Kirill Gurtman, Co-Founder of Conduit, joins us to share his journey from early crypto experiments to building cross-border payment infrastructure with stablecoins. We talk pivots, product-market fit, and why the future of fintech may be global, but not evenly distributed.
In this podcast, Kirill Gurtman, Co-Founder of Conduit, shares his journey from growing up in Ukraine to building one of the leading infrastructure providers for stablecoin-powered cross-border payments. After living in multiple countries and adapting to new cultures, Kirill developed a sense of resilience and adaptability—traits that would later prove essential in his entrepreneurial journey.
Kirill recounts his early curiosity around crypto, sparked by receiving his first Bitcoin over a decade ago (and subsequently losing it), and how that experience led him to roles at crypto startups like Bread Wallet. After seeing firsthand the limitations of traditional financial infrastructure during a stint in banking, he became convinced that blockchain could offer a better alternative.
The episode dives into the founding story of Conduit, which started as a DeFi middleware layer and later pivoted to focus on solving a major pain point: making stablecoins useful in real-world, cross-border payments. Kirill reflects on the hard lessons learned through product pivots, layoffs, and the search for product-market fit—highlighting how intellectual honesty and staying lean helped the team survive.
Kirill also explores trends in the stablecoin ecosystem, from the role of traditional financial institutions to Circle’s recent moves and the broader regulatory landscape. He offers thoughtful predictions on how banks, payment processors, and central banks might interact with stablecoin rails in the years ahead.
The conversation closes with Kirill’s reflections on leadership, the underrated value of focus, and why founders need to be brutally honest with themselves—especially when things seem like they’re working, but aren’t.