Wharton FinTech Podcast Building and Backing FinTech at a Global Scale
Mar 9, 2026
Sandeep Patil, Partner at QED Investors with two decades in fintech and roles at Capital One, Flipkart, and Truecaller. He discusses building and investing in fintech across Asia-Pacific. Topics include QED’s operator-first investment lens, transferability of fintech models across geographies, stablecoins’ practical uses, and how AI reshapes financial decision-making.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Fintech Is Trust Wrapped In Software
- Fintech is fundamentally a business of trust wrapped in software where risk, governance, distribution, and innovation all matter.
- Sandeep learned risk/pricing at Capital One, governance in the U.K., and speed/innovation from Asia, shaping this holistic view.
Truecaller Monetization Sprint
- At Truecaller Sandeep turned 110M MAUs and $18M revenue into $110M by aggressively pursuing monetization.
- He treated the existing user footprint as an asset that needed specific monetization strategies rather than generic growth moves.
Operator DNA Shapes QED Decisions
- QED applies an operator-first lens, evaluating unit economics, risk pricing, and founder behavior under stress.
- They judge founders on openness to advice and how they'll act when strategy breaks, not just slide-deck plans.