In this episode of the Fintech CTO Podcast, we’re joined by Steven Cooley, Founder and CEO of Prlmnt—a platform redefining how financial institutions evaluate, select, and implement technology. Hosted by Vasyl Soloshchuk, CEO of INSART, the conversation explores the challenges of fragmented fintech ecosystems, the limitations of traditional B2B metrics, and how better data can drive smarter technology decisions.
Solving the Broken B2B Tech Evaluation Model
Steven shares the journey behind Prlmnt and the insights that led to its creation. After working in mortgage banking and launching a consultancy during COVID, he built an initial marketplace connecting lenders with technology vendors. However, deeper research revealed a bigger issue: while 90% of mortgage lenders believe technology is critical, only a small fraction feel confident in their tech stack.
Prlmnt was created to address this disconnect—helping businesses move beyond unreliable reviews and outdated decision-making frameworks toward more data-driven, outcome-based technology selection.
Beyond Reviews: Redefining B2B Performance Metrics
A core theme of the episode is the inefficiency of current evaluation methods. Steven highlights how most companies rely on reviews and legacy metrics like NPS, which often fail to capture real business impact. This leads to widespread buyer’s remorse and wasted investment.
Prlmnt aims to replace these outdated systems with new performance metrics that give companies deeper insight into how technology will actually affect their operations—bringing clarity to an increasingly noisy and complex market.
Building a Niche Marketplace in a Fragmented Industry
The conversation dives into Prlmnt’s go-to-market strategy, starting with the mortgage sector—a highly fragmented yet critical part of the financial ecosystem. By focusing on a niche and leveraging SEO-driven marketplace growth, the company quickly gained traction, becoming one of the largest media platforms in its category within a short time.
Steven explains how connecting fintech vendors with financial institutions creates value on both sides, while also generating the data needed to improve decision-making across the industry.
From Marketplace to Data & AI Platform
Prlmnt is evolving beyond a marketplace into a broader platform that combines media, software, and data. By aggregating insights from user behavior and technology adoption, the company is building a foundation for AI-driven recommendations—helping businesses understand where to invest and how to optimize their tech stack.
This shift positions Prlmnt not just as a connector of buyers and vendors, but as a data intelligence layer for fintech decision-making.
Traction, Fundraising, and Scaling Beyond Mortgage
Steven shares early traction, including strong user growth, vendor subscriptions, and revenue momentum in the company’s first full year. As Prlmnt raises its seed round, the focus is on expanding into new financial sectors and scaling its proprietary data capabilities.
The long-term vision is to replicate its model across multiple industries, addressing the universal challenge of choosing the right technology in complex B2B environments.
From Consultant to Founder: Taking the Leap
Steven reflects on his entrepreneurial journey—from being laid off to building a successful consultancy, and ultimately stepping away from it to pursue a larger vision with Prlmnt. His story highlights the importance of recognizing bigger opportunities and having the conviction to pursue them.
About Steven Cooley
Steven Cooley is a fintech entrepreneur and founder of Prlmnt, with a background in mortgage banking, technology startups, and digital marketing. His work focuses on improving how financial institutions adopt technology by introducing better data, smarter metrics, and more transparent decision-making frameworks.
A Note on Our Platform
The Fintech CTO Podcast explores the people, ideas, and technologies shaping the future of financial services. While we highlight fintech innovators and industry insights, we do not provide investment advice.
