Angus Gow, CTO at Love Finance
Today we're saying hello to Angus Gow, Chief Technology Officer of commercial lending innovator, Love Finance.
Ok over to Angus. My questions are in bold.
Who are you and what's your background?
I’m Angus Gow, and I have over 20 years of experience as a Chief Technology Officer (CTO). I lead technology projects in fintech, SaaS, and enterprise sectors. My goal is to align technology with business strategy to help companies grow and innovate. I focus on key areas such as cloud migrations and AI solutions, and I strive to build strong, collaborative teams.
Currently, I am the CTO for Love Finance, one of the UK’s fastest-growing lenders. I have led the development of a loan origination and core banking platform, helping the company grow its annual turnover from £10 million to £25 million. By leveraging cloud technologies and designing flexible systems, I have enabled the company to establish itself as a leader in fintech while maintaining low costs and robust operations.
Prior to this, I oversaw significant projects, including transitioning Creditsafe to a hybrid multi-cloud system, which reduced costs and enhanced scalability. At Ask Inclusive Finance Ltd, I designed a cloud-based fintech system that achieved a 20% cost reduction and facilitated the successful sale of the platform. As the founder of Flowfoundry, I have supported clients in transforming their businesses by utilising modern technologies such as LLMs, IoT, and advanced data analysis.
My leadership approach centres on empowering teams, fostering innovation, and aligning technology with business objectives. Whether developing fintech platforms or supporting organisational growth, my aim is to deliver solutions that are scalable, sustainable, and provide long-term value.
What is your job title and what are your general responsibilities?
I am currently the CTO at Love Finance, where I oversee the development of future platforms and lead our technical team. Although we are a small team, we are very experienced. We handle the development and management of all backend and customer-facing systems, ranging from loan origination to underwriting and operations functions.
Can you give us an overview of your business?
Love Finance, founded in 2016, is one of the UK’s fastest-growing FCA-authorised credit brokers and lenders, specialising in financial solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Trusted by approx. 5000 customers, the company has facilitated more than £200 million in loans.
Known for its innovative, technology-driven approach, Love Finance simplifies business funding by eliminating traditional barriers, ensuring fast approvals and seamless customer experiences. Its offerings include unsecured business loans, asset financing, and working capital solutions tailored to diverse business needs.
Recognised as one of Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies by the Financial Times and named the Fastest Growing Financial Firm in the Midlands by the UK Growth Index 2024, Love Finance continues to lead in efficiency, scalability, and customer satisfaction. With a 4.9-star Trustpilot rating and a focus on innovation, the company is a trusted partner for SMEs across the UK.
Tell us how you are funded?
The company is self-funded and has been bootstrapped by our Founder and CEO, Jack Smith.
What’s the origin story? Why did you start the company? To solve what problems?
Jack founded Love Finance in 2016 with a vision to simplify and streamline business lending for SMEs. Inspired by his experience working in his father’s finance company, Jack recognised the flaws in traditional lending and decided to do things differently. Starting with no big budget, he taught himself marketing, launched adverts, and proved the potential of his idea. Today, Love Finance has grown into a thriving business, lending over £250 million to approx. 5,000 SMEs and being recognised as one of the fastest-growing financial services firms in the UK.
Who are your target customers? What’s your revenue model?
At Love Finance, we target SMEs, especially limited companies with turnovers of £100,000 to £5 million. Key decision-makers include self-employed individuals, company directors, and small business owners, often aged 35-50, who value fast access to funding and streamlined processes. Industries we frequently serve include construction, manufacturing, food & beverage, hospitality, and professional business services.
Revenue model - We generate income through interest on our loans and broker commissions, which include:
- Own Book Lending - Quick loans funded through our capital.
- Brokered Lending - Deals that are brokered to third-party lenders for commissions.
- Partnership - Revenue from strategic alliances with lenders or organisations.
Customer examples:
- Construction business in Birmingham - needed £150,000 for materials; we provided funds within 48 hours, allowing them to complete the project on time and earn £25,000 in profit.
- Craft Beer Company in London - Required £75,000 for equipment upgrades; we brokered a deal with a lender, leading to a 30% production increase.
- Hospitality business in Manchester - Sought £25,000 for renovations; using our fast track, they secured flexible terms and achieved a 40% revenue increase in three months.
If you had a magic wand, what one thing would you change in the banking and/or FinTech sector?
Access to capital in the UK has become increasingly risk-averse, burdened by excessive regulation and red tape. This situation stifles innovation and hinders technology adoption, particularly when competing with less-regulated markets.
What is your message for the larger players in the Financial Services marketplace?
Start supporting smaller UK-based companies. Our economy thrives when we have strong technology players, and there's no reason we can’t nurture our own Palantir, C3, or even Microsoft. We simply need a different attitude towards taking technological risks and actively supporting and championing the underdog
Where do you get your Financial Services/FinTech industry news from?
Can you list 3 people you rate from the FinTech and/or Financial Services sector that we should be following on LinkedIn, and why?
- Conrad Ford, FinTech innovator and CPSO @ Allica Bank
- David Newman, Co-founder of Delio, Impact Agora and Firenze
- Andrew Mullinger, Co-founder Funding Circle
What FinTech services (and/or apps) do you personally use?
- Revolut, use it all the time and my kids have accounts.
- Binance to look after my ADA and XRP portfolio.
What’s the best new FinTech product or service you’ve seen recently?
We have an innovative app which is set to transform how we manage/track personal transactions —keep an eye out, as it’s launching very soon!
Finally, let's talk predictions. What trends do you think are going to define the next few years in the FinTech sector?
Of course, AI will play a key role, but the shift from LLMs to Small Expert Models and Mixture of Expert Networks—capable of running entirely privately on commodity systems—will transform business operating systems. This shift will disrupt existing job layers while simultaneously creating entirely new opportunities.
Thank you very much for taking the time to participate Angus!
Read more about Angus Gow on LinkedIn and find out more about his company Love Finance at https://www.lovefinance.co.uk/.