I spoke to Will Panarello, GTM Lead at Rho, expanding their efforts into Boston on this episode of 🔥The Lantern 🔥
Rho is building the modern banking platform for startups and Will has helped lead their expansion into Boston.
Rho is a one stop shop to run your entire business operations with..
🏃 Really fast account setup
💳 Scalable and customized cards for founders & employees
🔄 A platform that integrates with accounting and payroll providers
It’s a great platform, I would know! 😎
🔍 What happened at Rho in 2025? 🔎
2025 was Rho’s expansion year into Boston.
Their team hosted close to 100 events over the last 6 months and have been working to do their part to bring the ecosystem together.
In addition to Boston, Rho also expanded to El Segundo in Southern California which has a large aerospace and defense market.
🔍 What has been a focus area at Rho here in Boston as the team prepares for 2026? 🔎
Will’s very excited about some of the AI trends he’s seeing locally, as well as VC focus areas shifting earlier and earlier stage, specifically into universities.
That’s an advantage for Cambridge and Boston, the best place “ per capita” to find those student founders. It’s been exciting to see the new technologies coming out of our local universities.
Rho is really over indexing on the founder experience and bringing that to founders in Boston.
He’s already enjoyed working with startups like Vocara and VoiceRun, as well as continuing to do work in the ecosystem alongside partners like Underscore, Pillar, Glasswing, and Founder Collective (+their portfolios), building better relationships across the city.
🤔 What has Will learned from leading Rho’s expansion efforts here in Boston? 🤔
Consistency and availability.
Founders work hard all day (and night) long on their startups. It’s their baby. Being able to meet founders where they are, quickly, and providing real value is key.
🤝 How can we help Rho grow? 🤝
Come find Will here in Boston and find out how he can help your business!
Rho is “top of market” for cashback and treasury yields, with a focus on the founder experience to separate themselves.
Every client, regardless of size, gets a dedicated personal point of contact. And their platform offers more than $1M in credits and discounts with SaaS providers.
The Lantern is brought to you by MGMT Boston, Rho, & Invest Northern Ireland – Americas this month