Recently we had an opportunity to sit down with Jose Bethancourt, CEO of the startup Method Financial. Method began partnering with Pentadata a few months ago to access financial APIs for their company. Here’s our interview with Jose:

Tell us a little bit about yourself — what’s your background and how did you get to where you are today?

I’ve been doing start-ups forever. I got into it because I love building and coding. I started my first real company when I was a sophomore in college, which was a K-12 recruiting platform for teachers. From there some friends and I started a company called GradJoy in 2019 after we had graduated. GradJoy essentially was a student loan personal finance app, and that eventually led to Method.

What is your current company and what does it do?

I’m the CEO of Method Financial, which is essentially a debt payment API platform. When we started GradJoy in 2019, we were shocked to find that most people were still making payments on their student loans using checks. It was a difficult interface to use, and we thought there had to be a better way to do this. So in 2021, we built something more scalable. Method Financial allows people to manage their debts through deep access to their banking and account information. We’re connected to over 10,000 financial institutions people are using, and with that access people can more easily work to pay off their debts but also build wealth through savings and investments.

When did you start partnering with Pentadata, and what does Pentadata do for you?

Method connected with Pentadata just back in February 2022. We were really interested in exploring how to leverage the payments build out functionality and also to build data that can benefit Method Financial customers.

How has that benefitted your work and company?

The best part is that we were able to get up and running super quickly. It wasn’t a months-long process like it would have been working through traditional payments networks. We also really love the customer service we get — anytime we have a question or want to discuss something, we can easily get in touch with people at Pentadata who know the answers.

What advice would you give to people starting the entrepreneurship journey?

First of all, you have to talk to customers and learn from them about what they need and want. Without that, you won’t go anywhere. Second, learn to be nimble. This is a very fast-paced industry that’s always changing, and you need to be able to stay up to date to stay relevant. So basically, if you’re not talking to customers and not coding, then you’re wasting time!

Looking ahead to the future, what are you excited about in the world of finance technology?

I’m excited about the possibilities for people who currently have debt and the probability that we actually can build and experience the self-driving future that’s been hyped for awhile now. It’s exciting to consider the potential for apps that can help people throughout their entire financial journey, from being a college student to retirement.

At Pentadata we’re excited about what Method Financial is doing and how partnering with us for their APIs has opened doors for their customers. If you’re interested in learning more about how Pentadata could help your business or app, reach out today.