The Fintech Blueprint

In this conversation, we chat with Sergej Kunz, the co-founder of the 1inch Network, a distributed network of decentralized protocols. From 2015 to 2019, Sergej worked for consulting firm Mimacom, running projects for major customers such as Bosch, Siemens and Porsche. After joining Porsche on a full-time basis, he gradually shifted toward cybersecurity. He also co-hosted the YouTube show CryptoManiacs. At a 2019 hackathon, Sergej and the 1inch Network's eventual co-founder, Anton Bukov, developed a prototype crypto exchange aggregator that became the basis of the entire network. More specifically, we touch on how a passion for software development and coding lead Sergej to the web3 world, the concept of data aggregation and its value in a multitude of industries, all things surrounding the 1inch protocol and the tokens involved and the liquidity programs, and so so much more! Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD. Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella Want to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this conversation, we chat with Karn Saroya, the co-founder & CEO of Cover, a YC-backed insurance technology company that simplifies the process of getting property insurance and focuses on underserved communities. Karn is responsible for operations, business development, growth and investor relations. To date, Karn has raised $27M for the company through its seed, Series A and Series B rounds. More specifically, we touch on the inefficiencies of the property insurance industry, introducing things like financial transaction history and elements of behavioral data results in a better risk segmentation, fair prices, and in many cases - access to the insurance in general. We also discuss how Karn left a career in finance for startups, and shares details of developing and selling StyleKick, a high-end fashion e-commerce business, to Shopify. Karn talks about the future of insurtech and how crypto plays a part, and so so much more! Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD. Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella Want to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this conversation, we chat with Luca Prosperi, is a MakerDAO believer and senior finance professional with 15 years of experience in banking and credit investments. Luca has a wide range of experience ranging from publishing a Substack newsletter on the evolution of banking and DeFi, to working for the likes of Ripplewood Advisors, Partners Capital, Morgan Stanley, Oliver Wyman. Luca holds a Masters in Business Administration from London Business School, and a MSc and BS in Mathematical Economics and Econometrics from Bocconi and Tel Aviv University. More specifically, we touch on MakerDAO and its mechanics, Automatic Market Makers and Curve, the utility behind stablecoins, how Curve was born from the inefficiency of Uniswap, how Yearn and Convex stemmed from Curve, why Luca considered OlympusDAO to be a ponzi scheme at first, and so so much more…. Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD. Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella Want to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this conversation, we chat with Yenwen Feng, co-founder of Perpetual Protocol, a decentralized perpetual contract protocol for every asset, made possible by a Virtual Automated Market Maker, with an aim to create an accessible and secure decentralized derivatives trading platform. Yenwen has over 17 years of various expertise and experience in the financial and tech industry, co-founding businesses like Cubie Inc. and Cinch Network. Yenwen also holds an MS degree in computer science from National Chiao Tung University. More specifically, we touch on the idea of "perpetual trading" on top of AMMs. He explains how the idea is similar to traditional spot trading of the self custody assets on AMMs and how it's really capital efficient. He also talks about how he and his co-founder fell in the crypto rabbit hole in 2017 and how they joined Binance, and so so much more! Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD. Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella Want to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this conversation, we chat with Edward Woodford, Co-Founder and CEO of Zero Hash. Zero Hash’s mission is to empower innovators by delivering access to the financial system 2.0. Zero Hash provides the complete turnkey solution to allow platforms to launch digital assets and own the client experience, without any regulatory overhead and a light technical lift. Zero Hash’s clients include Neo-banks, broker dealers and payment groups. Prior to founding Zero Hash, he gained experience at a series of hedge funds and start ups including founder a US-based CFTC-registered derivatives execution venue. Edward holds a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from University of Warwick (United Kingdom) and a Master of Finance from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US). He was named in Forbes' 30 Under 30 in 2018. More specifically, we touch on CFTC regulated marketplaces for Hemp, launching a digital asset trading business, Embedded finance and API-driven businesses, the US regulatory patchwork for traditional financial service companies vs new banking-as-a-service companies, third-part crypto wallet providers and so so much more! Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD. Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella Want to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this conversation, we chat with Urvashi Barooah, a Principal at Redpoint Ventures. Urvashi holds a B.A. from Middlebury College, has 3 years experience in Mergers & Acquisitions consulting at Ernst & Young’s New York office. Since then she has worked at BCG, Primary Venture Partners, and Redpoint Ventures - where she has been an integral part to investing in high growth startups across Web3 and Fintech. More specifically, we touch on the journey to becoming a venture capitalist, the essential tools and mental models used to become an effective VC such as the CFO tech stack, the modernisation of financial platforms, the transition to investing in crypto companies, and so so much more! Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD. Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella Want to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this conversation, we chat with John MacIlwaine, Founder and CEO at HighNote. The former general manager at Paypal Holdings Inc-owned Braintree. Highnote improves embedded payments experiences, reducing speed to market while supporting customer loyalty and engagement. John is a senior business and technology professional with 25 years of experience in executive level GM/CEO and CTO/CPO roles, primarily within the financial services industry, with expertise in technology innovation, strategic vision, implementation execution, and operational excellence in both early stage and mature companies. He is a seasoned general manager with significant people leadership (1,500 staff) and P&L responsibility ($195 Million). He has a reputation for building high performing global teams (India, Singapore, Philippines, US) and operating effectively in diverse corporate cultures across industries and geographies. More specifically, we touch on the journey of leadership through Morgan Stanely, Envestnet, SunGard, GreenDot, Visa, Lending Club, Braintree/PayPal and HighNote. Touching on the progress of technology influencing embedded finance through each of these entities, and so so much more! Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD. Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella Want to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this conversation, we chat with Trevor Marshall, The Chief Technology Officer at Current, a leading U.S. financial technology company serving Americans working to create a better future for themselves. A graduate of Columbia University with degrees in math and computer science, Trevor worked on automating trading strategies at Morgan Stanley and built applications on distributed ledger technology before creating the foundation for Current. In 2015, he began building the Current Core, Current’s proprietary banking technology, which provides stability, faster money and cost savings that are passed onto customers, and allows Current to provide experiences that cannot exist on traditional banking infrastructures. More specifically, we touch on cryptography, bitcoin arbitrage trading strategies, Web3, Dollar Ledgering, ACH transactions, Influencer marketing, and so so much more! Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD. Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella Want to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this conversation, we chat with Aaron Klein, the co-founder and CEO at Riskalyze. Aaron’s career has largely been at the intersection of finance and technology. As co-founder and CEO at Riskalyze, he led the company to twice being named one of the world’s top 10 most innovative companies in finance by Fast Company Magazine. Today, over 200 Riskalyzers serve thousands of advisors who have aligned the world's investments with millions of investors' Risk Numbers®. Aaron has served as a Sierra College Trustee, and in his spare time, he co-founded a school project for orphans and vulnerable kids in Ethiopia. Investment News has honored him as one of the industry’s top 40 Under 40 executives. More specifically, we touch on the journey of entrepreneurship, Political campaign fintech and website development, roboadvisors vs. automated trading rebalancing, the future of wealth management and financial advice, and so so much more!! Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD. Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella Want to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.

In this conversation, we chat with Dimitri Dadiomov, the CEO and co-founder of San Francisco-based Modern Treasury which is among the Bay Area’s up-and-coming fintech entrepreneurs reshaping how business is done. Modern Treasury’s software automates the processes companies use to move money, from initiating payment, getting approvals and reconciling it all. The company reconciles more than $2 billion in payments every month, up from $1 billion in April 2021. It helps that Modern Treasury has a client roster filled with fast-growing companies, including Marqeta, Side and Gusto — all based in the Bay Area. Modern Treasury’s growth also will be juiced by Plaid, which selected the company as one of about 50 partners globally for its recently created payments ecosystem. More specifically, we touch on the mind and application of a product manager in tech, the journey of how a mortgage business lead Dimitri to founding Modern Treasury, Embedded Finance, and so so much more! Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD. Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella Want to discuss? Stop by our Discord and reach out here with questions.