Wharton FinTech Podcast

Miguel Armaza sits down with Bo Brustkern, Co-Founder & CEO of LendIt Fintech, one of the world’s leading fintech events and media companies. In this episode, we talk about Bo’s career, LendIt’s journey, and his take on some of the most interesting fintech trends out there. Bo also talked about LendIt USA 2020, their upcoming online conference scheduled for September 29 - October 1. This year’s agenda will be their best on yet, featuring 4,000+ attendees, 1,500+ companies, and 230+ speakers from 50+ countries. For Wharton Fintech listeners interested in attending, LendIt has offered a 15% discount using the promo code WHARTON15%. Wharton Fintech will then donate the proceeds of our commission to First Generation Investors, a non-profit that teaches high school students in underserved communities the power of investing. Bo Brustkern For over 20 years, Bo Brustkern has set himself apart as a leader in understanding, funding and leading cutting-edge developments in fintech and financial services. In addition to co-founding and leading LendIt Fintech, Mr. Brustkern co-founded Arcstone Valuation (2006), Arcstone Equity Research (2010) and NSR Invest (2013). Previously, he was a venture capitalist at Rustic Canyon Partners in Silicon Valley; and a private equity investor at BACE Industries in Denver, Colorado. Mr. Brustkern earned his MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA, with distinction as a Deutschman Venture Fellow, in 2001; and his BA from Dartmouth College in 1995.

Miguel Armaza sits down with David Poritz, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Credijusto, a company focused on lending to the underserved and rapidly growing small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) market in Mexico. The company aims to provide products that are superior in price, speed of delivery, and quality of customer experience. Credijusto uses a combination of cutting-edge software design, innovative applications of data science, and advanced internal processes for decision making and product structuring. Credijusto is backed by a world-class group of institutional investors, including Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, Victory Park Capital, QED Investors, Point72 Ventures, Kaszek Ventures, Thomvest Ventures, Broadhaven Ventures, Ignia, Elevar Equity, and John J. Mack. David Poritz David Poritz, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Credijusto, is responsible for leading the finance and legal departments as well as all investor outreach and engagement, including relationships with banks, credit funds and equity investors. Prior to Credijusto, he was the Co-Founder & President of Equitable Origin, an organization focused on standards development and certification of responsible energy development. David was a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford and holds an undergraduate degree from Brown University where he was a Harry S. Truman Scholar. About Credijusto Founded in 2015, Credijusto is a financial technology company focused on lending to the underserved and rapidly growing small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) market in Mexico — via products that are superior in price, speed of delivery and quality of customer experience. The company uses a combination of cutting-edge software design, innovative applications of data science and advanced internal processes for decision making and product structuring.

In our latest episode of the Wharton Fintech podcast, Anchit Gupta (WG’21) is joined by Kenon Chen, Head of Corporate Strategy at Clear Capital, a leading real estate valuation, analytics and platform technology solutions company. Clear Capital is the largest independently-held real estate analytics firm in the US, having 47 of the top 50 US lenders (banks) as customers. As the Head of Corporate Strategy, Kenon Chen sits at the intersection of the executive, product, marketing, and sales teams, guiding growth and ensuring the delivery of consistent and long-term value to customers and partners. Kenon has developed and launched some of their most forward-looking solutions, including ClearProp and ClearCollateral. After honing his engineering and tech leadership skills in San Francisco as a director of technology for Roundpeg, Kenon was introduced to the mortgage industry in the early 2000s leading tech projects for a large lender. In this interview, Kenon shares: - His educational background and journey before joining Clear Capital - The history of Clear Capital and its launch - Clear Capital’s customer base and competitive landscape - The challenges of working in the dynamic real estate industry - Their new remote inspection tool for property valuation during COVID-19 - The impact of technology in revolutionizing the real estate industry - The firm’s expansion plans beyond the US and the change in the firm’s strategy due to the pandemic - Kenon’s opinion on the future of real estate industry Enjoy the show.

In this episode, Miguel Armaza sits down with Daniel M. Green, Partner and Co-head of Gunderson Dettmer’s Latin America practice group, an international elite law firm focused on startups and venture capital. Dan’s focus is Latin America and Europe, where he represents companies as well as U.S. and international investors pursuing business opportunities in those regions. His practice encompasses all areas of corporate and securities law, including company formation and financing, public offerings, debt transactions, corporate governance and investor-side financings. Recent transactions handled by Dan include Uber’s Cornershop acquisition, recent financings by Clip, Konfio, Credijusto, and Valar Ventures’ investments in TransferWise, N26, and many more. Dan holds a JD from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor from Stanford University.

Miguel Armaza sits down with Alexis Pantazis and Emilios Markou, Co-Founders of Hellas Direct, a digital-first, full-stack insurance company located in Greece. Modeling itself on Amazon, Hellas Direct aims to disrupt the insurance value chain by adopting an extreme focus on operational excellence and data analytics. Hellas Direct was recently listed by the Financial Times as one of Europe’s 1,000 Fastest Growing Companies. The company is backed by a roster of leading investors, including Portag3, the IFC from the World Bank, Endeavor Catalyst, and a number of world-renowned angel investors. Alexis Pantazis Alexis Pantazis is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Hellas Direct. Prior to Hellas Direct, he was an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs where he led principal investing and new strategic initiatives for the firm in the European investment management field. A former strategy consultant with the Boston Consulting Group, he also worked for Miramax Films in New York and the Competition Directorate General of the European Commission in Brussels. Alexis is a Fulbright and British Chevening Scholar, a Robert & Diane Levy Fellow and an Endeavor Global Entrepreneur. Emilios Markou Emilios Markou is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Hellas Direct. Prior to Hellas Direct, he was a Director in the European Financial Institutions Structuring team at Barclays Capital. Before that, he was an Executive Director at the Goldman Sachs Investment Banking Division where he led a number of projects within the firm's European insurance practice. A former strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company, Emilios advised a number of European, US and Asian clients on numerous strategic issues in insurance, banking, energy and transportation. Emilios is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries (FIA) in the United Kingdom and an Endeavor Global Entrepreneur. Hellas Direct profile Hellas Direct is a digital-first, full-stack insurance company, empowered by cutting-edge technology and the use of advanced analytics. The company is backed by a roster of leading investors, including Portag3, IFC (a member of the World Bank), Endeavor Catalyst, former Goldman Sachs economist Lord O’Neill and private equity veteran Jon Moulton. Modelling itself on Amazon, Hellas Direct aims to disrupt the insurance value chain by adopting an extreme focus on operational excellence. Hellas Direct was recently listed by the Financial Times as one of Europe’s 1,000 Fastest Growing Companies.

Miguel Armaza sits down with Crystal Williams, Chief Human Resources Officer for FLEETCOR (NYSE: FLT), a leading payments company that aims to simplify the way businesses manage and pay their expenses by allowing them to automate, secure, digitize, and control payments on behalf of their employees and suppliers. FLEETCOR operates around the world and is listed on the NYSE with a current market cap of $20 billion. Crystal leads human capital across multiple business units and geographies and serves as strategic advisor to the Chairman and CEO. She is also an MBA graduate from the Wharton School. Crystal Williams Crystal Williams is the Chief Human Resources Officer for FLEETCOR, a leading global payments company. Williams leads human capital across multiple business units and geographies and serves as strategic advisor to the Chairman and CEO. She applies deep-rooted experience to establish widespread success in her key roles in mergers and acquisitions, talent management, and organizational development. During her 17-year tenure, Williams navigated the cultural transition around FLEETCOR’s IPO, grew the workforce from a few hundred to more than 8,000 employees, instituted numerous successful leadership development programs and leads a 129-person HR department with team members spanning 9 countries. Her strategic and dynamic approach to HR and leadership has earned recognition from the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Women Worth Watching and the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Williams received an MBA in strategic management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. About FLEETCOR: FLEETCOR Technologies (NYSE: FLT) is a leading global business payments company that simplifies the way businesses manage and pay their expenses. The FLEETCOR portfolio of brands helps companies automate, secure, digitize, and control payments on behalf of their employees and suppliers. FLEETCOR serves businesses, partners, and merchants in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.FLEETCOR.com.

In this Wharton Fintech Podcast, Miguel Armaza is joined by Caribou Honig, Chairman & Co-founder of InsurTech Connect, as well as Co-founder of the HR Transform Conference, focused on the impact of technology on the workplace. Caribou is also a legendary investor that sits on the board of several startups. He previously co-founded QED Investors, a VC firm focused on data-driven companies, was a top executive at Capital One, and is currently a partner at SemperVirens, a VC focused on the Future of Work. Caribou’s Insurtech Connect, the leading InsurTech conference, will be taking place September 21 – 23, bringing 200+ leaders to the virtual stage. Register and find more information at https://insuretechconnect.com/ Caribou Honig Caribou Honig enjoys pursuing harebrained ideas and supporting the creation of new businesses. He is Chairman & Cofounder of InsureTech Connect as well as cofounder of the HR Transform conference focused on the impact of technology on the workplace. Caribou is an independent board director with several startups and is a partner at SemperVirens, a VC firm focused on the Future of Work. He previously cofounded QED Investors, a boutique venture capital firm focused on data-driven companies. Caribou and his wife live in Richmond, Virginia with their two occasionally annoying dogs.

Miguel Armaza is joined by Donna Parisi, Global Head of the Finance Business Unit for Shearman & Sterling, a global law firm with over 850 lawyers in 24 offices worldwide. Donna is one of the firm’s Financial Services Industry leaders and also leads Shearman & Sterling’s FinTech Foundry and Shearman Women, the firm’s women’s initiative. About Shearman & Sterling With more than 850 lawyers in 24 offices, Shearman & Sterling is a global law firm that partners with corporations, major financial institutions, emerging growth companies, governments and state-owned enterprises to provide the legal and industry insight needed to navigate the challenges of today and achieve their ambitions of tomorrow.

Miguel Armaza sits down with Craig J. Lewis, Founder and CEO of Gig Wage, a company building modern payment tools for the future of work. Gigwage’s innovative vision aims to modernize an antiquated industry by designing a service that meets the needs of on-demand workforces. Craig graduated from Morehead State University and upon graduation became a Professional Basketball player across Europe, until returning back state side and becoming an expert in payroll technology. Prior to building Gig Wage, Craig became the Chief Strategy Officer of Kairos, a facial recognition/emotion detection startup. Craig was an excellent guest and is an ambitious dreamer who believes is technology’s capacity for wealth creation and its ability to improve lives. He is committed to building this legacy for his family, wife, and 4 children, while elevating the community around him through mentorship and growth.

In our latest episode of the Wharton Fintech podcast, Anchit Gupta (WG '21) sits down with Nitya Sharma, CEO and Co-Founder of Simpl. Simpl is a technology company that offers Pay-later solutions in India. Simpl has revolutionized online checkout in India by creating a market-leading Pay-Later platform, empowering e-commerce merchants to offer their consumers 1-click checkout, a line of credit at POS, and full buyer protection. Before starting Simpl, Nitya worked on Wall Street for more than 10 years, where he structured, traded and risk-managed structured credit portfolios at Bear Stearns and Goldman Sachs. Before that, he was a co-founding portfolio manager at JNF Financial, a distressed credit hedge fund from 2010–2014.   Nitya initially moved back to India with the objective of starting an emerging-markets focused hedge-fund. However, he experienced the shortcomings of the Indian payments and credit stack first-hand when his credit card application was declined. This experience prompted him to dig deeper into the Indian payments landscape and subsequently led to the founding of Simpl. In this interview, Nitya shares: - His educational background and journey as an entrepreneur - His motivations for launching Simpl - Simpl's business model and the challenges of underwriting risk in a cash-first economy like India - Differences between banking infrastructure in India and the US - Simpl's plans to compete with financial incumbents as well as big tech firms such as Amazon and Google - The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on Simpl - Nitya's future plans for the organization Nitya has his B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College and his Masters in Financial Engineering from the University of Michigan.