I Left Goldman Sachs for an AI Startup. Here's What Nobody Tells You

At Goldman Sachs, 10 people might own one job. At a startup, you're all 10, with real decision power from hour zero. In the first episode of the TomoCredit Podcast, where we talk about AI, money, and careers, TomoCredit CEO Kristy sits down with Pauline, our VP of Finance & Growth. Pauline spent 10+ years in finance (Goldman Sachs operations and investment banking, plus Morgan Stanley) before leaving Wall Street for an AI fintech startup. She breaks down: • Investment banking vs. startup life: what actually changes day to day • Advice for MBA students and recent grads choosing between banking, consulting, or a startup • Why finance looks backward while startups only care about what you do next • How AI changed product development, even for non-technical people • Why we build for everyday Americans, not San Francisco AI hype Whether you're a banker thinking about a career change, an MBA weighing offers, or just curious what it's really like to work at an AI startup, this one's for you. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 From Goldman Sachs to an AI startup 0:58 Welcome to the TomoCredit Podcast with CEO Kristy 1:11 Meet Pauline: Goldman, Morgan Stanley → VP Finance & Growth 1:46 Startup life is a "million-step optimization game" 2:57 Investment banking vs. startups: what's really different 3:24 Her first job at Goldman (it wasn't banking) 3:48 MBAs & new grads: banking, consulting, or a startup? 5:10 Was she scared to leave finance? 6:14 Kristy's Ikigai 2×2 for big career decisions 7:07 How HBO's "Silicon Valley" pulled Pauline into tech 8:16 How AI changed product development forever 9:24 Turning banker PowerPoint skills into AI product demos 9:59 Building for everyday Americans, not SF AI hype 10:43 The 80% who were never taught how credit works 🔗 Try TomoCredit: tomocredit.com 📩 Subscribe for more on AI, money & careers #GoldmanSachs #CareerChange #AIStartup #InvestmentBanking #Fintech #TomoCredit