FinTech Female Fridays: Meet Ali Faivus, VP of Revenue at Turnkey

Alexandra (Ali) Faivus is VP of Revenue at Turnkey, where she has built her career at the intersection of high-growth startups, emerging technology, and mission-driven leadership. She began her career in sales and quickly made her mark leading teams at Uber during its explosive early years, where she helped build and scale the company’s B2B organization across multiple regions. After six years at Uber, she transitioned into healthtech as Head of Sales at Headway, a mental health platform connecting patients to in-network care. At Headway, Ali played a pivotal role in scaling the company from Series B to Series D, expanding the sales team from 20 to over 250 and driving appointment volume past 20 million. The experience deepened her commitment to building mission-driven, high-performing teams.

Today, at Turnkey, she’s channeling that same energy into FinTech and crypto infrastructure, helping institutions securely power the next generation of digital wallets and crypto-native financial products. Turnkey, founded by former Coinbase Custody leaders, reimagines how developers and institutions manage cryptographic keys, making enterprise-grade security simple and composable. The company's mission is to power the future of the open internet by enabling builders to create products that are both secure and user-controlled. Turnkey serves some of the world’s most forward-thinking companies: from traditional financial institutions modernizing payments to Web3 innovators building the next generation of digital experiences. Further, the company's culture blends technical rigor with a startup pace. It’s a highly collaborative environment where teams move fast, challenge assumptions, and care deeply about getting security and user experience right. 

Ali describes herself as an avid learner who thrives on turning ambiguity into structure and vision into results. She believes leadership is about building systems that empower others. Her approach is guided by what she calls an “Olympic standard” of performance, which combines clarity, pace, and feedback to foster trust and excellence. She’s also passionate about demonstrating that empathy and execution are not opposites but complementary strengths, especially for women in FinTech.

Reflecting on her career, Ali cites her move from Uber to Headway as her best professional decision. At the time, she was four months postpartum and joining a Series B startup in a new industry. She felt it was risky, but that leap gave her the chance to build something lasting from zero. The experience reinforced her belief that the most meaningful inflection points come from conviction, not certainty. Another defining moment came at Headway when she was tasked with building an entirely new SMB sales organization, an area outside her comfort zone. The experience forced her to learn fast, delegate better, and trust data to drive decision-making at scale. That experience became the foundation for how Ali leads today: combining operational rigor with strategic creativity. It also taught her that growth happens from saying yes to something that scares one a little.

Looking ahead, Ali is excited by the shift in crypto from speculation to real-world adoption. “We’re seeing a fundamental shift -- from trading and tokens to utility and infrastructure -- where crypto is quietly becoming part of how the financial system operates,” reflects Ali. She also feels major institutions are no longer asking if they should engage, but how to do it responsibly and at scale. Ali sees this change firsthand given her focus on bridging traditional finance with crypto infrastructure and helping major financial and payment companies enter the “wallet era” safely and strategically. She specifically builds the revenue engine that connects product, partnerships, and enterprise adoption, helping institutions modernize how value moves on the internet. FinTech is evolving from products to platforms, and Turnkey is at the center of that shift. As she reflects on her career path to date, Ali is proud to be at a company that plays a critical role in shaping how security, accessibility, and user experience coexist in this next phase of financial innovation.

More About Ali

Where you currently live:  Westchester, NY

Living arrangement: Husband, children, shih tzu

Family at home: Yes! 2 young kids. Very Busy

Favorite show to binge: Top Chef. Even in my free time, I’m drawn to shows that involve competition!

Favorite FinTech media (blog, podcast, newsletter etc) that inspires you:

Recently, a16z’s “Web3 with Chris Dixon.” It’s forward-thinking, practical, and pushes me to think about FinTech infrastructure as part of a broader technology movement. I’d also highlight Turnkey’s whitepaper, which was one of the reasons I joined the company. It’s innovative, transparent, and clearly articulates Turnkey’s radically different vision for key management and the future of crypto infrastructure.

What is one piece of advice someone told you that resonated with you that can give to other women in FinTech?     

One classic piece of advice that’s stayed with me is: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” Leadership isn’t about doing everything yourself; it’s about unlocking the potential in others. Build your network, invest in mentors, and surround yourself with people who stretch your thinking and challenge you. That’s where real growth happens. I also believe deeply in women supporting other women. There isn’t just one seat at the table for us, and it’s on each of us to make sure more seats are pulled up. Empowering, mentoring, and advocating for future women in FinTech isn’t optional; it’s how we change the face of finance for good.

Do you have any productivity hacks?  What keeps you motivated? How do you maintain a work/life balance? 

I make a to-do list every night before I close my laptop and block time on my calendar to get it done. If it’s not scheduled, it doesn’t happen. I carve out deep work blocks to stay focused and use my notes app to track open loops that need follow-up.

My biggest motivation comes from seeing my team win and progress in their careers. Outside of work, my husband and kids are my anchor and my drive. My children keep me grounded, creative, and humble; they remind me why I do what I do. I want to get better at home just as much as I aim to improve at work.

Daily Diary 

6:00 am: Coffee, wake up my kids, and get everyone ready for school. This is one of the most important parts of my day.

8:00 am: Commute or start WFH, review pipeline and top deals, and make sure I’m crystal clear on the day’s priorities.

9:00 am onwards: Team meetings, client calls, stand-ups, cross-functional 1:1s, product/eng/revops syncs, candidate interviews.

2:00 pm: Deep work: proposal reviews, strategic planning, or partner calls.

6:30 pm: Family time. Kids’ bedtime.

8:00 pm: Catch up on final touches, clear out deliverables, and wrap up the day before lights out.