Sean Salas: Strategies For Building A Successful Startup and What Entrepreneurs Should Consider Before Starting Their Own Business | Hamlet Azarian, Sean Salas

From Resilience to Revolution: Sean Salas on Financial Inclusion at Scale — In this episode of the Growth Ventures Podcast, host Hamlet Azarian sits down with Sean Salas, CEO and co-founder of Camino Financial, to discuss his entrepreneurial journey—from childhood lessons learned in his mother’s restaurant business to building one of the most mission-driven fintechs serving overlooked small business owners.

Blending a passion for impact with the discipline of data and strategy, Sean shares the pivotal moments that shaped Camino’s path—from product-market fit struggles and bold pivots to becoming a cross-border operation with AI at its core.

Whether you’re building from zero or scaling to 100+, this episode is packed with high-growth lessons and values-driven leadership insights.

What We Covered with Sean

Roots of Resilience

Sean shares how his entrepreneurial mindset was shaped early on by his immigrant mother, who built and lost a 30-restaurant empire. Her ability to iterate, adapt, and lead with grit became the blueprint for Sean and his twin brother Kenny’s values-driven approach to business.

The Harvard Incubation & Camino’s Origin Story

While studying at Harvard Business School, Sean and Kenny began incubating Camino Financial. Their prior experience in private equity exposed them to the capital access gap in minority communities—and fintech became their vehicle for scalable impact.

Cracking Product-Market Fit and the Power of the Pivot

Early growth was stalled by low conversions through lending partners. A critical decision to pivot from marketplace to direct lending—putting $1M of raised capital at risk—helped Camino find traction and validate the customer need, setting the company on a new growth trajectory.

Scaling Culture Across Borders

With operations expanding into Mexico and Colombia, Sean emphasizes the importance of embedding company values early and maintaining a “day one” mindset. A VP of People hire, robust communication systems, and printed value cards on every desk became key tools for keeping culture strong at scale.

Data-Driven Everything: AI at Camino

From smarter credit scoring for underbanked customers to fraud detection and product graduation, AI powers much of Camino’s strategic backbone. But Sean stresses that a strong data culture—not just infrastructure—is the true unlock for meaningful automation and scalable innovation.

Key Timestamps

01:30 – Sean’s entrepreneurial roots and immigrant family story
05:30 – From Berkeley to Wall Street to Harvard Business School
10:00 – Incubating Camino Financial and identifying the gap
16:30 – The digital pivot: from marketplace to direct lender
24:00 – Expanding to Mexico City and maintaining company culture
28:30 – Hiring a VP of People and operationalizing values
34:00 – Future vision: AI-powered financial inclusion
39:00 – Strategic use of data and the community credit score
41:30 – Closing thoughts and how to get in touch

Final Thoughts

Sean Salas is a rare blend of strategic discipline and authentic mission. His story underscores that great businesses are built not just on data and capital—but on values, clarity, and courageous pivots. Whether you’re scaling a fintech or redefining how you serve overlooked markets, his journey offers a roadmap of purpose-driven leadership that doesn’t shy away from risk.

Connect with Sean Salas

LinkedIn: Sean Salas