Can you smell it? There’s Money(20/20) in the air…On this episode we are blessed with the presence of Ariel Cohen, CEO of Navan, and not only is he a wonderful guest for the show: He will also be a speaker alongside Ben Horowitz in Las Vegas for Money 20/20!We have an amazing conversation deep diving into Ariel’s upbringing and we find a mutual love for basketball before going into more detail on Navan’s insane growth trajectory, developing strengths and weaknesses, navigating a wartime economy, the art of having hard conversations and so much more.This is an incredible hour and I hope you enjoy!Links:Ariel on TwitterNavanTopics:(00:00:00) Intro(00:02:07) Ariel’s upbringing, competition, and leadership(00:15:07) The Navan Team(00:16:39) Strengths vs. weaknesses(00:22:34) Would you say we are in peacetime or wartime right now?(00:28:55) What was it like with Ben Horowitz during Covid?(00:34:01) The art of having hard conversations(00:37:13) How are you segmenting your thinking and energy throughout the day?

Community is about having people in your corner, and at Fintech Family Hour we are all about building our corner in the industry.On episode 101, we grow that corner by launching our first ever Co-Cast! Nicole Casperson of Fintech is Femme and I recorded an amazing conversation and have half on this feed and half on hers, which you can find on Humans of Fintech.On my side of the mic, we cover Nicole’s process for creating content, breaking the glass ceiling in Fintech, how to build a community, her fashion inspo, and a ton more.Enjoy!Links:Fintech is FemmeNicole on IGNicole on LinkedInNicole on TwitterTopics:(00:01:16) Everything is content(00:05:48) Nicole's process for writing her newsletter(00:09:36) Did you have a glass ceiling to break through?(00:15:00) Making feminine content appealing to all (00:19:46) Learning how to build community(00:24:51) Do you consider your Real Talkers friends?(00:31:14) What additional value do you create with paid subscribers?(00:39:25) What do you wish men were doing more in Fintech?(00:44:11) Does it ever seem like some men are theatrically feminist?(00:46:00) How do you think about fashion?

We did it! 100 episodes!For such a special occasion, my wonderful co-host, Kristen, pitched the idea for a unique version of our “Are you human?” series where we turn the tables and finally answer the question:Am I human?I won’t lie, it was VERY different being on the other side of one of these episodes, and I thoroughly applaud all of the previous guests for giving such amazing answers. We got to touch on a lot of things you all may not know about me. We talk about some childhood stories, bad comedy, first date tactics, conversations with Mike Tyson’s tiger, and of course, whether or not I’m frugal. Thank you to everyone who’s tuned in to the show over the years, you’re the ones who keep us coming back to the mic every week! Here’s to the next hundred, enjoy!Links:Kristen on LinkedInAlex on TwitterTopics:(00:01:12) Kristen introduces ZAP(00:03:16) Childhood stories and bad comedy(00:06:15) What assumption did you have as a teenager that was totally wrong?(00:17:14) A story that Zach’s mom wouldn’t know(00:21:56) The ability to make friends and different levels of friends(00:30:53) Zach’s career archetype(00:37:55) First date tactics(00:41:04) What trip most impacted the way you see the world?(00:52:18) What animal would you most like to have a conversation with?(00:56:12) What’s one thing you refuse to spend money on?(01:01:19) Is there any luxury item you’re currently saving up for?(01:04:35) Are you a big gift giver?(01:14:22) What one trait do you look for in your friends that you think is undervalued?(01:18:24) What is your biggest pet peeve in other people?(01:26:09) What is the meaning of life?

Bem-vindos de volta ao podcast, meus amigos! That’s Portuguese for welcome back, because on this episode we’re headed to the beautiful beaches of São Paulo, Brazil!I had the immense pleasure to be joined by Jag Duggal, Chief Product Officer at Nubank. Nubank is the largest fintech bank in Latin America with $1.69bn in revenue. Jag and I go deep on their explosive growth, what he learned as a Product Manager for Google, and how Nubank is going to expand outside of Brazil.Enjoy!Links:NubankJag on LinkedInJag’s appearance on the 20VC PodcastTopics:(00:01:19) Jag’s upbringing and career(00:07:49) Product Management thesis’(00:08:54) Experiences from PM-ing at Google(00:15:56) Lessons learned from the Pandemic & NuBank’s explosive growth(00:31:56) Mazlow’s hierarchy of Fintech(00:34:48) Nubank’s goals for the future(00:38:35) How are you approaching expansion outside of Brazil?

Anyone else noticed that big scary shadow looming at the end of your bed? Turns out that has been the silly SEC this whole time! Thankfully, folks like our guest today are doing the Lord’s work in trying to influence them and shape policy to help our Fintech world. Anthony Cimino joins us to discuss his work as head of policy at Carta, new rules that are being implemented by the SEC, the uncertainty for future regulations, and how the everyday fintech-head can get engaged with those influencing policy. Enjoy!Links:Anthony on TwitterCartaCarta’s NewsletterTopics:(00:02:07) Anthony’s career, policy at Carta, and the philanthropic arm of fintech(00:07:14) Building the policy team at Carta and understanding what policies are being argued today(00:16:19) The prohibition of side-letters and new SEC standards(00:28:42) Uncertainty and worry for future regulations(00:35:59) How people can get engaged with those influencing policy(00:44:44) How much policy affects people day-to-day

Who said only journalists and Mark down at the Dairy Queen get the scoops???We’ve got a VERY special episode for you all: Vishal Garg, Founder & CEO of Better.com joins us to address the public reaction to their SPAC announcement. I asked some questions, gained some opinions, and I’m curious to see what you all think.Enjoy!Links:Better.comVishal on TwitterSoftBankTopics:(00:02:02) What led to the decision to do the SPAC and to IPO?(00:07:06) Why did you come on the Podcast?(00:08:44) Why did SoftBank pursue the Spac model rather than a private round?(00:10:44) How have you handled the negative media attention?(00:13:41) How is the average American consumer reacting to this?(00:15:36) How much are you originating vs. refinancing?(00:18:44) If you could go back and do this all again, would you?(00:21:33) What are your interactions with Masa like?

Sasha Pilch, Principal at Fin Capital, shares her childhood in Australia, early career, Covid experiences, being a Delta VIP, 30-hour trips, coffee order, frugality, best vacations, dating, learnings from working in VC, failing at adulthood, and the meaning of life.

Fintech Familia, I had a great time catching up with Drew Glover from Fiat Growth last week in San Francisco. After about an hour of solid conversation, we decided to finally hit record and turn this into a Podcast. Fiat Growth has partnered with some standout early-stage brands, rapidly growing tech companies, and well-established Fortune 500 teams, with Fiat helping generate over $1.6B in new revenue.We talked about Drew’s upbringing, playing football at Cal with Aaron Rogers and Marshawn Lynch, and his early career before deep diving into Fiat. Drew talks about leveraging the scientific method in marketing, what he sees most often when working with these companies, hiring and a tone more. Enjoy!Links:Drew on TwitterFiat GrowthMarshawn Lynch Press Conference compilationTopics:(00:01:04) Checking in with Drew(00:03:17) Drew’s upbringing(00:11:24) Competitive nature & fundraising(00:16:08) Drew’s early career and the launching of his growth consultancy(00:29:30) Talking founders out of ego-oriented decisions(00:32:47) Leveraging the scientific method in marketing(00:38:34) Where do you see this going in the next 5-10 years?(00:43:54) What are some things you see most often when working with clients?(00:49:32) Hiring away your problems(00:53:50) Hiring based on resume vs. potential

Fintech Fam! It is time to bring you an interview that I have wanted to do for probably the last 4-5 years. It's a Zach Attack! My guest on this episode is Zach Perret, CEO of Plaid. After solving the Pettet/Perret dilemma, we talk about his early life and career, the early days of building Plaid, how he’s scaled himself as an individual and a leader, the Visa transaction and a ton more. Enjoy!Links:Zach Perret on TwitterPlaidTechStars TV seriesZach’s Hackathon winning speech!Topics:(00:01:03) Solving the Zach/Zach dilemma(00:02:24) Zach’s background and career(00:12:39) An emphasis on humanity in building Plaid(00:14:37) The early days of Plaid(00:22:17) Scaling the individual(00:29:33) Leadership vs. Management(00:32:01) What is your average day looking like?(00:38:22) The Visa transaction(00:50:03) Thoughts on communication cadences(00:50:55) Self-care and surfing(00:52:59) How do you learn?(00:55:20) How much time are you spending consuming non-business content?(00:56:08) What are you most excited about in the future?(00:59:10) Is fintech the right word to use to describe this industry?

We’re back with another family episode of Are You Human! This go-round Kristen and I are joined in-studio with Eli “Hard Stop” Wachs, who returns for his second appearance on the show. These are so much fun to do face to face and you’ll be able to tell we had a blast recording this for you.Eli is the Co-Founder and CEO of Footprint as well as an avid haberdashery connoisseur. We deep dive into Eli’s youth, his first credit card and bank, we find out if he is actually “Fintech”, we test his frugality and find out the happiest day of his life among other things. Enjoy!Links:Eli on TwitterFootprintKristen’s PERSONAL PHONE NUMBERCobalt Red by Siddharth KaraTopics:(00:02:49) Introducing Eli and Footprint(00:03:42) Eli’s youth(00:18:16) Eli’s First credit card and bank(00:20:15) Are you actually fintech?(00:25:43) Are you Frugal?(00:47:11) Eli’s standard date night & Doing stand up comedy(00:56:58) Best vacation(00:57:56) What was the happiest day of your life?(01:05:50) Daily Habits(01:07:41) What’s the meaning of life?