Nihar Bobba hosts Angela Strange, General Partner at a16z. She focuses on Financial Services including fintech infrastructure, insurance, real estate, and increasing financial inclusivity. In the Fintech world, Angela is well known for coining the idea that "Every Company Will Be a Fintech Company"— and idea driven by the influx of new, transformative financial infrastructure tools that enable non-fintech companies to derive a significant portion of their revenue through financial products.
Today, Angela serves on the boards of Addi, Casai, Jeeves, Moov, SeedFi, SynapseFi, Tally, and Valon.

Prior to joining a16z, Angela was most recently a product manager at Google where she launched and grew Chrome for Android and iOS. And she started her career as a consultant at Mercer.

In this episode you will hear about:
- Angela's time at Google, and what operating principles she uses in her investing role
- Why every company is a fintech company
- The state of fintech today, and so much more

Angela Strange, General Partner at a16z - On why every company is a fintech company

Kailee Costello hosts Harsh Sinha and Steve Naudé from Wise. Harsh is the Chief Technology Officer, and Steve is Head of Wise Platform. Wise has built a leading cross-border payments network and processes £9B in cross-border payments every month on behalf of over 16 million customers. Wise’s IPO on the London Stock Exchange took place in 2021. 

In this episode you will hear about:
- Wise’s journey from money transfer service to leading cross-border payments network
- How Wise have put an API around their cross-border payment infrastructure so that they can offer it to banks and non-banks via Wise Platform
- How Wise is able to achieve such low transaction costs
- Whether Wise will be able to push prices lower in the future
- The friction that still exists in cross-border payments
- The role that crypto solutions will play in the future.
- How Wise deploys cross-functional teams that operate as a small startup within Wise and are fully equipped as a vertical unit to solve the problem for the customer
- Challenges faced in building and growing Wise Platform
- Growth opportunities for Wise Platform, and why Wise is expecting Platform to represent the majority of FX volume in the long-term


About Wise
Wise is a global technology company building the best way to move and manage money around the world. Wise processes £9bn in cross-border payments every month on behalf of over 16 million customers, saving them £1.5bn a year in bank fees. Wise’s IPO took place in July 2021. 

About Harsh Sinha and Steve Naudé
Harsh Sinha is the Chief Technology Officer at Wise. Prior to Wise, Harsh was the director of product at PayPal. He led product strategy and development of PayPal's mobile apps and software. Previously, Harsh led various technology functions at eBay. Harsh is also an angel investor, an advisor to early stage start-ups and venture capital firms.

Steve Naudé is Head of Wise Platform, Wise’s cross-border payments infrastructure offer for banks and non-banks alike. Wise Platform allows financial institutions and major enterprises to leverage the power of Wise’s technology and embed solutions that make sending, receiving, and managing money internationally easier than ever for their customers directly into their existing infrastructure. Today, Wise Platform is live with more than 60 banks and financial institutions across the world, including Monzo, Google Pay, Ramp and Bank Mandiri, one of Indonesia's largest banks.

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Wise, Harsh Sinha & Steve Naudé - Building a leading cross-border payments network

"Every time we scale, I rethink the problem and how we are solving it…” 
Listen in as Josh Benadiva hosts Ariel Cohen, CEO and Co-Founder of Navan. This episode is a riveting exploration of Ariel's journey in tackling evolving challenges and driving continuous product innovation as his business scales. 

Ariel shares his unique approach to product development and organizational alignment. He discusses how he and his co-founder initially reimagined enterprise travel management software with a focus driving win-wins for companies and their employees. 

As the CEO and Co-Founder of Navan, Ariel is focused on the company’s growth. This is Ariel’s second company he founded with Co-founder and CTO Ilan Twig –– the most recent being StreamOnce, a business multimedia integration platform which was acquired by Jive Software. Prior to StreamOnce, Ariel led Product Management in a senior leadership role at Hewlett-Packard. Ariel earned an EMBA from Northwestern University –– Kellogg School of Management.

Navan (formerly TripActions) was founded in 2015 and is the next generation of corporate travel and expense management software that allows users to easily book, view, and manage business travel and expenses. Navan has also recently launched a corporate credit card alongside its travel and expense management technology.

Ariel Cohen, CEO and Co-Founder of Navan - Building a Unicorn with Customer-Centric Design

“We build the monetisation engine for Google. We build the entire stack that moves money and we do it at Google scale. The reason we have to build it internally is (because) at our scale and with all our different business models and products that we support at Google there is not really one product out there that does it all. You have to piece together multiple different things and some of that is very unique to the way Google runs and its scale and reach… billions of users, hundreds of countries and territories. So that’s why we do what we do.” 

Sonal Goyal and Kareem Itani host Kan Liu, VP of Product for Payments Platform at Google, which provides fast, easy and trusted payment solutions to Google’s businesses and their end users. Kan has been at Google for almost two decades where he previously led Google Desktop and Chrome OS. 

In this episode, they discuss Kan’s career journey, everlasting product principles, balancing innovation with regulatory compliance, Google’s big bets in digital payments, advice for fintech and product enthusiasts, and much more!

Kan Liu, VP of Product at Google - Building fintech products at scale

In today’s episode, Kailee Costello hosts David Haber, General Partner at a16z. David focuses on technology investments in financial services.David was previously a senior executive in Firmwide Strategy at Goldman Sachs where he helped lead partnerships, new ventures and M&A. Before joining the firm, David was the Founder and CEO of Bond Street, which aimed to transform small business lending through technology, data, and design. Bond Street was acquired by Goldman Sachs in 2017.

In this episode you will hear about:
- The outlook for fintech: challenges and opportunities
- How seeing the world from the perspective of an operator, an entrepreneur, and an investor has shaped David’s investing today
- David’s current investing theses
- David’s learnings from Bond Street about the importance of “leading with software”
- How David’s lessons from Bond Street and his time at Goldman Sachs have influenced what he looks for in an investment and a founding team
- David’s rationale for leaving his VC role at Spark Capital to found a startup
- What David liked and disliked about his roles in VC compared to his role as founder and CEO at Bond Street 

For more FinTech insights, follow us on
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David Haber, a16z General Partner - Fintech through the lens of an operator, entrepreneur & investor

In today’s episode, Joshua Benadiva hosts Bobby Morrison, Chief Revenue Officer at Shopify. Bobby was previously the Chief Revenue Officer at Intuit and a Senior Vice President at Verizon. 

In this episode you will hear about:
- What makes Shopify unique and so fast-paced
- Bobby's vision for the future of enterprise e-commerce 
- Shopify's product-led growth motion with enterprise e-commerce
- Using Shop Pay, highest converting checkout experience, to illustrate the value of Shopify with little integration costs
- How Shopify thinks about partnerships vs. building features themselves, what they call "main quests" vs "side-quests"
- Building out omni-channel features and working alongside ERPs
- Why massive brands are moving over to Shopify

For more FinTech insights, follow us on
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Shopify Chief Revenue Officer, Bobby Morrison - The Future of E-Commerce, Cracking The Enterprise

Russell Matambo hosts Wemimo Abbey and Samir Goel, co-CEOs and co-founders of Esusu, a leading Fintech platform that reports on-time rental payments to credit bureaus so renters can build credit while building owners and property managers maximise their portfolio health.

They discuss how Esusu is expanding financial access in the US, Esusu’s growing pains and lessons learnt along the way, Samir and Wemimo’s principled and purposeful leadership as Co-CEOs, and much more!

About Wemimo and Samir:

Wemimo Abbey and Samir Goel are co-CEOs and co-founders of Esusu. Esusu is the leading Fintech platform providing rent reporting, property management analytics, and rental assistance to unlock financial access and stability for renters and property owners in the US. In 2023 alone, Esusu unlocked $21.9 Billion in new credit activity for Esusu renters, by enabling 107,000 renters establish credit score for the first time while helping many more with existing credit scores increase theirs by at least 36 points. Most recently, Esusu was valued at $1 billion in their $130 million Series B round.

Prior to Esusu, both Samir and Wemimo founded social enterprises and had successful corporate careers. Samir Co-Founded Transfernation, a nationally recognized non-profit that used technology to direct over 5 million pounds of excess food to nearly 2.5 million people in underserved communities across New York City. Wemimo on the other hand founded Clean Water for Everyone, a global social venture providing affordable access to clean water for 250,000+ people in six countries. He also founded a data analytics company gathering data on NGOs operating in Africa, which was acquired in 2014. 

Collectively Wemimo and Samir have been featured in over a dozen major business publications including but not limited to the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30, the 2022 Fortune 40 Under 40 and the 2023 TIME 100 lists. 
--
As always, for more Fintech insights and opportunities to collaborate, please find us below:
WFT LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/wharton-fintech-club/
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Russell's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/russell-matambo-cfa-a5900039/

Wemimo Abbey & Samir Goel, Esusu - Expanding access to credit using on-time rental payments

In today's episode, Wesley Aster and Djavaneh Bierwirth host Graham Weaver, the founder and managing partner of Alpine Investors, a people-driven private equity firm that invests in software and services businesses.

Tune in to hear about:

- Graham's journey from starting Alpine in his Stanford dorm room to growing the firm to $16B in AUM
- Graham's personal growth and investment philosophies, as well as how he thinks about driving long-term impact
- Alpine's latest $4.5B fund 9, and Graham's experience fundraising in a challenging market

Graham Weaver - Founder & CEO, Alpine Investors - On Finding Purpose & Exceptional Investing

Nate Gee hosts Eric Sager, COO of Plaid, whose technology links fintech apps and financial institutions in a network empowering the fintech solutions that millions of people use. 

In this episode, they discuss:
- How Plaid has transformed the fintech landscape in the past decade
- Eric’s journey into fintech and becoming Plaid’s COO
- The role of APIs and open banking in modern financial services
- The growth of digital finance in recent years
- Instant payments and alternative payment rails
- Other fintech trends and how Plaid fits in
- And much more!
About Plaid
Founded in 2013, Plaid has become essential infrastructure in the fintech world, connecting over 100 million users to financial services and facilitating integration among more than 12,000 financial institutions and 8,000 fintech apps worldwide. Plaid’s technology enables simpler, faster, and more transparent financial services, making it a cornerstone in the ongoing evolution of digital finance.
About Eric Sager
With over 20 years of experience in financial services, Eric Sager joined Plaid as COO in 2019. Before joining Plaid, Eric held senior roles at BlueVine and Square. Originally from Germany, Eric worked at Bain & Company in Europe after graduating from Harvard Business School in 2006. 
For more FinTech insights, follow us on:
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Nate’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-c-gee/

Plaid COO Eric Sager – On Fintech Innovations at Plaid and Beyond

Kailee Costello hosts Davi Strazza, the North America President at Adyen. Adyen is a global fintech platform for enterprise businesses, offering end-to-end payments, data, and financial management in a single solution. 

Tune in to hear about: 
- Adyen’s unique value proposition, and how Adyen runs their platform across the world under a single tech stack
- Why Adyen attained bank licenses and the opportunities this offers, such as short term loans, issuing and with FedNow
- What Adyen is doing to enable FedNow
- How Adyen partners with fintechs like BILL and Plaid
- How Adyen's offering and focus areas have evolved over the past few years
- Davi’s career path and motivation for joining Adyen 
- Key differences between Davi’s previous role as President Latin America and current role as President North America
- Industry outlook and the future for Adyen

For more FinTech insights from Wharton Fintech, follow us on:
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Kailee’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaileecostello/

Adyen, Davi Strazza (President North America) - Growing a Global Payments Powerhouse

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of FedNow's debut, Zoey Tang sat down with an esteemed panel of experts, Nick Stanescu, Carlos Brandt, and Rocio Wu. 

In today’s episode, we discussed
-Latest updates about FedNow
-Lessons learned from Pix and other international instant payment network 
-Factors that drove differences in adoption across markets
-Exciting innovations in the instant payment space 

About guests featured on today's show: 
Nick Stanescu is the Executive Vice President and Chief FedNow Executive at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. He leads the FedNow® Service, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at revolutionizing the US payments landscape with round-the-clock  instant payment and settlement services.

Carlos Brandt is a senior advisor at the Central Bank of Brazil for Pix and payments in general. He was the Head of management and operations for Pix since the launch in 2020. He has been instrumental in the design and implementation of Pix, Brazil's highly successful instant electronic payment system that has significantly increased financial inclusion and transformed the country's payment ecosystem.

Rocio Wu is a Principal at F-Prime Capital, where she leads investments in FinTech and enterprise software. With a rich background in investing and operating roles at companies like Google and Amazon in Europe, LatAm, Asia, and the US, Rocio brings a global perspective on innovation and technology in the payments sector.

For more FinTech insights, follow us on:
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Zoey's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zoeytang1007/

Instant Payment Special Panel - One-Year Anniversary of FedNow's Debut

Zoey Tang sits down with David Jegen and Sarah Lamont from F-Prime Capital to discuss the State of Fintech 2024 Report. In today’s episode, we discussed
-Latest updates in the fintech ecosystem
-How should fintech companies cope in a more stringent regulatory environment? 
-Ten years in, where fintech startups have disrupted, been embraced, been outmaneuvered or outlasted? 
-Predictions for 2024

About F-Prime Capital: 
F-Prime Capital is an independent venture capital group that grew from Fidelity Investments. They have been backing entrepreneurs building ground-breaking companies for over fifty years. F-Prime has more than $3B under management and has invested in companies from Alibaba and Prosper to Toast and Flywire.

F-Prime Capital - State of Fintech 2024

In today's episode, lead host Djavaneh Bierwirth speaks with Shan Aggarwal, VP of BD & Corporate at Coinbase, as well as the Head of Coinbase Ventures. Shan discusses his broad spanning role at Coinbase and leadership of the company’s venture arm, his journey from studying neuroscience to investing in crypto, and the evolution of Coinbase Ventures as the crypto ecosystem has grown and matured over the last six years. They also explore key investment areas such as Web3 social media platforms and stablecoin based cross-border payments, as well as discuss the cyclical nature of the space. Tune in to hear Shan's insights on the future of crypto investing.

[01:27] Shan's Journey: Shan discusses his unconventional path from studying neuroscience to becoming a key figure in the crypto investing space.
[10:39] On-Chain Social and Web3: Insights into Coinbase Ventures’ investments in the evolving world of Web3, including platforms like Zora.
[15:59] Simplifying Crypto UX: How Coinbase is supporting companies in make crypto more user-friendly and accessible to mainstream users.
[16:59] DeFi and Cross-Border Payments: The potential of decentralized finance and how crypto is revolutionizing global payment systems.
[19:35] Coinbase Ventures' Evolution: Shan discusses how the venture arm of Coinbase has grown from a side project to a major force in the crypto ecosystem.
[27:11] Cyclical Nature of Crypto: A discussion on the cyclical nature of the crypto industry and how it impacts innovation and investment.
[31:42] Crypto Valuations: Shan's take on high valuations in the crypto space and how investors should think about value in this emerging industry.

Coinbase VP Corp & Biz Dev, Head of Ventures, Shan Aggarwal - On Crypto Investing through the Cycles

In today's episode, Wesley Aster hosts Carlos Netto, the Co-Founder and CEO of Matera, a leading provider of core banking, instant payment, and QR code payment solutions for financial institutions.

Tune in to hear about:
- Carlos’ journey from co-founding Matera in the 1980s to the Company's pioneering role in enabling real-time payments in Brazil
- How Matera harnessed Brazil’s Pix payment system to grow 4x since 2020
- Matera's recent $100M raise with Warburg Pincus and strategic expansion into the U.S.

For more FinTech insights, follow us on
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Matera's Next Chapter: Warburg Pincus, U.S. Expansion, and Brazil's Fintech Future

In today's episode, Kimberly Zhang hosts John Taylor Garner, the Founder and CEO of Odynn - an embedded loyalty and fintech next-gen program manager that is transforming the way banks and fintechs engage with their customers through smart loyalty solutions. With a background in volatility trading and a passion for travel and rewards, John brings a wealth of experience and innovation to the loyalty space.

Tune in to hear about:

- The early challenges and milestones of building Odynn, and the lessons learned along the way
- What sets Odynn apart as a holistic loyalty optimization platform
- How AI and machine learning are driving a new era of customer loyalty solutions
- The future of customer retention and emerging trends in the banking and fintech sectors

Odynn Founder & CEO, John Taylor Garner - Building an Embedded Loyalty & Fintech Next-Gen Program Manager

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

Head of VISA Ventures, David Rolf - Building At The Intersection of Emerging Markets & Trends

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

Orum Founder & CEO, Stephany Kirkpatrick - The $80 Trillion Opportunity To Make Money Move

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

Coinstar CEO, Kevin McColly - Reimagining The Role Of Physical Cash In A Digital Age

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

Altamont Capital Partners MD, Sam Gaynor - Investing Across Insurance & The Accelerant Risk Exchange

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

Blumberg Capital Founder & Managing Partner, David J. Blumberg - Partnership & Innovation From Inception Through Exit

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.

Metallicus Co-Founder & CEO, Marshall Hayner - Transforming Blockchain from Experiment to Infrastructure

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

Wealthfront CEO, David Fortunato - Inside Wealthfront’s Digital-First Playbook

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.

Schonfeld CTO, Tom DeBow - Technology and AI's Impact on Modern Hedge Funds

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

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Caliza Founder & CEO, Ezra Kebrab - Modernizing Cross-Border Transactions using Stablecoins

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:
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Marc Andusko, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz- Investing in Fintech & B2B Software

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

Melissa Wasser, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz - How a16z’s Network is Powering Founders

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.

Catherine Porter, CBO at Prove - The Identity Layer of Fintech

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

Merge Co-Founder, Shensi Ding - Building the Infrastructure Layer for B2B Integrations

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

American Express Senior Executive Advisor, Anré Williams - Leading Large-Scale Innovation in Traditional Financial Institutions

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.

Greylock General Partner, Seth Rosenberg - Building Fintech for the AI Era

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.

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