Donald Raleigh: Event Speaker
Evolve Payment
Over 24 years of company leadership translating payment technology and security into clarity for entrepreneurs and business owners.
FinTech & PCI · Systems Development · Banking Partnerships
Why Donald
Donald Raleigh is President of Evolve Payment and CTO of Evolve Systems, companies he co-founded that have grown into successful operations serving businesses across the country. Before that, he served nearly eight years on active duty in the U.S. Army, including a posting as a Military Intelligence linguist on the former East German border and time with the Third U.S. Infantry’s Honor Guard at Arlington National Cemetery. He also served as an elected official in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
That combination of military discipline, public service, and decades of business leadership shapes how Donald approaches the payment ecosystem. Where other speakers focus on how customers use a payment platform, Donald focuses on how it gets built and secured, so business owners can stop thinking about it and get back to running their company.
Donald is also a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and Trainer, and a certified NRA and USCCA instructor who has trained roughly 15,000 students. Audiences leave his sessions with a clearer sense of what questions to ask their technology and payment partners, and what a secure platform actually requires behind the scenes.
Speaking Topics
FinTech & PCI Security: The technology behind the transaction
A look at the payment ecosystem from the build side: how secure platforms are designed, implemented, and maintained so business owners never have to worry. Donald draws on decades of running a technology company to explain what goes into a platform that just works, and why that reliability is the result of deliberate engineering, not luck.
Key takeaway: A platform you don’t have to think about is the goal, and that takes real expertise to build.
Development vs. Integration: Choosing the right tool for growth
Many business needs can be solved with existing tools, like a WordPress plugin, but some require custom development, especially when intellectual property is on the line. Donald has served as a subject matter expert in patent depositions and shares how to tell the difference between a problem you can solve off the shelf and one that requires building from scratch.
Key takeaway: Know whether you need a plugin or a platform. The difference protects both your IP and your budget.
Banking Partnerships & Business Capitalization What your banker wants you to know
Business bankers think in terms of deposits, lending capacity, and risk, and they evaluate entrepreneurs accordingly. Donald breaks down how factoring, stress tests, and audit covenants work, and how instruments like payroll, insurance, and PCI-compliant payment processing fit into the picture a banker is building of your business.
Key takeaway: Understanding how your banker thinks helps you build a business that’s built to last.
Don’s Past Events & Associations
Formats & Availability
Preferred formats: Podcasts · Panels · Workshops
Available for: In-person and travel engagements
Book Donald for Your Next Event
Whether you’re organizing a fintech summit, a banking conference, or an entrepreneur-focused event, Donald brings a rare combination of military discipline, public service, and 24 years of business leadership to the stage.