Victory Lap — Sam Brown

🏗️ Background

8+ years wearing every hat.

Founded my startup at 25 and spent 8+ years wearing every hat imaginable. Built a Visa-backed, multi-currency travel card from the ground up — raising capital, building a local and offshore team, managing P&L, shipping product, driving growth strategy, negotiating contracts, and navigating compliance.

I loved the chaos. But I learnt that clarity is everything — it's the difference between being busy and actually moving. After eight years running it, I started Victory Lap to help founders & teams get that clarity and do more of the stuff that gets them across the line

Outside of the grind, you'll find me playing average golf (HC of 21), watching my beloved Sydney Swans losing grand finals, and exploring the world with my wife and two kids.

I've worked with...

Visa Mastercard Nium ISIC Australia & NZ Contiki Flight Centre Birchal Helloworld JetPac Global Zenith Payments

⚡ What I do best

📈 Growth Strategy

🤝 Strategic Partnerships

💰 Capital Raising

💳 Card Program Launch

📝 Commercial Contracts

📊 P&L Modelling

🛠️ Active & Recent Projects

active

Embedded Finance Fractional Head of Growth

GrowthStrategyStartupsGTM

Engaged as fractional Head of Growth for an AI-powered embedded finance platform. Focus on pipeline growth, validating core services, new commercial partnerships, and unlocking greenfield verticals across non-bank lenders and tier 2/3 banks.

active

Ecommerce Growth & Wholesale Strategy

RevenueGrowthStartups

Advising an ecommerce startup on moving beyond direct-to-consumer — mapped the channel structure, set partner economics, and built the go-to-market plan for wholesale across AUS, NZ, and UK.

active

Fundraising Strategy and Advisory

FundraisingStrategy

Leading development of capital raising strategy for a rapidly scaling mining and farming equipment start-up, working closely with founders. Full data room development, pitch decks, and prospectus in line with regulatory requirements.

recent

Pelikin Travel Visa Card

FounderCEO

Built a Visa-backed, multi-currency travel card from the ground up — sourced and negotiated the issuer partnership, ran scheme approval with Visa, built the revenue model, and led compliance integration alongside product design. Processing transactions across 120+ countries within 24 months of launch. Sold to private equity in 2025, with handover completed in 2026.

recent

ISIC — International Student Visa Card

RevenueContractsProduct

Designed and built a world-first youth/student travel money proposition on Pelikin's existing core infrastructure. Negotiated distribution rights with ISIC Australia/NZ. Built the subscription revenue model and value proposition — 150,000+ in-app discounts, a globally recognised student ID card, airport lounge passes, and global eSIMs.

recent

Bespoke Affiliate Program

GrowthProject ManagementContracts

Built and grew an 850+ partner national affiliate network, including negotiation of preferred partnership deals with five major travel brands, including Flight Centre. Led affiliate product development roll-out and transition of the full partner base to TravelPay Money ownership.

recent

TravelPay Money Visa Card

ProductProject ManagementContracts

Owned card program design and project management, delivering within 4 months of contract execution. Negotiated a white-label distribution agreement with Zenith Payments and oversaw the compliance framework for a bespoke pay-in integration and customer signup experience.

💬 What people say

"Sam brought pace, professionalism, and genuine innovation to our partnership. He navigated real complexity and delivered a first-of-its-kind financial product to market. I'd work with him again without hesitation."

Jodie Kilian, CEO

ISIC Australia & New Zealand

"I've worked closely with Sam on go-to-market strategy and commercial partnerships, and he brings a level of creativity and commercial rigour that's genuinely rare."

David Hughes, Managing Director Asia Pacific

UniGlobe International

"Sam brought a clear strategy and moved faster than anyone we'd worked with before. His attention to detail is extraordinary — nothing gets missed, and you always feel like he's three steps ahead."

Tessa Allen, Co-Founder

League Beauty

✉️ Work together

Let's have a chat.

Fractional

Embedded as part of your team — ongoing, flexible, and accountable to outcomes.

Project-Based

Scoped around a specific outcome — clear deliverable, defined timeline.

Advisory

Strategic input on demand — great for founders who need a sharp sounding board.

If you think there's a fit, get in touch — no pitch, no pressure.

DM me on LinkedIn

Helping founders and teams do the right stuff.

8+ years wearing every hat.

Let's have a chat.