On May 15, FirstBank hosted the Vanderbilt Nashville Chapter for a discussion on the ever-changing world of financial technology.
FirstBank Chief Innovations Officer Wade Peery was joined by Brandon Arvanaghi, BA’16, and Bryce Crawford, BS’16, founders of Meow Technologies, a firm that broke into the fast-growing fintech segment serving businesses. The conversation was moderated by Deanna Meador, lead instructor at The Wond’ry and CEO of Couture Technologies, and took place in the One 22 One building in Nashville’s Gulch neighborhood.
Crawford and Arvanaghi engaged the crowd with their story about becoming close friends during their time at Vanderbilt and using that friendship to start their business. “We just committed to getting in a closed room and coding and hoping, having the blind confidence something would work out,” Arvanaghi told Forbes in an article featuring him and Crawford as two of their 2024 “30 under 30.” Today, Meow services more than $1 billion in assets on its platform.
The panel also highlighted the value of the Vanderbilt network as a great place to identify others in similar fields. Members of Vanderbilt’s chapters have opportunities to connect with Vanderbilt alumni and parents as well as friends of the university cultivated through Vanderbilt’s corporate partnerships and development and alumni relations teams.
Alumni and parents who would like to learn more about the Vanderbilt Nashville Chapter are encouraged to follow the chapter on Instagram @Vandyalumnashville or reach out to the chapter’s co-presidents, Stephania Byrne, BA’12, and Melissa Smithson, BS’07.