At Bain Capital Ventures, we strive to be an exceptional partner to our portfolio companies — we want founders to understand that we’re by their side every step of the way.

Our operating partners are especially critical in this endeavor, providing strategic counsel to executive teams, helping to optimize company operations and serving as a sounding board when tough decisions inevitably arise. As our fintech practice steadily expands and as we continuously aim to up our game, I’m pleased to welcome our newest operating partner, Keri Gohman.

Having spent the past two decades living and breathing all things fintech, I can say unequivocally that there has never been a more exciting time to be a founder or investor in this industry. Financial technology is slowly but surely infiltrating every aspect of our lives.

At Bain Capital Ventures, we’ve backed dozens of these startups that are upending traditional financial services. Today, we have deployed $600 million across more than 30 startups in our portfolio, including companies like Acorns, AvidXchange (just named to the Forbes Cloud 100), Finix, Flywire, IEX and Justworks. In scope, these companies span the breadth of fintech — from payments and lending to investing and insurance.

But as innovation in fintech hastens and our investing pace accelerates, so too does the need to partner even more deeply and meaningful with the founders to help them achieve their vast potential.

This is why we’re lucky to have Keri join us as this pivotal moment. Keri will work across our fintech portfolio, working closely with leadership teams to unlock business value and spur further growth. Leveraging her deep expertise in the sector, she will also help drive the expansion of our investing practice by helping to identifying new, innovative startups that represent the future of fintech.

I first met Keri several years ago when she was head of the small business bank at Capital One. I was speaking to a group of executives, each who ran the small business division at their respective financial institution, and after my presentation Keri introduced herself to me. I remember being struck immediately by her fresh and modern approach to thinking about our sector. We got to know each other better over the coming years, and I’ve continued to be impressed by her unique level of knowledge and experience.

Keri has spent her entire career innovating in financial services and helping organizations solve global challenges — from reinventing banking models during the digital transition to rethinking embedded financial services in platform SaaS businesses. She defines what it means to be a leading executive in fintech, having moved seamlessly between established financial services firms like GE and Capital One and technology companies like Intuit and most recently Xero. She’s a superstar in our sector, a role model to many and most importantly a thoughtful and generous human being.

I’m proud to welcome Keri to Bain Capital Ventures. I look forward to witnessing her contributions to our portfolio and how she will shape the trajectory of fintech at our firm.