Anton Briones and Nicole Casperson don't see a therapist. I know because I asked them several times. I was persistent because they seemed so self-assured when describing their path to launching their media company, Fintech is Femme.

Anton, 40, attributes his self-assurance to his life experience. He left home at 11 to become a musical performer, traveling the world with a company and performing in approximately 200 concerts a year, including internationally. But when he moved to New York as a young adult, Anton, who was accustomed to being given lead parts because of his experience and vocal range, was only offered bit parts. Feeling that casting directors didn't see him as a leading man because there were few Asian men in media, he explained, "Building and creating is kind of where that energy started going."

As for Nicole—who grew up in Texas and then moved to New York to become a finance journalist—she felt isolated in a male-dominated newsroom. In her book, Fintech Feminists, she writes that she realized "it was up to me to initiate the cycle of women receiving the media coverage they deserve to attract the funding and networking opportunities they need to succeed."

"What's awesome about our business is that we get to be stars in our own ways," Anton shares. Nicole is the face of the business, and Anton oversees strategy and operations.

Anton also serves as Nicole's performance coach. “She's raising her voice above the masses—to be an artist is kind of insane," he says. “I know the insanity of navigating your ego and pride. She's embarking on insanity—”

Being What You Can't See

When I asked them both what inspired them to become entrepreneurs instead of staying in the corporate world, they credited their Filipino heritage and mixed identity. They looked around and felt there was no path to follow, "so we had to create our own."

"Corporate America makes you follow protocols. It just wastes your time. It just keeps your wheels spinning," Anton opines.

"Who wants to go back to corporate America when the real journey is to build opportunity for ourselves, for our families, a legacy on top of the sacrifice our parents went through to immigrate here?"

Nicole, now 30, was 26 when she decided to venture out on her own. "I thought to myself, now is the time... I can't wait for some editor to decide, 'You, Nicole, you're seasoned enough to get your own column'... but what if it's when I am 40 when he thinks I am good enough? Or 50?"

Challenging Times

"Dedicated to creating an equitable and diverse industry" is posted on Fintech is Femme's website. The current political climate in the US is challenging this thrust.

But Fintech is Femme’s mission is backed by data and dollars. The 2020 McKinsey study, "Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters," shows that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams are 25% more likely to experience above-average profitability.

"How are we supposed to tackle the world's issues if we can't even agree that half the population deserves to be treated equitably?!" Anton exclaims.

Again, I was impressed with their maturity.

"Who taught you to be like that?" I asked Anton.

He answered, "My mother."

(Part 2 of 2, more of Tutong Newsletter’s interview with Nicole Casperson and Anton Briones here)

Learn more about The Fintech is Femme Leadership Sumit 2025 here.

Anton’s favorite book- A History of the Philippines by Luis H. Francia

“It really helped me opened my eyes to how the Philippines is such an abundant place and how because it’s an abundant place they formed matriarchal societies because women navigate when there's abundance.”

Nicole’s favorite - The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

“I read it when I was 15. I got to see my story represented and it just meant the world. The Joy Luck Club taught me the power of what a narrative can do. “

Nicole’s book - Fintech Feminists

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