Built Checker's Agentic Finance Stack, Then Turned It Into a Product
Checker connects global financial institutions, trading firms, banks, neobanks, and payment providers through a single programmable integration for stablecoin-powered cross-border payments and digital asset rail connectivity, processing over $6 billion in transaction volume on $8 million in seed capital.
As co-founder and COO, McMahan built a complete agentic finance stack in under five months: an agentic general ledger running booking, reconciliation, and reporting at roughly a fifth of typical headcount; treasury automation that reviews balances across yield options and initiates human-approved movements; and a billing engine wired directly to the core transaction platform. The billing system reduced collections ageing from 27 to 5 days; treasury automation drove a significant improvement in return on free cash at substantially lower resource cost.
McMahan then converted that internal infrastructure into Checker's first commercial AI product, onboarding the same agentic tools to external clients. The company completed SOC2 Type 1 certification and is on track for Type 2 by end of 2026, as it approaches a Series A.
Finance is one of the most under-leveraged growth levers a startup has.
The best finance leaders don't just keep the books. They extend runway,
structure capital that changes what a company can do next, and build the
systems that let it scale across borders.
Startup Finance 30 is the first list built to recognise that work.
Beginning in 2026 and continuing annually, we name 30 finance leaders at
venture-backed, globally ambitious startups. The operators shaping how the
next generation of companies grow.
What Startup Finance 30 is
“
Who's doing the most consequential finance work in the startup world right now?
This list is the answer.
FAQ
More information on how SF30 works.
Who's behind Startup Finance 30?
Startup Finance 30 is published by Airwallex. We built it because we work with globally ambitious companies every day, and the finance leaders driving that growth deserve more recognition than they get. Selection sits with the committee.
Who selects the final 30?
A committee of operating CFOs and finance leaders. They score every candidate against a five-part merit rubric and ratify the final list. See the full
selection methodology.
Is there a fee? Can I pay to be included?
No. It's free to enter, and recognition is earned on merit.
