William Stringer
Topics of Interest: FinTech, Finance, Startups, Entrepreneurship
Canfield BHP Alum, William Stringer, is the co-founder and CEO of Chisos. A Dallas/Fort Worth native who transferred as a sophomore to Canfield in the fall of 2011, Will later graduated with a dual-degree in business honors and finance in 2014. After graduating, Will moved to Houston to start a career at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the oil and gas investment banking division. After banking, Will built his chops as an analyst on the investment team at the Cockrell family office in Houston where he spent four years working under the CEO gaining valuable experience he would use in his near-future endeavors.
According to Will, “I worked all types of deals, it was an excellent experience. I got to meet a lot of people and build my network. I then left there to go work at one of the [Cockrell] family’s portfolio companies called Emergent Technology Holdings out in California, where I spent a little under a year working as a product manager for a supply chain tracking system in the precious metal space.”
It was in California where Will met his future co-founder and CTO at Chisos, Stephen Grinalds, a colleague he met while working on the supply chain tracking system project at Emergent Technology Holdings.
So what is Chisos? Chisos is a FinTech firm that provides early-stage entrepreneurs with the funding they need to succeed. Their main goal is to “democratize entrepreneurship”. As their website reads, “We look for companies that don’t fit the “grow at all costs” venture capital funding model or the predictable 5-year growth with hard asset collateral model usually required for bank business loans. Instead, we look for ideas, founders, and companies with potential and an actionable plan. When we find them, we connect them with the capital and community they need to succeed.”
We caught up with Will to hear more about his experience at Chisos and his vision for the company. Read on. Continue reading
