It was great to sit down with matthew james, Senior Solutions Engineer at Codat, to discuss everything solutions engineering and how to be a high-performer in the space. Codat is a Series C open banking fintech that provides a universal API that enables software providers and financial institutions to build integrated products for their small business customers. After starting his career at Goldman Sachs, Matthew moved into the world of fintech and has played an instrumental role in helping Codat launch in the US, winning solutions engineer of the year in 2021.
What initially attracted you to the field of solutions engineering in fintech? What would you advise to other looking to join?
Solutions Engineering is the perfect mix of technical skills and people skills. I developed both of these in my career up to this point and have found that this role is the perfect mix for me – and I’ve seen it be instrumental in getting enterprise deals across the line.The best thing you can do is find an SE in your network and talk to them. It’s a relatively unknown field and as a result SEs are always keen to chat about it with people who are interested.
What does it take to be a high performing solutions engineer in the fintech industry?
While technical skills and people skills are the basis of any successful solutions engineer, the trait that differentiates a top performer is big picture thinking. At the end of the day, SE is a sales role. The best SEs know exactly what the outcome of a given deal should be, and they design every action to optimize taking each incremental step towards that outcome.
We’ve noticed that you’ve taken steps to grow your personal brand. What impact has this had on your career?
Growing my personal brand as a Solutions Engineer has introduced me to other top performers in the space. As a result I’ve upskilled my demos, storytelling, stakeholder management and more. Those skills were inspired by the great work other people are doing in the space – and I’m always keen to share specifics on that.
What do you think is the biggest opportunity in fintech that you think is overlooked?
Small business banking is ripe for tech innovation. Small businesses make up over 99%+ of all businesses in the USA, accounting for 44% of the economy. Yet, small business banking is often lumped in with consumer – small businesses don’t get the love they deserve! The 2022 JD Power Small Business Banking Satisfaction Survey reported that small businesses want more practical advice from their banks. With the rise of open data and AI, there is a ripe opportunity to bring small businesses and their banking partners more mutual success.
