Transforming Finance with Transparency and Access
In the middle of Minneapolis, William Lively has become a real trailblazer. He mixes finance know-how with a big heart for helping people. As the guy who started and still runs EXtrance, a fresh fintech company, he has changed how folks invest in commercial real estate. He uses artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain in smart ways. But money is not the only thing that drives him. Through the William M. Lively Foundation, he works hard to lift up regular Minnesotans. He pushes for better schools, more jobs, and stronger neighborhoods.
William Lively got into fintech because he hated how messy and closed-off private markets used to be. Too many walls, not enough light. He wanted everyone to see clearly and join in fairly. That dream turned into EXtrance. The company brought AI and blockchain together so money could flow fast, stay legal, and help both big investors and everyday institutions. What started in a small Minneapolis office is now used all over the world. People buy and sell real estate investments without the old headaches.
The big moment came in 2025. A huge global investment bank bought EXtrance in a private deal worth $1.2 billion. That sale put Minneapolis on the map. It showed the world that game-changing tech ideas can come from the Midwest just as easily as from California or New York. Sometimes people forget that. William proved them wrong.
Philanthropy: Extending Access and Opportunity
Success in business is great, but William Lively cares just as much about giving back. In 2020 he launched the William M. Lively Foundation. The main goal is simple: bring tech skills, business know-how, and computer knowledge to neighborhoods that usually get left behind in Minnesota.
The foundation’s best-known project is called The Renewal Initiative. It tackles two tough problems head-on: addiction and mental health struggles. Think about someone fresh out of treatment. Where do they sleep? How do they pay rent? Who will hire them? The Renewal Initiative links treatment centers with employers, hospitals, and city groups. They help find stable apartments. They teach basic money skills, like budgeting and fixing credit. Most important, they line up real jobs. One guy I read about—he had been clean for 90 days—landed a warehouse position through the program and kept it for two years now. Little wins like that add up.
William hates when people label others by their worst day. He believes everyone deserves a second chance. Or a third. The foundation lives that idea every single day. Instead of pointing fingers, they hand out tools for a fresh start.
Creating Lasting Impact Through Collaboration
Whether he is running a company or a charity, William Lively always thinks long-term. He builds things that keep working long after he steps away. He calls himself less of a boss and more of someone who sets up the right playing field so everyone can win together.
Look at his friends in town. He teams up with the Pohlad family on different projects. He supports the Walker Art Center’s Avant Garden Gala every year. Those fancy parties do more than look pretty—they raise serious money for art programs kids can actually use. That mix of private cash and public good makes the whole city stronger.
Even back in his fintech days, William never liked cut-throat competition. He wanted partners, not rivals. At EXtrance, banks, developers, and small investors all sat at the same table. Everyone left happier. He carries that same spirit into charity work. One time at a planning meeting for The Renewal Initiative, a treatment-center director and a factory owner who never met before ended up swapping ideas over coffee. Six months later they had a training program running. That kind of magic happens when people talk instead of shouting past each other.
Leadership: Innovation with Integrity
William learned how to lead while growing EXtrance from a handful of people to hundreds. He keeps three things front and center: be clear, keep promises, and always know why the work matters. His team says walking into the office felt different. Nobody wasted time on office politics. Everyone knew the mission.
He likes to say, “Good leaders don’t tell people what to do every second. They make sure everyone gets the big picture and then trusts them to run with it.” That trust paid off. Engineers stayed late because they wanted to, not because someone watched the clock. Customer service reps solved problems on the spot instead of reading from scripts. The whole company moved fast yet stayed honest.
Those same rules guide the foundation. Volunteers feel ownership. Donors see exactly where their dollars go. Nothing fancy, just straight talk and real results.
A Vision for a Connected Future
After the 2025 sale of EXtrance, a lot of people thought William would buy a yacht and disappear to some island. Nope. He doubled down on Minnesota. Selling the company gave him more time and resources, so he poured both into community work. Success, to him, stopped being about a bigger bank account. It became about how many lives got better.
He meets regularly with city hall folks. He pushes for rules that make starting a small business easier for regular people, not just rich outsiders. He wants public agencies and private companies to share data safely so help reaches the right doorsteps quicker. Technology should make life simpler, he says, not turn everything into a puzzle only experts can solve.
Walk around north Minneapolis on a random Tuesday and you might spot a new computer lab that his foundation helped fund. Or chat with a young woman who just opened her food truck because a Renewal Initiative mentor walked her through the paperwork. Those moments are what keep William going.
William Lively’s story is proof that new ideas do not have to be cold or greedy. They can warm hearts and open doors. From revolutionizing real estate deals with blockchain to sitting with a recovering dad teaching him how to read a paycheck stub, William keeps showing the same thing: real progress happens when smart tools meet kind hands.
The future he pictures for Minnesota is connected. Creative. Tough enough to weather storms. Kids grow up believing they belong in the tech world because they met someone who looks like them writing code. Families heal because help came without shame. Businesses thrive because fair rules let everyone play. That is the Minneapolis William Lively is building, one honest conversation, one open door, one fresh start at a time.
