Building the
Building the
bank
bank
we always
we always
Wanted.
Wanted.
Started in a Brooklyn coffee shop in 2019. Now seven years. in, with 142 people, 200,000 customers, and the same napkin.
Started in a Brooklyn coffee shop in 2019. Now seven years. in, with 142 people, 200,000 customers, and the same napkin.
VOLUME · 07
2026
Finlance
— Banking, beautifully simple.
In deposits
Currencies
Customers
EDITED FROM BROOKLYN, NYC
est. 2019
A working document, revised continuously.
VOLUME · 07
2026
Finlance
— Banking, beautifully simple.
In deposits
Currencies
Customers
EDITED FROM BROOKLYN, NYC
est. 2019
A working document, revised continuously.
OUR STORY
We started Finlance to
fix
something
broken
THE BEGINNING
In 2019, our founders sat across from a banker who couldn't explain the fees they were charging. That afternoon, on a napkin in a Brooklyn coffee shop, the first sketch of Lumen was drawn.
THREE BELIEFS
Banking should be obvious, not encrypted in legalese. Every fee should fit on a single line. And human help should be a call away, not a chatbot maze. The whole product still runs on those three rules.
WHERE WE ARE
Seven years on, the product has grown multi currency, premium cards, wealth tools but the principles haven't moved. Neither has the napkin. It's framed on the wall in our New York office.
Banking shouldn't make you feel small. It should make you feel capable. That's the whole company in one sentence.
Maya Kowalski
CEO & Co-founder
The multi-currency accounts alone saved
us over $80K last year. The product is
just a delight to use.
Maya Kowalski
CEO & Co-founder
THE JOURNEY
A short
history
of seven years
Founded
Sketched on a napkin in Brooklyn.
LAUNCH
First 1,000 customers in beta.
SERIES A
$28M led by Index Ventures.
SCALE
First $1B in customer deposits.
EXPANSION
Launched in UK and EU.
EXPANSION
Launched in UK and EU.
2019
2020
2021
2022
2024
2026
Founded
Sketched on a napkin in Brooklyn.
LAUNCH
First 1,000 customers in beta.
SERIES A
$28M led by Index Ventures.
SCALE
First $1B in customer deposits.
EXPANSION
Launched in UK and EU.
EXPANSION
Launched in UK and EU.
2019
2020
2021
2022
2024
2026
Founded
Sketched on a napkin in Brooklyn.
LAUNCH
First 1,000 customers in beta.
SERIES A
$28M led by Index Ventures.
SCALE
First $1B in customer deposits.
EXPANSION
Launched in UK and EU.
EXPANSION
Launched in UK and EU.
2019
2020
2021
2022
2024
2026
+
Customers worldwide
+
Customers worldwide
+
$
In customer deposits
+
$
In customer deposits
Supported currencies
Supported currencies
%
human concierge support
%
human concierge support
PRINCIPLE
The
three
things we hold onto.
01
CLARITY
Clarity over complexity.
Clarity over complexity.
Banking should be obvious, not encrypted in legalese. If a fee can't be explained in a single sentence, it doesn't exist at Lumen. We rewrite our terms of service the way humans actually talk.
Banking should be obvious, not encrypted in legalese. If a fee can't be explained in a single sentence, it doesn't exist at Lumen. We rewrite our terms of service the way humans actually talk.
02
TRUST
Trust through transparency.
Trust through transparency.
Every fee, every rate, every term in plain language and right where you can find it. No fine print, no surprises, ever. We publish our pricing history publicly, so you can see exactly what's changed and when.
Every fee, every rate, every term in plain language and right where you can find it. No fine print, no surprises, ever. We publish our pricing history publicly, so you can see exactly what's changed and when.
03
PROPLE
People over process, always.
People over process, always.
Real humans, ready in 90 seconds, any time of day. Software is wonderful, but when something goes wrong with money, you deserve a person who cares not a ticket number and a 48 hour SLA.
Real humans, ready in 90 seconds, any time of day. Software is wonderful, but when something goes wrong with money, you deserve a person who cares not a ticket number and a 48 hour SLA.
Loved
by those who demand better.
Finlance replaced four different tools we
were patching together. Cleaner, faster,
and somehow cheaper.
Marcus King
CFO, Aperture Labs
Finlance replaced four different tools we
were patching together. Cleaner, faster,
and somehow cheaper.
Marcus King
CFO, Aperture Labs
The multi currency accounts alone saved
us over $80K last year. The product is
just a delight to use.
Sofia Okonkwo
Founder, Northwell Capital
I've never seen a banking product that
feels this thoughtful. The concierge team
responds in minutes, not days.
Daniel Reyes
Managing Partner, Velocity Holdings
I've never seen a banking product that
feels this thoughtful. The concierge team
responds in minutes, not days.
Daniel Reyes
Managing Partner, Velocity Holdings
Finlance replaced four different tools we
were patching together. Cleaner, faster,
and somehow cheaper.
Marcus King
CFO, Aperture Labs
Finlance replaced four different tools we
were patching together. Cleaner, faster,
and somehow cheaper.
Marcus King
CFO, Aperture Labs
The multi currency accounts alone saved
us over $80K last year. The product is
just a delight to use.
Sofia Okonkwo
Founder, Northwell Capital
I've never seen a banking product that
feels this thoughtful. The concierge team
responds in minutes, not days.
Daniel Reyes
Managing Partner, Velocity Holdings
I've never seen a banking product that
feels this thoughtful. The concierge team
responds in minutes, not days.
Daniel Reyes
Managing Partner, Velocity Holdings
THE TEAM
Ambitious
people doing their best work.
people doing their best work.
The leadership team, plus 134 other people who make Lumen run.
The leadership team, plus 134 other people who make Lumen run.
Maya Kowalski
CEO & CO-FOUNDER
Maya Kowalski
CEO & CO-FOUNDER
Daniel Park
PRESIDENT & CO-FOUNDER
Daniel Park
PRESIDENT & CO-FOUNDER
Sofia Ortiz
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Sofia Ortiz
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Priya Sharma
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
Priya Sharma
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
Alex Tanaka
VP OF PRODUCT
Alex Tanaka
VP OF PRODUCT
Lena Voss
VP OF DESIGN
Lena Voss
VP OF DESIGN
Marcus Adigbo
VP OF ENGINEERING
Marcus Adigbo
VP OF ENGINEERING
Jordan Park
VP OF MARKETING
Jordan Park
VP OF MARKETING
BLOG POSTS
Insights, ideas, and
Insights, ideas, and
stories
from Finlance
PRODUCT
Behind the design: building our new dashboard.
How we rebuilt the dashboard from scratch information density without sacrificing clarity.
Sam Chen
Aug 8, 2026
9 min Read
PRODUCT
Behind the design: building our new dashboard.
How we rebuilt the dashboard from scratch information density without sacrificing clarity.
Sam Chen
Aug 8, 2026
9 min Read
MARKETS
Multi currency: a practical guide to all 38 we support.
When to hold which currency, and where to expect the fewest surprises across borders.
Priya Singh
Jul 21, 2026
7 min Read
MARKETS
Multi currency: a practical guide to all 38 we support.
When to hold which currency, and where to expect the fewest surprises across borders.
Priya Singh
Jul 21, 2026
7 min Read
GUIDES
How to choose the right business account in 2026.
Six things to weigh before you switch from fees to features that actually move the needle.
Jordan Park
Jul 12, 2026
6 min Read
GUIDES
How to choose the right business account in 2026.
Six things to weigh before you switch from fees to features that actually move the needle.
Jordan Park
Jul 12, 2026
6 min Read