Figure Co-Founder: How Figure Became A $10B Business | Mike Cagney

Figure Co-Founder: How Figure Became A $10B Business | Mike Cagney

From Empire by Blockworks

May 19, 2026 · 1h 15m

About this episode

Mike Cagney discusses how Figure became a leading non-bank HELOC lender and the role of blockchain in capital markets.

This week, Mike Cagney joins the show to discuss Figure and how it became the leading non-bank HELOC lender in the U.S. We deep dive into how Figure leverages blockchain rails to scale the next evolution of capital markets before Mike shares his thoughts on tokenization, being a public vs private company, how to fix tokens and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Mike: https://x.com/mcagney Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (03:20) How Do Blockchains Disrupt Capital Markets? (09:28) Why Did Mike Build Figure? (27:00) Will Figure Launch a Wallet? (38:05) SoFi’s Superbowl Ads (45:42) Tokenizing Equities (55:08) The Provenance Blockchain (01:01:46) Being a Public vs Private Company (01:07:18) How To Fix Tokens (01:12:27) What’s Next For Crypto In 5 Years? -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

People in this episode

Host: Jason Yanowitz

Guest: Mike Cagney

Topics covered

  • blockchain
  • capital markets
  • HELOC lending
  • tokenization
  • public vs private companies
  • crypto future

Keywords

  • Figure
  • blockchain
  • HELOC
  • tokenization
  • capital markets
  • crypto
  • public company
  • private company

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Figure, SoFi, Empire, Provenance Blockchain

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