I spent most of my career in the financial services industry. Back in the day, when I was working at one of the “big guys”, we were truly innovative. New products, new technologies, first to market on many fronts but then something changed. The big guys got big and when you get big, you get hung up in meetings, politics, reorgs, red tape, managing up, reforcasting budgets and, voila, all the big innovation gets pushed aside for making the numbers and keeping the beast steady as she goes.

When I took the leap into the land of startups I never imagined a financial services vertical for startups. I wondered what there was to innovate in a place so layered in compliance, risk, security and privacy hangups? Well, first I discovered Currensee, and was charmed and delighted by the innovation and technology in the space. Then, most recently, I came across Finovate.

For those of you who know TechCruch50 or DEMO, Finovate is the financial services equivalent. A Spring and Fall yearly event (NYC, Sept 29) that “showcases the best new financial and banking technology innovations from established leading companies and hot young startups.” The Finovate judges hand-pick the companies that get their 7 minutes of fame on stage to show (live demos only, no slideware) their latest and greatest to an audience filled with VCs, big financial services companies looking for ideas and other startups watching the competition.

After checking out several of the companies, I was pretty impressed. I loved Smarty Pig – simple, smart savings plans and accounts you can create with your family and friends. And, BrightScope – transparent information and ratings for your 401k plan. Then there’s my favorite, Bill Shrink – where Dave in Witchita found a cell phone provider that will save him $500 a year. Now, that’s smart.

The best news in reviewing all the Finovate finalists is that they are all in the same business – making life simpler and better. That’s where the big guys often miss the boat. When you connect to the real goal of the average investor it is, quite simply, to have a damn, good life. I am loving the fact that financial services startups are connecting to this reality, cooking up unique products and services and serving up a solid dose of innovation. We’re happy to share the financial services startup space with these exciting companies and putting Finovate on our horizon for 2010.

I remember my 9-to-5, big company, go in, go to a bunch of meetings, go home days. Sure, the pay, the benefits, the hours, the resources, the budget – all great. But, what was the joy in telling people I was employee #80, 685? Well, that is just kind of depressing and, if you look at it that way, how much of an impact can employee #80, 685 really make?

Now, let’s talk about being employee #10. That’s a number with a story.

What does it mean to be the 10th employee at a start-up? Well, I can tell you this – there are a whole bunch of things you love and a whole host of other things that you wish you had the budget, the people or the time to do. For example, at Currensee, I have the opportunity to build our community from the ground-floor. Doesn’t get much more exciting than that. At the same time, I’ll be helping out with a search for new office space, scripting a product tour and spending a good deal of time getting to know the website FAQs. Glamorous? Not so much but it must be done. Then there’s the stuff that employee #80,685 would probably never have to worry about – things like installing print drivers, walking to Staples for office supplies, filling out FedEx forms and all that other administrivia. Long past are the days when I had someone to do those things for me. Luckily, I grew up as an admin and can organize my schedule and make a damn good cup of coffee.

People ask me, “A start-up – isn’t that a ton of work? Don’t you work till, like, midnight every night? Why do you do it?” My answers are, yes, no-not every night and well, it’s now in my blood. As employee #11 at matchmine (R.I.P.) and as employee #10 at Currensee, I don’t think I could go back to being employee #80, 685. There’s something to be said for being a part of something from the beginning. Sure, you work your tail off and, let’s face it, they don’t always hit the jackpot. But, if you have a burning passion in your soul to make a difference and build something from nothing, there is no better place to be than in a start-up.

So, what are your start-up stories? And, if you are employee #80,685, how are you making a difference in your company?