Happy December, Happy Holidays, and welcome back to Fintech & Friends!
Every once in a while, I get to bring on a guest who is both a juggernaut in the fintech space—and also a close, personal friend. I first met Kristy back in 2020, when I was introduced to her by a mutual connection and was told that she was single-handedly changing the financial landscape for immigrants. It was a big claim—and one that turned out to be right.
If you’ve ever felt like the traditional credit system was confusing, unfair, or stacked against people who don’t fit the mold of “perfect financial paperwork,” you are absolutely not alone.
For decades, the U.S. credit system has been built around outdated assumptions—favoring those with long-established and shiny credit histories, punishing newcomers for being, well, new, and making upward financial progress harder for millions of people, especially women, immigrants, and young professionals trying to break into the upper-class wealth bracket.
But what if building credit and taking control of your financial future didn’t require taking on debt, didn’t require jumping through hoops, and didn’t require being born into the right zip code?
That’s exactly what today’s guest, Kristy Kim, set out to solve when she built TomoCredit—an AI-powered financial platform that helps immigrants and other underserved groups leverage AI to build credit and get personalized financial advice. Advice that only used to be available to those with $250K+ to spend on a financial advisor.
A Korean immigrant who moved to the U.S. without a credit score, Kristy experienced firsthand how many doors can slam shut before you even get a chance to prove yourself—and how essential credit is to everyday life in America. In true Kristy Kim fashion, that frustration became her purpose—and today, TomoCredit is dedicated to financial equality for all.
In our chat, we get into:
How Kristy built TomoCredit by rewriting the assumptions banks have held for decades
Behind the scenes of fundraising and building a startup as a female immigrant founder—including what Kristy wishes more founders knew about resilience, rejection, and momentum
Kristy’s personal story, immigrating to the U.S. and learning about credit for the first time (co-workers telling her about how to get an auto-loan!)
The role AI will play in the next era of consumer credit and personal finance—and why Kristy believes the future of financial access is personalization, not punishment
What financial inclusion really looks like in 2025 and (hopefully!) beyond
Excited for you to give this very special episode a listen! And if you’re someone who’s ever felt walled out of the traditional financial system—I hope Kristy’s story gives you clarity, courage, and an empowered view of the future. This is fintech at its best—innovation designed with access for all in mind.
Make sure to check out the links below to connect with Kristy, explore TomoCredit, and see why their community is redefining what financial “worthiness” looks like.
And, if you haven’t subscribed to Fintech & Friends yet… what are you waiting for?
Also, be sure to watch ’til the end for a very special and very on-brand surprise—Kristy even surprises me in this episode.
Until next time,
Jenny
Learn more about TomoCredit:
🌐 TomoCredit
🔗 Connect with Kristy Kim on LinkedIn
