Stephanie Hanson
CEO and Co-FounderGestalt Tech Corp
Stephanie Alsbrooks Hanson thrives on organizing chaos, whether navigating life with a family of seven or building high-growth fintech companies from the ground up. She currently serves as CEO and Co-Founder of Gestalt, where she helps financial institutions harness clean, connected data to drive smarter decisions, reduce risk, and accelerate growth.
Previously, Stephanie was Founder and CEO of defi SOLUTIONS, leading the company from startup to a market-leading cloud originations platform serving a hundred+ lenders. Under her leadership, defi secured venture backing, scaled rapidly, and became a recognized force in modern lending technology.
With more than two decades in lending and fintech, Stephanie is known for building solutions to help lenders adapt and thrive in evolving markets.
My Areas of Expertise: i.e. strategy, marketing, team building, executive management?
Strategy and vision-setting, fintech innovation, executive leadership, culture, scaling high-growth organizations, product commercialization, team building.
Areas of expertise upon which I would like to continue learning:
I’m focused on continuing to strengthen and scale culture while developing next-generation executives who can lead through complexity and change. I’m also expanding my understanding of how AI and advanced analytics can drive measurable advantage for financial institutions.
What three keywords best describe you?
Decisive. Challenger. Transparent.
Personal Motto:
“If you do what you’ve done, you get what you’ve got.”
What are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about building things that matter and building the people who make them work.
What is something interesting about you that members might not know?
I wanted to be a professional bowler but was never that good. I also wanted to be a dealer but not great at that either!
Who has been a role model for you?
My parents ran a TV store when I was growing up. That gave me a lot of perspective about the joys and pains of leading and building.
What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of the people I’ve built and worked alongside, watching them grow into confident leaders and knowing we created something meaningful together.
MENTORING:
a. What would you say are the key success factors for a mentoring relationship?
Trust first. Candor always. Accountability both ways.
b. What advice would you give yourself as a young executive?
Trust yourself sooner. Take the risk even if you don’t feel completely ready.
c. What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started your career?
“You’re responsible for both intent and impact.” There is a great C.S. Lewis quote because in our own case we accept excuses too easily; in other people’s we do not accept them easily enough. We understand our own intent, so we forgive ourselves. With others, when we feel hurt or annoyed, we focus only on the impact.
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