Fundment founder Ola Abdul secured £45m earlier this year. He tells us how he built a successful fintech company, including the art of the business lunch, in this week’s Square Mile and Me

CV

• Name: Ola Abdul
• Job title: Founder & CEO, Fundment
• Previous roles: Investment management, fintech founder
• Lives: London
• Talents: Spotting the next big thing and simplifying complexities
• Motto: Adapt, evolve, stay curious
• Biggest perk of the job? Seeing real impact – technology transforming financial advice
• Coffee order: Black Americano
• Cocktail order: Old Fashioned. Classic, balanced, and never goes out of style.Favourite book: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight – a fascinating memoir about resilience, risk-taking and the journey of building Nike from nothing.

What was your first job?

At 16, my first job was cold-calling for a double-glazing window company, generating leads for the experienced salesmen to close. It was a crash course in resilience – learning how to handle rejection and keep people on the line long enough to make my pitch. Later, I took another cold-calling role for bookmakers, which sharpened my ability to read people over the phone and make a sale.

What was your first role in the City?

After university, where I studied economics, my first proper role........

© City A.M.