About this episode
Andrea Reynolds, Founder & CEO of Swoop, joins Gary to break down what founders actually need to know about funding, cash flow and building a business that lasts.Andrea started Swoop after becoming deeply frustrated by how hard it was for business owners to access grants, loans and funding quickly. What began as anger at a broken system became a fintech platform helping businesses access cash faster, automate funding applications and identify savings across essential services.In this conversation, Andrea shares the real-world funding lessons most founders only learn the hard way: why you should raise debt before you need it, why revenue solves more problems than almost anything else, how to think about investors properly, and why profitability matters more than hype.She also opens up about building under pressure, raising millions across multiple rounds, expanding internationally, surviving market shocks, and why empathy is still her most important business principle.If you’re a founder, operator or business owner trying to grow without losing control, this one is packed with practical insight.Show notesAndrea Reynolds is the Founder & CEO of Swoop, a fintech platform helping businesses access funding faster through data, automation and smarter financial decision-making.In this episode, Gary and Andrea discuss:Why businesses fail when cash flow gets tightThe original frustration that sparked SwoopHow Andrea manually tested demand before building the productWinning early funding through timing, momentum and experimentationThe open banking opportunity that accelerated Swoop’s growthWhat founders get wrong about fundraisingWhy you should raise before you actually need the moneyThe difference between debt, grants and equityWhy some investors can become a liabilityHow to think about boards, board observers and investor fitWhy diversification matters in a volatile marketThe shift from “growth at all costs” to profitabilityExpanding from Ireland and the UK into the US and beyond
