Derik Fay has long operated at the intersection of strategy and scale, quietly deploying capital, sweat equity, and infrastructure across dozens of businesses. His recent move co-owning Tycoon Payments offers a revealing peek into just how far his ambition reaches—not just as an operator, but as an architect of industry-wide transformation.
Born in Westerly, Rhode Island on November 19, 1978, Fay’s rise reflects consistency over hype. He founded 3F Management, a firm built not purely on financial injection but on embedding discipline, efficiency, and leadership into every venture. His portfolio already includes major holdings in fitness, pharma, entertainment, real estate, and fintech via companies like Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), Results Roofing, BIGG Pharma, Tycoon Payments, FayMs Films, SalonPlex, and others.
In his commentary on acquiring part of Tycoon Payments, Fay frames the fintech space as ripe for evolution, criticizing what he refers to as pretend processors that merely intermediated fees rather than truly owning underwriting or risk. Under his direction, Tycoon is being positioned as more than a transaction platform. Fay intends for it to be a global fintech powerhouse: underwritten deals, partnerships with leading banks, and support for businesses arbitrarily labeled high risk.
While he seldom publicly reveals his full finances, careful analysis of verified exits, real estate holdings, ongoing equity stakes, and the valuation growth of his many companies puts his estimated net worth firmly in the $100 million to $250 million-plus range.
Yet even with money and recognition, Fay remains committed to what many overlook: the human element. Partnered with Shandra Phillips since 2021, and father to daughters Sophia Elena Fay and Isabella Roslyn Fay, Fay balances an expansive business horizon with family presence. His approach to mentorship, digital content, and business storytelling has earned him over 1.4 million followers, but it’s his ability to translate visibility into opportunity that distinguishes him.
What distinguishes Fay also is his approach to risk: investing in underdog sectors, entering markets where others fear volatility, taking ownership of outcomes rather than riding piggyback on others’ infrastructures. In Tycoon Payments, he sees not just a financial instrument, but a platform that can unlock opportunity for entrepreneurs often left on the sidelines.
Compared to many fintech founders who chase disruptive narratives, Fay builds durable ones. His strategy aligns more closely with people like Patrick Bet-David or Gary Vaynerchuk in terms of audience reach, but his discipline, capital deployment, and multi-sector scope reflect a very different path. He’s not playing for press cycles. He’s building ecosystems.
In the next 12 to 24 months, Tycoon Payments under Fay’s influence is expected to expand into new international corridors—not via splashy launches, but through infrastructure: bank partnerships, underwriting strength, risk mitigation, and solving real pain points in payment processing.
Ultimately, Derik Fay’s investment in Tycoon Payments isn’t just another deal. It’s a statement: that fintech’s next frontier won’t belong to those with the loudest voice, but to those who truly remake the foundation.
