Wharton FinTech Podcast
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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!
Subscribe and follow us for more FinTech content by searching @whartonfintech on your preferred platform!
528 Episodes
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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 to solopreneurs operating in the informal economy. From onboarding thousands of users to building ITIN application tools and automating entity formation, Maza met customers where they were, and grew alongside them.
We discuss:
How Maza identified and served Spanish-speaking solopreneurs
Why distribution often beats product innovation in fintech
The strategic fit between Maza and Flex and what’s next
Robbie also shares hard-won advice for early-stage founders and reflects on what it takes to build products that truly resonate with underserved users.
Whether you’re passionate about inclusive fintech, curious about startup pivots, or exploring founder-to-operator transitions, this episode is full of insight.
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, and more, and how data, trust, and personalization have been critical to that journey. The conversation also dives deep into GenAI’s role in financial decision-making, Credit Karma’s evolving partnership with Intuit, and the future of financial access.
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 reshaping financial inclusion in emerging economies
• Lessons from leading cross-border investment strategies at scale
• Ram’s perspective on the role of fintech in sustainable development and what’s next for innovation in underserved markets
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 unpack how startups can differentiate in a crowded space, how embedded finance is reshaping distribution, and why knowing your customer better than anyone else is the ultimate moat. With thoughtful takes on unit economics, financial inclusion, and the real use cases for AI and blockchain, this conversation is a must-listen for founders, operators, and investors navigating the next chapter of fintech.
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, blockchain, and the future of financial services, this episode is packed with practical wisdom for builders and investors alike.
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 leading large-scale digital initiatives in highly regulated environments
• How to balance innovation with compliance and customer trust in a changing financial landscape
• Anré’s perspective on the future of AI, embedded finance, and what it takes to build resilient, forward-looking financial services
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 "plumbing" behind software
- Why developer empathy and real documentation became their biggest competitive moat
- The challenges and wins of fundraising while scaling in a crowded API ecosystem
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 an increasingly digital world.
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, and strategic partnerships
- The tradeoffs between equity and debt financing, and how fintech founders can structure smarter capital strategies
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 personal financial management at Plaid—influenced his perspective on fintech and broader B2B applications. In addition to his work at a16z, Marc is known for hosting what some may call "the Met Ball of finance"—a gathering that bridges executives and startups within New York City’s vibrant financial services ecosystem.
Tune in to hear about:
-Marc’s path from Goldman Sachs to Plaid and eventually a16z
-Opportunities in Capital Markets
-AI and Finance
-AI x Accounting (read more about Marc's latest perspectives here: https://a16z.com/generative-ai-in-accounting/)
For more FinTech insights, follow us on:
Medium: medium.com/wharton-fintech
Twitter: twitter.com/whartonfintech
Instagram: instagram.com/whartonfintech
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 generation of global payments.
Tune in to hear about:
- Ezra's path from Intuit and Visa to launching Caliza
- The problems Caliza solves for businesses in Brazil and the company's recent expansion to Mexico and Asia
- The advantages of using stablecoins over traditional cross-border systems like SWIFT
- Caliza's 2024 raise with Initialized, Quona, Abstract Ventures, Digital Currency Group, and others
For more FinTech insights, follow us on:
- Medium: medium.com/wharton-fintech
- Twitter: twitter.com/whartonfintech
- Instagram: instagram.com/whartonfintech
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 talent workflows and unifying data systems, Tom discusses how AI is driving smarter, faster decision-making across the organization without replacing the human edge.
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 about:
• How Wealthfront is navigating the shifting landscape of wealth management
• The company’s approach to making institutional-grade financial strategies accessible through innovative products
• David’s thoughts on the future of WealthTech and leading a company that’s reshaping how a generation grows their money
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 innovation, and respect for the banking system led him to reimagine how blockchain can serve as secure, regulated infrastructure. He also unpacks why compliance isn’t a roadblock to innovation — but rather the unlock that will shape the future of digital finance.
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-stage venture investing
- The expectations for funds to provide value beyond capital and to foster strong ecosystems to drive success
- David’s long-term vision for Blumberg Capital and how to stay ahead of the curve in identifying and nurturing the next wave of innovation
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 away from insurance—and why
Altamont is leaning in
- Altamont’s investment in Accelerant, a risk exchange transforming the specialty
insurance value chain through advanced data ingestion, transparency, and
analytics
- Altamont’s approach to de novo financial services investments
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 digital wallets
• The role of cash in an increasingly digital economy and what that means for financial accessibility
• Kevin’s perspective on the future of fintech, innovation, and adapting to changing consumer behaviors
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:
• The $80 trillion opportunity to make money move by modernizing payments infrastructure
• How Orum is simplifying and accelerating payments with unified API-based solutions
• The challenges and advantages of being a solo, non-technical founder in the fintech space
• Stephany’s vision for the future of payment orchestration and how faster payments will redefine business operations
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
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 about:
- How Visa Ventures partners with startups to drive innovation beyond traditional venture capital
- The key attributes Visa looks for in AI and other applied technologies
- David’s insights on balancing innovation with regulation, staying informed in a fast-evolving field, and anticipating the future of fintech investing
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