The Real Maxime Podcast

In this episode, we are joined by Kareem Saleh, Founder and CEO of FairPlay, the world's first Fairness-as-a-Service company. Financial institutions use FairPlay’s APIs to embed fairness considerations into their marketing, underwriting, pricing, and collections algorithms as well as to automate their fair lending compliance. In this insightful conversation, we discuss the challenges and triumphs of building a technology-driven solution to one of today's most pressing issues in financial services. Kareem's story is a compelling blend of personal experience and professional achievement. Tune in as we cover Kareem’s journey from growing up in the vibrant and diverse city of Chicago, to helping negotiate the Paris Climate Agreement serving in the Obama Administration, and before diving into AI and machine learning.

In this episode, we are joined by Anna Garcia, Founding Managing Partner of Altari Ventures, an exciting emerging venture capital manager specializing in enterprise Fintech at the earliest stages. Altari Ventures seeks to invest in B2B startups focused on data-driven enterprise intelligence, capital markets and asset management technology, CFO tech stack, embedded finance, and decentralized or centralized financial infrastructure convergence. In this insightful conversation, we learn about Anna’s unique international upbringing and education, discuss how her successful Wall Street career prepared and still educates her unique underwriting approach, and hear what meaningful enterprise trends in financial services have the potential to create substantial economic value for technology investors. Tune in as we cover Anna’s journey from working her way up on the trading floor at Merrill Lynch, to a successful foray into angel investing that encouraged her to pursue her entrepreneurial calling.

In this episode, we are joined by Michael Broughton, Thiel Fellow and Founder of Altro, a Y Combinator Class of 2020 startup backed by Pendulum, Marcy Ventures, Citi Ventures, Black Capital Fund, Concrete Rose Fund that uses recurring monthly expenses, including rent and subscriptions like Netflix or Spotify, to build one’s credit. While attending USC, Michael was denied a $10k loan needed to cover the remainder of his tuition due to family finances and a lack of credit history. This frustrating catch-22 inspired Michael to create Altro, a business focused on financial inclusion. In this insightful conversation, we discuss the potential of innovation to address financial inclusion, the importance of personal storytelling in pitching investors, the power of mentors and human capital scaling, and how to separate hype from execution in a new era of scarce capital. Tune in as we cover Michael’s journey from his upbringing in Korea and Japan growing up in a military household, his admission to USC and Altro’s initial breakthrough with Marcy Ventures that encouraged him to drop out to pursue his entrepreneurial calling.

In this episode, we are joined by Caleb Avery, Founder and CEO of Tilled, a PayFac-as-a-Service platform that allows B2B SaaS companies to monetize payments that pass through their platforms. Caleb is one of the most articulate thought leaders when it comes to deconstructing the mechanics of the payment industry. He founded Tilled in 2019, drawing on nearly a decade of experience advising merchants and software businesses on optimizing their payment processing. He believes in enabling Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to retain the majority of revenue from payments, a principle that has shaped Tilled's development as a comprehensive payment solution that does not compromise on technology, user experience, or financial benefits. Tune in as we cover Caleb’s journey from an early entrepreneur with a passion for golf to a leader in the Fintech space. We'll discuss the influence of sports on leadership and team dynamics, the Fintech industry's response to changing customer demands and behaviors, and the future of payment methods, including cryptocurrencies.

In this episode, we are joined by Tanvi Lal, a member of the investment team at Intuit Ventures, the financial software leader’s Venture Capital group responsible for overseeing investment in startups around the world. Tanvi has been recognized as one of NYC Fintech Women’s 2023 Inspiring Fintech Females. She is a co-founder of VC Unleashed, a global nonprofit aimed at diversifying venture capital through education, resource sharing, and community building, particularly for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. In this insightful conversation, we discuss the skills required to be a VC, the power of the Intuit brand to open doors for sourcing and the potential to create value post-transaction as a corporate VC. Tune in as we delve into her outlook for 2024 and the areas she is particularly interested in deploying into, including vertical SaaS, HR Tech and how the high rates environment is shedding light onto treasury management and fixed income products.

In this episode, we are joined by Olya Caliujnaia, CEO and Co-Founder of Sanlo, a Fintech venture backed by Index Ventures and Konvoy that provides digital financial infrastructure and non-dilutive capital to game and app developers. The idea for Sanlo came from empathy for gaming studio owners, the sheer size of the market, and the pain point of managing their back-office operations. In this insightful conversation, Olya shares very valuable advice on what she believes to be three essential pillars of business building: starting and ending with the customer, setting a strong foundation within the team, and creating optionality to adapt to changing circumstances. Tune in as we delve into Olya’s journey, from her initial stint in venture capital and moving to operator roles in gaming and fintech at EA and SigFig, and eventually starting her own Fintech company with the backing of top-notch investors.

In this episode, we are joined by Michael “Max” Maxworthy, Co-Head Technology Investment Banking at D.A. Davidson. Max has 20 years of investment banking and private equity experience in advising middle market companies in sectors such as Financial Technology. In this insightful conversation, we discuss the wide variety and nuances of business models, capitalization and valuation multiples in Fintech, and the nuances in deal-making when different sets of stakeholders weigh on strategic decision making and outcomes. Tune in as we delve into Max’s successful career journey on Wall Street, from his early days as a research assistant at Morgan Stanley to co-founding Marlin & Associates, an investment bank focused on software, information technology and tech-enabled business services, which was eventually acquired by D.A. Davidson in 2021.

In this episode, we are joined by Tony Dong, Head of Capital Formation at OP Crypto, a venture investor in founders and emerging fund managers focused on game-changing business models in the broad blockchain ecosystem. As veterans in the space, with intricate connections to institutional investors and founders across verticals, the principals at OP Crypto believe they can provide some of the best-in-class portfolio support, go-to-market strategy, and developer relations. In this insightful episode, we dive into the specifics and constant evolution of crypto venture investing as well as the high potential of emerging manager underwriting. Tune in to hear more about Tony’s journey to leading capital formation at a leading crypto-native investment firm, from his debut in real estate private equity to spearheading business development in the early days of US Bitcoin Corp.

In this episode, we are joined by Paul Monasterio, CEO and Co-founder of Kalepa, a Fintech software startup backed by IA Ventures and Inspired Capital dedicated to enhancing underwriting performance and driving profitable premium growth for the commercial insurance industry. Kalepa’s AI-powered Copilot software enables underwriters to focus their time on high ROI opportunities and quickly evaluate and optimally select risk. Tune in as we delve into Paul’s entrepreneurial journey, from growing up in Venezuela to earning his PhD in nuclear science and computational physics at MIT and then honing his operating skills during the high growth days of APT and Meta before starting Kalepa.

In this episode, we are joined by Itzik Cohen, CEO and Co-founder of Payzen, a transformative healthcare Fintech lender backed by 7wireVentures and Viola. PayZen leverages AI, Machine Learning and highly proprietary data sources to offer healthcare patients a personalized payment plan so they can affordably pay for the care they need. In this insightful episode, we discuss key takeaways from two decades in Silicon Valley, management principles for high growth companies, and the nuances of consumer credit risk underwriting. Tune in as we delve into Itzik’s entrepreneurial journey, from starting his career as a professional basketball athlete and business development executive in the early days of Webex to making healthcare accessible and affordable.