Tatyana D’Ascenzi

Senior Manager on the Financial Planning and Analysis team

Joined Avant in 2021

What’s it like to work @Avant? We asked Tatyana for her take on our culture, and here’s what she said:

1. How would you describe Avant’s culture?

It’s non-hierarchical, passionate, and very high energy. Avant does a really nice job of recruiting people with shared values. When I was interviewing here, the people I spoke to gave me an impression of the culture, and once I joined I was really impressed that this culture was actually reflected across the company. And everyone is so smart and friendly!

2. Why are you happy/successful here?

I have a lot more autonomy here than I would have at most companies. I love the way that allows me to be creative and put my own spin on things. On the FP&A team in particular, we have this attitude of “enhance something every single month,” and that value really resonates with me. It gives me a sense of purpose and I’m excited to see what we can achieve month to month. And finally, I would say that my work feels more valued here because it’s still a young company. There’s lots to do and lots to build, so I’m working on things that are genuinely impactful.

3. At Avant, we talk a lot about our love of problem solving, taking initiative—the more technical or functional elements of our culture. What is the softer side, or the human side, of Avant like?

One example that comes to mind is when AvantConnect (our internal newsletter) comes out, people really make a point of noting when their coworkers’ birthdays are and reaching out personally. Another one is that my manager noticed I was not taking time off, so he reached out to actively encourage me to do so. No manager has ever encouraged me to take PTO before. I loved that.

5. If you were to describe who you are and not mention your work at all, what would you say?

Wife, and mom to two little kids. Driver, tutor, and party planner! Also, I love everything about food, from shopping for it to preparing it to eating it, that’s a huge passion of mine. I’m even trying to grow it as of late, but I have a lot of competition in my yard, a lot of bunnies. So I spend all summer watering everything, and then the bunnies get to enjoy it.

7. What’s a superpower that you get to apply at your job?

One thing that every manager I’ve ever had has commended me on would be my attitude. That makes me think it’s a differentiator. I stay positive whether things are calm or chaotic at work, and I am genuinely curious to learn about and understand others’ points of view. I will run through walls to get things done that I believe in. Also my willingness to change my mind—just give me the data and I am more than happy to say “You know what? I was wrong and you are right. Let’s do this.”

8. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Since I was very little, I wanted to be a lawyer. I had an incorrect perception of what that job was, all based on movies. I thought that I would be in the courtroom arguing and defending. When I grew up, I realized most lawyers don’t do that. But as a kid, I wanted to become the type of person who could win in the courtroom. I even joined the debate team in high school to get over my fear of public speaking. I looked at the people who inspired me—super intelligent, resilient, could do anything—and that was the kind of person I wanted to grow up to be.

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Corey Flood

VP, Treasurer on the Finance team

Joined Avant in 2015

What’s it like to work @Avant? We asked Corey for his take on our culture, and here’s what he said:

1. How would you describe Avant’s culture?

We’re intellectually curious and have a culture of making mistakes and learning from them. People genuinely want to learn, and there are lots of opportunities to do so. We really support each other in that. You can try new things, new challenges, and you know that if you do make mistakes, the main thing that’s gonna happen is we’re gonna learn from them, adapt, and better position ourselves for the future. It’s a safe place to get out of your comfort zone.

2. Why are you happy/successful here?

This is for sure the longest I’ve been at any job, because I keep finding new opportunities to grow. I started in June 2015 as a senior associate in the Treasury Department, and over the past 8 years, I have been challenged to take on new responsibilities and learn so much new stuff outside my area of expertise. I work with really good people, especially on my team in Treasury and Finance, and we are all making the smartest decisions we can. When something goes wrong, we see it as an opportunity to learn and do better, no pointing fingers. We know things will be okay and we’ll all learn something.

3. At Avant, we talk a lot about our love of problem solving, taking initiative—the more technical or functional elements of our culture. What is the softer side, or the human side, of Avant like?

I think we all genuinely mean well, and we assume that others mean well. We see each other as human beings and that manifests itself in better outcomes as a company. As we’ve gotten bigger and more complex, the problems we are solving have also gotten bigger than any one person’s contribution. We have to get together and coordinate, set aside some of our own priorities to achieve someone else’s or help the company overall. Having that consciousness of 1) caring about other people and what they are trying to accomplish and 2) caring about the collective ahead of what might be easiest for you is something we do pretty well. Having that as a characteristic of our culture is super important.

5. If you were to describe who you are and not mention your work at all, what would you say?

I’m a family guy. I love what I do for work, but I live for my “real” life, my wife and my daughter. That’s where I’m happiest. I’m also passionate about travel—when I think about what I’d want to be doing if the world were about to end, it’s exploring. The moments when I feel the most at peace or at home are when I find myself in random places that I never imagined being in. We spend a lot of time traveling in Latin America—my wife is from Mexico City and I’ve learned Spanish over the years, and we’re teaching our daughter Spanish at home.
One other thing: I don’t follow sports at all, it’s like a negative passion for me. And having started my career in finance, which can be very macho, sports is the main thing people talk about at the start of meetings. I’ve always been the one guy who doesn’t have anything to add to that conversation, and the older I’ve gotten, the more I double down on that. I used to read the headlines and now I’m just like “yeah, I don’t know anything about it and I have no idea what happened.”

6. If you could go back and talk to yourself as you were going through the Avant hiring process, what do you know now that you would want to tell yourself then?

Try to find the right balance between building the expertise you need to do your job well and getting exposed to new opportunities that expand your skill set. That’s something I’ve tried to do more of in the second half of my time here: talk to people more, understand other people’s jobs more, and get a more holistic understanding of our bigger goal. So you want to build your own valuable expertise in your craft and go deep into your role, but make sure you balance that with taking the opportunity to open your eyes and learn from your peers. I didn’t do enough of that the first 3 or 4 years I was here. It’s one of the really cool things about Avant, seeing people try so many different things.

7. What’s your favorite thing about the way your specific job role works on your team?

Something I really like about my job, in a nerdy way, is that my team makes sure we have funding for our business. We are a bridge between what investors want and need, what actually resonates with consumers, and what works for Avant financially. It’s really cool being that team, and working with other teams who have a completely different set of expertise and problems to solve. Having a seat at that table has allowed my team to learn so much more about our customers, about our products, about the business. It’s the most fun part of my job, weighing all these considerations from an investor and customer and company financial side and then making decisions on how to put it together. There’s never a perfect answer, and the solution is a continually changing thing. That is super fun.

8. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Funny enough, I wanted to be a hockey player. I grew up in a hockey family. Now, I want my kids to enjoy sports if they enjoy sports—it’s not like I hate them, there’s just so many other things I’d rather think about or watch!

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Kevin Mornot

Cyber Threat Operations Manager on the Cyber Threat Operations team

Joined Avant in 2021

What’s it like to work @Avant? We asked Kevin for his take on our culture, and here’s what he said:

1. How would you describe Avant’s culture?

The culture’s great. It’s very good at giving you the open space to have an idea and run with it to completion. Teammates are great, bosses are great, but I think to get the most out of the culture, you need to do two things: be open to other people’s ideas, and if you don’t like someone’s idea, suggest one of your own. Being able to take and give constructive criticism, and then have an idea for another way of doing it, is a big part of our culture.

2. Why are you happy/successful here?

It’s the freedom of just being able to be myself. I don’t have to fit a mold of how to be a manager, and my manager believes in me. He doesn’t micromanage me, he believes in the work I produce. So I have the freedom to make mistakes and then correct those mistakes without being browbeaten down. I have freedom—creative freedom.

3. If you had to describe who you are and not mention your work at all, what would you say?

Oh, this is tough! Positive person. Free thinker. Good communicator. Enjoys helping and seeing others’ success, being part of others’ success. I love being able to help people, mentor people. Just trying to be a good person! I love starting businesses, love the feeling of entrepreneurship and trying to build something from the ground up and succeeding. I like goals, any kind of goals. I’m a goal crusher. And I’m a big WWE wrestling fan. I go to as many wrestling events as I can.

4. If you could go back in time and talk to yourself as you were going through the Avant hiring process, what do you know now that you would tell yourself then?

Be you, you know what I’m saying? You don’t have to compromise who you are for anything, just be who you are. Just be Kevin all throughout the hiring process—they’re going to like you and you’ll still get the job if you be yourself. I can sometimes tone myself down a little bit, but once I got hired, people were like “Oh, we loved you from the jump” and I thought “dang, I should have just been me from the jump!”

5. At Avant, we talk a lot about our love of problem solving, taking initiative—the more technical or functional elements of our culture. What is the softer side, or the human side, of Avant like?

This makes me think of Demo Day, when new hires get up and introduce themselves to the company. We ask them to answer the same set of Demo Day questions that we’ve been using for years. What’s your DJ name, if you were a snack what kind of snack would you be, etc.—all of that shows Avant’s culture. Like, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and it’s a good ice breaker. No company I’ve ever been in has ever done that.

5. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Wrestler. WWE Superstar, that’s what I wanted to be. And my name is embarrassing as hell but I’ll tell you. It was “Mr. Untouchable Marcus Bailey.” It just sounded good.

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Ethan Feldman

ML Ops Engineer III on the ML Ops team

Joined Avant in 2021

What’s it like to work @Avant? We asked Ethan for his take on our culture, and here’s what he said:

1. How would you describe Avant’s culture?

Avant is a very collaborative and hard-working environment. Everyone is interested in trying to move fast and achieve things, but we’re working within this space that has a lot of diligence and oversight, so there’s a little bit of give and take there. We do a lot of cross-functional work, and everyone is really interested in helping each other. We pick up whatever needs to be picked up and are ready to pivot and make changes based on what’s important to Avant.

2. Why are you happy/successful here?

First and foremost, it’s the people that I’ve gotten to work with. I feel very fortunate about the group that I’ve been a part of. People are genuinely interested in getting to know each other, and I feel comfortable showing up to work as myself. There’s no competitive edge or trying to get ahead of each other. That’s meaningful and I’ve always appreciated it a lot. I feel like I’ve had the support of the team members around me and that I could rely on them not just for work, but actually enjoy spending time with them, too.
The other thing is the work-life balance that I’ve found at Avant. Managers don’t want people to feel overwhelmed, and they work to prioritize and focus so it’s not like you’re trying to do everything. The balance here has been really important to me.
I just have a general feeling that Avant is interested in investing in people, both in terms of giving them a balance of living their lives in the moment and also trying to work together on how to fit your goals for your career into what Avant is doing.

3. What’s something Avant is really good at? What’s something you’d like to see us get better at?

It’s a little cliche, but the thing that came to mind for me that we’re doing really well is investing in people. Avant really wants to see its employees be successful and meet their goals. If you’re clear about what you’re looking to learn and what opportunities you want to take on here, leadership makes an effort to support that.
For what we could improve on, two things came to mind. The first is around documentation. We have a ton of information about our processes, and trying to have a more centralized ability to get a holistic view, not just of what happens on your own team, would be beneficial. And similar to that, lately we have had some growing pains around competing priorities, going in new directions and then ultimately deciding to pull back. There are only so many things we can actually do, and it’s tough to constantly pivot to new priorities. That’s another thing that we could get better at.

4. If you had to describe who you are and not mention your work at all, what would you say?

I think of myself as a caring, curious, and creative person. My background is a little unorthodox and I think I bring that perspective with me. I’m a former high school math teacher and I also spent time working as a brewer at a small brewery in Chicago. I don’t really tie what I do for work into my identity—it’s more that I try to think about who I am as a person, and then I show up to work as that person.

5. What’s a superpower that you get to apply at your job?

This one comes back to my background in teaching. I have been in a lot of conversations and meetings in my life where it’s clear to me that there’s a disconnect happening, where one person is asking a question and someone else just doesn’t get the question that’s being asked, so they don’t answer it in a way that actually addresses it. The time I’ve spent teaching really helps me identify the root of the confusion. I can recognize when someone is trying to get at something that the rest of the room just can’t see.

8. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I spent a lot of my life thinking I was just going to do math, and going down the path of teaching from the get-go. I guess when I was really little, it was some kind of basketball or baseball player, but otherwise I’ve kind of always had the teaching bug.

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Patricia Li

Senior Manager (as of 2023, formerly Product Manager) on the Account Opening team

Joined Avant in 2018

What’s it like to work @Avant? We asked Patricia for her take on our culture, and here’s what she said:

1. How would you describe Avant’s culture?

Avant’s culture is really collaborative, it’s fast paced, and it’s dynamic. By collaborative, I mean that people across many teams are working on projects together, so you’re not in a silo doing just your own work. It’s face-paced because there are a lot of different pieces that everyone is working on and a lot of different factors we’re responding to, whether it’s macroeconomic or something on your team or even something personal. And it’s dynamic because it’s always changing and evolving. We’re always looking at new products, new ways to reach our customers, new initiatives that we want to tackle.

2. Why are you happy/successful here?

I’ve been lucky to have worked with some really great managers who have been invested in helping me learn and achieve things in my career. I also really feel a sense of camaraderie, because everyone’s willing to pitch in. And then personally, I just love working on a variety of projects and being in this fast-paced and dynamic world that we’re in. I really like that I’m never stagnant. I’m always learning something new, rather than doing the same thing over and over. I get to learn new skills and interact with different parts of the business, all the way from Operations and Operations Strategy to Product Strategy and the life cycle of our products.

3. If you had to describe who you are and not mention your work at all, what would you say?

I have a lot of different hobbies, some on the crafty side. I like to knit and cross-stitch. I also like to watch TV and read books, and play board games—I play a lot of board games, both at Avant and in my personal life. I have an eclectic collection of interests and hobbies. And I love stationery. There’s something so nice about fresh paper and a new pen! It’s the little things.

4. What’s something Avant is really good at? What’s something you’d like to see us get better at?

It’s really nice how invested leadership is in making sure that everyone’s opinions are heard. When I think about our all-company and organization-specific Town Halls, the Glint surveys we do—it’s really valuable that leadership cares about every Avantee’s opinion, and that we have the ability to voice it. Leadership looks at trends and tries to do things to help when there’s a specific topic of interest. Obviously not every person feels exactly the same way, so you can’t make everyone happy, but just the fact that leadership is actively listening is pretty valuable.
And then I think that as a company, we still need to work on the balance between being realistic and being optimistic about what we can achieve. It can be hard to hit all the ambitious goals we make at the beginning of the year when we have to respond to something new that comes up or a project bleeds over its timing. I think we need to find that balance between realism and optimism.

5. If you could go back and talk to yourself as you were going through the Avant hiring process, what do you know now that you would want to tell yourself then?

When I was going through the hiring process, I didn’t realize how many different people I would get to talk to. And how many different opinions would be solicited throughout the hiring process. Now, having been on both sides, I really like how we try to get a diverse interview panel—not just people that you’re going to work with directly, but people on teams upstream or downstream from you, or who you’ll collaborate with often. It’s cool to know that about the panel, because a lot of your time here is actually spent working cross-functionally! The team that you’re actually on may not be the people that you spend the most time working with.

6. What’s a superpower that you get to apply at your job?

I love organizing things. I love putting things in a very logical fashion. Even just color-coding and creating project plans. I love that I get to do that as part of my job. It’s a lot of fun to think of new ways to present information slightly differently, learn ways to present it more intuitively, reorganize it. I really enjoy that.

7. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a nuclear physicist. That sounded really cool and scientific. I did not know anything about what that entailed, but it just sounded like a really cool job where I’d get to learn so much about different things. And I did really liked science. Secondary was astronaut—that was my fallback.

More from Patricia in Pursuing Passion, Not Practicality: How 14 Women in Tech Entered the Industry here.

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Jeremy Shefer

Senior Software Engineer on the Money Movement Team

Joined Avant in 2021

What’s it like to work @Avant? We asked Jeremy for his take on our culture, and here’s what he said:

1. How would you describe Avant’s culture?

I’ve been working here for about a year and a half, and I started on one team and I’ve ended up on another—I kept the same boss, the same people, but switched to a different technology, different everything, all without losing speed or our commitment to getting things done. It was a massive, epic transition for the team! And there were a couple weeks of difficulty while we figured it out, but for the most part we didn’t miss a beat. So I would describe Avant as “brisk” and “ductile.” Brisk because we move at a brisk pace. And “ductile” refers to a metal’s ability to bend and change shape without breaking. It’s true about the company, and especially about our team.

2. Why are you happy/successful here?

We’re a financial company, and while we are no longer a small scrappy startup, Avant still has enough of that flex in us that it helps to be able to wear a few hats. This isn’t a place where you’re like, “I’ve been doing the same thing for 10 years, let me go do the same thing for 10 more.” It’s a place where people are still very much looking to do something different, something interesting, without the rigidity that you might find at other companies. You can take your career in a slightly new direction. For me, even though I’m a software engineer now, I studied business in school and always really liked economics and finance. It’s great to get to combine my interests.

3. What’s a superpower you get to apply at your job?

My joke superpower is the ability to look at a computer screen all day long without my eyes tiring out—someone told me it’s the main requirement to being a good software engineer. On a serious note though, having the mind of both a businessman and a programmer allows me to focus on writing code with a keen eye on business needs. That way, I don’t waste time on areas that might be cool technologically but don’t have business benefit. That’s the superpower I got by meshing the two skill sets together.

4. If you had to describe who you are and not mention your work at all, what would you say?

I would describe myself in terms of my values, which are ethics, education, and exploration. The three balance each other out. Ethics sets the limits on how you want to operate, which is something I care about a lot. Exploration pushes me to go in new directions and see what’s out there within the bounds of my ethics. And then education allows for the knowledge of where I can push my boundaries. Those three encapsulate well how I operate.

5. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

The school assessment told me to be a firefighter. I really did not want to be a firefighter, but in a weird way, being a software engineer does have me putting out fires. So maybe I did end up being a version of a firefighter.

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Stephen Lang

Senior Manager of Product Strategy on the Operations Platform team

Joined Avant in 2015

What’s it like to work @Avant? We asked Stephen for his take on our culture, and here’s what he said:

1. How would you describe Avant’s culture?

In my seven years here, it’s always been collaborative, focused, and fun. Meaning, we all share a collective vision for Avant that we’re trying to move toward, we understand that we have an impact on people’s financial lives, and we’re having fun while we’re doing it. At the end of the day, there will always be goals and deadlines, and we’ll always have stuff going on in our personal lives, but being too serious takes the joy out of work. Why not have fun and enjoy being collaborative? It’s like our saying from the early days of Avant: we get sh!t done, responsibly.

2. Why are you happy/successful here?

The reason I’ve been here for so long and why I’ve been happy here is that there are always new opportunities, new initiatives, new teams, new parts of the company that you can work on. Seven years ago, I was hired to do one thing, and now I’m doing something that is not even remotely related to that thing. The opportunities shift as our priorities shift over time, which has given me the chance to learn more about the business and different functions as we grow. We’re always solving problems, always making forward progress, always being goal-oriented and results-driven, and in short, the job you have here is basically what you make it. If you see opportunities and you seek them out and make your voice heard, make your ambitions known, then there’s nothing but opportunity at Avant. That’s why I’ve stayed here, and been happy while doing it.

3. What’s your favorite thing about the way your specific job role works?

It’s constantly changing and evolving over time, and there’s always something new to work on. We’re not going to get everything right the first time, but we’ll make the best decision we can based on the information we have and then keep iterating. Being adaptable and collaborative and responsive to what’s happening in the now has been a huge positive for me. And specific to my current role over the past two years, my favorite thing has been working with and getting to know all the great people across the company. Everyone’s collaborating, everyone’s making progress, everyone’s getting sh!t done and moving forward. The people at Avant, we are all good at finding a way to work together successfully.

4. If you had to describe who you are and not mention your work at all, what would you say?

I am a dad to two crazy boys, 3 and 6, so there’s just constant energy and craziness and fighting there. I also watch a lot of movies and TV shows—I typically try to watch all the award-winning movies and shows each year, but my guilty pleasure is anything The Rock is in. Back in the day, a bunch of us created a Slack room called the People’s Room, because The Rock is the People’s Champ. We had these initiation questions if someone wanted to join the group, like “rank all of the Fast and Furious movies in order,” and of course, The Rock ones have to be at the top. And then I also play a fair amount of video games with some friends to stay in touch in this digitally sporadic world. Otherwise I just love to relax and be at home and get some down time when we’re not running around being parent taxis.

5. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

An astronaut. I was always into space in general. And I’m obviously not an astronaut now, but I studied engineering in college, so I did learn a bunch about the math and physics side of space. The book parts of space!

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Peter Duveneck

Senior Manager on the TPM Team

Joined Avant in 2019

What’s it like to work @Avant? We asked Peter for his take on our culture, and here’s what he said:

1. How would you describe Avant’s culture?

Avant is really unique. I was used to big, big companies before coming here, and I like the camaraderie you get on a smaller team when you’re all working towards one common goal. Every day is different, so you don’t get stuck doing different versions of the same thing. And I love the people I work with. Everyone is extremely intelligent, and no matter how busy someone is, they’re willing to take the time to help you, whether it’s with a data query or looking something up. I feel like the collaboration and people’s willingness to jump in is great. You don’t really get that at a larger corporation.

Avant is different in the industry, and I think our people understand the unique things we’re trying to achieve. The executive team is super transparent and engaged with everyone, too, which I appreciate a lot. Between our Town Halls, the fact that everyone sits in the same general area, and execs’ open door policy, everyone is open to talking to you and listening to any feedback you have, no matter your level.

It’s been a lot of fun to see the progression over the past almost 4 years. We’ve come a long way. The thing that stands out the most is just the way the leadership team has been very strategic in their path forward, thinking about how to position ourselves moving forward through covid and beyond. The leadership team has done a tremendous job. I am super thankful for the opportunities that I’ve had here.

2. Why are you happy/successful here?

I think I’ve been successful because I take initiative—that’s really rewarded here. I started out in our Operations group, managing credit reporting and the resolutions team, because I really wanted to understand how the business works. That understanding of the fundamentals has been foundational for my growth here. Then, as a result of showcasing my leadership and knowledge, I was able to transition to our TPM team to a new role managing the Amount relationship. At other companies, you gotta know someone if you want to move or try something else. Here, they take an assessment of people’s skills, see where there are gaps and where can we hire internally, and promote from within vs. always going external. That’s a really good thing, and it’s allowed me to be successful here. That, and my initiative and willingness to learn.

I’ve also succeeded because of good managers who support me, personally and professionally. I have two kids—one just turned 2, the other is 4 ½. Sometimes I have issues with daycare, and I know a lot of Avantees have had that experience, too. Knowing I have Avant’s support, having that flexibility, is nice. I’m able to support my family and while also driving Avant’s objectives and goals forward, too. And my manager Jena makes sure we’re aligned, and she ensures and validates that I’m enjoying the work I’m doing. She really prioritizes our development conversations, which even I’m tempted to deprioritize sometimes—but she makes the time. It helps so much to know she cares that I’m not working on something that’s not really of interest to me and my career path.

3. What’s your favorite thing about the way your specific job role works?

With my role, because I managed the Amount relationship, I was kind of the glue that held everything together. I helped drive the initiatives within my team. Being responsible for a super critical path to the business is really rewarding.

4. If you had to describe who you are and not mention your work at all, what would you say?

I’m a father of two daughters, a husband, I love watching sports—the Packers especially, not the Chicago Bears. I love to travel and am very family-oriented and hard-working.

5. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a police officer, and then I wanted to be a doctor. And as a real little kid, I thought being an ice cream person would have been fun.

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For too many Americans, financial security is feeling more and more out of reach. Nearly one-third lack the savings to pay for a $400 emergency expense, such as a car repair or medical bill.^ Rising prices are making it harder to cover the basics. And without some breathing room in the budget, it can seem impossible to make progress on life goals and get ahead.

Since its founding in 2012, Avant has been dedicated to providing access to credit to those who are generally underserved by the traditional banking system. Based in Chicago, we’re a credit-first financial technology company^* that provides access to innovative financial solutions, including personal loans and credit cards. While the company has grown and evolved over the years, it’s always remained true to its founding mission of lowering the costs and barriers of borrowing for everyday people.

Now ten years in, Avant is marking a new milestone with a dramatic brand transformation. The new visual identity and brand strategy reflect the company’s history, evolution and renewed commitment to empowering more people to move forward on their financial journeys.

The time is right

When I became Avant CEO in May 2021, one of my top priorities was to help shape the strategic vision behind our mission and go-forward identity. As one of Avant’s earliest employees, I’m proud to have witnessed the evolution of our business from a single provider of personal loans to where we are today, marking our 10 year anniversary with an exciting rebrand as we celebrate a decade of enabling access to credit for over 2 million hard working Americans.

Looking forward, I’m excited about the next chapter of Avant’s history and have tremendous confidence in our ability — and more importantly, our deep passion — to continue growing, learning and innovating as a team.

The launch of the new brand also aligns with the growing demand for help navigating today’s unique set of economic challenges. The new brand is based on a relentless focus on meeting the needs of our customers. From digital tools to access to credit to supportive customer service, we’re here to help move financial lives forward. It’s fairly simple: When our customers win, we win. And that motivating factor will push us forward as a company and in our pursuit to continue to deliver innovative financial solutions to you.

A strong brand with a clear message

From the start, the Avant brand has been grounded in deep respect for the grit our customers show in navigating their financial circumstances. By offering access to the products and services you need to pursue your unique financial goals, we succeed by helping you succeed.

Through every step of the rebranding process, our team has worked to clarify and strengthen the core essence of our brand, identifying the key elements that differentiate Avant, and exploring ways to communicate that brand identity through compelling visuals and messaging.

Our focus on our customers

A key element in our brand evolution is its focus on customer-centricity. Coming out of the Great Recession of 2008, the FinTech industry emerged as a disruptive force, creating challenger brands to the traditional system that offered new products and services to consumers hungry for a better, more intuitive financial experience. Like many early FinTechs, Avant helped to level the financial playing field by focusing on accessibility, a seamless digital experience and products that were both fee-friendly and transparent.

Fast forward ten years to today and in many ways a digital experience has gone from disruptive to table stakes. That’s why we used our rebrand process to go further, taking a deep dive into the psychological and emotional issues that drive the complicated relationships people have with money.

It’s this connection to the real human side of money that sets the new Avant brand apart. Transparency, simplicity and control are great, but they don’t mean anything if you don’t also address the everyday hopes, fears and dreams that drive the real-world decisions we make about money.

For me, it all boils down to a simple truth: People come first. At Avant, we see people holistically, not just as credit scores. And we never patronize our customers or trivialize your journey. We take your needs to heart and work together to provide the products, services and personal support you need to move your financial life forward.

The spirit of the new brand is captured in its new tagline: Financially Forward.^TM It’s both a commitment and a rallying cry, inspiring our team and our customers to keep working hard toward each new goal. It’s also our promise to you that we’ll be with you at every step — empowering you with the products, tools, services and support you need to keep moving forward on your financial journey.

What’s next

At Avant, we’re proud of where we’ve been and incredibly excited about where we’re going. We’ve set our standards high but we know we can get there by working together as a team and for our customers — staying true to our mission and brand identity. Stay tuned for more exciting announcements in the new year as we look toward the next ten years of our journey and focus on moving both our customers and Avant Financially Forward^TM.

^Federal Reserve Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households Report (May 2022).
*Avant, LLC is a financial technology company, not a bank. Avant-branded credit products are issued by WebBank.

The post 10 YEARS OF AVANT: Building a Better Financial Journey for Our Customers appeared first on The Avant Blog.

Sanket Shah

Manager on the Credit Card Risk team

Joined Avant in 2021

What’s it like to work @Avant? We asked Sanket for his take on our culture, and here’s what he said:

1. How would you describe Avant’s culture?

Avant is very open and results-oriented. We encourage each other to think outside the box and look for solutions. In our culture, we help each other when we get stuck moving on to the next step. We push each other towards our goals, and then celebrate our successes. We’re good at recognizing each other’s achievements, like when we help launch a new product. We put so much hard work into trying something we’ve never done before, and everyone brings their own ideas. It’s such a collective effort. There are opportunities and obstacles and so many teams come together to help each other push through, and then celebrate.

2. Why are you happy/successful here?

A key to my happiness is the people. The people I’m working with are close, and no matter what we’re working on or what’s going on in our lives, we can share that with each other. Another key is work-life balance. Avant is great about that, which makes me feel happier. And in the end, it all connects together. We help each other and make sure nobody gets stuck, so I know things are getting done. If I’m doing something and I’m taking it forward, I know everyone else is working toward that goal, too.

Our approach is that wherever you are going, do your best. Things will always fall into place if you do. Avant does more than the bare minimum of just removing obstacles in your way, they actually support you in being able to do your best. And if you give 100%, you will get back more than 100% in return. That’s something I think we can all be grateful for.

3. What’s a superpower that you get to apply at your job?

I think my superpower is self-motivation and the freedom to express myself in the most positive way. That helps me keep going and brings energy with me to whatever I’m doing. It gives me clarity in my thoughts and tells me what my next steps are and any plans I have to make. And if any challenges come up, it helps me react to that.

4. If you had to describe who you are and not mention your work at all, what would you say?

I have the same personality at work and outside work. I am kind of a part-time philosopher, part-time religious, very humorous. I like to ask, what is life? and try to see the humor in everything that is happening around me. I try to be that person, whether I’m with my colleagues or outside work with my friends. I’m also a dog lover! I don’t have my own dog, but my friend has one and he gets very excited to meet me, and that really energizes me too.

5. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be a surgeon. My dad is a doctor, and my whole life I was surrounded by dad’s doctor friends. Hospitals, the operation theater, I was always fascinated by it. But when I grew up and saw the different choices I could make (and then I didn’t do as well on my entrance exams), I thought life was sending me in a different direction. And that led me to something else that I really enjoy.

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Henan Ma

Senior Manager (as of 2023, formerly Originations Risk Manager) for the Credit Card Team

Joined Avant in 2021

What’s it like to work @Avant? We asked Henan for his take on our culture, and here’s what he said:

1. How would you describe Avant’s culture?

The first word that comes to mind is transparency. I really appreciate transparency, especially from leadership. At every Town Hall, leadership shares their thoughts about our future plan and how we will grow. And especially in recession times, they talk about their decision process and come up with ways to keep growing. Leadership is good at sharing key focus areas, which I can keep in mind in my daily work to know what to prioritize and how to make decisions with my team.

The second word is responsibility, or ownership. We are a growing company, and everybody brings their own expertise. Whenever I reach out to people on different teams, they are always willing to share that expertise. It’s very reliable—people take accountability and that saves a lot of back and forth. It makes our work more efficient. Of course we all make mistakes, but if everyone is on the same page, then when we make mistakes, we can quickly make improvements and keep going. All of us really benefit from that learning process.

And all of this makes it possible for us to have great teamwork. At Avant, we collaborate a lot with teams all over the organization on pretty much every project. We learn a lot from each other and find ways to make the work more efficient, and everyone is always willing to take the extra step and share their knowledge with you. Because the more they share, the more new ideas we can generate, and the more we grow.

2. Why are you happy/successful here?

I have a great team in a great department. The Credit Card team leadership provides frequent guidance and feedback, so you know what you’re doing well and what you can improve. That helps me grow. I really want my team to be honest with me, and I’m not afraid of “negative” feedback—it’s not negative if it helps me grow!

The other thing is that leadership and team members create a really good environment where everyone is encouraged to speak up and express their own ideas in open discussion. We all share our thoughts, regardless of what level we are, and through the discussion we generate a lot of new initiatives.

We work hard to solve business problems, but also we play hard and have a lot of team activities. My team recently went to a zipline park and it was pretty fun, and great teamwork as well. We also play beach volleyball and lots of other things. That’s the fun part of why I’m happy to work here.

3. What’s your favorite thing about the way your specific job role works?

Problem-solving. Every day in my role, I’m solving problems. You won’t ever feel bored in this role. Every day, we leverage different skill sets and explore new skill sets that will help us solve problems, and every time we solve a problem, we can see the direct impacts to the company. That feels very rewarding.

4. If you had to describe who you are and not mention your work at all, what would you say?

I am outdoorsy and love outdoor activities. Rock climber, scuba diver, snowboarder, runner. I just recently picked up running and finished my first 10K this summer. I also like yoga and cooking. I make traditional Chinese food, and recently I picked up baking, too. Cooking and outdoor activities are relaxing. I just focus on what I’m doing at that moment. You can release everything else in your mind.

5. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was little, my dream was to become a scientist. And my dream kind of came true! Scientists focus on one specific area and you spend a lot of energy and time to study that area really deeply. That is kind of what I’m doing right now. I’m using all the analytical tools and data to explore originations risk. The deeper I go, the more interesting it is and the more opportunities I can find. That’s pretty good.

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Check out our open positions here.

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Jonah Fidel

Software Engineer on the Prospect Engagement Team

Joined Avant in 2020

What’s it like to work @Avant? We asked Jonah for his take on our culture, and here’s what he said:

1. How would you describe Avant’s culture?

Avant has a very open, flexible, and accepting culture. This is my second software engineering role out of school, and my first one was at a bigger, older financial institution that was much more corporate and buttoned up. The contrast with Avant is night and day—you can wear what you are comfortable in, you’re allowed to choose your own path, and in general it’s not a super corporate culture. I really like that about Avant.

2. Why are you happy/successful here?

For me, having freedom and choice in my work is really important. Being able to choose how I spend my time, not having somebody over my shoulder telling me what to do and how to do it, is really nice. Avant has given me that freedom and allowed me to grow and learn within my own interests, and to take my own approach. That has definitely made me happier and more successful here.

3. What’s a superpower that you get to apply at your job?

I really feel like the freedom and flexibility that I get at Avant is a superpower in and of itself. Like, sometimes I’m more of a night owl and will get inspired to do something later at night, and because Avant gives me some freedom to choose to work when I’m most productive, I can actually get it done much faster than if I had to do it at the office at 9am. Having some flexibility allows me to thrive and follow my inspiration.

4. If you had to describe who you are and not mention your work at all, what would you say?

This is a difficult one…I generally try to do right by my friends and family, and my community and colleagues, and leave things better than I found them. I also really love dogs. My girlfriend and I just got a dog, a black lab pitbull mix. He’s so loving and well-behaved, and it’s really great just hanging out with him. When I was younger, I took it for granted how great it was to have dogs. And now that I’m older and responsible for my own dog, I definitely have a lot of appreciation for it. So I am just really loving being a dog owner. It’s brought a lot of joy into my life.

5. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I think I wanted to be a videogame designer. I really like that I’m able to apply some of those same principles when I’m doing frontend development now. I like where I ended up.

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Check out our open positions here.

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