Women in Technology: Blend’s Lili Sander

By W.B. King

April 17, 2025 – In what is a recurring feature, Finopotamus spotlights innovative women who are positively impacting technology applications in the credit union industry, and beyond. For this issue, we visited with Blends’ Director of Product Management Lili Sander.

While her family’s “unofficial” inhouse tech support, Lili Sander, the then resident millennial, got the job by default.

“That’s what happens when your parents pick up a mystery PC from Best Buy in the early 1990s. I got my first real taste of tech in 2004, working in IT at the University of Oregon Law School during my first year of college,” she told Finopotamus. “At the time, I was planning to study journalism, but that role opened my eyes to what computers could really do. I was hooked. I switched my major to computer science and never looked back.”

A lover of languages and linguistics, writing code came naturally to Sander. The difference, the scribe noted, was communicating with machines.

“I spent the next few years working in various IT roles throughout college, and after earning my bachelors in computer science, I joined a construction technology startup as employee number 7,” said Sander who graduated from Portland State University. “About a decade later, I found myself in the financial industry, where I saw firsthand how vital consumer experience is—especially when it’s powered by technology.”

In 2022, she joined the San Francisco-based Blend, which offers an origination platform for digital banking solutions for banks and credit unions.

Fail Fast Mentality

When Finopotamus asked what has changed in the technology space over the last 10-plus years, Sander said the adoption of a “fail fast” mentality.

“We’ve moved beyond rigid waterfall models—research, design, build, test, deliver—and embraced agile frameworks that allow teams to adapt quickly. That kind of speed and flexibility is essential in the financial industry,” she shared.”

“What I find exciting is that these frameworks aren’t just for product development anymore—they’re showing up in process design, change management, even team structures,” she continued. “It’s helped democratize innovation across organizations, giving more people the ability to iterate and improve without waiting on a long cycle.”

Another noticeable adoption rate in the technology space is the number of women employed in technology leadership roles and product strategy, especially in the financial services industry, she noted.

“I’ve worked in other industries where the pace of change hasn’t been as strong. Fintechs and credit unions have been more intentional about creating opportunities and space for women to grow and lead, and it shows,” she said. “Throughout college and in the early years of my career, I was literally the only woman in product development. That dynamic came with some frustrating and subtle challenges.”

Among these hurdles was always being the “mom” of the group—asked to do tasks like taking notes, organizing meetings or mediating conflicts. “Eventually, I had to push back and stop letting people box me into that role. I wanted to contribute like my peers and be recognized for my ideas, not my emotional labor,” she shared. “That shift wasn’t always comfortable, but it was necessary—and it allowed me to grow into the kind of contributor and leader I knew I could be.”

These noted experiences along with those gleaned from colleagues, friends, and family members helped shape her career—from technical confidence, modeling leadership with empathy and integrity, and being reminded to trust her instincts, even when times were challenging.

“One lesson that’s really stuck with me is the idea that it’s okay to let balls drop—because you can’t catch them all. That’s what your team is there for. A strong team will prop each other up and keep things moving, even when one person can’t carry the full load. That was a powerful lesson in both trust and delegation for scale, and it’s one I’ll never forget,” she continued.

“I try to pay it forward by creating space for others to grow, ask questions, and get support where they need it.”

Credit Union Plus Fintech

In 2024, Sander led an initiative that greatly expanded Blend’s Spanish-language home lending app—what she called a “huge win” for credit unions. “Soon after, we integrated with a third-party provider offering robust educational content and disclosures in members’ preferred languages,” she noted. “This pairing helps bridge a lending gap that’s far too common, giving credit unions the tools to better serve multilingual communities and truly meet members where they are.”

Artificial intelligence (AI) is among the technological trends she believes will assist in improving existing banking services—from improving operational efficiency to transforming member education and personalization.

“It’s still early days, but the potential is massive. I’m especially excited about how AI can help shift quality assurance ‘left’ in the application cycle, easing the process for both members and lending teams. It also opens the door to smarter, more intuitive experiences during onboarding and home lending,” she continued.

“We’re only scratching the surface of what AI can do for financial services—and I’m confident that in the coming years, we’ll see significant leaps in both operational excellence and personalized member support.”

Credit unions embracing digital transformation with “real urgency and heart” falls in line with the industry’s member-first ethos, Sander said, adding that this approach has profound implications.

“While traditional banks are ultimately focused on shareholder returns, credit unions prioritize the member experience. Historically, that meant tech sometimes took a back seat—but today, as member expectations evolve, we’re seeing credit unions embrace digital transformation,” she said. “The motivation is different, and it shows.”

“Credit unions can deliver cutting-edge digital experiences without compromising their core mission. I’ve seen firsthand how these partnerships elevate both parties—giving fintechs a meaningful purpose and credit unions the tools to compete with the biggest players,” Sander continued. “When done right, these collaborations help credit unions rewrite the narrative. It’s no longer “’credit union versus bank’—it’s ‘credit union plus fintech,’ and that’s a game changer.”

View the full article here.