Liberis’ Trang-Thu Tran on scaling partnerships and redefining small business finance

Five months into her role at Liberis, after senior posts at Goldman Sachs and Amazon, Trang-Thu Tran sat down with bobsguide at Money 20/20 USA to talk about why she joined, how the partner model works, and where AI will take the business next.

bobsguide: What prompted your move to Liberis?

Trang-Thu Tran: I wanted to build again. This role gives me a way to use what I learned at Amazon and Goldman Sachs and in banking, then apply it inside fintech where I can move with more flexibility and less constraint. So far it has been a good fit.

bobsguide: Why Liberis in particular?

Tran: Liberis is at a point where it can take a decade of success and push into new products and capabilities. I enjoy joining companies at moments of change. This felt like the right time and the right place.

bobsguide: For readers new to Liberis, how would you describe what the company does and how the partner model works?

Tran: Liberis is a global embedded finance platform that provides small businesses with fast, flexible, and responsible access to funding. Rather than operating as a standalone lender, we integrate directly into platforms that businesses already trust, such as payment providers, e-commerce platforms, and software ecosystems. This means SMBs can access capital seamlessly within the tools they use every day, without friction or lengthy processes.

Our partner model is built on collaboration. We work with large ecosystems that have strong customer relationships and rich data. By leveraging this data, we can offer personalized funding solutions that align with a business’s cash flow, improving approval rates and reducing risk.

Instead of rebuilding infrastructure, we plug our technology and capital solutions into existing platforms, creating value for partners and their customers. This approach enables partners to strengthen loyalty and drive growth, while small businesses gain the funding they need, quickly, transparently, and without giving up equity.

bobsguide: What have you launched since joining?

Tran: We start with the partner and their customers. Who they want to serve. The problem to solve. The outcome they want. Then we design the right solution together. Since I joined we have launched bespoke products.

One is Pay with Liberis which works like buy now pay later for SMBs who need hardware to accept payments on a partner platform. There is no upfront cash. They use the hardware and pay for the funding over time. We also introduced a Flexi capital product that allows a partner to offer funding at the point of acquisition even without transaction history, with high approval rates. As customers grow on our platform we continue to adapt with them.

bobsguide: How are you using AI today and where does it go next?

Tran: AI is at the heart of how we deliver fast, fair, and personalized funding. Our AI underwriting agent, Ada, powers decision-making by analyzing thousands of data points in real time. Instead of relying on manual reviews, Ada uses advanced models to assess risk, and tailor offers to each business’s cash flow. This means SMBs get the right product at the right moment, quickly and responsibly. Looking ahead, AI won’t just stay in underwriting.

We see huge potential in marketing, where AI can optimize targeting and timing, so we reach businesses when they’re most likely to need funding. In operations, AI will streamline workflows by removing hand-offs and automating repetitive tasks. And in sales, it will help us meet customers where they already are, inside the platforms they use every day. Over time, AI will feel invisible but indispensable: Liberis will simply be present with what SMBs need, exactly when they need it.