MIAMI — Building a billion-dollar technology company requires more than innovative ideas and rapid expansion. According to OpenFX executive Harrison Mann, lasting success depends on delivering on customer promises and solving the right problems for the right audience.
Mann, who has contributed to the growth of multiple technology firms valued at more than $1 billion, is now focused on helping OpenFX become his third unicorn. The cross-border payments company is expanding its presence in downtown Miami as it strengthens its position in the global financial technology sector.
Before joining OpenFX, Mann served in senior roles at cryptocurrency brokerage FalconX and fintech company Affirm. A former U.S. Army officer and graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point with a systems engineering degree, he also earned an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley.
Speaking about his experience scaling high-growth startups, Mann highlighted several principles he believes are essential for transforming startups into billion-dollar enterprises.
Customer Trust Must Match the Brand Promise
Reflecting on his three years at Affirm, including the company’s journey to its public offering, Mann said the company’s unwavering focus on customers was a defining factor in its success.
Affirm built its reputation around transparent financial products, particularly through its buy-now, pay-later model that eliminated late fees. Instead of shifting financial risk onto customers, the company assumed responsibility when approved borrowers failed to repay, creating a business model that differed significantly from traditional credit cards.
According to Mann, the company’s technology was developed specifically to support this promise by making sophisticated credit decisions instantly at the point of sale. This capability enabled Affirm to secure partnerships with major retailers, including Walmart, Shopify and Amazon, while helping merchants increase sales through installment payment options.
He emphasized that technology should always reinforce a company’s brand values rather than contradict them, adding that balancing priorities across sales, engineering and product teams can be challenging but remains essential for long-term success.
Focus on a Specific Customer Need
Mann also pointed to his experience at FalconX, where he joined as the company’s 30th employee and witnessed its workforce grow to more than 300 during a funding round that valued the cryptocurrency brokerage at $8 billion.
Rather than targeting the broader retail market, FalconX concentrated on institutional investors such as hedge funds. These clients required specialized execution strategies because their large cryptocurrency transactions had the potential to influence market prices.
Mann said identifying a well-defined customer segment and delivering solutions tailored to its unique needs allowed FalconX to establish a competitive advantage in the rapidly growing digital asset industry.
He believes startups operating in fast-moving markets should resist the temptation to serve everyone and instead focus on becoming the best solution for a clearly defined customer base.
As OpenFX continues its expansion in Miami, Mann says those same principles—maintaining customer trust and building products that address specific market needs—remain central to the company’s long-term growth strategy.
