In industries defined by legacy slog and AI slop, speed, truth, and quality are the ultimate competitive advantages. Welcome to Unblocked, a podcast by Figure. Hosted by Figure CEO Michael Tannenbaum, we dive into the intersections of capital markets, fintech, blockchain, and AI. We interview the innovators and builders tearing down manual bottlenecks to drive cost efficiencies at scale.
Forget the buzzwords. It’s time to empower your teams, clear the barriers to growth, and finally get unblocked.
How Small Businesses Are Unlocking Billions in Hidden Equity | Jeff Sachs, SBG Funding
Small businesses generate 44% of U.S. GDP and employ over 62 million people, yet securing capital has historically meant a painful trade-off: wait 45+ days for government-backed loans or pay premium rates for rapid cash advances. How can home equity deliver fast, affordable financing at scale without traditional friction?
In this episode of Unblocked, Figure CEO Michael Tannenbaum sits down with SBG Funding founder Jeff Sachs, who turned getting laid off into an Inc. 5000 company funding over $3B in loans. Together, they explore how business-purpose HELOCs are transforming small business financing today for small business owners taking a chance on themselves, just like Jeff.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
Jeff’s secret to success: Why putting customers and employees first, not pushing high-margin products, is the secret to driving long-term growth.
Unlocking equity: How small business owners can tap into record-high residential home equity to fund business expansion.
Bridging the small business lending capital gap: How home equity offers a fast, low-cost solution that bridges the divide between slow 45-day SBA loans and expensive short-term advances.
Asset-backed underwriting: Why underwriting property assets instead of volatile cash flow unlocks flexible funding for seasonal and non-traditional industries.
The power of delegation: How hiring key executive talent unlocked rapid multi-year growth.
Chapters:
06:54 - Jeff’s secret to success
09:35 - Unlocking equity
12:16 - Bridging the capital gap
19:25 - Asset-backed underwriting
29:15 - The power of delegation
Learn how Figure helps small business brokers modernize their product suite: https://www.figure.com/partner/smb-broker/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=Unblocked (https://www.figure.com/partner/smb-broker/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=Unblocked)
23 Sept 2026
The Real Problem with Mortgage Tech | Kristin Ankeny Bickenbach, New American Funding
In this episode of Unblocked, Figure CEO Michael Tannenbaum sits down with Kristin Ankeny Bickenbach, EVP of Secondary Marketing at New American Funding, to break down the evolving landscape of mortgage lending and capital markets.
Drawing from her entry into the industry during the 2008 financial crisis to leading secondary marketing at one of the nation's top lenders, Kristin shares candid insights on modernizing core technology, leveraging blockchain, and the irreplaceable value of human connection in high-stakes financial decisions.
In this episode, we cover:
• Industry roots: Lessons learned from starting at in mortgage during the Great Financial Crisis, shifting to a member-centric credit union mindset, and building NAF's privately held, branch-backed model.
• Female leadership in lending: Navigating the male-dominated capital markets industry and using her uniqueness as an advantage.
• Mortgage tech and AI: Overhauling legacy tech infrastructure instead of adding surface-level UI wrappers, and empowering loan officers with hybrid AI tools.
• What on-chain loans unlock: Utilizing blockchain technology to eliminate secondary market friction, increase bond certainty, and optimize warehouse line velocity.
• Why the GFC can't happen again: Personal reflections on surviving the 2008 Great Financial Crisis and why modern credit underwriting standards prevent a repeat meltdown.
• Figure x NAF partnership: Unlocking 80% call center volume growth via Figure's HELOC and Figure Connect.
Chapters:
01:39 - Industry roots
05:17 - Female leadership in lending
08:51 - Mortgage tech and AI
18:06 - What on-chain loans unlock
22:54 - Why the GFC can't happen again
28:23 - Figure x NAF partnership
See how leading lenders partner with Figure to unlock growth in today's market: https://www.figure.com/partner-heloc/mortgage-lenders-brokers-and-servicers/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=Unblocked
10 Sept 2026
This AI Doesn’t Replace Loan Officers... It Supercharges Them | Aakash Thumaty, Sierra
Can AI agents shift from mere cost-cutting tools into high-octane revenue drivers?
In this episode, Figure CEO Michael Tannenbaum sits down with Aakash Thumaty, founder of Takeoff, fresh off a red-eye flight and an acquisition by Bret Taylor’s Sierra. Thumaty breaks down how long-horizon voice AI is driving real bottom-line outcomes with the power to transform loan origination and redefine human-AI collaboration in financial services.
In this episode, we cover:
• Driving revenue outcomes: Why long-horizon agents focus on top-line growth across complex loan application steps rather than basic support.
• The Sierra acquisition: Scaling a three-person team to near eight-figure run rate and joining forces with Bret Taylor to launch the Horizon platform.
• Testing ground for B2B rollout: How Takeoff achieved a 28% conversion lift and higher funded loan volume by pairing voice AI with live loan officers, which Figure tested with direct customers before deploying to enterprise B2B partners.
• Live voice AI interaction: A real audio sample of a borrower interacting with "Sam," Figure's voice AI virtual assistant powered by Takeoff.
• Human-AI collaboration: Unlocking cost-prohibitive touchpoints to expand market capacity and empower loan officers.
• The enterprise AI frontier: Aakash’s perspective on open-source vs. proprietary models, plummeting inference costs, and autonomous agents.
Chapters:
02:00 – Driving revenue outcomes
04:56 – Takeoff's acquisition by Sierra
11:46 – Testing ground to B2B rollout
15:22 – Live conversational AI interaction demo
17:13 – Human-AI collaboration and unlocking capacity
34:49 – The enterprise AI frontier: Open-source models and costs
Learn how Figure helps banks and credit unions modernize HELOC lending: https://www.figure.com/partner-heloc/mortgage-lenders-brokers-and-servicers/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=Unblocked (https://www.figure.com/partner-heloc/banks-and-credit-unions/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=Unblocked)
2 Sept 2026
How They Built a $27B Mortgage Business | Eric Hines, West Capital Lending
How do you scale a powerhouse mortgage enterprise to $27 billion in originations while navigating one of the most volatile rate environments in history?
In this episode of Unblocked, Figure CEO Michael Tannenbaum and Figure's VP of Lending Partnerships, Anthony Stratis, sit down with Eric Hines, co-founder of West Capital Lending to learn exactly that. Eric breaks down how his team built a winning model during a highly volatile market, shifted away from traditional consumer-direct constraints, and leveraged innovative partnerships that has allowed West Cap to fund nearly 100,000 loans in just five years.
In this episode, we cover:
• Building a hybrid mortgage model: Leaving traditional consumer-direct shops to gain equity, schedule flexibility, and centralized support with high-split incentives.
• Navigating rate volatility: How West Cap survived the fast rate increases following the refi boom by rapidly pivoting into Non-QM, DSCR, and niche lending options.
• Fintech-driven liquidity: Reaching $27B in originations by accessing institutional-grade liquidity and fast HELOC tech without taking on debt.
• AI on the sales floor: Testing voice agents, OCR, and ChatGPT while preserving high-trust human relationships in mortgage deals.
• What makes a 10x LO: Why discipline beats sales talent, and how operational efficiency via AI could scale top producers to 20x.
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
05:56 - Building a hybrid mortgage model
09:08 - Navigating rate volatility
13:49 - Fintech-driven liquidity
23:34 - AI on the sales floor
36:42 - What makes a 10x LO
See how leading lenders leverage Figure to unlock institutional liquidity and eliminate origination friction: https://www.figure.com/partner-heloc/mortgage-lenders-brokers-and-servicers/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=Unblocked
5 Aug 2026
The Bold Bet Powering This Credit Union's Growth | Nick Ambrosini, Valley Strong Credit Union
How can credit unions break away from traditional, risk-averse playbooks to accelerate growth, embrace modern technology, and better serve their members?
In this episode, Nick Ambrosini, President and CEO of Valley Strong Credit Union, breaks down the bold bets and strategic decisions that transformed Valley Strong into one of the most innovative credit unions in the industry.
In this episode, we cover:
- Blockchain in banking: How Valley Strong worked with regulators and its board to adopt blockchain technology while reducing risks like double-pledging.
- Modernizing lending with Figure: Why Valley Strong white-labeled Figure's HELOC platform to replace a 46-day origination process with a fast, friction-free member experience while unlocking capital markets liquidity.
- Evaluating fintech partnerships: A framework for building a "test and learn fast" culture, making decisions with incomplete information, and maintaining transparency with your board.
- Strategic growth: How to stay ahead of industry consolidation, identify high-growth opportunities, and compete in an evolving financial landscape.
- Leadership: Nick's advice on becoming a CEO at 36, building self-awareness, and leading with authenticity.
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
05:53 - Blockchain, Regulators & Figure
10:48 - The Figure White-Label HELOC
17:18 - Building a "Test & Learn Fast" Culture
27:02 - Growth Through Strategic Partnerships
35:08 - CEO at 36: Leadership Lessons
Learn how Figure helps banks and credit unions modernize HELOC lending: https://www.figure.com/partner-heloc/banks-and-credit-unions/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=Unblocked
15 Jul 2026
AI Is Already Smart Enough. That's Not The Problem.
In this premiere episode of Unblocked, Figure CEO Michael Tannenbaum sits down with Linda Du, president and co-founder of Valon, to pull back the curtain on what it actually takes to disrupt legacy financial infrastructure.
From navigating the highly regulated, low-trust world of mortgage servicing to ignoring conventional Silicon Valley wisdom, Linda shares her journey of building a powerhouse tech business by running toward the problems everyone else was fleeing.
They dive deep into the future of automated operations, why AI is functionally useless in finance without a source of validated "truth," and how Figure’s blockchain infrastructure and Valon’s AI-powered servicing engine are rewriting the rules of modern lending.
9 Jul 2026
Unblocked Podcast Trailer
Welcome to Unblocked a Podcast by Figure. In every episode we talk to the innovators, builders and leaders who are refusing to accept the status quo.
We are diving into how forward thinking firms are tearing down the barriers to growth, empowering their teams and driving efficiency at scale.
Welcome to the Unblocked Podcast.
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