Wharton FinTech Podcast

Gabriela Ariana Campoverde sits down with Michelle Tran and Sasha Pilch, co-founders of NYC Fintech Women, an organization which promotes gender equality through diversity in the fintech community. Founded in 2017, NYC Fintech Women connects, promotes and empowers women in their professional advancement in the fintech industry. Today, they have over 7,000 members across startups, traditional finance and VCs. They host monthly events in collaboration with fintechs such as Adyen, Stash, and Plaid as well as institutional enterprises such as Deutsche Bank, Google, Shearman & Sterling, and Silicon Valley Bank. Over the past year, NYC Fintech Women expanded its reach by building an online platform to reach out to members nationwide with educational and networking opportunities. Most recently, they also launched Talk of Her Town, a podcast which features inspiring women in fintech. In this episode we discuss: - What motivated Michelle and Sasha to grow this network - NYC Fintech Women’s humble beginnings - Michelle and Sasha’s careers in fintech - Opinions on what’s hot and exciting in fintech today - What’s next for NYC Fintech Women - And much more! Michelle Tran Michelle Tran is a Co-Founder of NYC Fintech Women. When she is not managing NYC Fintech Women, Michelle is an advisor for Harness Wealth, a wealth tech platform for individuals with complex financial situations to gain access to a curated network of industry-leading financial advisors, CPA, and trust & estate attorneys. She is also a founding member of Dreamers // Doers, a highly curated, female-focused collaboration and co-mentorship community, consisting of an ever-growing powerful network of entrepreneurs, investors, and advisors. She is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz where she studied Politics and Economics. She also holds a Certificate of International Business from the University of Cambridge. Michelle currently resides in San Francisco. To follow her on Twitter visit twitter.com/fintechmichelle. Sasha Pilch Sasha Pilch is a Co-Founder of NYC Fintech Women. Aside from managing NYC Fintech Women, Sasha is the Sales Lead at Pinwheel, a NYC VC-backed startup company, building the infrastructure that will power the future of finance. She has worked in Sales in multiple start-up companies, including Ramp, Plaid, and Quovo. Sasha also has international work experience, having worked in the United Kingdom and Australia in banks including Citi, Commonwealth Bank, and the Royal Bank of Scotland. She is a graduate of the University of Technology, Sydney where she studied Management and Marketing. Sasha currently resides in New York. To follow her on Twitter visit twitter.com/sashafintech. About NYC Fintech Women NYC Fintech Women connects, promotes and empowers women in their professional advancement in the fintech industry. For additional information on NYC Fintech Women, please visit nycfintechwomen.com | Twitter: twitter.com/nycfintechwomen For more FinTech insights, follow us below: Medium: medium.com/wharton-fintech WFT Twitter: twitter.com/whartonfintech Gabriela’s Twitter: twitter.com/byGabyC Gabriela’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gcampoverde

Anirudh Singh sits down with Phillip Klein, CEO and co-founder of FinLync. In this episode they discuss: - Phillips background in consulting and financial services - The transition towards becoming a founder - The corporate treasury renaissance - Fostering a strong culture and strong values in an international company - The flight of talent towards fintech companies And much more! Phillip Ashley Klein: Phillip Ashley Klein is the co-founder and CEO driving FinLync’s mission of bringing the ease, modernity, and elegance of consumer banking to corporate treasuries with ERP-native Apps and bank APIs that create a data-rich, real-time global infrastructure that empowers finance and treasury professionals. As the architect of the business, Phillip takes great care in ensuring that the talent and diversity within the company, extensive expertise in technology and finance, a laser focus on customer satisfaction, and a constant drive for innovation are the cornerstones of FinLync’s vision of creating solutions that empower today’s corporate treasurer. Prior to co-founding FinLync, Phillip led the digital banking practice at Deloitte Consulting where he was one of youngest practice leaders in recent history. He has deep expertise in advising Fortune 500 CEOs and C-Suite in aspects of digital and growth strategy, innovation and complex transformation For more FinTech insights, follow us below: Medium: medium.com/wharton-fintech LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/wharton-fintech-club/ WFT Twitter: twitter.com/whartonfintech Anirudh's Twitter: twitter.com/avsingh_24

Gabriela Ariana Campoverde sits down with Sameer Gulati, Chief Operating Officer of Plastiq, a fintech company that makes it easier for cardholders to earn credit card rewards, tap early-payment discounts, and use cash in the ways that make the most sense for their lives. For small businesses, Plastiq solves day-to-day payments problems for them and helps them get better access to cash flow. Today this fintech is advancing innovative payment solutions to more than 150 countries around the world. Founded in 2012, Plastiq has processed billions of dollars. It is backed by Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, and Alumni Ventures Group, among others. Sameer has an impressive career working with fintech companies through his time as COO at Plastiq and formerly at Lending Club and McKinsey & Company. In this episode we discuss: - How Plastiq addresses the working capital gap businesses often face - The importance of credit for Plastiq users - Insights which led to the company’s focus on small businesses - Sameer’s career from software engineering to consultant to COO - The company’s culture and GOAT values - And much more! Sameer Gulati Sameer Gulati is the Chief Operating Officer of Plastiq. Prior to joining Plastiq, Sameer served as Chief Operating Officer of Lending Club, a fintech company that provides a range of financial products and services through a technology-driven platform in the United States. It was the first peer-to-peer lender to register its offerings as securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the first to offer loan trading on a secondary market. Before joining the fintech world, Sameer was a partner at McKinsey & Company, where he became a leader in banking, payments and lending. Sameer started his career as a software engineer. He is a graduate of the Booth School of Business at The University of Chicago, where he earned his Masters in Business Administration and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, where he studied Chemical Engineering and Computer Science. Sameer has global experience in fintech companies. To follow him on Twitter visit twitter.com/thesameergulati. About Plastiq Plastiq allows business owners and savvy consumers to use their credit cards to pay for virtually anything, even their rent which would normally require a check. For additional information on Plastiq, please visit plastiq.com | Twitter: twitter.com/payplastiq For more FinTech insights, follow us below: Medium: medium.com/wharton-fintech WFT Twitter: twitter.com/whartonfintech Gabriela’s Twitter: twitter.com/byGabyC Gabriela’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gcampoverde

Anirudh Singh sits down with Ben Miller, CEO and co-founder of Fundrise. In this episode they discuss: - His career in real estate investing - Growing Fundrise into the 20th largest real estate investor in the world - Democratizing real estate investing and the overall growth of fractional investing - His outlook on the real estate market - The impact of cryptocurrency on the fintech industry And much more! Ben Miller: Ben Miller is CEO and co-founder of Fundrise, America's largest real estate investment platform. Now with over 150,000 active individual investors and more than $1.5 billion worth of equity under management, Fundrise has made high-tech, low-cost real estate investing available to everyone. Founded in 2012, Fundrise is on a mission to use technology to build a better financial system for the individual. With over 20 years of experience in real estate investment and development, Ben Miller’s responsibilities cover day-to-day management, real estate investment oversight, and corporate finance, as well as setting the long-term strategy and goals for the company. Prior to Fundrise, Ben was managing partner of WestMill Capital Partners and President of Western Development Corp., one of the largest mixed-use real estate development companies in the Washington, DC metro area. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he sits on the board of National Center for Children and Families. For more FinTech insights, follow us below: Medium: medium.com/wharton-fintech LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/wharton-fintech-club/ WFT Twitter: twitter.com/whartonfintech Anirudh's Twitter: twitter.com/avsingh_24

Anirudh Singh sits down with Carey O’Connor Kolaja, CEO of AU10TIX. In this episode they discuss: - Her background at PayPal and Citi - Key leadership lessons she has picked up over the past 20 years - Working towards identity literacy - Transitioning into CEO of AU10TIX And much more! Carey O’Connor Kolaja: Carey O'Connor Kolaja is an entrepreneur, investor and global leader focused on redefining how “trusted access" is granted to individuals and entities. Throughout her career, Carey has been known as an innovator, disrupter and operator who can drive from start-up to scale-up. A thought leader in the financial services and payments industry, Carey has been exploring the intersection of payments, identity and adaptive technologies for more than 25 years and is on a mission to create a more inclusive and secure world. Carey is chief executive officer of AU10TIX, the global leader in automated identity intelligence and cyber fraud prevention. In this capacity, Carey is responsible for establishing and driving the overall business strategy and day-to-day operations, leading a team charged with enabling companies to onboard faster, prevent fraud, meet compliance mandates, and establish trust with their customers. Prior to AU10TIX, Carey was the global chief product officer at Citi Fintech and vice president of global consumer products at PayPal. In these roles she was responsible for the global product vision in service to hundreds of millions of consumers around the world. She led international teams charged with designing, deploying and operating global product and commercial strategies for consumer products to effectively serve the local needs and interests of customers in the 200+ markets they serve. Carey has a B.S. from the University of Indiana Business School and is an executive program graduate from Stanford University. For more FinTech insights, follow us below: Medium: medium.com/wharton-fintech LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/wharton-fintech-club/ WFT Twitter: twitter.com/whartonfintech Anirudh's Twitter: twitter.com/avsingh_24

Miguel Armaza sits down with Alex Taussig, Partner at Lightspeed Ventures, a global multi-stage VC with over $10B in AUM, focused on accelerating disruptive innovations and trends in the Enterprise and Consumer sectors. They’ve backed some amazing companies, including Snap, Affirm, and GrubHub. Alex focuses on online marketplaces and co-leads Lightspeed’s investment efforts in Latin America. He is also the author of the popular weekly newsletter, DRINKING FROM THE FIREHOSE, in which he writes about recent trends in commerce, media, tech, climate, science, and popular culture. In this episode, we discuss - Alex’s story and why he decided to stop pursuing a Phd and left academia to join the tech investing world - The intersection of marketplaces and fintech and why the payment technology is the motor oil that makes transactions flow smoothly for marketplaces - Why in Venture Capital it’s very important to ask the best possible questions and pay close attention to the answers that reveal an underlying truth - Early investing mistakes and the importance of focus - Lessons from several years of writing a successful newsletter… and a lot more! Alex Taussig Alex joined Lightspeed in 2016 as a partner on the consumer investment team and has spent 12+ years in venture capital. He is passionate about partnering with founders who are reimagining major categories of commerce using technology. At Lightspeed, Alex has led investments in startups disrupting massive industries like food (Daily Harvest, Frubana), retail (Faire), education (Outschool), and weddings (Zola). He also co-leads Lightspeed’s investment efforts in Latin America. Prior to joining Lightspeed, Alex was a partner at Highland Capital Partners, where he led investments in and supported over a dozen companies, including thredUP (IPO TDUP, 2021), Carbon Black (IPO CBLK, 2018), 2U (IPO 2014, TWOU), and RentJuice (acquired by Zillow, 2012). Alex is a trained research scientist and breaks down business problems with deductive logic and analytical rigor. He originally studied physics at Harvard College, where he graduated summa cum laude, and then went on to receive a Master’s degree in materials engineering from MIT, where he was part of a research group building the first fully optical computer chip. Alex also received an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar, an honor given to the top 5% of the graduating class. Alex publishes a popular weekly(ish) newsletter called DRINKING FROM THE FIREHOSE, in which he writes about recent trends in commerce, media, tech, climate, science, and popular culture. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and two children and enjoys baking, anime, and heavy metal music. About Lightspeed Venture Partners Lightspeed Venture Partners is a multi-stage venture capital firm focused on accelerating disruptive innovations and trends in the Enterprise and Consumer sectors. Over the past two decades, the Lightspeed team has backed hundreds of entrepreneurs and helped build more than 400 companies globally, including Snap, Nest, Nutanix, AppDynamics, MuleSoft, OYO, Guardant, Affirm, and GrubHub. Lightspeed and its affiliates currently manage $10.5B across the global Lightspeed platform, with investment professionals and advisors in Silicon Valley, Israel, India, China, Southeast Asia, and Europe. For more FinTech insights, follow us below: Medium: medium.com/wharton-fintech WFT Twitter: twitter.com/whartonfintech Miguel's Twitter: twitter.com/MiguelArmaza Miguel's Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3jWIpqp

Miguel Armaza sits down with Sean Salas, Co-Founder and CEO of Camino Financial, a Fintech company pioneering access to affordable credit to underbanked Latino businesses. Since inception, the company has raised over $125 in debt and equity from top industry investors. Sean grew up in between Mexico and the US and holds and got his MBA at Harvard Business School. In this episode, we discuss: - Sean’s journey between the US and Mexico - Launching Camino Financial while at Harvard Business School and the incredible benefits of using your MBA time to start a company - The importance of serving SMBs and how the company is leveraging technology to provide a more inclusive solution and improve underwriting decisions - How Camino Financial continues to innovative and why cultural nuances are important for clients - Lessons and reflections for aspiring entrepreneurs… and a lot more! Sean Salas Sean Salas is the CEO and Co-Founder of Camino Financial, a fintech platform pioneering access to affordable credit to underbanked Latinx businesses. He is often featured as a commentator discussing FinTech and Latino entrepreneurship, including appearances on Univision, CNN, and Discovery Channel. Sean also sits on the board of two non-profit organizations, the US-Mexico Foundation and the Harvard Business School Latino Alumni Association (HBSLAA). Sean co-founded Camino Financial with his twin brother, Kenny Salas. The twin brothers were raised by an entrepreneurial mother, who built and lost her business. While completing their MBAs at Harvard Business School, the Twins co-founded Camino Financial under the notion of never leaving a small business owner behind. As CEO of Camino Financial, Sean has built a team of over 50 employees distributed globally and raised over $125 million in debt and equity. Previously, Sean worked in private equity and investment banking. Throughout his experience, Sean oversaw four portfolio companies with combined revenue of over $250 million, invested close to $50 million in direct equity investments, and structured $1.2 billion in debt financings. Sean has a BA from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Harvard Business School. About Camino Financial Camino Financial is the first AI-powered Community Development Financial Institution (“neo-CDFI”) expanding access to credit for underserved Latinx entrepreneurs in the U.S. Camino is uniquely positioned to offer affordable loans as it combines its proprietary AI technology with access to CDFI designated low-cost capital and resources. Camino Financial has also produced the largest bilingual content hub to empower Latinx entrepreneurs to thrive and graduate into lower-cost, longer-term credit products. For more FinTech insights, follow us below: Medium: medium.com/wharton-fintech WFT Twitter: twitter.com/whartonfintech Miguel's Twitter: twitter.com/MiguelArmaza Miguel's Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3jWIpqp

I sit down with Patrick Burns, CEO and Co-founder of Spruce, a proptech powering online real estate transactions that’s on a mission to build a one-click checkout experience for real estate transactions. Spruce has raised more than $50M from investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, Scale Venture Partners, and Third Prime. Mr. Burns is based in NYC and holds an MA in Statistics from Yale and a BA in Physics from Oxford. We discuss - Patrick’s journey from Scotland to the heart of fintech in NYC - Digitization of the real estate market and why shifting consumer expectations are driving innovation and a better customer experience - Importance of thinking of company culture from day one and how they’ve built a culture of decentralized and autonomy - Reflections and lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs… And just a lot more including the ideal itinerary for your next visit to Scotland! Patrick Burns Patrick is the CEO and co-founder of Spruce, the proptech company powering online real estate transactions. Spruce has raised more than $50M from investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, Scale Venture Partners, and Third Prime. Prior to founding Spruce in 2016, Patrick was a product manager at Betterment, the largest automated investment service with $20B under management. He holds an MA in Statistics from Yale, and a BA in Physics from Oxford. About Spruce Spruce is the proptech company on a mission to build the one-click checkout experience for real estate transactions. The company is digitizing real estate transactions for forward-thinking real estate companies and mortgage lenders. By leveraging proprietary technology and best-in-class operations, Spruce provides a seamless, affordable solution. Spruce was founded by Andrew Weisgall and Patrick Burns in 2016, and is headquartered in New York with hubs across the U.S. For more FinTech insights, follow us below: Medium: medium.com/wharton-fintech WFT Twitter: twitter.com/whartonfintech Miguel's Twitter: twitter.com/MiguelArmaza Miguel's Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3jWIpqp

Anirudh Singh sits down with Peter Sanborn, Head of Corporate Development at PayPal and Managing Partner of PayPal Ventures. In this episode they discuss: - Peter’s early career at HSBC - Transitioning to PayPal and launching PayPal Ventures - Developing a thematic investing approach - Leveraging PayPal’s broader network to invest globally And much more! Peter Sanborn: Peter Sanborn serves as Vice President, Head of Corporate Development at PayPal and Managing Partner of PayPal Ventures, responsible for identifying, evaluating and executing global M&A and corporate venture capital investments. At PayPal since 2014, Peter is focused on the intersection of financial services, commerce and technology and on providing strategic thought leadership and business insights within PayPal and to PayPal's venture portfolio companies as an investor & board observer. He has led or helped manage the acquisitions of Honey, Xoom, Hyperwallet, Swift Capital, Happy Returns and Paydiant as well as investments in Acorns, Toss, Pine Labs, Tala, Paidy, Paxos, Neon, Divvy, Flutterwave and MercadoLibre. Prior to PayPal, Peter worked in financial services at HSBC for over nine years in Asia (Hong Kong) and Latin America (Mexico City) in M&A/investment, strategy, finance and investor relations roles. Peter enjoys working with passionate entrepreneurs and serves as an advisory board member for Village Capital’s US Fintech program and as a mentor in the Endeavor network. For more FinTech insights, follow us below: Medium: medium.com/wharton-fintech LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/wharton-fintech-club/ WFT Twitter: twitter.com/whartonfintech Anirudh's Twitter: twitter.com/avsingh_24

Miguel Armaza sits down with the amazing Sebastian Kreis, Co-Founder/Co-CEO of Xepelin, a Latin American fintech company that aims to be the leading SME digital bank in the region. Founded in 2019 by Sebastian and Nicolas de Camino, they are one of the fastest growing fintechs in the history of Latam, having loaned more than $400 million in the last couple of years, onboarded over 4,000 clients, and have been doubling in size every three months throughout the last year. They are also backed by some of the best fintech investors, including Kaszek, DST Global, Picus Capital, FJ Labs, Gilgamesh Ventures, Jackie Reses, and many more. In this episode, we discuss - Sebastian’s journey and what inspired him to pursue an entrepreneurial career in fintech - The importance of a strong co-founder relationship and how Sebastian and Nico work together - Company culture and why honesty and transparency are at the very center of Xepelin - The dramatic reality that almost 95% of Latin American companies are unbanked or underbanked and how Xepelin is fixing this - Lessons for entrepreneurs, fundraising reflections… And just a lot more! Sebastian Kreis Sebastian is Co-Founder & Co-CEO at Xepelin, a Latin American fintech company that aims to be the leading SME digital bank in Latam. Prior to Xepelin, he was a Consultant at BCG where he led a multidisciplinary team to develop and execute several successful fintech products serving Fintech and Financial Services firms with a focus on digitization and technology. He has dedicated his efforts in leading teams and helping organizations to bring new digital experiences. Sebastian's experience goes across digital functions: digital strategy, at scale digital transformations, product development, omnichannel user experience strategy and advanced analytics. Prior to BCG, Sebastian co-founded and scaled Safecard from an idea to $2.0M in recurring revenue. Before Safecard, he was an Investment Banking VP at IM Trust (acquired by Credicorp) where he led over 30 M&A, capital market and private transactions totaling +$10Bn and the company’s international expansion into Peru. Sebastian holds a Master in Business Administration from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business where he was co-president of the Latin American and Hispanic Business Association and co-founded the Haas Fintech Club. He is an Industrial Civil Engineer from Catholic University. He is certified Scrum Master for software development. Sebastian has also been involved in academia, serving in 2010-2013 as part time professor of Managerial Accounting & Corporate Finance in the school of engineering in Catholic University. About Xepelin “We’re reimagining financial services in Latam so every company can focus on operating their business and realize their potential.” Xepelin is a Latin American fintech company that aims to be the leading SME digital bank in Latam. The company was founded in 2019 by Nicolas de Camino and Sebastian Kreis. Thousands of businesses use Xepelin to manage their finances. We’re proud to serve SMBs from all regions and industries in Mexico and Chile, helping founders, managers and their teams stay focused on what they care about most: operating their business. Xepelin is backed by Kaszek, DST Global, Picus Capital, Kayyak Ventures, FJ Labs, Kavak founder Carlos Garcia and ex-head of Square Capital Jackie Reses. Xepelin has raised over $36 million in equity and $250 million in asset-backed facilities to date. For more information, visit https://www.xepelin.com For more FinTech insights, follow us below: Medium: medium.com/wharton-fintech WFT Twitter: twitter.com/whartonfintech Miguel's Twitter: twitter.com/MiguelArmaza Miguel's Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3jWIpqp