

Wharton FinTech Podcast
Wharton Fintech Podcast
Connecting you with the people, companies, and ideas revolutionizing global financial services. Our guests are the leading fintech founders, investors, and thinkers in the world.
Subscribe and follow us for more FinTech content by searching @whartonfintech on your preferred platform!
Subscribe and follow us for more FinTech content by searching @whartonfintech on your preferred platform!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 4, 2022 • 31min
Joe Robinson, Co-Founder & CEO of Hummingbird - Fighting Financial Crime with better investigations
Andrew Janssens hosts Joe Robinson, Co-Founder and CEO of Hummingbird, a regtech helping banks and fintechs fight financial crimes with better communications and platforms to investigate Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) incidents.
In this episode you will hear about:
- How Joe came to found Hummingbird after experiences at Square and Circle
- How fintechs can stay ahead of the newest forms of financial crime
- How banks and fintechs are navigating the crypto universe and financial crime
- Building a distributed team and what's next for Hummingbird
About Joe Robinson
Joe Robinson is the co-Founder and CEO of Hummingbird. He started his career in product management within FinTech and has held roles including VP of Risk and Data Science at Circle, and Senior Product Lead at Square.
About Hummingbird
Hummingbird is a platform that enables fintechs and financial institutions to conduct their investigations into potential financial crime.
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Sep 29, 2022 • 29min
Ben Verschuere, Co-Founder & CIO of Treasure Financial - Transforming business cash into revenue
Tarang Gupta has a conversation with Ben Verschuere, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Treasure Financial, a cash management platform designed to help businesses transform idle cash into revenue.
In this episode you will hear about:
- What motivated Ben to launch a fintech startup
- How good treasury management can help companies become more profitable
- Why banks are disincentivized to offer attractive yields on deposits
- His opinion on the next revolution in banking
About Ben Verschuere
Ben has more than 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, starting his career with Morgan Stanley followed by 10 years at Peter Thiel’s hedge fund and family office, after which he co-founded Treasure. Ben earned a BS in Economics and a MS in Finance from UCL(Belgium), a MS in Statistics from the University of Chicago and was a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto.
About Treasure Financial
Founded in 2018, Treasure is a platform offering treasury as a service. With the Treasure Reserve account businesses can allocate funds between Treasure Cash and Treasure High Yield based on the cashflow needs, earning up to 100x more revenue on idle cash and turning their finance department into a revenue generator.
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Tarang’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/taranggupta100

Aug 30, 2022 • 36min
Lizzie Chapman, Co-Founder & CEO of ZestMoney - New Age Lending in India
Tarang Gupta has a conversation with Lizzie Chapman, Co-Founder & CEO of ZestMoney, India’s largest EMI financing and Buy Now, Pay Later Network.
In this episode you will hear about:
- What fascinates Lizzie about the Indian fintech industry
- Her experiences as a female entrepreneur
- Her outlook on the future of the global buy now, pay later industry
- Why Lizzie is excited about the Global Fintech Fest 2022
And much more!
About Lizzie Chapman
Lizzie started her career as an equity research analyst with Goldman Sachs in London. After a 5-year stint at Goldman Sachs, she moved to the buy-side as an investor at Wellcome Trust. In 2011, she moved from UK to India to spearhead operations for digital lender Wonga and in 2014, she led the launch of ‘Digibank’, India’s first mobile-app-only bank. She was recognized as among the Top 100 women in fintech globally by the Fintech magazine.
About ZestMoney
Founded in 2015, ZestMoney is India’s largest and fastest-growing Digital EMI/Checkout Finance platform. ZestMoney is deeply integrated with large merchants in India including Amazon and Flipkart, and brands like Apple and Reliance Digital; increasing the affordability of their products and helping them facilitate frictionless sales. The company has built a platform that integrates mobile technology, digital banking, and AI, enabling people to get a digital credit line within seconds. ZestMoney’s technology and work to make affordable finance accessible led to their selection as a 2020 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum.
This episode is brought to you in collaboration with the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2022. To attend the festival please visit https://globalfintechfest.com/
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Aug 25, 2022 • 29min
Nelson Chu, Founder and CEO of Percent - Powering the Future of Private Markets
Tarang Gupta has a conversation with Nelson Chu, Founder and CEO of Percent, a disruptor unlocking exclusive access to private credit investments for accredited investors.
In this episode you will hear about:
- What inspired Nelson to launch Percent
- How Percent manages risk-return for investors
- Credit default swaps for the private market
- Importance of culture in building a thriving organization
And much more!
About Nelson Chu
Nelson is a serial entrepreneur with years of experience at Bank of America and BlackRock. Prior to Percent, Nelson founded a strategy consulting firm helping companies build products and raise capital for growth, creating over $1B in equity value. He also serves as an advisor to an ultra-high-net-worth family office and is an angel investor with investments in BlockFi, Cadre, Clover Health, and Tala.
About Percent
Founded in 2018, Percent leverages proprietary technologies, integrations, and data to bring first-of-its-kind transparency and efficiency to lenders and credit transactions. Percent's innovative ecosystem enables lenders to raise the debt capital at a low cost through dynamic market pricing and standardized terms. To date, its platforms have powered more than $600 million in transaction volume.
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Tarang’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/taranggupta100

Jul 13, 2022 • 39min
Steffen Pauls, Founder and CEO of Moonfare - Democratizing Private Equity
Tarang Gupta sits down with Steffen Pauls, Founder and CEO of Moonfare. Moonfare is a platform that is democratizing Private Equity, an asset class traditionally accessible to a select few individuals and organizations, by lowering investment minimums, conducting due diligence on funds, and eliminating barriers to entry for retail investors.
In this episode you will hear about:
- The inspiration behind starting Moonfare
- Evolution of the global private equity market
- Strategically approaching international expansion
And much more!
About Dr. Steffen Pauls
Dr. Pauls began his career at the Boston Consulting Group, where he led project teams covering strategic and operational projects at publicly listed European companies. He brought his experience as a consultant to KKR, where as a managing director he was responsible for the German market. Dr. Pauls also holds advanced degrees from the University of Trier, Harvard University, and the University of Mannheim.
About Moonfare
Moonfare is a platform that is revolutionizing private markets investing. Moonfare recently ranked as one of LinkedIn’s top 10 startups in Germany. For more information please visit www.moonfare.com
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Tarang’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/taranggupta100

Jul 6, 2022 • 35min
Victor Fimbres, Co-Founder & CTO of Forage - Building the Stripe for Government Benefits
Gabriela Ariana Campoverde sits down with Victor Fimbres, Co-Founder and CTO of Forage, a third-party payments processor which helps grocers accept Electronic Benefit Transfers, or EBT, online. Forage is on a mission to create a world where all families with any budget can afford a meal.
Today over 42 million people receive EBT benefits or food stamps. This is government support to pay for groceries. 14% of all grocery spend is paid with EBT, but only 5% of this was online. When Forage first started there were less than 20 merchants who could process EBT online. Today there are close to 100 merchants — and Forage is just getting started.
In this episode you will learn all about how Forage was started during the COVID-19 pandemic when going to a grocery store was impractical, specifically in food deserts across the country. You will also learn about the obstacles Forage overcame to build its current API, how they successfully completed the Y-Combinator accelerator last summer, and all about Victor’s and his Co-Founder Justin’s passion for making technology accessible to those who need it the most.
About Victor Fimbres
Victor Fimbres is the Co-Founder and CTO of Forage. Prior to founding Forage, he was a Software Lead at TreeStack and ROBO 3D. He is a graduate of Northwestern University where he studied Psychology and Environmental Policy & Culture.
About Forage
Forage is a third-party payment processor (TPP) and a pin provider that authenticates and processes EBT recipients and transactions. For additional information on Forage, please visit joinforage.com.
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Gabriela’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gcampoverde

Jul 5, 2022 • 23min
Anat Guetta, Chairwoman, Israel Securities Authority (ISA) - Fintech Regulations in Israel
Tarang Gupta has a conversation with Anat Guetta, Chairwoman of the Israel Securities Authority. The Israel Securities Authority (ISA) is the national securities regulator of Israel. Established by law in 1968, which defines the ISA's role "to protect the interests of the public investing in securities." ISA is active in two main areas: protecting investors; developing the regulatory infrastructure, tools and products for an advanced, diverse, competitive and innovative public capital market.
In this episode you will hear about:
-What makes Israel such an innovative country
-Use and adoption of blockchain in capital markets
-Open banking regulations in Europe and Israel
And much more!
About Anat Guetta
Anat Guetta is the Chairwoman of the Israel Securities Authority. Anat is a serial entrepreneur who started her career in the banking industry, managing credit risk products and project finance. She then founded and led Arko Holdings; a public company listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Anat is also the co-founder of Entropy Financial Research Services where she served as the CEO and led the development of a corporate governance index, and a debt management policy before joining the ISA.
About Israel Securities Authority
The Israel Securities Authority (ISA) is the national securities regulator of Israel. ISA currently oversees a broad array of activities in the capital market, including the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. For additional information on ISA, please visit www.isa.gov.il/
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Jun 27, 2022 • 37min
Steve Fredette, President, Co-Founder of Toast - Helping Restaurants Delight Their Guests
Gabriela Ariana Campoverde sits down with Steve Fredette, President, Co-founder and a Director of Toast. Toast is an all-in-one point-of-sale and restaurant management platform for businesses in the food service and hospitality space. Since its inception in 2011 it has helped clients delight their guests, do what they love and thrive.
In this episode you will hear about:
- Toast’s humble beginnings
- What new features better served Toast clients during the pandemic
- What innovation Steve is excited about for the restaurant industry
- All about Toast’s culture
- And much more!
About Steve Fredette
Steve Fredette is President, Co-founder and a Director of Toast, where he leads product and innovation initiatives. Prior to Toast, he worked on mobile app development before the iPhone came out, creating the first Flickr and Shoebuy.com apps. At Endeca, now Oracle, he co-founded their mobile commerce business, building the product team and driving sales, marketing, and services to over $10 million in revenue in two years. He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he studied Chemistry. His favorite toast is Marble Rye.
About Toast
Toast is an all-in-one point-of-sale and restaurant management platform for businesses in the food service and hospitality space. For additional information on Toast, please visit pos.toasttab.com.
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Gabriela’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gcampoverde

May 18, 2022 • 43min
Startup Special! Wharton's Top Fintech Startups with Gaby Campoverde, John Garner, and Nate Soffio
In today's special episode, Anirudh Singh sits down with classmates and fintech founders Gaby Campoverde, John Garner, and Nate Soffio. They discuss their rising startups, Miren, Card Curator, and Portabl, as well as the impact the Wharton MBA has had on their respective companies.
Gaby Campoverde:
Gabriela Ariana Campoverde is CEO and Founder of Miren. She is currently an MBA candidate at The Wharton School and Masters in Computer and Information Technology at Penn Engineering. Prior to her graduate studies she worked at a WPP agency, American Express and Goldman Sachs. She is passionate about building products for working-class, immigrant communities across the US and is a proud New Yorker. She studied Art History and Linguistics at Swarthmore College.
Website: https://www.getmiren.com/
John Garner:
John Garner is the CEO and co-founder of Card Curator, a credit card rewards optimization app. Prior to starting Card Curator, John spent 5+ years as a volatility trader for Merrill Lynch, and left his Wall Street job to follow his real passion: credit card rewards and travel. John went on to invent the Card Curator algorithm called CardArb, which nets its users 5–10% or more in rewards on their daily card spending. He's an expert in all things related to credit cards and free travel, and loves helping others crack the code in the points and miles game with the Card Curator app. John holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Psychology from Dartmouth College, and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Website: https://www.cardcurator.com/
Nate Soffio:
Nate is in the home stretch of his MBA at Wharton, where he serves as Co-President of Wharton Fintech. He spent 10 years building and launching identity-focused products at startups in the US and in the UK/ EU, specializing in the know-your-customer (KYC) landscape and privacy-preserving adtech. Right before Wharton, he lead KYC at Arachnys, a QED portfolio company, through its acquisition in 2020. In his spare time, he's a long-distance cyclist and budding rock climber.
Website: https://getportabl.com/
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May 9, 2022 • 34min
Brad Bernstein, Managing Partner at FTV Capital - Private Equity in Fintech
Anirudh Singh sits down with Brad Bernstein, Managing Partner at FTV Capital. Brad has been a growth equity investor at FTV Capital for over 18 years, leading investments in enterprise technology & services and financial services. In today's episode, they discuss what drives FTV Capital's success, investments in Enfusion, Plate IQ, Paddle, LoanPro and EBANX, and much more!
Brad Bernstein:
Brad is managing partner and has been a growth equity investor at FTV Capital for over 18 years, leading investments in enterprise technology & services and financial services. Brad has over 25 years of private equity experience. Prior to FTV, Brad was a partner at Oak Hill Capital Management and its predecessors where he managed the business and financial services group. He began his private equity career with Patricof & Company Ventures and started his professional career in the investment banking division of Merrill Lynch in New York.
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