# Rodney B. Williams > Co-Founder and President of SoLo Funds. Founder and Chairman of LISNR. The first founder to place two companies on the CNBC Disruptor 50 list. Named inventor on five granted US patents. Keynote speaker. Canonical: https://rodneybwilliams.com/ | Contact: hello@rodneybwilliams.com Agent endpoints: MCP server at /mcp | server card at /.well-known/mcp/server-card.json | skills at /.well-known/agent-skills/index.json | auth at /auth.md ## SoLo Funds is the financial intelligence ecosystem for every class The largest community finance platform in the United States, built to empower every class rather than serve one of them. It runs on three pillars that feed each other. Lending generates return. Return funds capital. Capital produces the behavioral data that becomes intelligence, and the intelligence prices the next loan. Superior returns, precision capital, predictive intelligence, for everyone. Everyday lenders fund loans directly to other members and earn a return set by the community rather than handed down by an institution. Retail capital doing the work a bank balance sheet used to do. Members ask for what they need, on terms they set, and repay into a record that travels with them. No hidden pricing, no penalty architecture, no credit score gate at the door. A live read on household cash flow assembled from real repayment behavior, published ahead of the official prints that everyone else waits on. Sold to the institutions that need to see the consumer turning. ## I have spent fifteen years reading things other people cannot hear In 2012 I boarded a bus. The SXSW StartupBus gives you seventy-two hours between cities to build a company from nothing, and what I came off with was a way to transmit data through sound, in a band between 18.7 and 19.2 kilohertz that is inaudible to ninety-eight percent of people. LISNR moved secure information between devices using nothing but a speaker and a microphone. Visa and Intel backed it. Jaguar Land Rover, Ticketmaster and Lenovo deployed it. The premise was simple. The most useful information is often already in the room, sitting just under the threshold of detection. There is a working economy the credit system cannot see. People pay rent, cover a car repair, float a friend, and settle up on Friday. None of it reaches a bureau file. None of it touches the models that decide who gets capital and at what price. It is real economic behavior that the system has agreed to treat as noise. SoLo Funds is the market that prices that behavior, and NowCAST is the instrument that reads it. When apparel spending gives way to gas, we see it in repayment patterns weeks before it shows up in a government release. That is the same business I have always been in. Find the frequency nobody is listening to, build the receiver, and let everyone else catch up. ## Culture is not the decoration on the product The Cannes Gold Lion I won in 2015 was for mobile software innovation. A data transmission company, judged at an advertising festival. That is not a category error. It is the whole thesis. Technology reaches people through culture or it does not reach them at all. In 2015 Marlon Nichols and I started Culture House because the rooms where deals get done did not look like the country the products were being built for. It has run every year since, at SXSW, Cannes, Martha's Vineyard, LA Tech Week, AfroTech and Art Basel, and its cultureSPARK program puts seed-stage funds in front of founders the pipeline keeps missing. The same instinct produced Mai Johnson & Company, a men's prestige beauty brand I built with Alvin Hathaway, my friend since we ran track together in Baltimore, and launched nationwide with Toni Ko. We exited it. It was never a detour. Consumer taste and consumer credit are the same subject approached from two directions, and knowing how a person wants to be seen tells you a great deal about how they spend. ## Companies The financial intelligence ecosystem for every class, and the largest community finance platform in the United States. Co-founded with Travis Holoway. Yield, capital and intelligence in one system. Ultrasonic data transmission for payments, mobility and connected devices. Chairman since founding. Chief Executive from 2012 to 2018, then Chief Commercial Officer through 2020, driving the company into payments. Conceived in seventy-two hours on the SXSW StartupBus and built with Chris Ostoich and Josh Glick. Backed by Visa and Intel, deployed with Roc Nation, Jaguar Land Rover, Ticketmaster, Lenovo, AT&T, Live Nation, Budweiser and the Dallas Cowboys. An immersive full-day experience at the intersection of technology, media and entertainment, co-founded with Marlon Nichols. It runs the circuit: SXSW, Cannes, Martha's Vineyard, LA Tech Week, AfroTech and Art Basel. Its cultureSPARK program pairs seed-stage funds with founders who do not get seen. A personal finance podcast and publication launched with iHeartRadio and ESSENCE, made for people the wealth management industry has never written for. A men's prestige beauty brand built with Alvin Hathaway, a friend since high school track in Baltimore, and launched nationwide under Toni Ko's Bespoke Beauty Brands. Skincare and grooming for the man the category had ignored. Marketing and event management, founded at West Virginia University and run for four years. The first company, and the reason the rest of them felt possible. An active personal portfolio held and built alongside the operating companies. ## A complete record - **Present — SoLo Funds.** Co-Founder, President and Chairman of the Board. Building the financial intelligence ecosystem for every class. - **2026 — EY Entrepreneur of the Year.** Named a regional finalist alongside Travis Holoway. - **2026 — SoLo NowCAST.** The consumer vitality index debuts on Bloomberg Markets, reading household cash flow ahead of official economic data. - **2025 — The Wealth Break.** Co-founded a personal finance podcast and publication with iHeartRadio and ESSENCE. - **2025 — SoLo IQ.** Launched an AI financial coach built on more than a billion dollars in platform transactions. - **2023 — Founding in Color.** Appeared in the Peacock series on Black founders. - **2023 — CNBC Disruptor 50.** SoLo Funds named to the list, making Williams the first founder ever to place two companies on it. - **2023 — Serena Ventures.** Backed SoLo Funds as the platform passed one million registered users. - **2022 — West Virginia University.** Elected to the Alumni Association Board of Directors for a six-year term. - **2021 — Hennessy and Nas.** Cast in the national Wild Rabbit campaign, a letter from Nas to his daughter about Black excellence and Black Wall Street. - **2021 — Mai Johnson & Company.** Co-founded a men's prestige beauty brand with Alvin Hathaway, launched nationwide under Toni Ko's Bespoke Beauty Brands. Since exited. - **2021 — Certified B Corporation.** SoLo Funds becomes the only Black-led certified B Corp in United States fintech, re-certified in 2026. - **2020 — Young Presidents' Organization.** Joined the global network of chief executives. - **2020 — Milken Institute Global Conference.** Spoke as Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of LISNR, closing out eight years operating the company. - **2019 — Visa invests.** Visa took a strategic stake in LISNR and opened a commercial relationship, after a $15.6 million round that took the company past $30 million raised. LISNR ranked number 41 on that year's CNBC Disruptor 50, its fourth appearance. - **2019 — Congressional testimony.** Testified before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services on the future of real-time payments. - **2019 — Henry Crown Fellow.** Selected to the Aspen Global Leadership Network at The Aspen Institute. - **2018 — SoLo Funds founded.** Built with Travis Holoway around a single question: what would lending look like if the community set the price. - **2018 — Endeavor Entrepreneur.** Selected into the global high-impact founder network. - **2017 — Forbes contributor.** Wrote a column for Forbes on entrepreneurship, wingmen, burnout and how corporations should work with startups. - **2017 — The STEM10.** Profiled in the NewForm documentary series on dismantling the barriers to STEM education. - **2017 — Roll of Distinguished Alumni.** Inducted by the WVU John Chambers College of Business and Economics, and by Procter & Gamble. - **2015 — Series B.** LISNR raised $10 million led by Intel Capital, drawn from Intel's $125 million diversity fund for female and minority founders. - **2015 — Cannes Gold Lion.** Awarded in Mobile Software Innovation for work at LISNR. An advertising festival honoring a data transmission company. - **2015 — Culture House.** Co-founded with Marlon Nichols to put founders, investors, creators and executives in the same room at the moments that matter. - **2014 — Series A.** $3.5 million, oversubscribed, from Progress Ventures, Jump Capital, CincyTech, Serra Ventures and Mercury Fund. - **2013 — Roc Nation.** CincyTech invested $250,000 and a partnership with Roc Nation put the technology behind J. Cole album listening parties and the Budweiser Made In America festival. - **2012–2020 — LISNR.** Founded the company and served as Chief Executive to 2018, then as Chief Commercial Officer to 2020 while the company moved into payments. Raised more than $40 million from Visa and Intel, shipped with Roc Nation, Jaguar Land Rover, Ticketmaster and Lenovo, collected over forty industry awards, and reached roughly thirty million devices. Chairman since founding. - **2012 — StartupBus.** Conceived LISNR in seventy-two hours aboard the SXSW StartupBus, then raised $850,000 in seed capital and built it out of Cincinnati. - **2012 — Ad Age 40 Under 40.** Named while still building LISNR out of Cincinnati. - **2011 — First marketer at P&G with a patent.** US 8,032,426, assigned to Procter and Gamble. A system letting friends and family pool money into an account a parent draws down for diapers. Community finance, eight years before SoLo Funds. - **Earlier — Procter & Gamble.** Brand management, most recently Pampers North America. The first marketer in the company's history to be issued a patent, and a catalyst in its earliest e-commerce and social work. - **Earlier — Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Department of Energy.** Financial and business development analyst. Where the career started. - **2009 — Howard University.** MBA in finance and supply chain management. - **2006 — West Virginia University.** BBA in finance, BA in economics, and MS in integrated marketing communications. Four degrees by the age of 24, while running varsity track. - **Start — 220 Productions.** First company. A marketing and event management firm founded as an undergraduate and run for four years. ## Awards, fellowships and boards - CNBC Disruptor 502015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023 - First founder to place two companies on the Disruptor 50 - Cannes Gold Lion, Mobile Software Innovation2015 - EY Entrepreneur of the Year, regional finalist2026 - EY Entrepreneur of the Year, Connected World Communications2017 - Ernst & Young EDGE Award2013 - Ad Age 40 Under 402012 - ADCOLOR Innovator Award2018 - Culture Creators Innovators & Leaders Award, Technology2018 - Ebony Power 1002018 - The Root 1002016 - NAACP Inspiring Innovation2017 - Black Enterprise Tech Entrepreneur of the Year2016 - Black Enterprise Breakout Star of the Year - Entrepreneur, 25 Inspiring Entrepreneurs Under 402016 - CES Honoree, Mobile Software2017 - BAI Global Innovation Awards finalist - Fast Company World Changing Ideas Awards - Accenture FinTech Innovation Lab New York2022 - UrbanGeekz 502025 - Keynote speaker, Money20/20 and Shoptalk - Forbes contributor, Entrepreneurs - First marketer at Procter & Gamble to be issued a patent - Named inventor on five granted US patents2011–2022 - Additional applications pending at SoLo Funds - Upstart 100 - WVU Roll of Distinguished Alumni2017 - Procter & Gamble Alumni Network 40 Under Forty2017 - Henry Crown Fellow, The Aspen Institute2019 - Endeavor Entrepreneur2018 - Young Presidents' Organization2020 - R/GA Accelerator powered by Techstars - Chairman of the Board, SoLo Fundssince founding - Chairman, LISNRsince founding - Board of Directors, WVU Alumni Association2022–2028 - Board of Advisors, Howard University School of Business - Board of Trustees, University of Cincinnatiformer - Board, Wyzerrformer ## Named inventor I was the first marketer at Procter and Gamble to be issued a patent. In a company that runs on chemists and engineers, and that files constantly, the invention came out of brand management. It was 2010 and I was on Pampers. The patent covers a system that lets friends and family contribute money into a shared account a parent draws down over time against a recurring expense. Diapers, in the filing. Community capital for a household cash-flow problem. It issued three times, as an original and two continuations. I filed that eight years before SoLo Funds existed. The idea did not arrive in 2018. It was already on paper, assigned to Procter and Gamble, waiting for me to understand what it was. The rest came at LISNR, and they describe the other half of the thesis: moving credentials, payments and access through sound that nobody can hear. Further applications are pending at SoLo Funds. - US 8,032,426Automated system for managing baby care productsProcter & Gamble · filed 2010, granted 2011 - US 8,112,322Automated system for managing baby care productsProcter & Gamble · filed 2011, granted 2012 - US 8,190,495Automated system for managing baby care productsProcter & Gamble · filed 2012, granted 2012 - US 11,126,394Systems and methods for content delivery and managementLISNR · filed 2013, granted 2021 - US 11,452,153Pairing and gateway connection using sonic tonesLISNR · filed 2018, granted 2022 - US 2011/0218848Automated system for managing baby care productsProcter & Gamble · published 2011 - US 2011/0313881Automated system for managing baby care productsProcter & Gamble · published 2011 - US 2015/0113094Systems and methods for content delivery and managementLISNR · published 2015 - US 2018/0132298Pairing and gateway connection using sonic tonesLISNR · published 2018 - US 2018/0329676Access control and validation using sonic tonesLISNR · published 2018 ## Speaking I speak to investor audiences, financial institutions, universities and founder communities. The talks are built around evidence rather than encouragement. No arc from adversity to inspiration, just what the data says about how capital actually moves in this country and what that means for whoever is in the room. Represented for speaking by Gravity Speakers. I keynote. Money20/20, Shoptalk, Cannes, Lend360, AfroTech and Black Tech Week, plus stages in Berlin and Lagos, and corporate keynotes inside Procter and Gamble, Intuit and Mondelez. I also appear at the Aspen Ideas Festival, SXSW and across the CNBC events roster, and regularly on financial television, including from the exchange floors themselves. - Money20/20 - Shoptalk - Cannes - Lend360 - AfroTech - Black Tech Week - Berlin - Lagos - Procter & Gamble - Intuit - Mondelez - Aspen Ideas Festival - SXSW - Milken Institute Global Conference - CIAA Tech Summit - CNBC Events - Bloomberg - CNBC - Nasdaq - NYSE - Peacock - Wired - Cheddar - Yahoo Finance - FinTech.TV - Fox 5 - PIX11 - News 12 - Revolt - Community finance - Alternative data - Economic nowcasting - The cost of being underbanked - Building category-defining companies - Raising as an outsider - Consumer credit reform - AI in financial services - Culture as go-to-market - Brand building from CPG to fintech - Hennessy - Nas - Lexus - BMW - Perry Ellis - Inc. - STEM10 ## The archive - [Fortune: Cash-poor Americans are paying $25 billion a year in hidden fees](https://fortune.com/2023/08/09/cash-poor-americans-paying-25-billion-hidden-junk-fees-each-year-simple-solution-protect-consumers-banks-rodney-williams/) — Byline Aug 2023 - [Fast Company: Why do VCs fund founders like Sam Bankman-Fried and Elizabeth Holmes but not Black entrepreneurs](https://www.fastcompany.com/91008115/op-ed-why-do-vcs-fund-founders-like-sam-bankman-fried-and-elizabeth-holmes-but-not-black-entrepreneurs) — Byline Jan 2024 - [Total Retail: Consumers are trading clothing purchases for trips to the gas station](https://www.mytotalretail.com/article/consumers-are-trading-clothing-purchases-for-trips-to-the-gas-station/) — Byline Jun 2026 - [The Hill: Financial institutions that leverage underserved communities should provide value to them](https://thehill.com/changing-america/opinion/578785-financial-institutions-that-leverage-underserved-communities-should) — Byline Oct 2021 - [Fast Company: Three lessons from cofounding a Black-owned certified B Corp tech startup](https://www.fastcompany.com/90919538/im-cofounder-of-a-black-owned-certified-b-corp-tech-startup-here-are-the-3-most-important-lessons-i-learned) — Byline Jul 2023 - [Built In: Three things to do before launching an impact-driven startup](https://builtin.com/articles/launching-impact-driven-startup) — Byline Dec 2024 - [Built In: Want to start a company with a friend? Read this first](https://builtin.com/articles/entrepreneurship-starting-a-business-with-a-friend) — Byline Jan 2024 - [Built In: Black tech unicorns are rare. Here is how to change that](https://builtin.com/founders-entrepreneurship/how-to-create-black-unicorns) — Byline Sep 2023 - [Built In: On Juneteenth, remember that freedom means financial freedom too](https://builtin.com/articles/juneteenth) — Byline Jun 2024 - [B The Change: The importance of being a Black-owned B Corp startup](https://bthechange.com/the-importance-of-being-a-black-owned-b-corp-startup-and-why-more-financial-companies-should-46c39de38560) — Byline Mar 2024 - [Sacramento Bee: Flunking adulthood: why are Americans so financially illiterate](https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article305831881.html) — Byline May 2025 - [CalMatters: As California cracks down on junk fees it is overlooking a major culprit](https://calmatters.org/commentary/2024/07/california-junk-fees-credit-card/) — Byline Jul 2024 - [Fintech Nexus: The uphill battle fintechs face in reducing the racial wealth gap](https://www.fintechnexus.com/uphill-battle-fintechs-reducing-racial-wealth-gap/) — Byline Feb 2024 - [Forbes: Why every founder needs a wingman](https://www.forbes.com/sites/rodneywilliams/2017/06/01/wingman/) — Byline Jun 2017 - [Forbes: Even cities can serve as a wingman](https://www.forbes.com/sites/rodneywilliams/2017/05/31/even-cities-can-serve-as-a-wingman/) — Byline May 2017 - [Forbes: So, you want to be an entrepreneur?](https://www.forbes.com/sites/rodneywilliams/2017/05/01/so-you-think-you-want-to-be-a-entrepreneur/) — Byline May 2017 - [Forbes: How should corporations work with startups?](https://www.forbes.com/sites/rodneywilliams/2017/04/30/how-should-corporations-work-with-startups/) — Byline Apr 2017 - [Forbes: Burnt out? Five tips to keep you fresh](https://www.forbes.com/sites/rodneywilliams/2017/04/30/kill-the-burnout/) — Byline Apr 2017 - [Bloomberg Markets: SoLo NowCAST debuts on Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2026-04-09/bloomberg-markets-4-9-2026-video) — Broadcast Apr 2026 - [Bloomberg: Consumers are cash poor but credit rich](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2024-04-19/-consumers-are-cash-poor-but-credit-rich-williams-video) — Broadcast Apr 2024 - [Bloomberg: Low income consumers still feeling burned](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2024-10-04/low-income-consumers-still-feeling-burned-williams-video) — Broadcast Oct 2024 - [Bloomberg Markets Americas: On the FOMC, fiscal policy and paycheck surveys](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2023-06-14/bloomberg-markets-americas-full-show-06-14-2023) — Broadcast Jun 2023 - [FinTech.TV: Breaking down inflation trends](https://fintech.tv/breaking-down-inflation-trends-insights-from-rodney-williams-of-solo-funds/) — Broadcast Apr 2026 - [Fox 5 DC: Good Day DC with The Wealth Break hosts](https://www.fox5dc.com/video/1627402) — Broadcast Apr 2025 - [PIX11: Budgeting, saving and student loans: a game plan for new grads](https://pix11.com/news/morning/budgeting-saving-and-student-loans-a-financial-game-plan-for-new-grads/) — Broadcast Jun 2026 - [PIX11: Frugal February: smart ways to reset your spending](https://pix11.com/news/morning/frugal-february-smart-ways-to-reset-your-spending/) — Broadcast Feb 2026 - [PIX11: Your holiday budget playbook](https://pix11.com/news/morning/pix-financial-fix-your-holiday-budget-playbook/) — Broadcast Nov 2025 - [PIX11: What to know before lending to friends and family](https://pix11.com/video/pix-financial-fix-what-to-know-before-lending-to-friends-and-family/11091254/) — Broadcast Sep 2025 - [News 12 Long Island: How to invest for retirement](https://longisland.news12.com/how-to-invest-for-retirement) — Broadcast May 2026 - [News 12 Long Island: Hidden dangers of taking out a personal loan](https://longisland.news12.com/be-well-hidden-dangers-of-taking-out-a-personal-loan) — Broadcast Oct 2024 - [News 12 Long Island: How to spot credit card hidden fees](https://longisland.news12.com/be-well-how-to-spot-credit-card-hidden-fees) — Broadcast Aug 2024 - [News 12 Long Island: Tips on how to manage student loan debt](https://longisland.news12.com/be-well-tips-on-how-to-manage-student-loan-debt) — Broadcast Jan 2024 - [Roland Martin Unfiltered: Tech Talk](https://www.youtube.com/live/zno7QLtfCSg?feature=share&t=6796) — Broadcast May 2023 - [SPPI-TV: Rodney Williams goes SoLo](https://www.youtube.com/live/AE3o5EHo0y0) — Broadcast Jun 2024 - [CNBC: Smart Tone technology, and the number 12 spot on the Disruptor 50](https://www.cnbc.com/video/2015/05/13/lisnr-calls-inaudible-with-smart-tone-technology.html) — Broadcast May 2015 - [CNBC: Rodney Williams, LISNR CEO, on the 2018 Disruptor 50](https://www.cnbc.com/video/2018/05/23/rodney-williams-ceo-lisnr-2018-disruptor-50.html) — Broadcast May 2018 - [Hennessy: Cast in the national Wild Rabbit campaign written and narrated by Nas](https://rollingout.com/2021/03/29/nas-urges-daughter-to-strive-for-black-excellence-in-heartfelt-hennessy-ad/) — Broadcast Mar 2021 - [Hennessy: WE ARE Disruptors, the Black History Month content series](https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8488251-hennessy-cognac-we-are-black-history/) — Broadcast Feb 2019 - [The STEM10: Featured episode of the NewForm documentary series on breaking barriers to STEM](https://rad.live/content/series/the-stem10-9uExFL/) — Broadcast 2017 - [IMDb: The STEM10, series and episode credits](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7561818/episodes/) — Broadcast 2017 - [Nasdaq: Disruptor 50 live from the Nasdaq MarketSite](https://www.facebook.com/Nasdaq/videos/disruptor50-live-at-nasdaq-rodney-williams-founder-and-ceoo/10154471474092429/) — Broadcast 2016 - [CNBC: LISNR, disrupting data at the speed of sound](https://www.cnbc.com/video/2016/06/10/lisnr-disrupting-data-at-the-speed-of-sound.html) — Broadcast Jun 2016 - [CNBC: From a six-figure salary to startup debt, and why optimism matters](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/26/he-gave-up-six-figure-salary-for-start-up-debt-and-succeeded.html) — Broadcast Feb 2020 - [CNBC: From a six-figure Procter and Gamble job to chief executive of LISNR](https://www.cnbc.com/video/2018/07/05/rodney-williams-from-6-figure-procter-gamble-gig-to-ceo-of-lisnr.html) — Broadcast Jul 2018 - [Wired: A day in the life of a tech influencer, with Perry Ellis](https://www.wired.com/video/watch/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-tech-influencer) — Broadcast 2017 - [Bloomberg: On the Cash Poor Report](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2025-01-24/bloomberg-markets-01-24-2025-video) — Broadcast Jan 2025 - [Cheddar News: Be Well, better money management moves](https://cheddar.com/media/be-well-better-money-management-moves) — Broadcast - [The Aspen Institute: Meet the Disruptors, paving a path to a new economy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXbfCBPFCmI) — Broadcast - [SHIFT Mobility: Impulse Talk on audio technology and mobility](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CHNHLn1uok) — Broadcast - [Quintessentially Speaking: Creating SoLo Funds, Black wealth, and building what has never been done](https://www.theqgentleman.com/post/2026-07-quintessentially-speaking-episode-4-rodney-b-williams-on-creating-solo-funds-black-wealth-and-building-whats-never-been-done/) — Podcast Jul 2026 - [Fintech One-on-One: On creating a community finance platform](https://www.fintechnexus.com/rodney-williams-of-solo-funds-on-creating-a-community-finance-platform/) — Podcast Aug 2023 - [Fintech Impact: Episode 373](https://shows.acast.com/fintechimpact/episodes/solo-funds-with-rodney-williams) — Podcast Apr 2025 - [Finovate Podcast: Episode 204](https://provoke.fm/ep-204-rodney-williams-solo-funds/) — Podcast Feb 2024 - [Banking Transformed: The future of community finance, with Jim Marous](https://thefinancialbrand.com/banking-podcasts/solo-funds-the-future-of-community-based-finance/) — Podcast Apr 2024 - [Fintech Confidential: Borrowers become lenders](https://fintechconfidential.captivate.fm/episode/060-rodney-williams-solo) — Podcast Sep 2024 - [Awarepreneurs: Effective financial inclusion, episode 333](https://www.awarepreneurs.com/podcast/333-financiall-inclusion) — Podcast May 2024 - [Black Tech Unplugged: Episode 78](https://blacktechunplugged.com/2023/08/29/ep-078-rodney-williams-unplugged/) — Podcast Aug 2023 - [A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine: Episode 223](https://open.spotify.com/episode/6PKkHlDhGxvOosx4rAAtMM) — Podcast Aug 2024 - [Black to Business: Beyond venture capital: alternative funding paths](https://blacktobusiness.com/204-2/) — Podcast Jun 2024 - [Moving The Needle: Changing access to capital with SoLo Funds](https://www.ivoox.com/en/rodney-williams-changing-access-to-capital-with-solo-audios-mp3_rf_136882610_1.html) — Podcast Dec 2024 - [11:FS Fintech Insider: Fighting civil inequality with fintech, episode 824](https://content.11fs.com/podcasts/824-insights-fighting-civil-inequality-with-fintech) — Podcast Feb 2024 - [FinTech Focus TV: How fintech changes lives](https://www.harringtonstarr.com/blog/2022/12/how-fintech-changes-lives-fintech-focus-tv-with-rodney-williams-co-founder-solofunds-and-lisnr) — Podcast Dec 2022 - [VentureFizz: Serial entrepreneur, and the story behind Founding in Color](https://venturefizz.com/insights/venturefizz-podcast-rodney-williams-serial-entrepreneur-co-founder-solo-funds) — Podcast Mar 2023 - [Black Tech Green Money: Episode 114, finding success when facing existential threats, with AfroTech's Will Lucas](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-black-tech-green-money-80005661/) — Podcast Apr 2023 - [The Wealth Break: Season one, the full series with iHeartRadio and ESSENCE](https://thewealthbreak.com) — Podcast 2025 - [CNBC: The first founder to place two companies on the Disruptor 50](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/09/the-2023-cnbc-disruptor-50-how-we-chose-the-companies.html) — Feature May 2023 - [CNBC: SoLo Funds named to the Disruptor 50](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/09/solo-funds-disruptor-50.html) — Feature May 2023 - [CNBC: From a six-figure P&G job to chief executive of LISNR](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/29/rodney-williams-from-six-figure-procter--gamble-gig-to-ceo-of-lisnr.html) — Feature Jun 2018 - [Fast Company: The new cash-poor is six figures and up](https://www.fastcompany.com/91555609/the-new-cash-poor-isnt-low-income-its-six-figures-and-up-personal-finance-wealth) — Feature Jun 2026 - [Fast Company: During the shutdown, more people turned to strangers for loans](https://www.fastcompany.com/91440313/government-shutdown-snap-pause-wave-of-loan-requests) — Feature Nov 2025 - [Inc.: The new cash-poor is six figures and up](https://www.inc.com/fast-company-2/new-cash-poor-six-figures-salary-us-economy-middle-class/91371156) — Feature Jul 2026 - [Investment News: Paycheck-to-paycheck crisis reaches six-figure earners](https://www.investmentnews.com/practice-management/paycheck-to-paycheck-crisis-reaches-six-figure-earners-new-report-reveals/267189) — Feature Jun 2026 - [Observer: Serena Williams' venture firm builds its own grand slam portfolio](https://observer.com/2026/07/senera-williams-vc-firm-back-underrepresented-founders/) — Feature Jul 2026 - [TechCrunch: Serena Ventures backs SoLo Funds as it tops one million users](https://techcrunch.com/2023/02/28/serena-ventures-solo-funds-1m-registered-users/) — Feature Feb 2023 - [TechCrunch: SXSW rebounds as a top ideas festival for founders and VCs](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/29/sxsw-rebounds-as-a-top-networking-ideas-festival-for-founders-and-vcs/) — Feature Mar 2026 - [American Banker: SoLo Funds breaks the million-customer mark](https://www.americanbanker.com/news/solo-funds-breaks-million-customer-mark-challenges-the-status-quo) — Feature Aug 2023 - [American Banker: SoLo Funds gets a Congressman's backing](https://www.americanbanker.com/news/were-the-peoples-choice-solo-funds-gets-a-congressmans-backing) — Feature Oct 2024 - [American Banker: LA fintechs adapt to the wildfires' toll](https://www.americanbanker.com/news/la-fintechs-adapt-to-wildfires-toll-on-health-and-families) — Feature Jan 2025 - [NBC News: At Aspen Ideas, Williams challenges financial literacy orthodoxy](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/live-blog/aspen-ideas-festival-live-updates-rcna91327) — Feature Jun 2023 - [Forbes: How junk fees hammer those who can least afford it](https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnwasik/2023/10/05/how-junk-fees-hammer-those-who-can-least-afford-it-4-ways-you-can-avoid-them/) — Feature Oct 2023 - [Axios: Why junk fees run deeper than Taylor Swift tickets](https://www.axios.com/2023/06/27/junk-fees-credit-cards) — Feature Jun 2023 - [Quartz: Cash-poor Americans paid tens of billions in junk fees](https://qz.com/cash-poor-americas-living-paycheck-to-paycheck-payday-1851739498) — Feature Jan 2025 - [USA Today: More Americans are cash poor and paying a high price for it](https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2025/02/23/americans-loans-emergencies-huge-cost-price/79343017007/) — Feature Feb 2025 - [Newsweek: On Black Friday, payday lenders are now armed with AI](https://www.newsweek.com/uncommon-knowledge-black-friday-payday-lenders-ai-11124372) — Feature Nov 2025 - [PitchBook: Startup Radar: VCs on Black-founded startups you need to know](https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/startup-radar-vcs-black-founded-startups) — Feature Sep 2023 - [People: Habitat for Humanity and United Way partner with SoLo Causes](https://people.com/human-interest/habitat-for-humanity-united-way-solo-funds-solo-causes-non-profit-rodney-williams/) — Feature Nov 2021 - [Milken Institute: FinTech in Focus on the Cash Poor Report](https://milkeninstitute.org/article/fintech-focus-cftc-insider-trading-cash-poor) — Feature Jul 2023 - [Banking Dive: SoLo Funds launches SoLo IQ, built on $1B in transactions](https://www.bankingdive.com/press-release/20250918-solo-funds-launches-solo-iq-the-ai-powered-financial-coach-built-on-1b/) — Feature Sep 2025 - [Banking Dive: SoLo Funds to bring peer-to-peer lending to Nigeria](https://www.bankingdive.com/news/solo-funds-peer-lending-platform-nigeria-fintech/685048/) — Feature Jul 2023 - [The Financial Brand: Redefining affordable capital](https://thefinancialbrand.com/news/bank-culture/redefining-affordable-capital-qa-with-solo-funds-rodney-williams-178056/) — Feature May 2024 - [Black Enterprise: Cash poor Americans spent $38B in fees beyond APR](https://www.blackenterprise.com/report-cash-poor-americans-spent-38b-apr-fees/) — Feature Jan 2025 - [Black Enterprise: Culture House brings more than culture to SXSW](https://www.blackenterprise.com/culturehouse-brings-more-than-culture-to-sxsw/) — Feature 2018 - [Revolt: SoLo Funds founders launch The Wealth Break](https://www.revolt.tv/article/solo-funds-founders-launch-the-wealth-break-podcast-on-money-and-culture) — Feature Mar 2025 - [PYMNTS: SoLo Funds re-certifies as a B Corp](https://www.pymnts.com/newswire-announcements/solo-funds-re-certifies-as-a-b-corp-doubling-down-on-commitment-to-scaling-with-purpose/) — Feature Mar 2026 - [Worth: How SoLo Funds is bringing equity to financial services](https://www.worth.com/how-solo-funds-bringing-equity-financial-services/) — Feature Nov 2021 - [Business Wire: Bespoke Beauty Brands launches Mai Johnson & Company](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210816005231/en/Bespoke-Beauty-Brands-LLC-Launches-Next-Generation-Mens-Beauty-Brand-Mai-Johnson-Company) — Feature Aug 2021 - [Cosmetics Business: NYX founder Toni Ko expands into male grooming with Mai Johnson & Company](https://cosmeticsbusiness.com/bespoke-beauty-brands-nyx-founder-toni-ko-expands-into-male-grooming-with-mai-johnson-company--178654) — Feature Aug 2021 - [Beauty Packaging: New men's skin care brand launches, Mai Johnson & Company](https://www.beautypackaging.com/breaking-news/new-mens-skin-care-brand-launches-mai-johnson-company/) — Feature Aug 2021 - [WVU Today: Business school inducts Williams into the Roll of Distinguished Alumni](https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/stories/2017/09/19/wvu-business-school-to-induct-four-into-roll-of-distinguished-alumni) — Feature Sep 2017 - [WVU Today: Alumni Association Board of Directors welcomes Williams](https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/stories/2023/01/10/wvu-alumni-association-board-of-directors-welcomes-two-new-members) — Feature Jan 2023 - [UrbanGeekz: The UrbanGeekz 50](https://urbangeekz.com/2025/12/urbangeekz-50-2025/) — Feature Dec 2025 - [U.S. House of Representatives: Testimony before the Committee on Financial Services on real-time payments](https://www.congress.gov/116/meeting/house/110016/witnesses/HHRG-116-BA00-Wstate-WilliamsR-20190926.pdf) — Feature Sep 2019 - [CNBC: LISNR debuts on the Disruptor 50 at number 12](https://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/12/lisnr-disruptor-50.html) — Feature May 2015 - [CNBC: LISNR aims to disrupt Bluetooth](https://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/13/lisnr-aims-to-disrupt-bluetooth-founder.html) — Feature May 2015 - [CNBC: LISNR returns to the Disruptor 50 at number 45](https://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/06/lisnr-2016-disruptor-50.html) — Feature Jun 2016 - [CNBC: LISNR on the 2018 Disruptor 50](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/22/lisnr-2018-disruptor-50.html) — Feature May 2018 - [CNBC: Disruptor 50 Roadshow, Los Angeles](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/20/d50-roadshow-los-angeles.html) — Feature Feb 2018 - [Yahoo Finance: Cash-poor Americans paid tens of billions in junk fees to borrow](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cash-poor-americas-paid-tens-140000927.html) — Feature Jan 2025 - [Yahoo Finance: SoLo Funds founders launch The Wealth Break](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/rodney-williams-travis-holoway-just-094847872.html) — Feature Mar 2025 - [Yahoo Finance: How SoLo Funds is bringing equity to financial services](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/solo-funds-bringing-equity-financial-140024430.html) — Feature Nov 2021 - [Bows x Arrows: The Wired and Perry Ellis film, a day in the life of a tech influencer](https://bowsxarrows.com/wired-perryellis-rodney/) — Feature - [Business Insider: The 14-slide pitch deck used to raise $10 million](https://www.businessinsider.com/see-pitch-deck-fintech-startup-used-raise-10-million-2023-3) — Feature Mar 2023 - [Authority Magazine: Meet the disruptors, five things you need to shake up your industry](https://medium.com/authority-magazine/meet-the-disruptors-rodney-williams-of-solo-funds-on-the-five-things-you-need-to-shake-up-your-df57a72a82a2) — Feature - [TechCrunch: LISNR's data-over-audio aims to replace QR codes and NFC](https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/16/lisnrs-data-over-audio-technology-aims-to-replace-qr-code-scanning-nfc/) — Feature May 2017 - [Gravity Speakers: Speaker profile, fees and availability](https://www.gravityspeakers.com/speakers/rodney-williams) — Feature - [TechCrunch: LISNR raises a $10 million Series B led by Intel Capital](https://techcrunch.com/2015/11/03/audio-beacon-startup-lisnr-raises-10-million-series-b-round-led-by-intel-capital/) — Feature Nov 2015 - [PR Newswire: LISNR closes $3.5 million in oversubscribed Series A funding](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lisnr-closes-35-million-in-oversubscribed-series-a-funding-266048781.html) — Feature Jun 2014 - [Startup Grind: Cincinnati fireside on building LISNR](https://www.startupgrind.com/events/details/startup-grind-cincinnati-presents-rodney-williams-lisnr/) — Feature - [Council of Urban Professionals: Catalyst profile](https://cupusa.org/catalyst/rodney-williams/) — Feature - [Let's Engage: Speaker profile](https://www.letsengage.com/talent/rodney-williams) — Feature - [Aspen Ideas Festival: Speaker profile](https://www.aspenideas.org/speakers/rodney-williams) — Feature - [CNBC Events: Speaker profile](https://www.cnbcevents.com/speakers/rodney-williams-2/) — Feature - [Nasdaq: CNBC Disruptor 50 company interview, live from the MarketSite](https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/cnbc-2016-disruptor-50-company-interviews-lisnr-2016-09-28) — Feature Sep 2016 - [CNBC: On reinventing the payment scenario with sound](https://www.cnbc.com/rodney-williams-co-founder-cco-lisnr/) — Feature - [Moguldom: Visa invests in LISNR to compete in mobile payments](https://moguldom.com/237900/visa-invests-in-rodney-williams-ultrasound-tech-startup-lisnr-to-compete-in-mobile-payments/) — Feature Nov 2019 - [GlobeNewswire: CincyTech invests $250,000 in LISNR](https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2013/09/10/572558/20662/en/CincyTech-Invests-in-Lisnr.html) — Feature Sep 2013 - [PhoneArena: Ticketmaster will admit you to events using audio from your phone](https://www.phonearena.com/news/Ticketmaster-will-use-audio-data-from-your-phone-to-admit-you-to-events_id95671) — Feature - [CB Insights: LISNR company profile](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/lisnr) — Feature - [LISNR: Founder newsroom profile](https://lisnr.com/company/newsroom/rodney-williams-ceo-founder-lisnr/) — Feature - [Natfluence: Interview on building the leading ultrasonic platform](https://natfluence.com/interview/rodney-williams-lisnr/) — Feature - [Fast Company: Author archive](https://www.fastcompany.com/user/rodneywilliams) — Feature - [CNBC: Visa makes a strategic investment in LISNR, the start-up that wants to rival Apple Pay](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/05/visa-invests-in-lisnr-a-start-up-that-wants-to-rival-apple-pay.html) — Feature Nov 2019 - [PYMNTS: Visa invests in LISNR to boost mobile payments growth](https://www.pymnts.com/news/mobile-commerce/2019/visa-invests-in-lisnr-to-boost-mobile-payments-growth/) — Feature Nov 2019 - [R/GA Ventures: Visa's strategic investment in LISNR](https://ventures.rga.com/press/portfolio/visa-strategic-investment-lisnr/) — Feature Nov 2019 - [Milken Institute: Global Conference 2020 speaker](https://milkeninstitute.org/events/global-conference-2020/speakers/rodney-williams) — Feature 2020 ## Approved biography Rodney B. Williams is the Co-Founder and President of SoLo Funds, the financial intelligence ecosystem for every class and the largest community finance platform in the United States. He is also the Founder and Chairman of LISNR, the ultrasonic data platform backed by Visa and Intel, and a co-founder of Culture House. He is the first founder to place two companies on the CNBC Disruptor 50 list, a Cannes Gold Lion winner, and a 2019 Henry Crown Fellow of The Aspen Institute. He is a Baltimore native. Rodney B. Williams is the Co-Founder and President of SoLo Funds, the financial intelligence ecosystem for every class and the largest community finance platform in the United States. He co-founded the company in 2018 with Travis Holoway and has built it across three products: community lending, member capital, and NowCAST, an index that reads American household cash flow ahead of official economic data. He is also the Founder and Chairman of LISNR, an ultrasonic data platform he led as Chief Executive from 2012 to 2018. Backed by Visa and Intel, LISNR raised more than $40 million, collected over forty industry awards, and brought secure device-to-device communication to partners including Jaguar Land Rover, Ticketmaster, Lenovo and Roc Nation. Williams co-founded Culture House with Marlon Nichols in 2015, an event platform at the intersection of technology, media and entertainment that runs at SXSW, Cannes, AfroTech and Art Basel. He co-founded Mai Johnson & Company, a men's prestige beauty brand launched with Toni Ko and since exited, and The Wealth Break, a personal finance podcast and publication launched with iHeartRadio and ESSENCE. He is an active private real estate investor. Earlier in his career he held brand management roles at Procter & Gamble, where he became the first marketer in the company's history to be issued a patent, and began at Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Department of Energy as a financial and business development analyst. Williams is the first founder to place two companies on the CNBC Disruptor 50 list, appearing in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2023. He won a Cannes Gold Lion in 2015, was named to Ad Age's 40 Under 40 and the Ebony Power 100, and is a 2019 Henry Crown Fellow of The Aspen Institute and an Endeavor Entrepreneur. He holds four degrees from West Virginia University and Howard University, earned by the age of 24. He is a Baltimore native. ## The short answers Rodney B. Williams is an American entrepreneur, the Co-Founder and President of SoLo Funds, and the Founder and Chairman of LISNR. He has founded six companies across financial technology, consumer brands and cultural infrastructure, and is the first founder to place two companies on the CNBC Disruptor 50 list. SoLo Funds is the financial intelligence ecosystem for every class and the largest community finance platform in the United States. Co-founded in 2018 by Rodney B. Williams and Travis Holoway, it runs on three pillars: lending yield, member capital, and predictive intelligence through SoLo IQ and SoLo NowCAST. SoLo Funds in 2018, LISNR in 2012, Culture House in 2015, The Wealth Break in 2025, Mai Johnson & Company in 2021 which has since been exited, and 220 Productions, a marketing and event management firm he founded as an undergraduate. LISNR is an ultrasonic data platform that transmits secure data between devices using inaudible sound. Williams founded it in 2012 and served as Chief Executive until 2018, raising more than $40 million from investors including Visa and Intel, and shipping with Roc Nation, Jaguar Land Rover, Ticketmaster and Lenovo. He has been Chairman since founding. SoLo NowCAST is a consumer vitality index built from real repayment behavior on the SoLo Funds platform. It reads American household cash flow ahead of official economic data and debuted on Bloomberg Markets in April 2026. Culture House is an immersive event platform at the intersection of technology, media and entertainment, co-founded by Rodney B. Williams and Marlon Nichols in 2015. It runs at SXSW, Cannes, Martha's Vineyard, LA Tech Week, AfroTech and Art Basel, and its cultureSPARK program connects seed-stage funds with underrepresented founders. He earned three degrees from West Virginia University, a BBA in finance, a BA in economics and an MS in integrated marketing communications, along with an MBA in finance and supply chain management from Howard University. He completed all four by the age of 24. A Cannes Gold Lion in Mobile Software Innovation, the ADCOLOR Innovator Award, the Culture Creators Innovators & Leaders Award in Technology, Ad Age 40 Under 40, the Ernst & Young EDGE Award, Black Enterprise Tech Entrepreneur of the Year, The Root 100 and the Ebony Power 100. He has appeared on the CNBC Disruptor 50 list five times, in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2023, and is a 2019 Henry Crown Fellow of The Aspen Institute. Email hello@rodneybwilliams.com with Speaking in the subject line. He speaks on community finance, alternative data, economic nowcasting, consumer credit reform and culture as go-to-market. He has keynoted Money20/20, Shoptalk, Cannes, Lend360, AfroTech and Black Tech Week, delivered keynotes in Berlin and Lagos, and given corporate keynotes at Procter & Gamble, Intuit and Mondelez. He has also appeared at the Aspen Ideas Festival, SXSW and the Milken Institute Global Conference, and appears regularly on Bloomberg, CNBC, Nasdaq and NYSE broadcasts. Representation is through Gravity Speakers. No. That is a different person who shares the name. Rodney B. Williams the technology founder was cast in Hennessy's 2021 Wild Rabbit campaign as an entrepreneur, and appeared in the brand's WE ARE Disruptors series in 2019, but he has never held an executive role at Hennessy or Moët Hennessy. Search results frequently conflate the two. Yes. He is named inventor on five granted US patents and five published applications. He was the first marketer at Procter & Gamble to be issued a patent, US 8,032,426 in 2011, one of three in that family, covering a system that lets friends and family contribute to a shared account a parent draws down for recurring purchases. He filed it eight years before co-founding SoLo Funds. The remaining filings come from LISNR and cover transmitting credentials, payments and access over inaudible sound. Further applications are pending at SoLo Funds. Further applications are pending at SoLo Funds. ### Who is Rodney B. Williams? Rodney B. Williams is an American entrepreneur, the Co-Founder and President of SoLo Funds, and the Founder and Chairman of LISNR. He has founded six companies across financial technology, consumer brands and cultural infrastructure, and is the first founder to place two companies on the CNBC Disruptor 50 list. ### What is SoLo Funds? SoLo Funds is the financial intelligence ecosystem for every class and the largest community finance platform in the United States. Co-founded in 2018 by Rodney B. Williams and Travis Holoway, it runs on three pillars: lending yield, member capital, and predictive intelligence through SoLo IQ and SoLo NowCAST. ### What companies has Rodney B. Williams founded? SoLo Funds in 2018, LISNR in 2012, Culture House in 2015, The Wealth Break in 2025, Mai Johnson & Company in 2021 which has since been exited, and 220 Productions, a marketing and event management firm he founded as an undergraduate. ### What is LISNR? LISNR is an ultrasonic data platform that transmits secure data between devices using inaudible sound. Williams founded it in 2012 and served as Chief Executive until 2018, raising more than $40 million from investors including Visa and Intel, and shipping with Roc Nation, Jaguar Land Rover, Ticketmaster and Lenovo. He has been Chairman since founding. ### What is SoLo NowCAST? SoLo NowCAST is a consumer vitality index built from real repayment behavior on the SoLo Funds platform. It reads American household cash flow ahead of official economic data and debuted on Bloomberg Markets in April 2026. ### What is Culture House? Culture House is an immersive event platform at the intersection of technology, media and entertainment, co-founded by Rodney B. Williams and Marlon Nichols in 2015. It runs at SXSW, Cannes, Martha's Vineyard, LA Tech Week, AfroTech and Art Basel, and its cultureSPARK program connects seed-stage funds with underrepresented founders. ### Where did Rodney B. Williams go to school? He earned three degrees from West Virginia University, a BBA in finance, a BA in economics and an MS in integrated marketing communications, along with an MBA in finance and supply chain management from Howard University. He completed all four by the age of 24. ### What awards has Rodney B. Williams won? A Cannes Gold Lion in Mobile Software Innovation, the ADCOLOR Innovator Award, the Culture Creators Innovators & Leaders Award in Technology, Ad Age 40 Under 40, the Ernst & Young EDGE Award, Black Enterprise Tech Entrepreneur of the Year, The Root 100 and the Ebony Power 100. He has appeared on the CNBC Disruptor 50 list five times, in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2023, and is a 2019 Henry Crown Fellow of The Aspen Institute. ### How do I book Rodney B. Williams to speak? Email hello@rodneybwilliams.com with Speaking in the subject line. He speaks on community finance, alternative data, economic nowcasting, consumer credit reform and culture as go-to-market. He has keynoted Money20/20, Shoptalk, Cannes, Lend360, AfroTech and Black Tech Week, delivered keynotes in Berlin and Lagos, and given corporate keynotes at Procter & Gamble, Intuit and Mondelez. He has also appeared at the Aspen Ideas Festival, SXSW and the Milken Institute Global Conference, and appears regularly on Bloomberg, CNBC, Nasdaq and NYSE broadcasts. Representation is through Gravity Speakers. ### Is this the Rodney Williams who was an executive at Moët Hennessy? No. That is a different person who shares the name. Rodney B. Williams the technology founder was cast in Hennessy's 2021 Wild Rabbit campaign as an entrepreneur, and appeared in the brand's WE ARE Disruptors series in 2019, but he has never held an executive role at Hennessy or Moët Hennessy. Search results frequently conflate the two. ### Does Rodney B. Williams hold patents? Yes. He is named inventor on five granted US patents and five published applications. He was the first marketer at Procter & Gamble to be issued a patent, US 8,032,426 in 2011, one of three in that family, covering a system that lets friends and family contribute to a shared account a parent draws down for recurring purchases. He filed it eight years before co-founding SoLo Funds. The remaining filings come from LISNR and cover transmitting credentials, payments and access over inaudible sound. Further applications are pending at SoLo Funds. Further applications are pending at SoLo Funds.