Eric Hannelius on Building Fintech Companies That Adapt and Endure
- Brainz Magazine
- Jan 12
- 4 min read
Eric Hannelius has spent more than twenty-five years operating at the convergence of payments, entrepreneurship, and institutional growth. From founding Vision Payment Solutions and guiding it to an international scale, to leading Pepper Pay in an increasingly competitive digital payments landscape, his career reflects a consistent emphasis on adaptability, delegation, and long-term thinking.
Rather than following a conventional corporate path, Hannelius has repeatedly chosen environments where responsibility is immediate and outcomes are directly tied to execution. In financial technology, longevity is rarely accidental.
Markets shift quickly, regulatory frameworks evolve, and innovation cycles compress timelines that once spanned decades into mere quarters. Building companies that scale while remaining relevant requires judgment shaped by experience, leadership grounded in trust, and the ability to adapt without losing strategic clarity.
Sitting down with Hannelius resulted in a deep, important conversation focused on the experiences that shaped his entrepreneurial decisions, the leadership skills he considers essential in fintech, and the legacy he values most after decades in the industry.
Reflections on Building and Leading in Fintech
What early experiences shaped your decision to pursue entrepreneurship rather than a traditional corporate career
Eric Hannelius: I was fortunate to be exposed very early to entrepreneurial environments that fundamentally shaped how I think about building businesses. At the early stages of General Catalyst and its predecessor companies, I saw how innovation happens when small, focused teams are empowered to move quickly and take ownership. That proximity to founders and early operators made entrepreneurship feel practical rather than abstract.
Before that, I worked at banks that were early leaders in electronic banking, electronic payments, and the initial mass adoption of digital banking platforms. Those roles gave me a strong institutional foundation, but they also highlighted how difficult it can be to move quickly within traditional corporate structures. Seeing both sides clarified where I could do my best work.
How did those early roles influence your approach to founding Vision Payment Solutions?
Eric Hannelius: Vision Payment Solutions was built directly from the lessons I absorbed during those formative years. I understood the importance of scale, compliance, and reliability from my banking background, but I also wanted the agility that comes with entrepreneurship.
Starting a VPS allowed me to stay close to customers, respond quickly to market needs, and build systems without unnecessary layers. The goal was never growth for its own sake. It was about building a company that could expand thoughtfully while remaining operationally disciplined. That balance became central to how VPS scaled internationally.
What prompted the decision to launch Pepper Pay after VPS, rather than stepping back?
Eric Hannelius: Pepper Pay felt like a natural progression rather than a reinvention. After years of building and scaling VPS, I still saw opportunities to improve how payment platforms serve businesses, particularly as technology and expectations evolved.
Launching Pepper Pay allowed me to apply decades of experience while designing the organization with adaptability in mind from day one. I was able to take what worked before, avoid what didn’t, and build a company prepared for a faster-moving fintech landscape where responsiveness and clarity matter more than ever.
In your view, what leadership skills are most essential for fintech entrepreneurs today?
Eric Hannelius: Adaptability is the most critical skill. Fintech environments can change quickly due to regulation, infrastructure shifts, or customer behavior. Leaders have to be willing to pivot without losing strategic focus.
Equally important is the ability to delegate real responsibility. If founders insist on making every decision across operations, sales, and partnerships, they eventually slow the organization down. Building a trusted leadership team and giving them agency allows companies to move faster and scale sustainably. Strong leadership is less about control and more about trust.
When you reflect on your career so far, what accomplishments stand out as most meaningful?
Eric Hannelius: Adaptability is the most critical skill. Fintech environments can change quickly due to regulation, infrastructure shifts, or customer behavior. Leaders have to be willing to pivot without losing strategic focus. That requires clear priorities and the discipline to reassess assumptions as conditions evolve, rather than clinging to models that no longer fit the market. Adaptability also means recognizing when incremental adjustments are insufficient and more fundamental changes are required.
Equally important is the ability to delegate real responsibility. If founders insist on making every decision across operations, sales, and partnerships, they eventually slow the organization down. Building a trusted leadership team and giving them agency allows companies to move faster and scale sustainably. When decision-making authority is distributed, organizations gain resilience and can respond more effectively to complexity. Strong leadership is less about control and more about trust.
Leadership Philosophy Designed for Change
Across more than two decades in financial technology, Eric Hannelius has demonstrated that enduring success is less about rapid acceleration and more about building organizations that can evolve without losing their core. His emphasis on adaptability reflects an understanding that fintech rewards leaders who anticipate change rather than react to it.
Equally central to his perspective is trust in teams, in delegated leadership, and in the idea that strong cultures outlast individual strategies. By prioritizing empowerment and accountability, he has built companies capable of navigating shifting markets while developing future leaders along the way.
In an industry defined by constant reinvention, Hannelius’s career offers a reminder that the companies most likely to endure are those built on sound judgment, resilient leadership, and a willingness to adapt as conditions change.
About Eric Hannelius
Eric Hannelius is a veteran fintech executive with more than 25 years of experience building and leading payments and financial services companies. He is the founder of Vision Payment Solutions, which scaled internationally prior to its acquisition by EVO Payments International, and currently serves as CEO of Pepper Pay LLC. His background spans venture capital, banking, and digital payments, with early roles at General Catalyst Partners and Fleet Boston Financial shaping his strategic approach to growth and leadership.
