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© Canapi Ventures 2024
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Canapi Conversations is your gateway to the ever-evolving intersection of banking and technology. Join the Canapi team and others in our ecosystem as we explore the people and ideas shaping the future of finance. Get an inside look at the individuals driving capital deployment, the innovations from our portfolio companies, and the strategies of our alliance banks. With challenges like shifting interest rates, regulatory changes, competitive pressures, and the battle for deposits, this podcast dives deep into the issues that matter most in today’s financial landscape.
About Canapi Ventures
Canapi Ventures is a financial technology and enterprise software venture platform investing in early to growth-stage companies offering disruptive alternatives to outdated business models and technologies. Backed by the Canapi Alliance – a network of over 70 of the leading financial institutions across the United States – Canapi's partners have decades of hands-on experience in financial services. Bringing unmatched sector experience and best-in-class sector knowledge, connections, and credibility.
15 Episodes
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While our last episode focused on how banks are thinking about AI, this episode looks at how one of our portfolio companies is building agentic AI directly into the products banks rely on. In this episode of Canapi Conversations, host Keenan McCarthy sits down with Chase Gilbert, CEO and co-founder of Built, to discuss the company’s evolution over more than a decade and the launch of Draw Agent, one of the first agentic AI products purpose-built for construction lending. Chase defines agentic AI, dives into why draw review was the right first use case, and shares how Built’s approach helps banks adopt AI responsibly. Together, they examine what it looks like when AI moves beyond tooling and begins to take on real operational work inside banks.
Banks aren’t only theorizing about AI nowadays. They're operationalizing it.In this episode, host Kristie Han (Canapi) sits down with Sangeetha Menon (Head Cloud Analytics, AI/ML & Gen AI Platforms, Truist) and Kevin Johnson (Director of Information Technology, AI, Data, & Modernization, Synovus) to discuss how AI is actually being deployed inside financial institutions today. Drawing on real examples, they break down where AI is already delivering workflow improvements, customer impact, and measurable ROI.The conversation also explores why some pilots scale while others stall, the organizational structures that make adoption possible, and what strong AI governance really looks like across validation, oversight, data, and vendor management. Kristie, Sangeetha, and Kevin close by sharing where they expect AI and agentic systems to have the biggest near-term impact in banking and the practical first steps leaders should take when beginning their AI journey.
Host Keenan McCarthy speaks with Misha Esipov, co-founder and CEO of Nova Credit, about the evolution of cash flow underwriting and how it’s redefining credit decisioning. Fresh off Nova’s $35 million Series D, Misha shares how the company is helping banks use cash flow data to expand access to credit, why regional institutions may hold a unique data advantage, and what growing industry momentum reveals about adoption across the lending ecosystem.
When a company selling into banks reaches a handshake agreement with a business leader, it can feel like the hard part is over… and then vendor management begins. In this episode of Canapi Conversations, host Keenan McCarthy is joined by Tammy Knies (Eastern Bank) and Chris Copeland (M&T Bank) to unpack the misconception of this “false finish line” and the nuances that emerge once due diligence starts. They explore why the process varies from bank to bank, how to avoid common pitfalls in contracting and risk review, and how teams are adapting to new challenges like AI oversight. Whether you’re selling into banks or managing fintech partnerships, this episode demystifies one of the most important, and misunderstood, parts of the process.
Season 2 continues with a candid conversation on the future of lending. Lukas Haffer (Casca) and Neil Underwood (Canapi / Live Oak Bank) explore why small business lending has been so difficult for both borrowers and bankers, how AI can transform the loan origination process, and what Casca and Live Oak’s close collaboration reveals about the future of bank–fintech partnerships in this space.
September 3, 2025 | Season 2 opens with insights from two leaders who’ve been on the frontlines of bank innovation. Eric Schwartz speaks with Claire Verville (M&T) and Tyler Craft (First Horizon) about what it really means to be tasked with making a bank more innovative, the lessons they’ve learned along the way, and why their experiences as partners in change can serve as a playbook for other institutions looking to spark innovation of their own.
Season 2 of Canapi Conversations is here! Join Eric Schwartz, Keenan McCarthy, and the rest of the Canapi team as they explore the trends and technologies shaping the future of financial services. This season you will hear from founders building the next big thing, banks putting innovation into practice, and the Canapi team connecting the dots. Tune in to get inspired, get connected, and get ahead!
February 18 2025 | In our last and final episode of season 1, host Eric Schwartz sits down with Walker Forehand, President & General Partner at Canapi, to talk about his journey from painting methanol tanks to leading fintech investments. They go behind the scenes of Canapi’s boardroom, discuss navigating today’s market, and even learn which partner Walker wants to go on a road trip with. Tune in for insights, strategies, and a few laughs along the way!
November 6, 2024 | In our seventh episode, the spotlight shifts to our host! Join us as we interview our podcasting powerhouse, Eric Schwartz, who takes us through his journey from the lawless pinball arcades of South Jersey to Operating Partner at Canapi. Packed with lessons learned and Back to the Future references, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.
September 18, 2024 | In our sixth episode, Canapi pops into the back office to chat with the source of all that financial reporting – our very own CFO, Sara Shackelford. Join us as Sara shares her journey through the financial operations of various investment funds, offers insights and tips for the CFO role, and reveals some of the more unusual expense requests she’s encountered along the way.
July 28, 2024 | In our fifth episode, Canapi takes a trip to the city that never sleeps. Join us for a conversation with Jeff Reitman, General Partner and Head of our New York Office. Jeff delves into how his journey as a founder has shaped his approach as an investor, explores the evolution of fintech in New York, and drills into Canapi's early-stage strategy going forward.
July 9, 2024 | In our fourth episode, Canapi goes west. Tune in for a conversation with Tom Davis, Canapi’s newest General Partner and head of our San Francisco office. Tom shares lessons from his extensive experience in the growth sector and discusses how the Bay Area shaped him along the way.
February 26, 2024 | In our third episode, we explore Neil’s career and transition from technology to banking to fintech to venture and everything in between.
September 26, 2023 | In our second episode, we talk with Chip about the start of his banking career, launching the first bank on the internet, starting Live Oak Bank and Canapi, and tech trends that can help to differentiate your bank from the competition.
August 6, 2023 | In our very first episode of the Canapi Conversations Podcast, we dive deep into the heart of the matter: the challenges and opportunities for our bank investor partners and portcos. Gene discusses the regulatory response to the SVB failure, how bank executives are reacting, and the silver lining – opportunities for our bank LPs and portfolio companies.
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