Hi there,

I know this newsletter is later than usual. And that really highlights how active this spring is.

March was a whirlwind of events as Women’s History Month coincided with many internal events, such as Wallet Max’s Fundraising Mastermind. The momentum only grew in April.

As we close this Earth Month in April today, we saw a number of exciting breakthroughs and milestones, such as the Artemis launch and journey home. Seeing a recent, high-resolution photograph of our planet was a stark reminder that we have just one Earth. There is no planet B.

And that can be a challenging revelation as we struggle here on the ground with war, legacy energy sources, and water scarcity. We need more clean energy, especially for technological advancements like AI data centers. But it also has to make sense for people: meaning we need profitable and innovative solutions.

Today’s issue is great for friends and colleagues interested in fintech sustainability that keeps being human at its heart.

On top of upcoming and past events, we’ll talk about applying technology to legacy planning and comedy, global fintech innovation, and how to unlearn survival habits that are stunting your career.

Upcoming Events

Deep Tech/AI Startup Pitches and Investor Panels (Jun 01)

On Monday, June 1st, I will be hosting a curated fundraising event in Deep Tech/AI during New York Tech Week. Every year this event brings together startup founders, investors, and corporate ecosystem builders for an engaging night of networking, investing, and learning.

Save your seat to:

• ​Connect with startup leaders, impact investors, and corporate executives.

• Discover how to enhance sustainable and inclusive practices, and grow your business.

• Join a community of ecosystem partners and service providers in Deep Tech/AI.

​If you are a tech-enabled startup in any industry, or a tech investor/operator, submit your interest today to pitch or judge or speak at our Pitches & Panels event 👇

Deadline for all submissions is May 8th, 2026 ➡️ getwalletmax.com/contact

The Next Fundraising Mastermind Cohort (May 20)

I’m very excited to announce that the next 12-week sprint for the Wallet Max’s Fundraising Mastermind will begin on May 20th. This cohort will run from May 20th to July 5th, with LIVE workshops & activities, every Wednesday from 9-10 AM PT/12-1 PM ET.

Each sprint provides:​

• ​A clear weekly fundraising plan so you always know exactly what to work on

• ​Live group coaching to troubleshoot challenges and refine your approach

• ​Weekly Q&A time for real-time feedback on outreach, pitches, and investor conversations

• ​A mastermind of like-minded peers who hold each other accountable and share progress week to week

This isn’t just a three-month sit-there-and-learn course. It’s active. And as many founders know, every sprint builds momentum, helping you stay consistent and supported throughout the 6–9 month fundraising process. Bonus: You get 2 coaches for the 12-week duration.

If you’re ready to optimize your fundraising efforts for the 2026 market, get more details on the Wallet Max website and sign up today! You can also email the Wallet Max team at [email protected] for more information.

Past Event Highlights

Dive into key learnings from the past few weeks of in-person/virtual community events.

Sustainable by Design: Women Founders and Funders Reimagining Growth

This spring, I celebrated Women's History Month and I co-hosted an event on how female founders and investors are reimagining growth through a sustainable lens on March 5th at Columbia University’s Career Design Lab. Participants learned so much about sustainable growth and building for long-term value creation from amazing investors, founders, and operators like: Tess Mateo (Senior Advisor to the United Nations on Gender & Environment, and Managing Director at CXCatalysts), Christina Castle (Senior Manager of Impact & Product Sustainability at Dôen), Yael Shemer (Co-Founder & CCO of TULU, rethinking urban access and circular living).

Creator Economy x Fractional Model: The Crossover

On March 6th, Brand Curators, F3, and Brainstation hosted an event in New York where I was able to meet with other creators and fractional professionals, and I shared my list of consulting services that I provide for startup founders in product expansion, financial growth, and business operations as a Fractional CPO/COO. One of the best parts was learning from and mingling with the many experts who spoke at the event, like: Tish Dignam, ​Nelly Yusupova, ​Lauren Pearl, ​Shanae Brown, Tameka Bazile, Brandon Smithwrick, Terry Oppong, ​and Christina Westley.

Business Finance: Master Cash Flow, Break Even, Pricing

Finally, another fantastic event I presented in last month was a webinar at NJSBDC (NJ Small Business Development Center) aimed for startups and small businesses. In particular, I covered essential financial concepts including cash flow tracking, break-even analysis, pricing diagnostics, and monthly financial reviews that every founder and small business owner needs to know.

These skills are part of my signature WealthReset™ Framework, a 1-on-1 coaching program that helps professionals, founders, and leaders navigate meaningful financial or career decisions.

You can watch the full presentation replay for free for all the key details.

Love what you see and want to take it a step further? Check out how my WealthReset™ Framework and coaching for individuals/businesses can transform your profession.

In short: These events are never just coffee or friendly mingling. It’s an act of moving forward.

Startup Growth Playbook: LIVE Interviews

Caregiving and the Invisible Economy with Paul H Richardson Jr

63 million Americans are navigating aging parents, raising children, and managing careers, often at the same time. Paul H. Richardson, Jr., MA. knows how challenging it is for families to coordinate and orchestrate end-of-life arrangements remotely and around the clock.

That’s why he co-founded Tumbleweed, an AI-powered end-of-life-planning solution.

“A pivotal moment was in 2022, I took about a four-month road trip across the US,” says Paul. “I realized I was holding on to some grief with my grandparents. And what I kept coming back to was not only their passing, but really the experience leading up to death. I started thinking about legacy and aging, and that turned into what eventually became Tumbleweed.”

Paul is building a digital legacy and caregiving platform that helps families organize records, capture wishes, and make complex decisions easier, before and after loss. With 20+ years in healthcare and technology, he’s scaling human-centered AI in one of the most emotionally sensitive markets.

“For me, legacy, to your point, is not just financial. My grandparents worked very hard. They did not have financial things to leave to our family,” describes Paul. “They just didn't and a lot of folks don't. We try to remind people that it's far beyond that. It’s about memories, photos, and words of wisdom.”

If you care about healthtech, insurtech, enterprise partnerships, or building mission-aligned companies that scale, this session is for you.

Don’t miss this engaging interview with real-world tips from Paul. You can see the full Playbook episode below 👇

Scaling with Community with Adam Malev

Some of the most scalable platforms start with one person. They start small, and then scale with the community.

Adam Malev, Founder & CEO of Comediq, is building a platform used by 1,600+ NYC comedians to find 500+ open mics and shows every week; and now expanding into tools for content, performance tracking, and growth.

“Before Comediq, I used to work at EY doing financial risk consulting,” notes Adam. “And at night after work, I would go to standup comedy clubs. I noticed there was this gap for scheduling. Open mics would get canceled with five minutes warning, and that’s hard for the venue and the comedians. I wanted to approach it systemically.”

Over time, Adam developed a better and easier way for comedians and fans to discover open mics. Much of his journey involved growing his community of other performers, venues, and comedy enthusiasts.

“Being authentic is important, but building a community long before you want to launch is even more important,” says Adam. “When people know you, they can trust you. Even if they don't know you really well.”

If you’re building in the creator economy, SaaS, or community-driven products, this session will be practical and relevant. Watch the replay below:

In Case You Missed It – The BIG News Highlights

Risk is everywhere, but in understanding potential threats, we can mitigate them. Below is one BIG story that shows the connections between technology, science, and business.

Technology Development with Innovation & Regulation

The United States and China are leaders in developing AI innovation. Yet, they aren’t the only stalwarts making strides. Switzerland, in particular, is leading AI global research despite holding its first Fintech Week this June. The Americas have 58 events planned for 2026 alone.

The first Swiss Fintech Week will be held at the Kongresshaus Zurich between 19-25 June 2026. Organized by Tenity and FuW Forum in collaboration with the Global Finance and Technology Network (GFTN), attendees will have access to 8 internal events that include hackathons, innovation tours, multiple forums, VIP dinners, and more.

And Switzerland has much to share with the global fintech community. Switzerland holds the fifth highest concentration of AI talent among LinkedIn members, with a 1.25% share and has a significant AI adoption rate of 4.8%. When it comes to consumer views of AI in Switzerland, many still delegate the technology to entertainment or general productivity upgrades, while almost a third see it as a benefit to the economy.

Technology development and regulation works best when there are more users and innovators in the space. I, for one, am very excited to see what will come out of this conference in Zurich.

The BIG Blog Digest

Still time for some reading? Here are some articles of interest this month.

The risk of one-sided AI and the power of human negotiation

Whether you’re an executive aligning teams, a founder raising capital, or a professional navigating pay and priorities, the risk of not negotiating is the same. You accept defaults someone else designed. AI can optimize efficiency, but it can’t read nuance, context, or emotion. Read this full blog here.

We need good jobs, not just clean tech

More than 60% of U.S. workers say they don’t feel supported or secure in their roles. Globally, the picture is even more fragmented. Good jobs translate into living wages, job security, inclusion, and dignity. When we talk about sustainability, this is what we mean: A robust system that supports both people and the planet. Read this full blog here.

Climate risk is making the American Dream uninsurable

About 25% of all properties in the United States face soaring premium or canceled policies due to extreme weather risk. When homes cannot be insured, they cannot be financed, and wealth creation becomes limited. We need real collaboration among regulators, insurers, innovators, communities on the ground. Read this full blog here.

Risk Lesson: Unlearn Smallness

Smallness isn’t natural. It’s a habit, shaped by years of messages about what we can ask for, how we can show up, and where we “belong.” For women, and especially women of color, these messages start early: Be agreeable, wait your turn, don’t make people uncomfortable.

I often saw this play out in boardrooms. I would present an analysis and it would land flat. Then, only minutes later, a male colleague would repeat my point and it was treated as a revelation. Keeping myself small felt like survival, but that survival prevented me from growing into leadership roles.

The good news? It can be unlearned.

In my book, Everyday Risk Wisdom: Your Risk Management Guide to Thrive in a Complex World as an Overlooked Business Leader, I cover the safety of smallness and how it evolves into a long-term liability. I also offer actionable steps for identifying signs of learned smallness, and how to break the cycle.

Explore my book website below and get notified when this lesson is available for free!

The BIG Reflection Quiz

Are you self-silencing and making yourself small? Seeking approval, compromising for comfort, and assuming rejection are all signs.

But are you asking yourself the right questions to interpret? What questions would you ask yourself:

• Am I challenging my self-limiting habits (and if so, how have I challenged myself this week?)

• Am I scaling down strategies and analysis out of comfort or fear?

• Am I tracking patterns for who interrupts me, repeats my points, and responds appropriately?

• All of these

• I ask myself other questions…(shoot me a message and let me know)

All of these strategies work, and are even better when combined.

Read the lesson for my “Unlearn Smallness” action steps. Explore my book website below and get notified when this framework is available for free!

Before You Go

April was a fruitful month, but as spring turns into summer, I’m starting to see momentum. In particular, there’s a lot to be said about preparing for Tech Week in June and kickstarting my next cohort for Fundraising Mastermind in May. I hope that you will join me in these activities. There is room for everyone as an attendee, judge, sponsor, competitor, or participant.

After all, it’s in working together to solve challenges between climate and AI and finance that we can really make a positive difference.

Thank you for reading so far, and we look forward to having you on the journey.

Onward and upward,

Bhuva Shakti, Founder of Wallet Max and Bhuva’s Impact Global.

Let’s collaborate, send me your ideas! www.bhuvas-impact.global/bhuva