative solutions and succeed in the complex regulatory, legal and technology landscape of modern payments. He recently joined Finli as the Head of Partnerships. Mark and his wife Gina have two boys & live in the Long Beach, CA area.