Wharton FinTech Podcast

Rhea Advani Bobba hosts Tess Bloch, co-founder and Head of Operations of Spade, a fintech startup reshaping the card ecosystem with real-time merchant intelligence. They delve into how Spade is revolutionizing transaction data clarity, enabling FIs to enhance fraud detection, authorize more transactions, and foster innovation in financial products and services. They discuss the journey of Spade from its inception and path to product-market fit. The conversation also covers the challenges and successes faced in expanding globally, the importance of a clear ROI for financial institutions, and Spade's ambitious plans for the future. About Tess Tess Bloch is the co-founder and Head of Operations of Spade. In her current role as Head of Operations, Tess leads Spade’s operations, finance, sales, and people teams, and grew the employee headcount 5x. Before co-founding Spade, Tess spent two years at the leading income and employment connectivity API, Pinwheel, where she started as the Chief of Staff before becoming its Head of Operations. In these roles, she helped scale the Pinwheel team 14 to 100 employees and supported growth that helped the company raise a $50M Series B. Previously, Tess also worked for McKinsey & Company in London, where she focused on payments, private equity, and public and social sector work, but her passion for fintech didn’t start there. Already, before graduating from Stanford, she realized her interest in the financial services ecosystem early on in her career, starting an internship at Venmo in her freshman year and taking time off during her junior year to work there full time. About Spade Spade provides real-time merchant intelligence for the card ecosystem. Spade leverages its ground truth database to link any card transaction to a real merchant identity – providing granular merchant, category, and geolocation information. Spade leads the market in terms of merchant coverage, geolocation matching accuracy, and speed of transaction enrichment. Customers such as Mercury, Sardine, Ramp, and Unit trust Spade's data to authorize more transactions, prevent fraud, and build more innovative features. — As always, for more Fintech insights and opportunities to collaborate, please find us below: WFT LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/wharton-fintech-club/ WFT Twitter: twitter.com/whartonfintech WFT Blog: medium.com/wharton-fintech WFT Home: www.whartonfintech.org Rhea’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rheaa/

Ed McLaughlin, President and CTO of Mastercard, shares his insights on the evolution of payment systems from cash to digital transactions. He discusses how Mastercard adapts to the digital landscape and explores the role of quantum computing in securing payments and enhancing fraud detection. McLaughlin highlights the significance of AI in real-time fraud prevention and the collaborative approach to fintech innovation. He also delves into the potential of blockchain and stablecoins for transforming consumer experiences and promoting financial inclusion.

Trevor Prince sits down with John Mitchell, the Co-Founder and CEO of Episode Six. Episode Six is a provider of payments infrastructure to firms across the financial services industry seeking to build customized products for their customers. In this episode, John discusses his background in the payments industry, Episode Six’s business model and growth story, his view of the payments industry, and much more. About John Mitchell: John has served as the CEO of Episode Six since its founding in 2015. Prior to E6, John was the Chief Executive Officer of Rêv Worldwide which provides innovative, end-to-end payment solutions to global partners. John also spent seven years at NetSpend Corporation where he was responsible for shifting the firm’s strategy to serving underbanked Americans. John holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Texas.

Zoey Tang and Rocky Gowni sat down with Rex Salisbury and Nik Milanovic. In today’s episode, we discussed -Latest updates from This Week in Fintech and Cambrian -Nik and Rex’s experiences as solo GP -Their perspectives of the latest fintech ecosystem and what to look forward to in 2024 About Nik Milanovic & This Week in Fintech Nik is the founder of This Week in Fintech. He has been a key organizer in building the fintech community, bringing together fintech enthusiasts all over the world. Last year, he also started the Fintech Fund as the solo GP. About Rex Salisbury and Cambrian Rex is the Founder & Solo GP @ Cambrian VC. He started Cambrian previously in 2016 to cultivate a community focused on founders and builders in fintech. His community building had accidentally led him into the world of venture, as he ultimately became a founding member of a16z’s fintech practice, investing in companies such as Tally, Deel, and Oyster Technology. For more FinTech insights, follow us on: WFT Medium: medium.com/wharton-fintech WFT Twitter: twitter.com/whartonfintech WFT Instagram: instagram.com/whartonfintech Zoey's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoeytang1007/ Previous episodes with Nik & Rex: -https://medium.com/wharton-fintech/nik-milanovi%C4%87-founder-of-this-week-in-fintech-and-general-partner-of-the-fintech-fund-on-9023790f242c -https://medium.com/wharton-fintech/podcast-with-rex-salisbury-founder-of-fintech-devs-and-pms-e40869eb4de1

Gal Krubiner, Co-founder and CEO of Pagaya, discusses how AI can reshape credit underwriting and improve financial inclusion. They cover topics like Pagaya's AI-driven lender network, the future of AI in financial services, Pagaya's IPO, and more.

Dan Kimerling, founder of Deciens, discusses the challenges and opportunities in fintech. He shares insights into his journey in the industry, the role of coaching in venture capital, and the importance of customer satisfaction in banking. They also explore the founding of Deciens and Standard Treasury, as well as investing in disruptive companies to promote innovation and competition in the financial system.

Sarah Hinkfuss and Saanya Ojha from Bain Capital Ventures discuss their backgrounds and the impact of generative AI on financial services. They talk about the benefits and opportunities of generative AI in the industry, including compliance and insurance. The speakers also emphasize the importance of fostering community and building authentic relationships with founders.

Asaf Horesh, Managing Partner at Vintage Investment Partners, discusses the importance of building meaningful relationships in venture and the unique structure of Vintage's investment strategies. He shares insights on trends in early-stage fintech investments and offers advice for those looking to grow their careers in venture and fintech.

Wemimo Abbey and Samir Goel, co-CEOs of Esusu, discuss expanding financial access, their principled leadership, and lessons learned. They highlight the challenges of persuading credit bureaus to accept rental data and the power of collective resources. The speakers express gratitude for their work and reflect on the journey of building a company.

Airwallex's CEO and co-founder, Jack Zhang, discusses the company's growth story, their global money movement infrastructure, and their pursuit of AI opportunities. He also explains why he doesn't expect crypto to have a significant role in cross-border payments.