Wharton Fintech Podcast

In our latest podcast, Peter Jankovsky (WG'20) is joined by Frank Young, President of Vertical Market Software Solutions at Global Payments, a leading worldwide provider of payment technology services. In this role, Frank is responsible for guiding and directing the firm’s efforts to leverage software and services to deliver the next generation of digital commerce solutions on a global basis. He leads the company’s efforts in achieving business results through software-led solutions in all of our markets around the world.   In this extensive interview, Frank shares: - Major themes in the payments industry observed over his ~30 year career, including the evolution of e-commerce and the staying power of the major networks - His view of how COVID-19 is impacting the payments industry - The opportunity that he sees for embedded fintech, and how this represents a natural evolution from "knuckle-busters," electronic terminals, and integrated payments - His views on Big Tech's ambitions in financial services and

In our latest episode of the Wharton Fintech podcast, Miguel Armaza (WG’21/G’21) is joined by Susan French, Head of Product at BBVA Open Platform where she leads the design and development of Open Platform’s suite of white-label, banking-as-a-service APIs in the US. About BBVA Open Platform BBVA Open Platform offers API-driven, white-label banking and payments solutions for the enterprise. Open Platform enables companies to embed end-to-end banking and payments services into their brand to create engaging and intuitive customer experiences . Founded in 2016, BBVA Open Platform works with industry leading companies, at the forefront of digital innovation, to optimize their user experience through API-powered banking and payments solutions provided by leading U.S. bank BBVA USA, Member FDIC. For more information, visit Open Platform at https://bbvaopenplatform.com/ Susan French Susan is Head of Product at BBVA Open Platform. She lead the design and development of Open Platform’s groundbreaking suite of wh

In our latest podcast, Peter Jankovsky (WG’20) is joined by Charlie Olson, CEO and co-founder of Pando. Pando is an innovative new income pooling solution that allows people in high volatility careers to pool their career risk. Since inception, Pando has signed hundreds of professional athletes into income pools and has raised a Series A from top fintech investors. In this extensive interview, Charlie covers a number of topics, including Pando’s value proposition for different customer segments and how it has grown; the challenges Charlie has overcome as an entrepreneur; and his views on how careers will change, especially as a result of the current pandemic. Pando was founded after Charlie and his co-founder, Eric Lax, graduated from Stanford GSB in 2017. Prior to his time at the GSB, Charlie worked for Cheyenne Capital, a private equity firm based out of Jackson, WY. Concurrently, Charlie worked in search fund investing for Professor David Dodson and was a speechwriter and policy analyst for two governors

In our latest episode of the Wharton Fintech podcast, Miguel Armaza is joined by Hernan Kazah, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Kaszek Ventures, the largest venture capital firm in Latin America, with over $1 Billion dollars of raised capital. Kaszek was launched in 2011 and has invested in more than 75 startups, including at least 5 unicorns. Prior to Kaszek, Hernan co-founded MercadoLibre, the largest technology company in Latin America which is also listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market with a current market cap of over $43 Billion. Here, he worked for 12 years, nine as COO and three as CFO. Hernan received an MBA from Stanford University, and graduated magna cum laude in Economics from the University of Buenos Aires. In this fascinating interview, Hernan shares: - His entrepreneurial journey from zero to a Nasdaq IPO. What led him to Co-Found MercadoLibre with Marcos Galperin and some of the major challenges they faced along the way. - Almost 40% of Kaszek's portfolio is concentrated in Fintech companies

In this episode, Ines Gonzales Del Mazo sits down with Jalak Jobanputra, Founding Partner of Future Perfect Ventures to discuss her investing career across FinTech, software, and the blockchain. Jalak Jobanputra is Founding Partner of Future\Perfect Ventures, an early stage venture capital fund in NYC focused on next generation technology such as blockchain and machine learning. FPV’s portfolio includes Abra, Blockstream, Bitpesa, Fusemachines, Everledger and Blockchain. Jalak was awarded Institutional Investor’s Most Powerful Fintech Dealmakers from 2016-2018. In May 2018, Jobanputra was awarded Microsoft’s VC Trailblazer Award for “her early and bold” investments in the sector. She has been listed as a 100 Most Influential Fintech Leader of 2016 and 2017 based on her investment strategy at FPV. In 2017, she was cited as a “Top 5 Investor Powering the Blockchain Boom” and Crunchbase noted FPV as one of the top VC funds in blockchain “before it was cool.” Since founding the firm, she has spoken on blockcha

In our latest episode of the Wharton Fintech podcast, Miguel Armaza (WG’21/G’21) is joined by Marc Weiser, Founder & Managing Director of RPM Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. Marc is also a board member of NASA and the James Beard Foundation. Marc Weiser is the Founder and Managing Director of RPM Ventures, a seed and early stage venture firm where he focuses on investing in mobility and autonomous vehicle companies. Over the last 15 years he has served on over 20 boards of directors and currently sits on the boards of: BountyJobs, the leading contingency recruiting marketplace; Mobi, a machine learning, multi-modal, dynamic route planning system; and Polysync, a platform for delivering safe and reliable autonomous vehicles. Prior to forming RPM, Mr. Weiser was an internet and software entrepreneur. He co-founded and led technology development at QuantumShift, a provider of web-based business-to-business technology and services focused on corporate telecommunications needs. He was also an ear

In a Wharton Fintech exclusive podcast interview, Miguel Armaza and Guillermo Gonzalez went behind the scenes of one of the most transformational acquisitions in the fintech space to date. We sat down with Anthony Noto, CEO of SoFi, and Clay Wilkes, CEO of Galileo, to discuss their most recent transaction in which SoFi acquired Galileo for the total sum of $1.2 Billion. What prompted SoFi to consider Galileo as a crucial strategic alternative? What were the challenges of executing a landmark transaction amidst a global pandemic? Similarly, we had an opportunity to explore what the future holds for both companies. What products will both companies build by leveraging their unique strengths and capabilities? Wondering about international expansion? Notably, both Anthony and Clay believe in the mission of advancing financial independence and inclusion for millions of historically disadvantaged consumers. This conviction has guided their decision to keep both companies independent, opening the door for far-r

In our latest episode of the Wharton Fintech podcast, Miguel Armaza (WG’21/G’21) is joined by Ryan Falvey, Managing Partner of Financial Venture Studio, a venture capital firm that invests in early stage teams who are seeking to improve how Americans conduct their financial lives. Ryan Falvey is the Managing Partner of Financial Venture Studio. He has spent the last 15 years identifying, supporting and leading market-changing innovations in technology. Since 2015, he's invested in 40 early stage fintech firms, which have grown to represent approximately $3 billion in aggregate equity value. Prior to founding the Venture Studio, Ryan led the development of the Financial Solutions Lab, a partnership between JPMorgan Chase and the Financial Health Network. Prior to managing the Lab, Ryan worked with leading tech firms to develop payment solutions at Silicon Valley Bank. He also served as Strategy Group Lead at Enclude Solutions, overseeing global strategy consulting work around mobile-enabled financial prod

Eric Rosenthal is a Vice President and Managing Director of Rapyd, managing their North American Business Unit. Rapyd is the world's largest global payment network, accepting and disbursing more than 900 payment types in over 100 countries. It connects 2 million global ATM and over-the-counter (OTC) cash access points across the globe.  Before Rapyd, Eric worked in startups and major enterprises including Abra, American Express, First Data, Citigroup and McKinsey.

In our latest episode of the Wharton Fintech podcast, Miguel Armaza (WG’21/G’21) is joined by David Brear, CEO of 11:FS, a challenger consultancy building out new propositions and ventures in the UK, US, Europe and Asia. David Brear is the CEO of 11:FS and since his dream of being a sportsperson was crushed (along with the ligaments in his knee!) and he had to get a proper job, he has worked in pretty much every angle of the financial services industry never losing that competitive desire to win. Having pitched, established and run billion-pound transformations for some of the biggest FS companies on the planet the realization that digital banking is only 1% finished has spurred his desire to establish an organization that can actually make it happen. 11:FS is a challenger consultancy building out new propositions and ventures in the UK, US, Europe and Asia for some of the biggest brands on the planet. Alongside this 11:FS build in-house products from competitor benchmarking tools like 11:FS Pulse, to core

In our latest podcast, we're excited to speak with Nicolas Kopp, the US CEO of N26. In Europe, N26 is a fully licensed mobile bank offering an effortless, sleek user experience with no hidden fees. It has grown to serve over 3.5 M customers across 24 markets and recently launched in the US with a mobile banking app and Visa debit card together with Axos Bank. In this extensive interview, Nic speaks to: ● N26's founding and how it was built to offer a completely different approach to banking ● The rationale for N26's launch in the US and the opportunity it sees in the market ● N26's plans for expanding in the US to better meet consumers' needs, particularly with its Perks and Spaces offerings ● How N26's culture enables it to innovate and challenge the status quo ● Nic's thoughts on how consumer banking will evolve in the US Nic originally joined N26 in 2015 as one of its first employees heading up Business Development and Operations, which he built from the ground up. Prior to N26, Nic spent several years

In our latest episode of the Wharton Fintech podcast, Miguel Armaza (WG’21/G’21) is joined by Pierpaolo Barbieri, Founder & CEO of Ualá, one of the fastest growing fintechs in Latin America. Ualá is an Argentine mobile banking app and lending platform that's also one of the fastest growing fintechs in Latin America. Since launching in October 2017, the company has issued over two million cards, raised almost 200 million in funding, and has grown to over 300 employees. Pierpaolo Barbieri grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He moved to the US to study at Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude. He then moved to the UK to pursue a Master degree in Cambridge and obtained his postgraduate in history and economics. In 2016, he returned to Argentina to launch Ualá. He is fluent in Italian, Spanish and French. In this extensive interview, Pierpaolo shares: - What motivated him to move back to Argentina and launch Uala in 2017 with the vision of building an inclusive financial company - The challeng

In our latest episode of the Wharton FinTech Podcast, Miguel Armaza (WG'21/G'21) is joined by Monica Brand Engel, Co-Founder and Partner at Quona, a venture capital firm that invests in growth-stage financial technology companies in emerging markets. Quona Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in growth-stage financial technology companies in emerging markets. The firm was formed with a simple idea - technology has the power to radically improve the quality, access, and affordability of financial services for underserved consumers and businesses in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Quona invests in disruptive innovations to create a more financially inclusive world. Monica Brand Engel is a Co-Founder and Partner at Quona, where she focuses on global investments. Monica is an investor and entrepreneur, having launched a number of investment vehicles and products aimed at broadening financial inclusion. Before co-founding Quona, Monica was the founder and Managing Director of Accion Frontier Investme

Ron is the Chairman and CEO of the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance, the world’s leading non-profit trade association promoting the comprehensive adoption of blockchain technology and crypto-assets across global financial markets. Prior to this, Ron served as CEO of DerivaTrust Technologies, a pioneering software and technology firm for financial market participants. Ron also wrote “Blockchain in Financial Markets and Beyond: Challenges and Applications. He is a well-known speaker in the fields of financial technology and innovation, serving as an advisor to multiple startups and corporations focused on fintech innovation & blockchain technology. For more information on WSBA please contact: info@wsba.co Twitter handle: @WallStreetBTC @ronqman

In our latest episode of the Wharton Fintech podcast, Miguel Armaza (WG'21/G'21) is joined by Nicky Goulimis, COO & Co-Founder of Nova Credit, a mission-driven company solving the problem of credit access for immigrants. Join us as Nicky shares her inspiring story. Nicky Goulimis is the co-founder and COO of Nova Credit. Prior to Nova, she was a consultant at Bain & Company where she worked with a number of European Retail Banks. Nicky began her career in the international development space working for Ethiopia's Ministry of Agriculture on its smallholder farmer financial access initiatives. Nicky is originally from Greece and grew up in the U.K. She holds a BA from Cambridge and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she was awarded the Miller Social Change Leadership Award. Nova Credit is a mission-driven company solving the problem of credit access for immigrants. The company's platform offers cross-border consumer credit services that passes reports onto lenders, property manager

Andrée is the President and Chief Executive Officer of FINCA Impact Finance, or FIF, a global network of microfinance banks and institutions. FIF’s network of 20 community-based banks provides responsible financial services such as affordable loans and saving products that empower more than two million low-income women and men to take control of their financial futures in countries such as Tanzania, Uganda, Afghanistan and more. Previously, she served as Co-CEO of FINCA Microfinance Holding Company as well as VP and COO of FINCA International, returning to the organization after serving for several years as the President and COO of Women for Women International - a humanitarian organization dedicated to financial, educational, and interpersonal support of women survivors of war, poverty, and injustice. Prior to Women to Women, Andrée served as Deputy to the President & CEO of FINCA, where she was critical in redesigning the organization’s business model from a donor-based non-profit to a for-profit operating

Omri serves as Marqeta’s chief revenue officer and is accountable for the company’s growth and financial performance. After joining Marqeta’s early team, he helped pioneer the organization’s customer acquisition and growth strategies which, along with Marqeta’s award- winning technology, catapulted Marqeta’s modern card issuing platform into a global, industry-defining business. Omri began his career within the White House, eventually transitioning to the private sector, where he established a reputation for building world-class teams who develop transformational ideas into high-growth businesses. As a partner at The Trium Group, he advised CEOs and executive teams of multinational organizations including AXA, Barclays, and Virgin Atlantic, helping the firm to grow into a leading global strategy consultancy. Omri is a frequent speaker at international and domestic conferences and is a featured guest lecturer at the Columbia Business School’s Institute for Personal Leadership. He holds a Bachelor of Science d

Rachna Ahlawat is co-founder and executive vice president of Ondot systems, a leading mobile payment service provider. Ondot Systems is the creator of Mobile Card Services, a white-label solution that gives consumers control over payment cards. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Ondot brings together an experienced management team from mobile, security, and payment card industries who share a vision of transforming how consumers interact with their financial institutions. Rachna shares her experience founding a company, Ondot's mission, key features such as data enrichment and the increasing role of smartphones in the banking system.

In our latest podcast, recorded late last summer, Shompa Choudhury (WG ’20) is joined by Arpit Ratan, Co-Founder and Head of Business Development of Signzy (https://signzy.com/). Signzy is a FinTech startup offering digital onboarding solutions to enable secure digital compliance via artificial intelligence and blockchain. In this interview, Arpit explains how he chose to embark on a career in FinTech after studying and practicing the law. India’s ever-growing FinTech landscape features a plethora of players – from incumbents to digital players to the government. With Signzy’s role as a data and technology-based enabler for financial services, Arpit provides valuable insights into the dynamics between various players as well as the role of data and regulations in the future of Indian FinTech. Amidst the economic and social challenges that have arisen from the current crisis, it has become even more important to evaluate how data and technology can enable various FinTech players without sacrificing the securit

In this podcast, recorded late last summer, Shompa Choudhury (WG ’20) is joined by Alok Mittal, Co-Founder and CEO of Indifi (https://www.indifi.com/). Indifi is a leading online lending platform for businesses in India. In this extensive interview, Alok explains how Indifi is leading the way in India’s competitive but growing small-business lending space. Alok also lays out the landscape for lending in India including the competitive dynamics between incumbents and new players, as well as new opportunities and challenges as technologies, regulations and consumer behavior evolve. Amidst the economic and social challenges that have arisen from the current crisis, it has become even more important to evaluate the role of FinTech innovation in sustaining growth.