Wharton FinTech Podcast

In our latest podcast, Keane Ehsani (WG ’20) is joined by Dov Marmor, GM & Head of Banking as a Service at Green Dot (https://www.greendot.com). In this extensive interview, Dov dives into the proliferation of prepaid cards and Banking as a Service in the U.S.  Dov also discusses Green Dot’s unique and vertically integrated value proposition for companies looking to provide banking services, how to land a job in fintech, and the evolution of the fintech industry. Dov Marmor leads Green Dot’s Banking as a Service (BaaS) division, which is the platform used by companies like Uber, Intuit, Apple, and Stash to create custom financial products for their customers.  He is also a fintech lecturer at Cornell University’s Johnson Business School where he earned his MBA and serves on the alumni board. Prior to joining Green Dot, Dov led the US launch of Currencycloud, a Google Ventures funded fintech platform that processes billions of dollars in payments globally for major tech companies.  Earlier in his career, Dov held leadership roles at Super Derivatives (Sold to Intercontinental Exchange) and Standard & Poor’s. He has extensive experience across fintech, Cloud Platforms, Payments, and digital innovation.    Linked in article link about how to land a job in FinTech: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-land-job-fintech-dov-marmor/ For more information on Banking as a Service: https://greendot.com/business

Ray Martinez, Co-founder and President of EVERFI, is a financial literacy trailblazer with over 20 years in education. He discusses the unique founding journey of EVERFI and the launch of the new Achieve platform for adult financial literacy. Ray emphasizes the importance of personalized, engaging education, revealing how insights from K-12 programs shaped Achieve. He also tackles the pressing issue of student debt and explores EVERFI's ambitious plans to expand financial education into healthcare and emotional wellness, all while sharing his entrepreneurial experiences.

In our latest podcast, Peter Jankovsky (WG'20) is joined by Colin Walsh, the CEO and Co-Founder of Varo Money. Varo Money is on track to become the first mobile-centric national bank in US history after gaining approval for a national bank charter. We previously spoke with Colin in the early days of Varo's launch and are excited to welcome him back to the podcast to share his experience in the market. In this extensive interview, Colin shares: * His unique founding story and the value proposition behind Varo * The rationale for Varo's decision to pursue a national bank charter * His vision for what's next for Varo - including both product and geographic expansion * Challenges that Varo has overcome since launching in the market * Advice for entrepreneurs seeking funding * His views on the competitive landscape for consumer banking in the US Prior to starting Varo, Colin spent over 25 years working in consumer banking at global financial institutions. He was previously an EVP at American Express, leading Europe's largest credit and charge card business, and an MD at Lloyd's, leading the UK's largest mortgage and savings businesses. Feedback? Questions? Send us a note at whartonfintech@gmail.com

In our latest podcast, Keane Ehsani (WG ’20) is joined by Gerry Tsai, Director of Applications and Fintech in the Financial Institution Supervision and Credit Group at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (FRBSF) (https://www.frbsf.org). In this extensive interview, Gerry dives into the evolution of the Fintech industry and the U.S. regulatory response. Gerry also discusses the FRBSF’s Fintech Navigate program, regulatory sandboxes, and the various regulatory regimes that apply to the use of consumer financial data. In his Fintech role at the FRBSF, Mr. Tsai leads a team of analysts that focus on better understanding the opportunities and regulatory questions posed by the Fintech industry, as well as related impacts on the banking sector.  In his applications capacity, he oversees a team that reviews and acts on regulatory applications by banking institutions to engage in mergers, acquisitions, and other expansionary activities. Mr. Tsai previously served both as Corporate Secretary and as Associate General Counsel for the Reserve Bank’s Legal Division where he focused on payment systems and bank regulatory matters. Before joining the Reserve Bank, Mr. Tsai was vice president and counsel at a large financial institution in Los Angeles, and was an attorney with the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C. Mr. Tsai graduated from Johns Hopkins University and Boston University School of Law; he is admitted to the bar in California and Massachusetts. Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco:  Fintech Navigate https://www.frbsf.org/banking/fintech/navigate/ U.S. Department of the Treasury:  A Financial System That Creates Economic Opportunities: Nonbank Financials, Fintech, and Innovation https://home.treasury.gov/sites/default/files/2018-08/A-Financial-System-that-Creates-Economic-Opportunities---Nonbank-Financials-Fintech-and-Innovation_0.pdf

In our latest podcast, Keane Ehsani (WG ’20) is joined by Zor Gorelov, the CEO and Co-Founder of Kasisto. In this extensive interview, Zor dives into Kasisto’s sophisticated conversational AI platform that powers virtual assistants for financial institutions. Zor also discusses his fascinating background as a four-time entrepreneur and how Kasisto’s KAI is revolutionizing the way customers interact with their banks. Kasisto (https://kasisto.com) is the developer of KAI, a conversational AI platform that powers virtual assistants and bots on mobile, web, messaging platforms, and voice-enabled devices. The world’s most innovative financial institutions license KAI to create intelligent conversations that fulfill requests, solve problems, and predict needs for their customers. Zor has over 20 years of experience in the software industry. He was the CEO and co-Founder of SpeechCycle, a market leader in cloud-based contact center optimization solutions for the telco market. SpeechCycle was acquired by Synchronoss Technologies (SNCR). Prior to that, Zor founded and ran BuzzCompany.com, a provider of enterprise collaboration and messaging software, which was acquired by Multex.com (MLTX).

In our latest podcast, Keane Ehsani (WG ’20) is joined by Karn Saroya, the CEO and co-founder of Cover. In this extensive interview, Karn dives into Cover’s sophisticated customer-centric and elegant apps built to better serve customers. Karn also discusses his pivot from fashion to insurance, how Cover is utilizing native mobile and its Magicam technology to disintermediate the insurance industry, and valuations and consolidation in insurtech. Cover (https://cover.com) is a technology company and nationally licensed insurance brokerage that works with more than 30 insurance companies across the United States. Their apps ensure that customers get the most out of their insurance, the best possible customer experience, and the best rates & coverage. Karn Saroya is the CEO and co-founder of Cover. He is responsible for operations, business development, growth and investor relations primarily. To date, Karn has raised $27M (USD) throughout seed, Series A and Series B rounds. Karn’s first company, Stylekick, was acqui-hired by Shopify in 2015 and, before entrepreneurship, he was a management consultant at Oliver Wyman. Karn holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University and a Master of Finance from MIT, where he attended as a Fulbright Scholar. He is also a Y Combinator fellow and alumnus.

In our latest podcast, Keane Ehsani (WG ’20) is joined by Clay Wilkes, the CEO and founder of Galileo Processing. In this extensive interview, Clay dives into Galileo’s sophisticated payments platform and how Galileo inspires and connects the most exciting fintechs and financial institutions via its open APIs and simulator sandbox. We also cover Galileo’s growth since its founding, emerging payment adoption trends, and valuations and consolidation in fintech. Galileo Processing (www.galileoprocessing.com) was founded in 2000 and has grown to become one of the largest payments processors and program managers in North America. Galileo applies technology and engineering capabilities to empower fintechs and financial institutions to unleash their full creativity to achieve their most innovative goals. Galileo leads the industry with superior fraud detection, security, decision-making analytics, and regulatory compliance functionality combined with customized, responsive and flexible programs to accelerate the success of all payments companies and solve tomorrow’s payments challenges today. Under Clay’s leadership, Galileo developed the technology that powers the most successful fintechs, financial institutions and investment firms in North America. His love of technology began early, while hunkered down in high school and university computer labs in his native Oregon. He launched his career developing communications and operating systems for Sperry, IBM, and Novell. In 1994 Clay founded I-Link, which developed Voice Over IP. As CEO, he took I-Link public and authored patents for VOIP. A dedicated humanitarian and environmentalist, Clay says Galileo’s Core Values are the embodiment of what he believes as a business leader.

In our latest podcast, Keane Ehsani (WG ’20) is joined by Braden More, Executive Vice President and Head of Partnerships and Industry Relations at Wells Fargo. In this extensive interview, Braden dives into Wells Fargo’s tech enabled payment offerings and discusses Wells Fargo’s strategy for partnering with and investing in emerging fintech start-ups. We also cover U.S. payment adoption trends, how Wells Fargo is helping consumers manage their digital financial footprint, and Braden’s experience as co-founder of the Wells Fargo Startup Accelerator. Braden More leads business development, partnerships, and industry relations for Wells Fargo’s payments business. He and his team work across the consumer and commercial bank to grow Wells Fargo’s deposit and payment franchise by focusing on customers, partners, and regulators. Before assuming his current role in 2017, Braden was the head of payment strategy at Wells Fargo. He and his team worked across the enterprise to coordinate strategy, incubate new initiatives like Apple Pay, and represent Wells Fargo in the payments industry. He also cofounded the Wells Fargo Startup Accelerator, a venture capital program that mentors and invests in innovative companies. Braden graduated magna cum laude from Bowdoin College with a degree in government and legal studies. He earned his M.B.A. with distinction from NYU’s Stern School of Business and obtained a CPA license in New York. Wells Fargo Startup Accelerator (https://accelerator.wf.com/) Control Tower (https://www.wellsfargo.com/online-banking/manage-accounts/control-tower/) Greenhouse by Wells Fargo (https://www.wellsfargo.com/greenhouse/)

In our latest podcast, Peter Jankovsky (WG'20) is joined by Dan Westgarth, head of Revolut's North America expansion. Revolut is a UK challenger bank that launched in 2015 with the mission to build the world's first truly bank. Today, it supports customers in over 30 countries and has over 4M users. Podcast overview: * How Revolut thinks of a "stack of niches" in building its customer base and creating a ripple effect to grow to 4M+ users * Revolut's planned product expansion, including its new Perks program and wealth/trading product, and how it goes about launching new products * Revolut's plans for international expansion to create the world's first truly global bank * A comparison of the regulatory environment in North America and the UK/EU, and how this affects Revolut's business model * Plans for Revolut's launch in the US, challenges it has had to work through, and how it's adapting to the US consumer * Revolut's culture and what Revolut looks for in potential hires Dan Westgarth is the General Manager for North America at Revolut, currently responsible for local operations across North America. Before taking on his current role, Dan was part of the Revolut international launcher team, which collectively set up local businesses in 8+ international markets. Prior to that, as one of Revolut's early employees, Dan established several early partnerships and business critical deals within the partnerships and business development team which was based in Canary Wharf's Level39 FinTech hub and accelerator.

In our latest podcast, Christian Rolon (WG '19) is joined by Frank Rotman, one of the founding partners of QED Investors. QED Investors invests in early-stage Fintech companies based in the US, UK, and Latin America. Based in Virginia, QED was founded in 2008 by Rotman, Caribou Honig, and Nigel Morris (co-founder of Capital One). QED Investors has invested in Avant, AvidXchange, ClearScore, Credit Karma, Nubank, Remitly, and SoFi. Their exits include Braintree, Klarna, and Orchard. Frank Rotman is a founding partner of QED Investors. Frank's portfolio companies include Avant, Credit Karma, GreenSky, LendUp, Prosper and SoFi. Frank publishes his thoughts on Fintech on his personal blog Confessions of a Fintech Junkie. Frank began his career at Capital One as one of its earliest analysts. At Capital One, Frank spanned a number of roles across subprime and upmarket cards, focusing on managing Capital One's credit exposure and expanding new business lines. After leaving Capital One, Frank created a Student Lending company. Frank received his BS in Applied Mathematics and his MS in Systems Engineering, both from the University of Virginia.