{"id":11340,"date":"2025-07-24T13:36:32","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T13:36:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/?p=11340"},"modified":"2025-07-25T13:25:34","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T13:25:34","slug":"startup-stories-smartie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/fr\/blog-posts\/startup-stories-smartie\/","title":{"rendered":"Startup Stories with SmartI&amp;E"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"11340\" class=\"elementor elementor-11340\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-18cf7b48 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"18cf7b48\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2fbcfeb4\" data-id=\"2fbcfeb4\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7ae5afcd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7ae5afcd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"org-top-card-summary__tagline\"><strong>SmartI&amp;E offers a unique way to assess affordability that does not impact one\u2019s credit score using open banking data and de-risking fraud.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c665f95 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c665f95\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After experiencing both the pain of losing his father from ill health and then suffering a serious health scare himself due to pressure caused by financial barriers and stress Simon decided to bring his dream vision of SmartI&amp;E to reality. Over the past 25 years, Simon has worked in different countries including the <\/span>UK, Australia and now Canada<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, leading digital transformation initiatives in credit, collections, and financial well-being.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>Simon has since been on a mission to create what he describes as a movement to help Canadians with their financial health.<\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">SmartI&amp;E was recently selected to join Fintech Cadence\u2019s 2025 Innovate Financial Health (IFH) Lab, a national program dedicated to supporting founders on a mission to improve the financial health of Canadians and Canadian businesses. Today, we sit down with Simon Howard to learn what inspired him to start SmartI&amp;E<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8dd402c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8dd402c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>Tell us about your startup and what inspired you to start it. <\/b><\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db6c621 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"db6c621\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seven years ago, I created the name SmartI&amp;E\u2014short for <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smart Income and Expenditure<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014while working with two major UK banks to redesign how affordability data is captured to demonstrate fair treatment of consumers. Since then, I\u2019ve worked with banks, lenders, credit counselors, and regulatory experts to shape what \u2018SmartI&amp;E\u2019 has become today.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The idea was born not just from a professional challenge, but also from a deeper understanding of how overwhelming financial stress can be. Many people feel isolated or judged when they\u2019re struggling\u2014often delaying conversations that could make a real difference. That experience has stayed with me and continues to guide our mission: to make affordability clear, accessible, and empowering for both consumers and the organizations that serve them.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SmartI&amp;E is transforming how businesses assess financial affordability. Our platform automates income and expense evaluations using verified open banking data and behavioural science driven by AI.<\/span><\/p><p><b>We\u2019re solving a growing problem:\u00a0<\/b><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">33% of consumers are financially vulnerable, yet most businesses can only identify 3-10% leaving them exposed to potential bad debt and losing customers to insolvency.\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">35% of Canadians are credit invisible and excluded from credit, housing and building financial wealth &#8211; this is discrimination!\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">40% of Canadians say they lack basic financial literacy\u2014leaving them vulnerable to debt, stress, and poor decisions.\u00a0 We need to take gamify! <\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32d936f elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"32d936f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c431d13 elementor-widget elementor-widget-testimonial\" data-id=\"c431d13\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"testimonial.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-content\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px;text-align: start\">18 months ago I suffered a mini stroke. It was a wake up call. Life is too short, lets get SmartI&amp;E out there now.&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-meta elementor-has-image elementor-testimonial-image-position-aside\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-meta-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/simon-howard-95a6435\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1751049892280.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-11342\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1751049892280.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1751049892280-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1751049892280-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1751049892280-12x12.jpeg 12w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-testimonial-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/simon-howard-95a6435\/\" target=\"_blank\">Simon Howard<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-testimonial-job\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/simon-howard-95a6435\/\" target=\"_blank\">Founder, CEO<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-62f47db elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"62f47db\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cb7aab5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cb7aab5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>What drew you to entrepreneurship and what energizes you to pursue SmartI&amp;E even when things aren't going as planned?<\/b><\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-75c60fe elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"75c60fe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have always been entrepreneurial. My father owned his own business for 40 years \u00a0 and I have run multiple businesses and a consultancy and this year I set my son up in his own catering business too. He has just been nominated for the Henry Bernick\u2019s Young entrepreneur of year Award.\u00a0 After years of working with banks and financial institutions, I realized meaningful change required more than advice\u2014it required action and a solution.. Creating something like SmartI&amp;E wasn&#8217;t just about business; it was about solving a problem I deeply understood and cared about which is giving people a fairer, more empathetic financial experience.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I am resilient and persistent. When things aren\u2019t going as planned\u2014as they often don\u2019t in a startup\u2014I remind myself why this matters: because behind every data point is a person trying to keep their home, access credit, or provide for their family. I remind myself, there are people\u00a0 struggling in silence who we can help. The progress we\u2019ve made already despite the odds\u2014that\u2019s what keeps me going. This isn\u2019t just a product; it\u2019s a mission. And missions don\u2019t quit when it gets hard.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13e3c52 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"13e3c52\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>How do you interpret your success? What about your failures?<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-602e0bc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"602e0bc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We need failure to progress.\u00a0 Its sounds cliche but I have been dreaming of this for nearly 10 years and along the way I have done it all, the crazy, stupid, being too passive, losing confidence, upsetting people, making new friends, oversharing, not being brave\u2026My family believes everything happens for a reason.\u00a0 18 months ago I suffered a mini stroke. It was a wake up call. Life is too short, lets get SmartI&amp;E out there now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-03608a4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"03608a4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>What inspires you when it comes to finding a solution to help the financial health of Canadians?<\/b><\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d25cd1c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d25cd1c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Canada\u2019s regulators have created policies around fair treatment of consumers but dont have the stringent practices in place that I have seen really help people in the UK or Australia.\u00a0 There are 14M Canadian struggling with debt and I was and remain one of the newcomers frozen out of mainstream credit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No one should be afraid to reach out to their lenders or to a counselor for help and no matter where you have come from you should not be barred from main stream credit, housing or insurance. There have been advances and investment but Canada is so far behind other countries who put consumer\u2019s interests first I believe so many suffer in silence.\u00a0 This energizes me every day to build tools, create pathways, and help bridge that last mile toward real financial confidence and opportunity for all Canadians.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-482d184 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"482d184\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>And to follow, what unique financial health challenges or opportunities do you see happening in the Canadian market?<\/b><\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-909bf43 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"909bf43\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Canada is on the verge of a black swan event due to its economy, housing crisis, displacement of jobs due to AI and the impact of US tariffs .\u00a0 I have written an article on this on Linkedin.\u00a0 A <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black Swan event<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is rare, unpredictable, and massively disruptive. Think: the 2008 financial crisis. COVID-19. Sudden AI disruption. In every case, one truth emerges \u2014 <\/span><b>those least financially resilient suffer the most, and recover the slowest<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Canada, <\/span><b>47% of households<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> report being $200 or less away from serious indebtedness each month. That number spikes in times of crisis, and traditional credit models often fail to detect or support those on the brink \u2014 until it\u2019s too late.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Financial institutions often rely on backward-looking data: credit scores, income history, repayment records. But Black Swan events don\u2019t show up in historical data \u2014 they expose vulnerabilities in real time.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The timing for a solution like SmartI&amp;E is now. think of us as part of Canada\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">financial immune system<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 spotting risk before it becomes crisis, and supporting those who need help navigating the unknown.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-88c2f67 elementor-widget elementor-widget-testimonial\" data-id=\"88c2f67\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"testimonial.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-content\">SmartI&amp;E isn\u2019t just an affordability tool \u2014 it\u2019s a national effort to reshape how financial vulnerability is understood, assessed, and addressed in Canada.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-meta elementor-has-image elementor-testimonial-image-position-aside\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-meta-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/simon-howard-95a6435\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1751049892280.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-11342\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1751049892280.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1751049892280-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1751049892280-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1751049892280-12x12.jpeg 12w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-testimonial-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/simon-howard-95a6435\/\" target=\"_blank\">Simon Howard<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-testimonial-job\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/simon-howard-95a6435\/\" target=\"_blank\">Founder, CEO<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bcea4f4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bcea4f4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>You describe SmartI&amp;E as \"a movement\" rather than just a product. Can you expand on what that means in practice and how you're mobilizing this movement in Canada?<\/b><\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31e03ec elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"31e03ec\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>SmartI&amp;E<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> isn\u2019t just an affordability tool \u2014 it\u2019s a national effort to reshape how financial vulnerability is understood, assessed, and addressed in Canada. The old methods \u2014 income checks, credit scores, repayment history \u2014 miss too many consumers. We\u2019re building a <\/span><b>data-driven, human-first framework<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to bring fairness and transparency to how lenders, utilities, governments, and advisors support Canadians.<\/span><\/p><p><b>This movement is about:<\/b><\/p><p><b>\u2192 Changing the conversation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from &#8220;Can they pay?&#8221; to &#8220;What\u2019s fair, sustainable, and in their best interest?&#8221;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u2192\u00a0<\/span><b>Mobilizing stakeholders<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> across sectors to recognize financial stress before it becomes crisis<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u2192\u00a0<\/span><b>Empowering consumers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 especially the self-employed, gig workers, newcomers, and credit invisibles \u2014 with tools that help them access credit, housing, and support with dignity.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0a14bbb elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0a14bbb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>Can you talk to us about your international experience and markets, what do you think Canada can learn from them and what in turn do you think Canada can bring to the table?<\/b><\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f02eed2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f02eed2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the past 25 years, I\u2019ve worked across the <\/span><b>UK, Australia, and Canada<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, leading digital transformation initiatives in credit, collections, and financial well-being. Each market has taken a different approach to affordability and consumer vulnerability, offering valuable lessons:<\/span><\/p><p><b>\u2192 UK: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>FCA<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Financial Conduct Authority) introduced a clear vulnerability framework and mandated affordability assessments across credit and collections. The key takeaway? UK lenders are now expected to demonstrate not just fairness but proactive consumer support \u2014 with real consequences for failing to do so.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-size: 1rem;\">\u2192<\/span><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Australia: <\/b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">ASIC\u2019s emphasis on <\/span><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">financial capability<\/b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"> and inclusive lending has pushed the industry toward tools that help consumers self-assess affordability. This has helped normalize early engagement and made hardship support less stigmatized.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-size: 1rem;\">\u2192<\/span><b>Canada: Caught Between Awareness and Action &#8211; policy and no practice!<br \/><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Canada is waking up to the affordability crisis, and both <\/span><b>FSRA<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the <\/span><b>FCAC<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are taking early steps. But compared to the UK and Australia, we\u2019re behind on implementation and adoption of consistent, tech-enabled affordability standards.<\/span><\/p><p><b>What Canada Can Learn<\/b><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t wait for a crisis to act \u2014 build <\/span><b>affordability infrastructure proactively<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, before regulatory penalties or public backlash force it.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create <\/span><b>cross-sector collaboration<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> between lenders, utilities, governments, and social services \u2014 the UK saw real impact when data and responsibility were shared.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Prioritize <b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">vulnerable and those who face barriers to credit such as <\/b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">\u00a0<\/span><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">self-employed and the credit-invisible Canadians<\/b><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fa6470b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"fa6470b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>What's the best career advice you've ever received?<\/b><\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bc2f7c7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"bc2f7c7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn to enjoy the NO\u2019s! You need more No\u2019s to get to a Yes.\u00a0 Selling anything is a game of odds but as long as you can demonstrate and explain your value proposition to a 5 year old you will succeed.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a033fdf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a033fdf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>For all the aspiring entrepreneurs out there, what advice would you give to someone who is thinking about starting their own startup? What book(s), podcast(s) or movie(s) do you highly recommend? <\/b><\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2946aca elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2946aca\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have a plan, believe in yourself, know your value proposition and the pain points you are addressing. Remember, People buy into people not just your product and if they see your passion they will be attracted to you and learn to trust what you are selling.Also, find a place like I did called the\u00a0 Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre as it provides a mentor, training and connections.\u00a0 The last thing, show up to everything you can and learn to connect, who you know goes so far and will open doors especially if you build a personal rapport.<\/span><\/p><p><b>As per the recommendations:<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I am obsessed with podcasts and listen all night (I know its bad) to them however I tend to separate my work from my other interests so i focus on history, science and sport although I also love psychology podcasts too.\u00a0 I read less books then I should which is probably my ADHD kicking in again but I ingest a lot books using Blinkist and I delved into every self help, motivation, leadership guide\u2026my favourite ever is Alan Sugar\u2019s &#8211; he is a hero of mine &#8211; see the TV show the UK Apprentice.\u00a0 We both grew up in a tough part of london and appreciate hard work gets you to where you need to be. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-90e554d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"90e554d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>What are you most proud of?<\/b><\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-25e73e8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"25e73e8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I played Professional Ice hockey in the UK for over 10 years and a career spanning 1,500 games and starting from the age of 6 to 40!\u00a0 Including playing for my country at multiple world championships.\u00a0 I coached pro hockey, coached kids hockey (my sons\u2019 teams and the UK junior national team)\u00a0 and I owned a hockey team for 4 years (don&#8217;t do it!!).<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2e09bc3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2e09bc3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>Finally, what\u2019s next for SmartI&amp;E?<\/b><\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-15b2240 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"15b2240\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are hosting an affordability summit Nov 27th in Toronto. The first event of its kind, bringing together lenders, regulators, tech innovators, and consumer advocates to tackle the affordability crisis head-on.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0It will be the official launch of SmartI&amp;E and we hope to have the early adopter data ready to show there too. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0034812 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0034812\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>Where to find SmartI&amp;E:<\/b><\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e5797e1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e5797e1\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d5d2a38\" data-id=\"d5d2a38\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1cd49e0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"1cd49e0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1190\" height=\"278\" src=\"https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/smartie.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-11346\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/smartie.png 1190w, https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/smartie-300x70.png 300w, https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/smartie-1024x239.png 1024w, https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/smartie-768x179.png 768w, https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/smartie-18x4.png 18w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1190px) 100vw, 1190px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-07a1284 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"07a1284\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"emoji\" role=\"img\" draggable=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/13.1.0\/svg\/27a1.svg\" alt=\"\u27a1\ufe0f\" \/>\u00a0Register to our upcoming <a href=\"https:\/\/events.ringcentral.com\/events\/fintech-cadence-2025-ifh-lab-demo-day\">IFH Lab Showcase here<\/a> to listen to Simon pitch &#8211; taking place online on July 31st.<\/b><\/p><p><b>Connect with Simon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/simon-howard-95a6435\/\">ici<\/a>.<\/b><\/p><p><strong>More on SmartI&amp;E:<\/strong><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/smart-ie.com\/\">Website<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/smart-ie-635160322\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SmartI&amp;E offers a unique way to assess affordability that does not impact one\u2019s credit score using open banking data and de-risking fraud. After experiencing both the pain of losing his father from ill health and then suffering a serious health scare himself due to pressure caused by financial barriers and stress Simon decided to bring [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-posts","category-fc-blogs-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Startup Stories with SmartI&amp;E - Fintech Cadence | Canada&#039;s Fintech Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/fr\/blog-posts\/startup-stories-smartie\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_CA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Startup Stories with SmartI&amp;E - Fintech Cadence | Canada&#039;s Fintech Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"SmartI&amp;E offers a unique way to assess affordability that does not impact one\u2019s credit score using open banking data and de-risking fraud. After experiencing both the pain of losing his father from ill health and then suffering a serious health scare himself due to pressure caused by financial barriers and stress Simon decided to bring [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/fr\/blog-posts\/startup-stories-smartie\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Fintech Cadence | Canada&#039;s Fintech Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-24T13:36:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-25T13:25:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/fintechcadence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Simon-Blog.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Geraldine Holliday\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"\u00c9crit par\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Geraldine Holliday\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimation du temps de lecture\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fintechcadence.com\\\/blog-posts\\\/startup-stories-smartie\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fintechcadence.com\\\/blog-posts\\\/startup-stories-smartie\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Geraldine Holliday\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fintechcadence.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fa8df5b82b7b5c024c6252b628ba2683\"},\"headline\":\"Startup Stories with SmartI&amp;E\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-24T13:36:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-25T13:25:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fintechcadence.com\\\/blog-posts\\\/startup-stories-smartie\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2012,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fintechcadence.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fintechcadence.com\\\/blog-posts\\\/startup-stories-smartie\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fintechcadence.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/Simon-Blog.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Blog Posts\",\"FC Blogs and News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"fr-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/fintechcadence.com\\\/blog-posts\\\/startup-stories-smartie\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fintechcadence.com\\\/blog-posts\\\/startup-stories-smartie\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/fintechcadence.com\\\/blog-posts\\\/startup-stories-smartie\\\/\",\"name\":\"Startup Stories with SmartI&amp;E - 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