As Stronghold, a fintech, crypto, and artificial intelligence (AI) company, knows well, the best business ideas come from personal experience. Founders Tammy Camp and Sean Bennett grew up in immigrant families; The Camps came to America years ago, while the Bennetts left the Philippines for New Zealand. While there, Bennett’s mother sent money home, but the transfer fees ate up much of her income. This helped develop Stronghold’s vision and goal of creating an accessible financial future for everyone.
Camp, CEO of Stronghold, says: “When you send money to your family and you’re charged high fees, it’s a big problem. So we focused on cross-border payments. »
An atypical payment provider
Stronghold is far from your typical payment provider. In 2017, the company launched a stablecoin, Stronghold USD, a digital token pegged to the US dollar to reduce the volatility other cryptocurrencies tend to experience. In 2018, the company partnered with IBM to help financial institutions move money faster, more securely and at a lower cost. When the pandemic hit, Stronghold pivoted to domestic payments, helping cash-dependent businesses accept digital transactions. Today, Camp describes Stronghold as a “financial infrastructure company.” Much of its platform is powered by its SHx token, which runs on the Stellar blockchain, a network designed for cross-border payments and transactions.
Stronghold was ahead of the curve in integrating crypto into practical financial services. Camp cites three reasons for the company’s success: resilience, financial discipline and speed of execution. Stronghold has also been careful about capital, and when it comes to competing, it has been faster and delivered a premium product.
are essential.
“As a serial entrepreneur and investor, I bring all this data from my other
businesses I’ve operated or invested in,” Camp adds. “I can recognize the patterns that come with running a business like ours.”
An eye towards the future
In five years, Camp predicts that Stronghold will enable seamless, connected bank-to-blockchain payments across multiple industries and expand the reach of its SHx token globally. SHx will continue to evolve as a true utility token, providing real-time settlements, governance, and operations under smart contracts.
It helps that Stronghold employees are all focused on what Camp calls “execution and ownership.” They care deeply about user experience and thrive on curiosity and continuous learning. “We do a lot of firsts, and it can be scary, but if you learn quickly, you can get to a place of strength and calm,” she says.
This adaptability will be essential as Stronghold enters Japan, South Korea and other international markets. As governments around the world explore crypto adoption and over a billion people remain underbanked, Camp sees huge potential. “We still have a long way to go, but the opportunity is enormous.
The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.
