Wharton Fintech Podcast

In our latest podcast, Keane Ehsani (WG ’20) is joined by Thomas Sponholtz, CEO and Chairman at Unison Home Ownership Investors (https://www.unison.com). In this extensive interview, Thomas explains how Unison helps first time homebuyers by co-investing in their down payment. Thomas also discusses homeowner’s equity as an asset class, how Unison uses data analytics to forecast the value of its portfolio, and how Unison is revolutionizing the industry by unlocking homeowner’s equity. Unison is pioneering a smarter and better way to buy and own homes by helping homebuyers with their down payment in exchange for a portion of their home’s appreciation when they sell. At Unison, Thomas has built a team of financial and real estate professionals who are committed to helping homebuyers get the home they want, and homeowners finance their life needs without adding debt. Unison believes in a world where buying and owning a home is not a zero-sum game, and that with the right partners, everyone can win. Thomas founde

In this broadcast from LendIt Fintech USA in April 2019, recent alumna Dipika Sen (WG'19) speaks with Ryan Rugg, R3's Global Head of Industry Verticals. In this role, Ryan oversees the global team that is responsible for helping industry leaders understand and navigate the forces reshaping their businesses, including blockchain technology. Previously, she led the Global Insurance businesses for R3, which has become one of the largest ecosystems building and deploying on R3’s Blockchain Platform, Corda. Prior to R3, Ryan worked for Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan where she gained extensive experience in financial services covering a broad range of institutions including insurance, hedge funds, banks, and asset managers.

In our latest podcast, Keane Ehsani (WG ’20) attends the FinTech Innovation Lab 2019 Demo Day in New York, where 11 enterprise tech companies got to showcase innovative products and services. In this podcast, Keane is joined by Maria Gotsch of the Partnership Fund for New York, Hans Morris of Nyca Partners, George Hessler of Magma Trading, and Nir Perry of Cyberwrite. The FinTech Innovation Lab (https://www.fintechinnovationlab.com) was founded in 2010 by Accenture and the Partnership Fund for New York City. The Lab provides early- and growth-stage FinTech companies with access to the world’s leading financial institutions. The Lab was established to help make New York a leader in FinTech and to grow technology jobs by leveraging the concentration of large financial institutions and deep domain expertise that exist in New York. Maria Gotsch, President and CEO of the Partnership Fund for New York City The Partnership Fund (https://partnershipfundnyc.org) has invested $173mm to preserve New York City’s com

In our latest podcast, Keane Ehsani (WG ’20) is joined by Dov Marmor, GM & Head of Banking as a Service at Green Dot (https://www.greendot.com). In this extensive interview, Dov dives into the proliferation of prepaid cards and Banking as a Service in the U.S.  Dov also discusses Green Dot’s unique and vertically integrated value proposition for companies looking to provide banking services, how to land a job in fintech, and the evolution of the fintech industry. Dov Marmor leads Green Dot’s Banking as a Service (BaaS) division, which is the platform used by companies like Uber, Intuit, Apple, and Stash to create custom financial products for their customers.  He is also a fintech lecturer at Cornell University’s Johnson Business School where he earned his MBA and serves on the alumni board. Prior to joining Green Dot, Dov led the US launch of Currencycloud, a Google Ventures funded fintech platform that processes billions of dollars in payments globally for major tech companies.  Earlier in his career, Do

In our latest podcast, Peter Jankovsky (WG'20) speaks with Ray Martinez, the Co-Founder and President of EVERFI. EVERFI is a recognized leader in financial literacy education that uses digital learning platforms to power financial wellness products for many of the country's leading institutions. Founded in 2008, EVERFI is backed by some of America's leading CEOs and VC firms, including Amazon founder/CEO Jeff Bezos, former Alphabet Chairman Eric Schmidt, Twitter founder Evan Williams, Advance Publications, Rethink Education, and Rethink Impact. In this extensive podcast, Ray dives into: * The founding of EVERFI and how it developed a unique revenue model in its early days * How EVERFI's new Achieve platform delivers engaging, personalized financial education to consumers * How financial institutions can use Achieve to better understand and engage with their customer base * Learnings from EVERFI's K-12 educational offerings that informed the design of Achieve * EVERFI's ambitions to build out additional educa

In our latest podcast, Peter Jankovsky (WG'20) is joined by Colin Walsh, the CEO and Co-Founder of Varo Money. Varo Money is on track to become the first mobile-centric national bank in US history after gaining approval for a national bank charter. We previously spoke with Colin in the early days of Varo's launch and are excited to welcome him back to the podcast to share his experience in the market. In this extensive interview, Colin shares: * His unique founding story and the value proposition behind Varo * The rationale for Varo's decision to pursue a national bank charter * His vision for what's next for Varo - including both product and geographic expansion * Challenges that Varo has overcome since launching in the market * Advice for entrepreneurs seeking funding * His views on the competitive landscape for consumer banking in the US Prior to starting Varo, Colin spent over 25 years working in consumer banking at global financial institutions. He was previously an EVP at American Express, leading Eur

In our latest podcast, Keane Ehsani (WG ’20) is joined by Gerry Tsai, Director of Applications and Fintech in the Financial Institution Supervision and Credit Group at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (FRBSF) (https://www.frbsf.org). In this extensive interview, Gerry dives into the evolution of the Fintech industry and the U.S. regulatory response. Gerry also discusses the FRBSF’s Fintech Navigate program, regulatory sandboxes, and the various regulatory regimes that apply to the use of consumer financial data. In his Fintech role at the FRBSF, Mr. Tsai leads a team of analysts that focus on better understanding the opportunities and regulatory questions posed by the Fintech industry, as well as related impacts on the banking sector.  In his applications capacity, he oversees a team that reviews and acts on regulatory applications by banking institutions to engage in mergers, acquisitions, and other expansionary activities. Mr. Tsai previously served both as Corporate Secretary and as Associate G

In our latest podcast, Keane Ehsani (WG ’20) is joined by Zor Gorelov, the CEO and Co-Founder of Kasisto. In this extensive interview, Zor dives into Kasisto’s sophisticated conversational AI platform that powers virtual assistants for financial institutions. Zor also discusses his fascinating background as a four-time entrepreneur and how Kasisto’s KAI is revolutionizing the way customers interact with their banks. Kasisto (https://kasisto.com) is the developer of KAI, a conversational AI platform that powers virtual assistants and bots on mobile, web, messaging platforms, and voice-enabled devices. The world’s most innovative financial institutions license KAI to create intelligent conversations that fulfill requests, solve problems, and predict needs for their customers. Zor has over 20 years of experience in the software industry. He was the CEO and co-Founder of SpeechCycle, a market leader in cloud-based contact center optimization solutions for the telco market. SpeechCycle was acquired by Synchron

In our latest podcast, Keane Ehsani (WG ’20) is joined by Karn Saroya, the CEO and co-founder of Cover. In this extensive interview, Karn dives into Cover’s sophisticated customer-centric and elegant apps built to better serve customers. Karn also discusses his pivot from fashion to insurance, how Cover is utilizing native mobile and its Magicam technology to disintermediate the insurance industry, and valuations and consolidation in insurtech. Cover (https://cover.com) is a technology company and nationally licensed insurance brokerage that works with more than 30 insurance companies across the United States. Their apps ensure that customers get the most out of their insurance, the best possible customer experience, and the best rates & coverage. Karn Saroya is the CEO and co-founder of Cover. He is responsible for operations, business development, growth and investor relations primarily. To date, Karn has raised $27M (USD) throughout seed, Series A and Series B rounds. Karn’s first company, Stylekick, was

In our latest podcast, Keane Ehsani (WG ’20) is joined by Clay Wilkes, the CEO and founder of Galileo Processing. In this extensive interview, Clay dives into Galileo’s sophisticated payments platform and how Galileo inspires and connects the most exciting fintechs and financial institutions via its open APIs and simulator sandbox. We also cover Galileo’s growth since its founding, emerging payment adoption trends, and valuations and consolidation in fintech. Galileo Processing (www.galileoprocessing.com) was founded in 2000 and has grown to become one of the largest payments processors and program managers in North America. Galileo applies technology and engineering capabilities to empower fintechs and financial institutions to unleash their full creativity to achieve their most innovative goals. Galileo leads the industry with superior fraud detection, security, decision-making analytics, and regulatory compliance functionality combined with customized, responsive and flexible programs to accelerate th

In our latest podcast, Keane Ehsani (WG ’20) is joined by Braden More, Executive Vice President and Head of Partnerships and Industry Relations at Wells Fargo. In this extensive interview, Braden dives into Wells Fargo’s tech enabled payment offerings and discusses Wells Fargo’s strategy for partnering with and investing in emerging fintech start-ups. We also cover U.S. payment adoption trends, how Wells Fargo is helping consumers manage their digital financial footprint, and Braden’s experience as co-founder of the Wells Fargo Startup Accelerator. Braden More leads business development, partnerships, and industry relations for Wells Fargo’s payments business. He and his team work across the consumer and commercial bank to grow Wells Fargo’s deposit and payment franchise by focusing on customers, partners, and regulators. Before assuming his current role in 2017, Braden was the head of payment strategy at Wells Fargo. He and his team worked across the enterprise to coordinate strategy, incubate new initia

In our latest podcast, Peter Jankovsky (WG'20) is joined by Dan Westgarth, head of Revolut's North America expansion. Revolut is a UK challenger bank that launched in 2015 with the mission to build the world's first truly bank. Today, it supports customers in over 30 countries and has over 4M users. Podcast overview: * How Revolut thinks of a "stack of niches" in building its customer base and creating a ripple effect to grow to 4M+ users * Revolut's planned product expansion, including its new Perks program and wealth/trading product, and how it goes about launching new products * Revolut's plans for international expansion to create the world's first truly global bank * A comparison of the regulatory environment in North America and the UK/EU, and how this affects Revolut's business model * Plans for Revolut's launch in the US, challenges it has had to work through, and how it's adapting to the US consumer * Revolut's culture and what Revolut looks for in potential hires Dan Westgarth is the General Manag

In our latest podcast, Christian Rolon (WG '19) is joined by Frank Rotman, one of the founding partners of QED Investors. QED Investors invests in early-stage Fintech companies based in the US, UK, and Latin America. Based in Virginia, QED was founded in 2008 by Rotman, Caribou Honig, and Nigel Morris (co-founder of Capital One). QED Investors has invested in Avant, AvidXchange, ClearScore, Credit Karma, Nubank, Remitly, and SoFi. Their exits include Braintree, Klarna, and Orchard. Frank Rotman is a founding partner of QED Investors. Frank's portfolio companies include Avant, Credit Karma, GreenSky, LendUp, Prosper and SoFi. Frank publishes his thoughts on Fintech on his personal blog Confessions of a Fintech Junkie. Frank began his career at Capital One as one of its earliest analysts. At Capital One, Frank spanned a number of roles across subprime and upmarket cards, focusing on managing Capital One's credit exposure and expanding new business lines. After leaving Capital One, Frank created a Student Lendi

In our latest podcast, Vivek Chauhan (Wharton MBA '19) chats with Michael Tae, Head of Strategy and M&A at Broadridge. Broadridge Financial Solutions, a $4 billion global fintech leader, provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for broker-dealers, banks, mutual funds and corporate issuers globally. With over 50 years of experience, Broadridge's infrastructure underpins proxy voting services for over 90 percent of public companies and mutual funds in North America and processes more than $5 trillion in fixed income and equity trades per day. Broadridge is part of hyperledger project, a minority investor in the blockchain startup Digital Asset Holding, and has received an award for its blockchain initiatives. Michael is the head of strategy and M&A at Broadridge and leads strategy, acquisitions, partnerships, and other growth-related activities. He began his career at McKinsey where he provided consulting services to the financial services industry before moving to Merrill Lynch where

In our latest podcast, Keane Ehsani (WG ’20) and Peter Jankovsky (WG ’20) are joined by Brandon Krieg, the CEO and Co-Founder of StashInvest. In this extensive interview, Brandon dives into StashInvest’s offering as an enabler for consumer investing. We also cover Brandon’s experience at EdgeTrade, Knight Capital, and Macquarie, the process of founding Stash, and how Brandon sees disruptive innovation affecting financial services. StashInvest (https://www.stashinvest.com), one of the fastest growing consumer investing apps in the U.S., simplifies the financial services experience, offering education and opportunities that help improve the financial well-being of millions of people across the U.S. By breaking down barriers and building transparent, technology-driven products, Stash helps the 99% build smarter financial habits so they can confidently save more, grow savings, and enjoy life. Stash currently has over 3 million customers.  As Co-founder and CEO, Brandon’s core focus is finding new ways to harne

In our latest podcast, Christian Rolon (WG ’19) is joined by Mary-Catherine Lader, the Chief Operating Officer of Digital Wealth at BlackRock. In this expansive interview, Mary-Catherine dives into BlackRock’s digital strategy, technology as an enabler for asset management businesses, and how FinTech startups are partnering with incumbents and expanding their product lines to become the center of consumers’ financial lives. The BlackRock Digital Wealth Group provides software solutions to help retail advisors and institutional investors build better investment portfolios by leveraging the Aladdin operating system. BlackRock has made a number of investments in WealthTech startups and incumbents, including Acorns, Personal Capital, Scalable Capital, Envestnet, and iCapital Network. BlackRock also acquired the robo-advisor FutureAdvisor in 2015. BlackRock has nearly $6 trillion in assets under management, serving retail and institutional investors across the world. Mary-Catherine Lader is the Chief Operating O

Caroline Kremer (WG '19) speaks with Tom Fortin, the Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner of iCapital Network. iCapital is an alternative investments technology platform that serves investors, fund managers, and financial advisors. iCapital's platform digitizes the subscription, reporting, and administrative aspects of alternative investments. Additionally, iCapital's platform provides private investment fund due diligence for high-net worth investors and financial advisors. iCapital was named to the 2019 Forbes Fintech 50 list. iCapital recently raised a round of funding from strategic investors including BlackRock, Blackstone, Carlyle Group, BNY Mellon, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, and UBS. Tom Fortin is the Chief Operating Officer at iCapital, responsible for the Administration, Investor Services and Technology departments. Prior to joining iCapital, Tom was a Managing Director at BlackRock from 2001–2017. He was most recently the Global Head of Retail Technology where he was responsible for th

Jeff Leathers (WG ’19) interviews Lowell Putnam, the co-founder and CEO of Quovo, a financial data platform that provides companies with connectivity and insights for millions of consumer financial accounts across more than 14,000 different institutions. In January 2019, Quovo was acquired by Plaid. In this podcast, Lowell covers the recent acquisition, the current and future use cases for account connectivity, the regulatory environment, and his takeaways from his journey as a technology entrepreneur. Prior to founding Quovo, Lowell worked in the Investment Banking Division of Lehman Brothers/Barclays. At Lehman Brothers, Lowell worked in the Financial Institutions Group, specializing in consumer credit companies and structured finance transactions. Lowell has been named to the InvestmentNews 40 under 40 and WealthManagement.com Top Ten to Watch in 2016 lists. He serves on several advisory boards for technology companies and non-profits. Lowell attended Harvard College and lives in New York City with hi

Christian Rolon (WG '19) is joined by Jamie Finn, the co-founder and President of Securitize. Securitize is a platform for digitizing securities, facilitating the issuance of securities for assets including companies, funds, and other equity holdings. Founded in January 2018, Securitize has already helped a number of customers digitize their portfolios and assets on their platform. Securitize raised a Series A from investors including Coinbase Ventures, Ripple, and Blockchain Capital in November 2018. Jamie Finn is the co-founder and President of Securitize. Prior to Securitize, Jamie held leadership roles at helloNetwork, Zingy, Ericsson, Thumbplay, RingRing Media, Telefonica, Kontera, Sansa Security, AT&T, and Aki Technologies. Jamie has his Bachelor's degree from Babson College.

Christian Rolon (WG '19) is joined by Rex Salisbury, the founder of the Fintech Devs and PMs Meetup based in San Francisco. The Fintech Devs and PMs community has roughly 2,000 members, hosting monthly events highlighting many exciting Fintech firms in the Bay Area. Past Meetups have featured speakers from: a16z, Affirm, Branch, EarnIn, Plaid, SoFi, Wealthfront, and many others. Learn more at: https://www.fintechdevsandpms.com/. Rex Salisbury is the founder of the Fintech Devs and PMs Meetup in San Francisco. Rex is a product engineer at Checkr. Prior to Checkr, Rex worked at Sindeo as an engineer, and Merrill Lynch in investment banking on the real estate team. Rex has his BA in Economics and History from Davidson College.