Business

Speqta CEO Fredrik Lindros Teaches Us How to Say No to Black Box Bidding on PLAs with Their New AI-Based Bid-Optimization Tool Bidbrain™

Published

5 years ago

January 14, 2021

Stand out from the crowd by investing in Speqta’s new SaaS tool, Bidbrain™! An AI-based solution for Google Shopping ads that specializes in bid optimization. Developed specifically for the e-commerce industry and dedicated to getting you ahead of the competition by optimizing your Product List Ads (PLAs.)

In the interview below with Speqta’s CEO, Fredrik Lindros, learn more about this smart new tool and how you can bid more confidently and feel more secure about your businesses’ growth.

Please tell us something that not everyone knows about yourself!

Fredrik Lindros: I’ve always been personally driven by innovation and change, obsessed as I was over sci-fi shows like Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica, both of which instilled upon me an acceptance and an inclination towards new technology and innovation. .

As for my passion for being equally strategic and creative, I have my time as a magician to thank for that. Unorthodox, yes! But I did, in fact, work as a professional magician some time ago. And, after working odd gigs at kindergartens, company gatherings, and various other stages, I developed skills that would later show itself in my business work as a talent for presentation, communication, and marketing.

And how do you usually start your days? (Are you a proactive or reactive type?)

Fredrik Lindros: I would say that I am a bit of both. I have a very particular schedule that I follow to the ‘T’ most days as a result of my waking habits. But, I’m flexible enough that I can deal with the unexpected when they come.

More specifically, every day, I wake up while the rest of my family is still asleep. Usually in the time between 4 AM and 5 AM. I start things off with a cup of coffee and then work entirely at home until it’s time to go to the office to catch up with whoever is there for the day — we’ve done a lot of juggling to account for the global pandemic, but the work must go on.

The rest of the workday is spent hosting meetings, regularly communicating with others through email or Slack, and just working as efficiently as possible so that I can go back home and spend time with my children before the day ends and the routine starts anew.

Please introduce Bidbrain™! What is it? And, how can we use it?

Fredrik Lindros: In short. Bidbrain™ is a SaaS solution outfitted with both artificial intelligence and machine learning. We at Speqta developed it for the e-commerce industry to use for optimizing bids for Google Shopping Ads.

How would you say Bidbrain™ compares to manually bidding on PLAs?

Fredrik Lindros: E-retailers that show a preference over manual rule-based bidding on Google PLAs usually prize control over their bidding strategies. After all, at least then, they won’t have to suffer through Google’s automated black-box bidding strategies.

However, the main issue with manually bidding on PLAs, at least, when compared to BidBrain™, is that it just cannot beat the kind of results that you can achieve with an AI-based system. There’s no question there. Bidbrain not only optimizes your bidding strategies to receive the best outcomes, but it is also capable of product feed optimization in order to increase the quality score of your PLAs. Furthermore, all you need to do to keep it working is to continue feeding it data in order to fuel its intelligence.

I know that there are many e-retailers out there that are reluctant to use new technology like this. But, there’s no denying that compared to those who work manually, those who use AI-based optimization tools like Bidbrain, in the long-run, will always win over their competition.That’s just how technology advances.

How about those e-retailers that already use the automated bidding tools provided by Google? What kind of benefits would Bidbrain™ offer to them?

Fredrik Lindros: One thing that we addressed during the creation of Bidbrain is transparency. Many online retailers that use Google’s own tools can never be fully confident that the program is working for them at 100%. In fact, if you dissect the bids made by Google’s Target-ROAS or Smart Shopping, you’ll find that they are extremely high CPC-bids worth around 30-50 Euros each that result in very few conversions.

As a retailer, it’s just hard to feel secure with such black box bidding methods. Which is where Bidbrain™ comes in. Unlike Google’s tools, Bidbrain was designed to reveal all data. So, e-retailers will always know where their bids are going, and they can rest easy knowing that the AI is 100% on their side. All while enjoying the extra functionalities provided by our sophisticated product feed optimization tools, the helpful insights given for future campaigns, and so on.

What advice would you give to fellow business owners looking to release their own products?

Fredrik Lindros: Bidbrain™ was only developed to be as dynamic and as insightful as it is today with communication. And so, my advice to fellow business owners is simple: communicate. Talk to your team, talk to your key customers, just talk.

As a team, we got to know exactly what our customers were looking for and why they were looking for certain things. And this would not have been possible if our work environment had not been conducive to open dialogue. A significant portion of the developmental process of our service also involved just talking directly with our customers. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that these key customers more or less designed Bidbrain together with us. So, the more open you are to understanding the opinions of others, the better.

Business

Derik Fay and the Quiet Rise of a Fintech Dynasty: How a Relentless Visionary is Redefining the Future of Payments

Published

5 hours ago

October 17, 2025

Matthew Wiles

Long before the headlines, before the Forbes features, and well before he became a respected fixture in boardrooms across the country, Derik Fay was a kid from Westerly, Rhode Island with little more than grit and audacity. Now, with a strategic footprint spanning more than 40 companies—including holdings in media, construction, real estate, pharma, fitness, and fintech—Fay’s influence is as diversified as it is deliberate. And his most recent move may be his boldest yet: the acquisition and co-ownership of Tycoon Payments, a fintech venture poised to disrupt an industry built on middlemen and outdated rules.

Where many entrepreneurs chase headlines, Fay chases legacy.

Rebuilding the Foundation of Fintech

In the saturated space of payment processors, Fay didn’t just want another transactional brand. He saw a broken system—one that labeled too many businesses as “high-risk,” denied them access, and overcharged them into silence. Tycoon Payments, under his stewardship, is rewriting that narrative from the ground up.

Instead of the all-too-common “fake processor” model, where companies act as brokers rather than actual underwriters, Tycoon Payments is being engineered to own the rails—integrating direct banking partnerships, custom risk modeling, and flexible support for underserved industries.

“Disruption isn’t about being loud,” Fay said in a private strategy session with advisors. “It’s about fixing what’s been ignored for too long. I don’t chase waves—I build the coastline.”

Quiet Power, Strategic Depth

Now 46 years old, Fay has evolved from scrappy gym owner to an empire builder, founding 3F Management as a private equity and venture vehicle to scale fast-growth businesses with staying power. His portfolio includes names like Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships, BIGG Pharma, Results Roofing, FayMs Films, and SalonPlex—but also dozens of companies that never make headlines. That’s by design.

Where others seek followers, Fay builds founders. Where most celebrate their exits, Fay reinvests in people.

While he often deflects conversations around his personal wealth, analysts estimate his net worth to exceed $100 million, with some placing it comfortably over $250 million, based on exits, real estate holdings, and the trajectory of his current ventures.

Yet unlike others in his tax bracket, Fay still answers cold DMs. He mentors rising entrepreneurs without cameras rolling. And he shows up—not just with capital, but with conviction.

A Mogul Grounded in Real Life

Outside of business, Fay remains committed to his role as a father and partner. He shares two daughters, Sophia Elena Fay and Isabella Roslyn Fay, and has been in a relationship with Shandra Phillips since 2021. He’s known for keeping his personal life private, but those close to him speak of a man who brings the same intention to parenting as he does to scaling multimillion-dollar ventures—focused, present, and consistent.

His physical stature—standing at 6′1″—matches his professional gravitas, but what’s more striking is his ability to operate with both discipline and empathy. Fay’s reputation among founders and CEOs is not just one of capital deployment, but emotional intelligence. As one partner noted, “He’s the kind of guy who will break down your pitch—and rebuild your belief in yourself in the same breath.”

The Tycoon Blueprint

The playbook Fay is writing at Tycoon Payments doesn’t just threaten incumbents—it reinvents the infrastructure. This isn’t another “fintech startup” with a flashy brand and no backend. It’s a strategically positioned venture with real underwriting power, cross-border ambitions, and a founder who understands how to scale quietly until the entire industry has to take notice.

In an age where so many entrepreneurs rely on noise and virality to build influence, Fay remains a master of what can only be called elite stealth. He doesn’t need the spotlight. But his impact casts a long shadow.

Conclusion: The Empire Expands

From Rhode Island beginnings to venture boardrooms, from gym owner to fintech force, Derik Fay continues to build not just businesses—but a blueprint. One rooted in resilience, innovation, and long-term infrastructure.

Tycoon Payments may be the latest chess piece. But the game he’s playing is bigger than one move. It’s a long game of strategic leverage, intentional legacy, and generational wealth.

And Fay is not just playing it. He’s redefining the rules.