Banking-as-a-service (BaaS), embedded finance and open banking are among the hottest topics in fintech today. The promise? Make opening a bank account, storing money, receiving a payment card and lending money as easy as opening a social network account.
The reinvention of banking is well underway, and we’re excited to welcome three key players — Peter Hazlehurst, co-founder and CEO, Synctera; Laura Spiekerman, co-founder and president, Alloy; and Amanda Swoverland, chief compliance officer, Unit — to the Fintech Stage on September 19 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023.
In a session called “Making Money Move with Embedded Finance,” our panel will talk about how a new breed of finance infrastructure companies have the potential to turn any company into a fintech company.
Despite a roller-coaster year that featured mergers, acquisitions and layoffs, the BaaS sector is huge and expected to be worth almost $66 billion by 2030. Venture dollars continue to flow. This past March, Synctera raised $15 million to launch embedded products in Canada.
In May 2022, Unit closed a $100 million round with a $1.2 billion valuation, and in September, Alloy raised $52 million at a $1.55 billion valuation — just 11 months after raising $100 million at a $1.35 billion valuation.
With millions of dollars in funding — and billions of dollars in market potential — flying around, we’re eager to hear our panelists’ take on how a new wave of finance infrastructure startups are reinventing the way financial services are created, distributed and sold.
Learn more about our speakers — and their qualifications for tackling this timely topic — below.
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Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025
Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital, Elad Gil — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before Sept 26 to save up to $668.
San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025 REGISTER NOWPeter Hazlehurst: Synctera co-founder and CEO
Peter Hazlehurst is a global fintech entrepreneur and philanthropist with nearly 30 years of experience creating financial products for banks, fintechs and large tech companies. In 1993, he built core banking technology for Phoenix, which still powers companies today.
More recently, Hazlehurst served as head of Uber Money, chief operating officer at Postmates, senior director of product management at Google, CEO and board member of Google Payments Corporation and chief product officer at Yodlee. He also led the product team at Nokia for enterprise mobility and mobile email, and he has served as a CTO and consultant at several startups.
Laura Spiekerman: Alloy co-founder and president
In 2021, Laura Spiekerman was recognized by Crain’s New York as a Notable Woman on Wall Street. Prior to Alloy, she led business development and partnerships at an ACH payments startup. Spiekerman was also on the research and investment team at Imprint Capital Advisors (acquired by Goldman Sachs). A proud Barnard College alumna, she lives in Berkeley, California.
Amanda Swoverland: Unit chief compliance officer
Amanda Swoverland has built her career at the intersection of risk, compliance and innovative financial service solutions. She has more than 20 years of experience as a bank examiner, consultant, BSA officer and compliance officer.
Prior to joining Unit, Swoverland led a team of compliance and risk professionals at Sunrise Bank, where she served as the chief risk officer. During her time at Sunrise Bank, she helped transform the organization into a highly regarded sponsor bank, serving clients like Remitly, Gusto and Self Lender. Swoverland is a regular speaker at fintech conferences, including LendIt and Finext.
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