Wharton FinTech Podcast
Connecting you with the people, companies, and ideas revolutionizing global financial services. Our guests are the leading fintech founders, investors, and thinkers in the world. Subscribe and follow us for more FinTech content by searching @whartonfintech on your preferred platform!
Episodes
In this episode of the Wharton Fintech podcast, Djavaneh sits down with Robbie Figueroa, co-founder and former COO of Maza, now Chief Business Officer at Flex following Maza and Flex’s merger in late 2024.
Robbie shares how growing up in Queens with immigrant parents from Brazil and Ecuador inspired him to tackle financial exclusion. What started as a Spanish-first neobank for underbanked consumers evolved into a platform tailored...
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In this episode of the Wharton Fintech Podcast, host Sabrina Fathi speaks with Ashwin Murthy, Chief of Staff and VP of Growth Operations and Strategy at Credit Karma, about how one of the most recognizable names in consumer fintech continues to evolve.
Ashwin shares his journey from investment banking and consulting to leading strategy at Credit Karma. He discusses the company’s expansion from free credit scores to taxes, savings...
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In today’s episode, Kimberly Zhang sits down with Ram Mahidhara, former Chief Investment Officer at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group. Ram reflects on his decades of experience investing across emerging markets, driving inclusive growth through private capital, and championing the role of fintech in global development.
Tune in to hear about:
• How technology and private investment are resha...
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In this episode of the Wharton Fintech Podcast, hosts Sabrina Fathi and Wesley Aster speak with Yoonkee Sull, General Partner at ICONIQ, about building category-defining fintech companies through every market cycle. Yoonkee reflects on his journey from early ICONIQ associate to GP, lessons from backing leaders like Chime, Groww, Adyen, Wealthsimple, and Ramp, and what it takes to earn trust with founders over the long term.
They u...
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June 19, 2025 • 53 mins
In this episode of the Wharton Fintech Podcast, host Sabrina Fathi chats with Seth Rosenberg, General Partner at Greylock, about what it takes to build and back enduring companies at the intersection of fintech and AI. Seth shares lessons from launching Facebook Messenger, insights on founder-market fit, and how great early-stage companies validate ideas, build defensibility, and navigate market shifts. With deep takes on AI, block...
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In today’s episode, Kimberly Zhang sits down with Anré Williams, Senior Executive Advisor at American Express and former CEO of American Express National Bank. Anré reflects on his 35-year journey at American Express—leading global merchant services, digital innovation, and banking operations—while offering an inside look at how to drive transformation in a legacy financial institution.
Tune in to hear about:
• Key lessons from l...
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June 3, 2025 • 20 mins
In today’s episode, Jackson Ellis hosts Shensi Ding, the co-founder of Merge, a unified API platform that simplifies B2B integrations across categories like HR, accounting, and CRM. Shensi shares her journey, the playbook behind scaling a developer-first GTM motion, and how the best founders balance product intensity with storytelling.
Tune in to hear about:
- How Merge built a category-defining product by focusing on the "plumbin...
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May 15, 2025 • 62 mins
In this episode of the Wharton Fintech Podcast, host Sabrina Fathi speaks with Catherine Porter, Chief Business Officer at Prove, a leading platform in digital identity verification and authentication. Catherine shares her journey from Silicon Valley to spearheading innovation in identity security. They explore how AI is reshaping fraud prevention, the future of portable identity, and how Prove is helping companies build trust in a...
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In today’s episode, Jackson Ellis hosts Melissa Wasser, the Partner and Head of the Fintech Capital Network at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), a leading venture capital firm backing bold entrepreneurs building the future through technology.
Tune in to hear about:
- Melissa’s career journey from Goldman Sachs to FT Partners to leading fintech support at a16z
- How the Fintech Capital Network helps founders navigate fundraising, M&A, a...
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April 23, 2025 • 47 mins
In today’s episode, Zoey Tang speaks with Marc Andrusko, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), where he focuses on fintech and B2B software investments. Marc’s current investment interests span capital markets, AI applications, payments infrastructure, and companies operating at the intersection of fintech and other sectors.
Marc shares how his journey—from working in interest rate sales and trading at Goldman Sachs to leading pe...
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April 22, 2025 • 33 mins
In today's episode, Wesley Aster speaks with Ezra Kebrab, Founder and CEO of Caliza, a cross-border payments platform leveraging stablecoins to eliminate geographic barriers by allowing companies around the world to open digital dollar accounts for their users to save and transact. Ezra shares how is personal journey - from his childhood to his experience at Visa and Intuit - inspired him to build infrastructure for the next genera...
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April 15, 2025 • 42 mins
In this episode of the Wharton Fintech Podcast, Sabrina Fathi sits down with Tom DeBow, CTO of Schonfeld Strategic Advisors, to explore how AI and advanced technology are reshaping modern hedge funds. Tom shares insights from his journey through top-tier firms like SAC Capital and Alphadyne, and dives into Schonfeld’s pragmatic yet forward-thinking approach to AI adoption. From developing the firm’s in-house AI tool to enhancing ta...
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April 10, 2025 • 32 mins
In today’s episode, Kimberly Zhang sits down with David Fortunato, CEO of Wealthfront, for an in-depth conversation on how technology is transforming wealth management, and what it takes to build a truly digital-first financial advisor. David shares his journey from early software engineer to CEO, reflecting on how an engineering mindset helped shape Wealthfront’s product-led culture and commitment to automation.
Tune in to hear a...
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In this episode of the Wharton Fintech Podcast, host Sabrina Fathi sits down with Marshall Hayner, Co-Founder and CEO of Metallicus. A true pioneer in the blockchain space, Marshall shares his journey from the early days of Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and Stellar to building a compliance-first digital asset infrastructure that bridges blockchain and traditional finance.
Marshall reflects on how his background in cryptography, early product...
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In today’s episode, Kimberly Zhang sits down with David Blumberg, Founder and Managing Partner of Blumberg Capital. David shares his journey from his early days in venture capital to building a leading early-stage investment firm, with a deep dive into his rules of thumb in identifying and supporting groundbreaking technologies from inception through exit.
Tune in to hear about:
- The impacts of technological evolution on early-s...
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Altamont Capital Partners MD, Sam Gaynor - Investing Across Insurance & The Accelerant Risk Exchange
February 19, 2025 • 50 mins
In today's episode, Ben Newman sits down with Sam Gaynor, managing director at
Altamont Capital Partners, for an insightful conversation on investing across the
insurance landscape. Sam shares his path to private equity, how Altamont navigates the
complexity of investing in insurance businesses, and his perspective on when it makes
sense to build vs. buy a company.
Tune in to hear about:
- Why private equity has traditionally shied...
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February 5, 2025 • 25 mins
In today’s episode, Kimberly Zhang sits down with Kevin McColly, CEO of Coinstar, for a conversation on the evolving role of cash in a digital world. Kevin shares his journey at Coinstar from financial analyst to CEO and how the well-known coin giant is making moves into financial innovations by bridging the gap between physical and digital finance.
Tune in to hear about:
• How Coinstar is expanding into cryptocurrency and digit...
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January 22, 2025 • 37 mins
In today’s episode, Djavaneh Bierwirth and Kimberly Zhang welcome Stephany Kirkpatrick, the Founder and CEO of Orum, for an exciting discussion about the future of payments, entrepreneurship, and the role of technology in financial infrastructure. Stephany shares her journey as a non-technical founder, her mission to transform how money moves, and her perspective on the evolving U.S. payments landscape.
Tune in to hear about:
• T...
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January 15, 2025 • 50 mins
In today's episode, Jackson Ellis hosts Rex Salisbury, a solo General Partner at Cambrian Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on early stage fintech investments.
Tune in to hear about:
- How to build a fintech community
- How AI will impact fintech
- How the new administration may impact the fintech landscape
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January 8, 2025 • 40 mins
In today’s episode, Kimberly Zhang sits down with David Rolf, the Head of Visa Ventures, for a fascinating discussion on technology, investing, and the payments industry. David shares his journey as both a father and a leader of one of the most strategic investment arms in fintech, and shares his thoughts on VISA Venture's unique position as well as emerging markets and technologies that are already making waves.
Tune in to hear ...
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