Wharton Fintech Podcast

In this episode, Miguel Armaza interviews Steve Pretre, Partner at World Innovation Labs, a US and Japan-based venture capital fund with investors from governments and corporations in Japan and throughout Asia. Steve is also a fintech veteran with particular expertise in the insurance space, having spent several years at RMS and Asurion as an operator and then co-founding Metromile, one of the very first insurtech innovators that leveraged technology to build a better and cheaper consumer product. Steve is an MBA graduate from the Wharton School and holds two bachelor degrees from Stanford University. Steve Pretre Steve Pretre is a veteran of multiple successful startups with deep operating experience across product development, marketing, and strategic planning. In his current role as Partner at World Innovation Lab, Steve works with leading startups in the fintech and insurtech space, including Ladder, PeerStreet, and Unqork. Prior to joining World Innovation Lab, Steve was the co-founder and CEO of Me

In our latest episode of the Wharton Fintech Podcast, Anchit Gupta (WG’21) is joined by Rajan Bajaj, Co-Founder and CEO of Slice. Slice is a fintech startup that offers payment and credit solutions for people between the ages of 18 and 29. Slice is one of India's top card issuers and generated net profits within four years of its inception. Rajan graduated from IIT Kharagpur in India and built products for Flipkart Marketplace in its hatching phase. Rajan's unit was the fastest-growing business unit at the company during his tenure. Afterward, Rajan founded Mesh, a furniture rental startup. In this interview, Rajan shares: - His journey as an entrepreneur and motivations for launching Slice - The financial habits of India’s Gen-Z - How Slice compares to other card issuers and financial institutions - The future of digital payments in India and COVID's impact - Slice’s business model and the challenges of fraud, underwriting risk, etc. in India

Miguel Armaza interviews Edith Yeung and Chris McCann, General partners of Race Capital, a Venture Capital fund looking for market-transforming companies. Edith is also an author and creator of the China Internet Report, an annual report on China technology trends as well as the writer of Silicon.news – a weekly briefing on Silicon Valley news. Chris is an entrepreneur turned investor who previously founded and led the community program at Greylock Partners. In this interview, we talked about their background, investing strategy, and we even explore the Chinese fintech ecosystem.

In this podcast, Miguel Armaza sits down with Sandy Kemper, Founder & CEO of C2FO, the world’s largest platform for working capital financing. C2FO serves over a million businesses representing over 10 trillion dollars in annual sales across more than 180 countries and their platform connects over 100 billion dollars of daily volume. Truly a global financial powerhouse! C2FO is a Series G company and has raised hundreds of millions of dollars from elite investors like Temasek, Union Square Ventures, Softbank, Allianz, Citi Ventures, Tiger Global and many more. Sandy has had a long and successful career in banking, technology, fintech, and asset management and he even told us how he turned his art collecting passion into a profitable business. Alexander “Sandy” C. Kemper Sandy is the founder of C2FO and serves as Chairman of the Board and CEO. In addition, he is Chairman of the Board of The Collectors Fund, a private equity fund focused on alternative asset classes. Prior to founding The Collectors Fund an

In this episode, Miguel Armaza sits down with Sheel Mohnot, Co-Founder of Better Tomorrow, a $70 million venture capital fund that invests in seed-stage Fintech companies around the world. His own startup experience includes 2 successful FinTech exits – a payments company and a high-stakes auction firm, and he is also a General Partner of the 500 Fintech fund. He formerly worked as a financial services consultant at BCG and started his FinTech career at Kiva, a non-profit p2p lender. In this interview, we explore Sheel’s background, his journey as a fintech operator and entrepreneur, the transition from Angel Investor to Venture Capitalist, and his approach to evaluating seed-stage fintech investing opportunities.

It's no secret that FinTech has boomed during COVID as workers, companies, and everyday people were forced to digitize their lives. But by how much is FinTech changing people's lives, and are they happy with this transition? In today's episode, Ryan Zauk sits down with Plaid's John Pitts to discuss the company's inaugural report with the Harris Poll analyzing FinTech in the wake of COVID (and plenty of other topics). Plaid and the Harris Poll surveyed the nation to understand consumer behavior changes and preferences, and whether they will last through this COVID crisis. Report Link: https://plaid.com/the-fintech-effect-2020-consumer-report/ Though Plaid needs no introduction, it is a data transfer network that powers Fintech and digital finance products by enabling applications to connect with users' bank accounts. Prior to Plaid, John was one of the first hires at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Before the CFPB, he was an associate at Orrick, Herrington, and Sutcliffe. John is a graduate of UP

In this episode, Miguel Armaza interviews Stefan Möller, Co-Founder and CEO of Klar, a Mexican challenger bank working to democratize debit and credit in Mexico. Klar is making credit accessible to all Mexicans, including those with no credit history. It helps people build credit by looking at how and where they spend their money, without having to rely on obsolete and traditional credit scores. Klar’s business has experienced rapid growth having issued over 25,000 credit lines amongst its 200,000 customers in less than 12 months and their growth has tripled during the pandemic. Klar has raised almost $73 million in debt and equity from some of the most prestigious funds in the industry, including Prosus Ventures, the World Bank’s IFC, Quona, Mouro Capital, aCrew, FJ Labs, and Gilgamesh Ventures*. Stefan Möller Stefan Möller is the Co-Founder and CEO of Klar, a Mexican challenger bank working to democratize debit and credit in Mexico. Before starting Klar, Stefan was a Venture Director at Nova Founders C

Miguel Armaza sits down with Irene Arias Hofman, CEO of IDB Lab, the innovation laboratory of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, the leading source of development finance for Latin America and the Caribbean. The purpose of IDB Lab is to drive innovation for inclusion by supporting early-stage entrepreneurial solutions capable of transforming the lives of vulnerable populations. Previously, Irene worked for 20 years at the IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, where she managed the Financial Institutions Group and also the LAC region with its 16-billion- dollar portfolio. Her focus has been on innovation and technology, venture capital, and organizational development.

In our latest episode, Hinal Shah (WG’20) is joined by Michael Sidgmore, a Partner at Broadhaven Ventures. Broadhaven is a venture capital firm focused on early-stage investment opportunities at the intersection of financial services and technology. Broadhaven Ventures is a VC fund affiliated with Broadhaven Capital Partners, an independent fintech investment bank that has done over $50 billion in transaction volume. Broadhaven Ventures has investments in companies like Liveoak (acquired by DocuSign), Credijusto, Kyash, MoneyLion, Starship, BioCatch, Harvest Wealth, Kovi, and Nowports. Michael Sidgmore is also a Venture Partner at Goodwater Capital, a consumer tech VC that has invested in fintech companies including Toss, Monzo, Stash, Kyash, and Tide, amongst others. Prior to Broadhaven, Michael was an operator at two different fintech startups, where he helped build their sales teams. He was employee #8 at iCapital Network and was the first sales hire at Mosaic. Michael started his career on Goldman Sach

In this episode, Miguel Armaza sits down with Anu Shultes, CEO of LendUp, a mission-driven fintech company focused on expanding access to credit and creating pathways to better financial health. A 25-year veteran of the financial services industry, Anu has a personal mission to lift people out of poverty and infuses her work with her passion for financial inclusion. Anu’s career spans a broad spectrum of roles across subprime credit cards, subprime loans, and prepaid cards. Her significant experience building efficient operational processes and teams to support them has led her to become one of the few female CEOs in fintech. LendUp is backed by a long list of top VCs, including QED, PayPal Ventures, Google Ventures, Y-Combinator, Thomvest, Radicle, Data Collective, Susa Ventures, and many more!

In today’s episode of the Wharton FinTech Podcast, Ryan Zauk sits down with Rob Underwood, Chief Development Officer of FINOS. FINOS, short for the FinTech Open Source Foundation, is a global community creating open-source solutions for financial services. As a community of people, companies, and events, FINOS’s purpose is to accelerate collaboration and innovation in financial services through the adoption of open-source software, standards, and best practices. Their 30+ member organizations include Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Github, Citi, Symphony, and many more. They have over 300 contributors developing over 40 open-source projects. Before FINOS, Rob served as CTO at Relay Graduate School of Education; was Executive Director of TeachCS; founded CodeBrooklyn; and later, after starting his own consulting firm, TTM Advisors, advised and consulted for edtech startups such as Codesters. Before these roles, Rob was a senior manager at Deloitte Consulting, LLP and KPMG Consulting/BearingPoint. Earlier in

In this episode, Miguel Armaza sits down with Greg Krasnov , Founder & CEO of tonik, a digital bank in the Philippines with a mission to revolutionize the way money works in Southeast Asia. Tonik is backed by major industry investors, including Sequoia Capital, Point72 Ventures, Insignia Ventures, and Credence Partners. Greg is a serial entrepreneur at heart and launched his first business at the age of 18. Prior to starting tonik, he invested in, co-founded and chaired four other successful fintech startups through his Singapore-based fintech venture builder called FORUM. Greg is also a talented musician and, as a bonus for our listeners, we have included some of his work at the end of the interview. Greg Krasnov Greg is the Founder & CEO of tonik (www.tonikbank.com), the first digital neobank in the Philippines, and one of the few neobanks globally that is operating on the basis of its own bank license. tonik is backed by major international Venture Capital investors, including Sequoia Capital, Point72

In this episode, Miguel Armaza sits down with Sean Collins and Bill McNichols, Co-Founders of Goldfinch Partners, a Private Equity firm focused on enterprise technology companies that power digital transformation, with a focus on marketing, Commerce, Payments, FinTech, Supply Chain, and Human Capital. Prior to Goldfinch, Sean was Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of BCG Digital Ventures, where he oversaw investments globally into 75+ ventures and Bill was the Senior Vice President of Corporate and Business Development at Starbucks where he led over 40 transactions including more than $11 billion of acquisitions, divestitures and investments. Sean Collins Sean has over 20 years of experience investing, advising, operating, and building companies focused on digital transformation. Prior to Goldfinch, Sean was Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of BCG Digital Ventures, where he oversaw investments globally into 75+ ventures. Prior to BCG DV, he was SVP of E-commerce, Marketing, and Strategy at t

In this episode, Miguel Armaza sits down with Raj Ganguly, Co-founder and Managing Partner at B Capital Group, a global growth equity firm with $1.5 billion in assets under management, focused on investing in B2B startups across four technology-enabled verticals, including Fintech and Insuretech. In this interview, we talked about the story behind B Capital, their investing approach, his outlook on fintech around the world, the road ahead, and the challenges and opportunities of fundraising and investing over zoom. Raj Ganguly Raj Ganguly is a co-founder and Managing Partner at B Capital Group. He currently serves on the boards of Winmore, Journera, Atomwise, and Evidation Health. In addition, Raj is a Senior Advisor to the Boston Consulting Group. Previously, Raj was a Managing Partner of Velos Partners, a global venture growth firm with offices in Los Angeles, Singapore, and London. Before his career in venture capital, Raj spent six years at Bain Capital, conducting operational due diligence and drivi

In our latest episode of the Wharton Fintech Podcast, Anchit Gupta (WG’21) is joined by Elliott Limb, Chief Customer Officer of Mambu. Founded in 2011, Mambu is a cloud-native software-as-a-service provider powering banking through open API-enabled architectures. Mambu helps financial institutions of all sizes to rapidly design, launch, service, and scale their banking and lending portfolios. Mambu has been featured in the CBInsights list of 250 world’s most promising fintech companies. Prior to Mambu, Elliott held several senior positions in the banking and Fintech industry. He has been named one of the most influential people in fintech as an entrepreneur, board member, and investor across multiple sectors. At Mambu, Elliott is focused on a customer-centric approach to doing business, growing revenue, and helping banks build flexible and scalable solutions. In this interview, Elliott shares: - His background and journey to Mambu - The history of Mambu and its service offerings - How Mambu helps financ

In this episode, Miguel Armaza sits down with Erika Lucas, Co-Founder of StitchCrew and VEST. StitchCrew, in partnership with the NBA team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, runs an accelerator program to connect entrepreneurs with the capital, resources and networks they need to launch and scale businesses. VEST is a curated network of highly influential women across business and civic sectors working together to dismantle the barriers precluding more women from reaching positions of power and influence. Prior to launching her own venture, Erika was a Private Equity Partner and led the Global Division at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. She serves on multiple private and public boards, including the board of directors of ARVEST Bank.

In this podcast, Miguel Armaza is joined by David Green, Chief Product Officer at Earnest, where he oversees Product Management, Product Design, User Research, Data, and Analytics. Earnest is a company tackling the $1.6 trillion student debt balance in the US by helping graduates take control of their financial wellness and empower them with the capital they need to live better lives. Earnest has raised over $120 million from investors including Maveron, Accomplice, New York Life Insurance, and many more. Prior to his current role, David founded Poplar Finance, which sought to eliminate the need for large security deposits in residential rentals. He received his MBA from The Wharton School and a B.A. from George Washington University. David Green David Green is an accomplished operator and Chief Product Officer at Earnest where he oversees Product Management, Product Design, User Research, Data, and Analytics. Known for constantly seeking out new challenges and driving better outcomes by continuously impr

Miguel Armaza is sits down with Nima Ghamsari, CEO and Co-Founder of Blend, a company transforming the $40+ trillion consumer lending industry, by delivering speed and efficiency to mortgage lenders to navigate a complex industry. Blend is a newly minted unicorn that has raised almost $400 million in equity from some of the top VCs in the industry, including Canapi Ventures. Temasek, General Atlantic, 8VC, Greylock, Peter Thiel, and many more! Prior to Blend, Nima was an early employee at Palantir Technologies, where he co-founded its commercial group focused on major data challenges for the financial sector. Nima is also a former semi-professional Poker player and talked to us about some of the parallels between entrepreneurship and the game of Poker. Nima Ghamsari Nima Ghamsari is the CEO and co-founder of Blend, a Silicon Valley technology company transforming the $40+ trillion consumer lending industry. Blend’s cloud-based technology, for mortgages and consumer banking, delivers speed and efficiency

Miguel Armaza interviews Brian Barnes, Founder and CEO of M1 Finance, a money management platform that combines investing, borrowing, and banking into a single app. Brian launched M1 in 2015 after he felt frustrated with the tools available to manage his own money and has since grown the company into a platform that manages more than $2 billion dollars on behalf of 200k users with 75 employees. M1 has also raised over $55 million dollars in equity from backers including Clocktower Technology Ventures, Left Lane Capital, Chicago Ventures, and many more. Brian Barnes Brian Barnes is the Founder and CEO of M1 Finance. He started M1 in mid-2015 after frustrations with the tools available to manage his own money and has grown the company from an idea to a platform that manages more than $2B. Prior to M1, Brian worked as an equity researcher at a hedge fund and as a management consultant. He has a BA in Economics from Stanford University. M1 Finance M1 Finance is a money management platform the combines the

Tomi Davies. A systems Analyst turned Tech Strategy Advisor, Public Speaker and Angel Investor, Tomi Davies is Collaborator-in-Chief at TechnoVision, co-founder of the Lagos Angel Network and President of the African Business Angel Network. He has been described by Techcrunch as Africa’s Top Angel investor. As a thought leader with increasing knowledge gained from nurturing entrepreneurs in a growing portfolio of tech-enabled early-stage business ventures originating from Africa, Tomi’s personal mission is “to help drive Africa’s development by supporting young entrepreneurs using innovation and technology to create social impact and economic value.”