In honor of Women’s History Month, Endeavor Miami is highlighting the stories of women entrepreneurs who are driving innovation, building impactful companies, and shaping the future of their industries.
For Anabel Perez, entrepreneurship has always been grounded in a strong sense of purpose. Her journey reflects a commitment to rethinking financial services and building systems that are more accessible, adaptable, and aligned with the demands of a rapidly evolving world.
Building with Purpose in Complex Environments
Anabel’s path into entrepreneurship was shaped by her experience in traditional banking, where she saw firsthand the limitations of legacy financial infrastructure. Rather than accept those constraints, she recognized an opportunity to help transform how financial services are built and delivered through technology.
That vision led her into fintech, where she has spent her career building solutions designed to bridge gaps across markets and institutions. But building in this space, particularly across emerging and fragmented markets, comes with unique challenges. Regulatory complexity, infrastructure limitations, and long B2B sales cycles require not only technical expertise, but also patience and conviction.
These conditions pushed Anabel to embrace uncertainty and think long term. They reinforced the importance of building with clarity of purpose, even when the path forward is not always linear.
Leading Through Ecosystems, Not Just Products
As a leader, Anabel’s approach has been shaped by her ability to think beyond individual products and instead focus on entire ecosystems.
In fintech, success depends on aligning multiple stakeholders, from financial institutions and regulators to partners and clients. This requires a balance of strategic clarity and persistence, along with the ability to navigate complexity without losing sight of the bigger picture.
Her leadership has also been guided by a simple but powerful mantra: insist, persist, resist, and never desist. It reflects a mindset grounded in discipline and momentum, one that has helped her stay focused while operating in a constantly evolving industry.
Combined with curiosity and a commitment to continuous learning, this approach has allowed her to build and lead with both intention and adaptability.
The Discipline of Focus
One of the most defining lessons in Anabel’s journey has been the power of focus.
Early on, the breadth of opportunities within financial services made it tempting to pursue multiple directions at once. Over time, she realized that meaningful scale does not come from doing more. It comes from doing the right things with depth and discipline.
Learning to say no, clearly and consistently, became a turning point. It enabled her to channel energy into what truly mattered, transforming ambition into tangible impact and strategy into something sustainable.
As she puts it, “Build with conviction, but stay adaptable. The path will rarely be linear, but clarity of purpose and resilience will carry you through uncertainty.”
Today, Anabel is Co-founder, former CEO, and Board Member of NovoPayment. She advises high-growth, PE/VC-backed fintech companies, provides strategic guidance to investment firms, and mentors Endeavor entrepreneurs navigating business across the US and LATAM. Committed to giving back, she actively supports initiatives that foster entrepreneurship and economic growth in the community. She also served on the board of Endeavor Miami for two years, reflecting her ongoing influence and thought leadership in the financial services and technology industry.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, Anabel’s journey is a powerful reminder that lasting impact is built not only on vision, but also on focus, discipline, and the ability to navigate complexity with resilience, insight, and integrity – qualities that continue to inspire and empower the next generation of leaders.
