Steve Streit

Steve Streit started his career in the broadcasting industry where he established several leading music radio formats that still exist today in major markets across the US, and served as a group program director for a major radio group.

In 1999, he founded the financial startup Green Dot, originally known as Next Estate. Initially, he ran the business from his own bedroom with a tiny staff and distributed reloadable prepaid cards nationally through major pharmacies and convenience stores.

The company’s reputation as a financial technology leader began to emerge with the 2010 launch of GoBank, the nation’s first fully mobile bank account whereby customers could both open an account and access all banking features on their smartphones.

In 2011, Green Dot Bank became the first bank application of its kind approved by the United States Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The Green Dot Reload Network expanded to serve millions of customers across hundreds of other competing prepaid and bank programs.

By the end of 2019, major partners like Apple, Uber, Intuit and many others, were using Green Dot to provide banking products and services to tens of millions of their customers through Green Dot BaaS. By the time of Steve’s retirement - after his 20th year as CEO, the company had over 1,000 workers in offices and operation centers across America and China, providing banking services for more than 50 million customers and generating over $1 billion in annual revenue.

Steve became both a regional and national winner of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and was named one of the 10 Most Innovative CEOs in Banking by Bank Innovation. He received several fintech and prepaid industry awards, and was honored with a number of humanitarian awards from organizations like The LAPD Police Activities League and The Coach Art Foundation. He was also appointed as a board member for the Los Angeles branch of the United States Federal Reserve System.

In 2018, Steve Streit established SWS Venture Capital to help fund new companies with promising business ideas in multiple industry segments. Some of Steve’s and SWS’ portfolio include companies like Braavo, Gatsby, Paloma Health, Landing, Gusto, Embedded Financial Technologies, and Tortoise. SWS has a mission to partner with innovative entrepreneurs who can disrupt their respective industries and create products, services and technologies that serve customers better.

Steve is also the executive producer of two documentaries named “Wrestle” and “Out of Omaha.” “Wrestle” is a two-time Emmy nominated film that follows four wrestling teammates in a disadvantaged Alabama high school.

In honor of his late mother, Steve Streit founded the charity Patti’s Way in 2010 dedicated to helping children and their single parents or guardians in financially challenging times. The foundation provides grants and advocacy for these families through partnering with other charities on the same mission. Some of the charity’s partners include the Bresee Youth Center in Los Angeles and the Shelter for Abused Women and Children in Naples, Florida.