Mia Mabanta
Mia Mabanta
Founding Partner @ First Harmonic. Ex-YC Continuity (head of talent & programs), ex-Quartz (product marketing), co-founder HelloWallet. MBA, Stanford GSB. Based in San Francisco, CA.
Projects
Ideas brought to life. A look at the products, companies, and creative works built from the ground up.
First Harmonic
Early-stage investor and go-to-market program for B2B founders. Runs an in-person cohorted GTM program focused on initial customer definition, pricing, roadmap prioritization, and early customer acquisition. Program reported a steady NPS of 100 across its first ~50 founders.
HelloWallet
Fintech personal financial guidance startup spun out of research; later acquired by Morningstar. Early-career entrepreneurial project that helped establish her fintech and product chops.
Quartz #qzlife (internal culture / content project)
Creator/photographer behind #qzlife, a Tumblr documenting Quartz culture; supported Quartz product marketing and revenue efforts as the company scaled.
Publications and policy research
Published policy and research pieces including work for The Brookings Institution and The Pew Charitable Trusts on financial services and consumer finance topics; authored a Medium post about survey design.
In the Spotlight
A collection of articles, interviews, and viral content where achievements have been shared.
Recognitions
Formal validation from the top. A showcase of official awards, grants, and government acknowledgements.
HelloWallet acquisition (Morningstar)
Acquisition date not listed in sources aboveHelloWallet, which Mia co-founded, was later acquired by Morningstar — a notable exit and validation of the fintech product and team.
First Harmonic program NPS = 100
Program reporting since 2023First Harmonic reported a perfect Net Promoter Score (100) across nearly 50 founders who went through the program, indicating high founder satisfaction.
Featured speaker / contributor
VariousSpeaker at industry events (WAN-IFRA) and cited in multiple media & event bios highlighting work at Quartz, Brookings, and startups.
Work Experience
Key roles that defined the journey.
Founding Partner / Program Lead
Co-runs an early-stage investor and go-to-market program focused on helping founders make critical early GTM decisions. Leads cohorts, curriculum, and founder mentorship.
Head of Talent and Growth Initiatives / Head of Programs & Talent (roles described variably)
Ran talent and growth initiatives for YC Continuity (Y Combinator’s growth-stage fund), helping portfolio companies with recruiting, leadership hiring, and growth programs.
Director / Lead, Product Marketing & Revenue Products
Led product marketing and revenue product efforts at Quartz, contributed creative work (e.g., #qzlife) and helped scale marketing/revenue as the company grew.
Co-founder
Co-founded a fintech consumer financial guidance service that later sold to Morningstar; worked at the intersection of product, policy research, and consumer financial services.
Analyst / Researcher
Early-career role conducting research on financial services and underserved markets; authored or contributed to Brookings and Pew research reports.
Membership
Affiliations and memberships in prestigious organizations and communities.
Senior operator within YC Continuity while running talent and growth initiatives; ongoing ties to the YC ecosystem and founders.
Founding partner and member of the First Harmonic operator-investor group working with early-stage founders and alumni cohorts.
Speaker at WAN-IFRA and contributor to media and events on marketing, product, and founder growth topics.
Named in coverage about new fund initiatives and cohorts (e.g., Maxq/Rowghani collaborations), indicating active involvement in SF investing/operator networks.
Education
Academic foundation and learning journey.
MBA
BA (field not publicly listed)
Socials
Connect and explore.