Scaling with Purpose: An Interview with Sergio, Leading Business Development at UpGate

We’re back with our team interviews, and now it’s Sergio’s time!
If you’ve been attending industry conferences, chances are you’ve seen him around. Sergio is always out there representing UpGate with incredible energy, making sure our name is heard across the globe.

So, we thought it was time to have a conversation with him and discuss some professional and personal topics. Without further introduction, let’s go to the questions:

1. What’s your current focus at UpGate and how does your team contribute to our global growth?

My focus is on sales and growing the team. We have colleagues from diverse backgrounds (bizdev, CSM, marketing, leadgeneration, partnership) that are creating something interesting together. Partnership team creates product itinerary for sales to sell, lead generation team brings qualified leads, marketing helps with branding so that it is easier to close leads, CSM is responsible for customer retention.

2. What trends are you seeing in the payments industry that business development teams should be paying attention to?

With the growth of AI, my spam box is full of lead generation agencies promising to bring a mountain of qualified leads to close, I think that reflects some trends. Also, it got a bit harder placing subscription powered Merchants with some acquirers due to VAMP.

3. How do you approach building long-term relationships with clients and partners in such a competitive space?

Clients do not just buy a product, they buy a person in the first place. Honesty and transparency win overpromising in the long term. I always try to showcase our team and values to a perspective Merchants/Partners.

Sergio Peshkov - Head of Business Development

4. Can you walk us through a challenge you’ve faced in your role and how you overcame it?

The current challenge is not to find more leads, but to grow a team fast enough to process them. I am shifting my mind set from closing deals to hiring-firing and building internal processes to support the growth of the company.

5. What makes UpGate stand out from other players in the payment orchestration space, in your opinion?

We often say that UpGate is an iPhone in the realm of payment orchestration. Nice and intuitive to use, but packed with features at the same time. We are a boutique solution with an attention to detail and desire to grow/adapt together with the needs of our Clients.

6. What do you look for when hiring or mentoring a Business Development Manager?

Motivated individuals that can learn fast without micro-managing. People with energy to survive long travelling + conferences + all after conference networking activities without losing focus. Professionals that are structured enough to actually pursue clients in a structured way and close those deals.

7. How do you foster collaboration between business development and other departments, like product or marketing?

The sales team is responsible for shaping the product by identifying customer needs and bringing those forward to the product team to create a solution. Likewise, close co-operation between sales and marketing is required to ensure a stable flow of leads and that the content reflects customer pain points and relevant solutions.

UpGate - TES Prague 2025

8. What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you outside of work?

I am learning to play guitarlele (hybrid of guitar and ukulele), I also want to record a few songs in Chinese.

9. What motivates you every day, both professionally and personally?

Professionally I enjoy the idea of having an uncapped revenue in a sales job. Personally I am a fan of learning and going through constant transformations, sometimes it is painful but I generally like it. The last 2 years of my life were jam packed with experience and growth.

10. If you could have dinner with any entrepreneur or business leader (living or historical) who would it be and why?

Patrick Collison (Co-founder & CEO of Stripe)

Why him:
He’s arguably the most intellectually curious and forward-thinking leader in payments. Patrick built Stripe around developer experience and elegant infrastructure, which transformed what used to be a messy, bank-driven space into something product-led and global.

11. What do you enjoy doing in your free time, any hobbies or passions that help you recharge outside of work?

I am hungry for life therefore I am a man of many hobbies. Surfing and hiking are good ways to connect with nature, volleyball and paddle are great for social activity. Percussion, singing and writing music are amazing for expressing your inner creativity. 

At UpGate, we love sharing how our team works — but also getting to know a bit more about the people behind the roles. After all, behind every successful company, there are passionate individuals with stories, ideas, and experiences worth highlighting.

If you ever see Sergio around, don’t miss the chance to have a chat, whether it’s about payments or anything else.

Book a demo to discover how UpGate can power your global payment strategy.

Check more interviews with our team:

• From Code to Orchestration: Leading Dev at UpGate, Meet Our Head of Development

• Behind the Scenes of UpGate’s Product: Smart Payments, Real Results