Building Griffin: The Developer-First Bank Built by Engineers, with David Jarvis Founder of Griffin Bank

What happens when a D&D-playing data scientist decides the banking industry needs a developer-first overhaul? In this episode of The Hivemind, I speak with David Jarvis, co-founder and CEO of Griffin, the UK’s platform bank built for fintech builders.

We dive deep into David’s unconventional path to becoming a founder—from flunked coding interviews to launching one of the most talked-about infrastructure banks in Europe. We unpack Griffin’s self-serve product philosophy, the future of embedded finance, and why David thinks salespeople are optional (but helpful).

For fintech operators, B2B SaaS founders, and anyone scaling in a regulated space, this one’s full of sharp takes, hard-won insights, and no-BS stories from the trenches.

 

Timestamps / Chapters:

 

00:00 – Cold Open: “If you describe yourself as a game changer…”

01:20 – Meet David Jarvis: Fintech operator, failed coder, founder

03:40 – Griffin’s origin story and early pivots

06:38 – Why “the bank you can build on” is evolving

08:20 – Building for developers: No demos, just APIs

10:00 – The self-serve roadmap: Stripe-style onboarding for fintech

14:50 – Branding, tribes, and ClearBank shade

17:00 – Griffin’s ideal customer profile (and who’s not)

20:15 – Why mature financial firms are slow adopters

22:15 – Climbing the credibility ladder

24:45 – The role of luck (and regulation) in early traction

27:40 – Fundraising lessons and investor shoutouts

32:20 – CEO lessons: Overpromising, board friction, and trusting your gut

34:17 – Final thoughts: resilience and responsibility