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Sho Sugihara

Co-Founder at Fuse (YC S24)

Sho Alexander Sugihara is the Co-Founder and CEO of Fuse and Pave, fintech companies focused on improving financial inclusion and credit accessibility.13 Born in Japan, Sugihara started his career in microfinance and worked with NGOs worldwide before becoming a consultant at McKinsey.13 In 2017, he co-founded Pave (formerly Portify) through Entrepreneur First with Chris Butcher.3

Sugihara's entrepreneurial journey has been driven by a desire to address financial inequality and create a more inclusive financial system.3 Under his leadership, Pave has evolved from a B2C product to offering B2B credit analytics services through their platform, Fuse.3 This expansion aims to help businesses assess customer cash flow, affordability, and creditworthiness more efficiently.3

Key aspects of Sugihara's career and companies include:

  1. Education and early career: Worked with The Big Issue in Osaka and an NGO in São Paulo, Brazil.4
  2. Professional experience: Consultant at McKinsey for three years before founding Pave.4
  3. Company evolution: Rebranded from Portify to Pave, focusing on credit building without increasing debt.3
  4. Recent developments: Launched Fuse, a B2B credit analytics services platform, in 2025.35
  5. Leadership roles: Director of Fuse Analytics Limited (appointed April 12, 2024), Pave Partner Services Limited, and Pave Fintech Limited.2

Sugihara's approach to entrepreneurship emphasizes the importance of adapting to market changes, building a productive team, and maintaining a strong social mission.34

Highlights

Oct 15 · ffnews.com
Sho Alexander Sugihara - FF News - Fintech Finance
Sho Alexander Sugihara - FF News - Fintech Finance
Jan 5 · jbmc.co.uk
40 Minute Mentor - Series 8 - Sho Sugihara - Pave - JBM
Speaker Details: The Consumer Duty Implementation Summit
May 31 · TechRound
Meet Sho Sugihara, Co-founder & CEO at Credit Builder App: Pave - TechRound
May 31 · TechRound
Meet Sho Sugihara, Co-founder & CEO at Credit Builder App: Pave - TechRound
Meet Sho Sugihara, Co-founder & CEO at Credit Builder App: Pave - TechRound

Related Questions

What inspired Sho Sugihara to transition from consulting to founding Pave?
How did Sho's experience working with NGOs influence his approach to financial inclusion?
What were the biggest challenges Sho faced when launching Pave?
How has Pave evolved since its inception, and what were the key milestones?
What advice does Sho Sugihara give to aspiring founders?
Sho Sugihara
Sho Sugihara, photo 1
Sho Sugihara, photo 2
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Location

San Francisco, California, United States