---
title: "Trisha Price: Why Culture Eats Strategy and Taking Calculated Risks Built a Fintech Giant"
url: "https://authoritymag.co/articles/trisha-price-why-culture-eats-strategy-and-taking-calculated-risks-built-a-fintech-giant"
publisher: "Authority Magazine"
author: "Parveen Panwar"
authorUrl: "https://authoritymag.co/authors/parveen-panwar"
interviewee: "Trisha Price"
company: "nCino"
category: "Business"
datePublished: "2021-03-23T22:14:57.239Z"
dateModified: "2026-11-12T19:24:05.076Z"
tags: "Business"
---

# Trisha Price: Why Culture Eats Strategy and Taking Calculated Risks Built a Fintech Giant

*The nCino Chief Product Officer shares how her mathematical background, a willingness to embrace fear, and a relentless focus on execution drove a massive tech IPO.*

> When I got offered the role at nCino, it meant leaving a comfortable job in a big city for a tech start up in Wilmington, North Carolina, which was not exactly a tech hub at the time.

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As*part of our series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Began Leading My Company” I had the pleasure of interviewing Trisha Price.*

*Trisha Price serves as nCino’s Chief Product Officer and leads the nCino team responsible for the design, development and roadmap of the nCino Bank Operating System. She has over 15 years of financial services and technology experiences and prior to joining nCino in 2016, held various positions at Primatics Financial, including Head of Global Sales, and at Fannie Mae. She holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Mathematics Education from North Carolina State University and a Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies, Software Engineering from Harvard University.*

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**Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?**

I graduated from NC State in 1997, and while I was there, I focused on technology and math. I was passionate about math from an early age and always knew it was something I could use to make a difference. In college, I also took a few programming courses and explored different career possibilities, but technology just felt innovative, fun, and full of potential. This was right around the time of the “tech bubble boom”, mind you, so there was plenty of hype around the changes going on across every industry.

But math was still my first love, so I found ways to combine it with technology and, later, with financial services. I worked at John Hancock for some time doing financial modeling and solving different economic problems with technology, which was pretty cutting-edge. While I was there, I fell in love with the financial services industry and never left.

**Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?**

This past summer, nCino went public on the Nasdaq stock exchange, which was a really exciting time for our company. From day one, we set out to be the worldwide leader in cloud banking, and we always believed in ourselves. Still, to watch it all unfold, to see the price get set, to see our CEO, Pierre, on live television just as the first trade went through, to be a part of the biggest IPO pop for tech company since 2000 — it was incredibly exciting. For me, as the Chief Product Officer, it was also incredibly gratifying. I was ecstatic to see that so many other people believed in nCino and our product, and how that would enable us to continue building innovative, industry-changing products and solutions for the financial institutions we partner with.

**Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?**

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

I love this quote because it perfectly sums up my professional life and personal philosophy. You have to be comfortable with taking risks. When I got offered the role at nCino, it meant leaving a comfortable job in a big city for a tech start up in Wilmington, North Carolina, which was not exactly a tech hub at the time. If the job didn’t work out, what would I do? Where would I go? But I believed in myself, I believed in nCino’s mission and vision, and I believed I would be able to make a difference in the company’s future and be a part of its success.

Because I was willing to bet on myself, because I was willing to take a risk, I’m now the Chief Product Officer of a fintech company that just had one of the best technology IPOs in 20 years. Every day, I get to help transform the financial services industry with a global team made of incredibly smart and talented people. If you want to get to the C-Suite, you have to be willing to take calculated risks. You have to believe in yourself.

**What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?**

nCino’s culture, without a doubt. From day one, our goal was to transform financial services with reputation, innovation and speed. Our people and our relentless focus on doing the right thing for our customers and employees is a huge part of our culture. When I go to work and see so many people enjoying what they do, building incredible products, and providing a better experience for our customers — it’s a great feeling.

One story that comes to mind was Hurricane Florence, a devasting storm that hit Wilmington in 2018. While I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone, it was a great example of the strength of our culture. Not only did we provide uninterrupted service to our customers and even went live with a major financial institution in the midst of the storm, we lived our values by offering assistance and flexibility to our employees and leaning on our community of partners and customers. A number of our employees even took it upon themselves to band together to create a roving recovery crew, helping others who sustained damage and offering everything from a yard clean-up to a couch to sleep on.

**The road to success is hard and requires tremendous dedication. This question is obviously a big one, but what advice would you give to a young person who aspires to follow in your footsteps and emulate your success?**

Hard work and focus. It sounds cliché, but it’s the truth. Everyone thinks they want “the big job”, but not everyone is willing to make the big sacrifices that come with it. You’re going to miss family events, you’re going to be distracted at dinner because of an important launch or crucial deal. It’s going to happen. It takes sacrifice to become an executive, and even more to be in the C-Suite. I don’t say that to discourage anyone, because what you get back makes the work worth it. Seeing the difference you’re making; seeing a company like nCino evolve from a small startup to a global leader in cloud banking; seeing the customers who are transforming their business with your products; and seeing your team grow and learn and advance in their own careers. It’s truly a remarkable experience.

The advice I’d give is to understand what you’re shooting for and to be appreciative of the people around you, at work and at home. Picking the right partner is something people don’t talk a lot about, but it’s so important. Find someone who supports your goals and is excited to go down that path with you.

**Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a C-Suite executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what a C-Level executive does that is different from the responsibilities of other leaders?**

Most people think being a C-Suite executive is all about strategy and vision. That is certainly true, but even with the best vision, you need execution. Execution, Execution, Execution. That means getting the right people in the right spots to do the right thing at exactly the right time. This circles back to the old saying, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” No matter what my day to day looks like, attracting and retaining top talent and keeping everyone on the same page while continuing to assess our strategic vision is my main focus as Chief Product Officer.

**What are the most common leadership mistakes you have seen C-Suite leaders make when they start leading a new team? What can be done to avoid those errors?**

Too many leaders don’t understand their blind spots and surround themselves with “yes” people. To be an effective leader, you need people who you can count on to challenge you when it comes to decision making. For example, I get excited easily and tend to move fast. If it was just me, I would often jump to the conclusion and ignore all the middle steps. But as I’ve grown in my career, I’ve learned this about myself. I recognize it as my blind spot. So, I surround myself with people who can slow me down, help me see the big picture, and remind me to take those middle steps. Because it’s not just about jumping straight to the solution or the results. It’s getting there in a way that brings everyone with you, that gives every voice to place at the table.

**What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Began Leading From the C-Suite”? Please share a few sentences on those 5 things.**

**Your career is not a ladder, it’s a jungle gym:** You have to be willing to stretch and learn new things, especially in an innovative, high growth company. Whether that’s looking at strategic acquisitions, launching a new product, or enhancing existing products so customers remain happy. Every day is a new challenge. Taking all that into account is part of my leadership style and the team I’ve built. My job changes every week and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

**People ask me, “When will I get promoted?” I tell them, “Go create a hill and stand on it”:** Career growth comes down to your ideas, the things you come up with it. If you want to be promoted, you need to create something that is valuable to the company and lead it. In a fast-growing company with heavy investment, you can’t wait for promotions. You need to create opportunities for yourself and take control of your own career, because no one is going to do that for you.

**Be okay with failing once, but don’t make the same mistake twice:** My team would say I’m tough, fair and fun. I expect a lot but nothing I’m not willing to do myself. I also understand that things will go wrong — especially in software. You can’t hold people to impossible standards, or they won’t stick around to see the greatness they could’ve achieved. It’s okay if you don’t get everything right the first time, but you bet I’m going to succeed the next time.

**Find your superpower and use it:** Everyone has a rare skill, a unique perspective, or a hidden talent. Mine is that I can synthesize information quickly. Slack, emails, reports, articles, feedback — as soon as I’ve read it, I immediately start generating ideas, action items, next steps. Being able to consume information and use it to make decisions as a C-Suite leader is critical. Your organization relies on it. You’ll never see me miss a piece of information, because that’s where you find new opportunities.

**Don’t focus on stress and anxiety; it’s your time to shine:** When you’re in the C-suite, thousands of people depend on you to make the right decision and execute, but you can’t get caught up in the anxiety and stress of it. Don’t ever lose the fun and joy of work. Remember that you chose this path because at one time you believed it was what you were meant to do. When things get tough, process, assess and move forward. You made it this far based on your abilities. They won’t let you down now.

**In your opinion, what are a few ways that executives can help to create a fantastic work culture? Can you share a story or an example?**

Culture is all about people, so challenge yourself to look outside the box for talent. I’ve been in technology and financial services since 1993 and it probably won’t surprise anyone when I say I’ve always been the minority in the room. That can have a negative or positive impact on a person, but for me it’s given me more fuel to be successful and pushed me to bring more diverse voices to the table. I feel blessed for the chance I’ve had at nCino to create those opportunities for others.

**How can our readers further follow you online?**

I contribute monthly to a [Forbes column](https://profiles.forbes.com/members/tech/profile/Trisha-Price-Chief-Product-Officer-nCino/4704fd70-ccf6-4fbc-ae6d-f703e79c7942#:~:text=Trisha%20Price%20leads%20the%20team,Financial%20and%20Eagle%20Investment%20Systems.) where we talk about the most pressing issues in financial services and technology. You can also follow me on a few social channels including my LinkedIn [here](https://www.linkedin.com/in/trisha-price-3063081/) my Twitter [here](https://twitter.com/trishapricefint) or our company Twitter [here](https://twitter.com/ncino). I look forward to connecting and continuing the conversation.

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Source: https://authoritymag.co/articles/trisha-price-why-culture-eats-strategy-and-taking-calculated-risks-built-a-fintech-giant (Authority Magazine, Business). Interviewee answers are first-person statements of the guest. Index of all pages: https://authoritymag.co/llms.txt