Trevor Tanifum, FS Vector: Banking as a Service, AI, and What Really Matters in Fintech

It's time to welcome another member to the Fintech Familia! Today I’m joined by Trevor Tanifum, Principal at a long-time friend of the show: FS Vector. Trevor guides financial technology companies through regulatory, risk management, and strategic challenges. We talk about Trevor’s journey to FS Vector, what the heck he does there, AI’s impact on the industry, what folks should be focusing on in Fintech, and whether or not the industry itself is bi-partisan.Enjoy!Links:FS VectorTrevor on LinkedInNew York Fintech WeekSkipify(00:00:59) - Nous parlons français et l'enfance de Trevor(00:05:32) - How did you end up at FS Vector?(00:10:05) - New York Fintech Week Ad(00:11:08) - Thoughts on AI(00:15:26) - FS Vector and Trevor’s work there(00:26:25) - Skipify Ad(00:28:00) - How big is this market?(00:36:16) - What should companies be focused on right now in Fintech?(00:44:33) - Drama vs. use-cases(00:50:45) - Has the industry been through a full economic cycle?(00:59:13) - Is Fintech bi-partisan?

Money 20/20 roll call! It’s dawned on me that while I come to you as a humble podcast host, you’re all constantly hearing me talk about this Money20/20 thing…And based on what I see in the comments, most people are wondering:What the hell is even a content director??So, on this episode, not only do I deep dive into what life is like in this role, but I also had a chance to get the Euro perspective from our guest, Micky Tesfaye, the Content Lead for Europe!We give the inside scoop of what we deal with, how we manage stress, judging the success of a show, and even go in on the toll this kind of job can take on a human. Enjoy!We are also SO excited to welcome our new sponsor of Fintech Family Hour: Skipify.com Skipify’s Connected Wallet is a next-gen digital wallet that connects Merchants, Shoppers, and Financial Institutions into the moment of purchase for the very first time.Links:Micky on LinkedInMoney20/20Skipify.comTopics:(00:00:00) - Intro(00:01:52) - Catching up(00:03:52) - What the heck do we even do at Money20/20??(00:08:54) - Experts vs. lighthouses (00:17:08) - The call for content(00:20:30) - Having to sit on market-moving information(00:26:59) - Allow dumb questions(00:28:26) - Skipify.com(00:32:12) - The toll of the job(00:36:12) - Mickey’s hesitation toward IV businesses, Ice & cold brew(00:46:20) - Managing stress(00:50:54) - Judging the success of a show

Is this the “We’re Back” department?I’d like to file a claim. We’re kicking off 2024 with one of the wisest guests in the history of the show: Alan Patricof. Alan is responsible for raising one of THE FIRST Venture Capital funds all the way back in the late 60’s. He’s currently the Chairman Emeritus of Greycroft, which has over $2 billion in capital invested across a variety of companies, including Venmo, Acorns, Axios and more!We discuss Alan’s career, his problem with ageism, how to wake up happy, and some great stories about meeting some of the world’s greatest people like Warren Buffet. Enjoy and Happy New Year!Links:No Red Lights: Reflections on Life, 50 Years in Venture Capital, and Never Driving Alone by Alan PatricofTopics:(00:00:00) - Intro(00:01:06) - How to wake up happy and act decisively(00:04:42) -  Alan’s nontraditional investing portfolio & career(00:10:26) - Separating the individual from the career(00:15:06) - Raising one of the very first VC funds(00:20:44) - Alan’s reaction to seeing the growth of VC(00:21:50) - Do the muscles you used in early VC still work today?(00:25:26) - The thesis behind Primetime(00:31:50) - The problem with ageism(00:33:32) - The swinging pendulum of the human race(00:38:01) - Who’s the most interesting person you’ve met?(00:41:15) - Meeting Warren Buffet (00:43:15) - Sitting on the board of SIPC

Ladies and Gentlemen: We’re back.Well, the show is, however I won’t be around til the NEXT episode, I got obliterated by food poisoning at the time of this recording.But, you’re all in the very capable hands of our very own Kristen Anderson as she recorded an ‘Are You Human?’ episode with Jane Barratt of MX live at Money 20/20!Jane and Kristen discuss Jane’s upbringing before deep diving into the power of travel, food, and motherhood. They also try to find out if Jane is in fact frugal, some management lessons learned over her amazing career and more.Enjoy!!Links:Jane on LinkedInKristen on LinkedInTopics:(00:00:00) - Intro(00:02:46) - Introducing Jane, diving into her upbringing, and the power of travel(00:15:24) - Thoughts on pets, and scary spider stories!(00:23:37) - Jane’s Food Corner & motherhood(00:36:11) - Are you frugal?(00:43:24) - Management lessons learned(00:59:43) - Why are we all here?

Don’t hate: Automate!For our final episode before Money 20/20, we have on the man who perhaps personifies the world of Fintech itself: Simon Taylor. Simon is the brains behind the Fintech Brain Food newsletter as well as Head of Strategy & Content at Sardine.We took a quick dip into Simon’s brain to find out if he truly is human. Along the way we made some amazing discoveries like the importance of exercise, philosophies around money, and the true secret behind his success: a Charlie Munger-like consumption of Pepsi Max!Enjoy!Links:Simon on TwitterFintech Brain FoodSardineTopics:(00:01:12) Introducing Simon(00:05:52) Simon’s upbringing & career(00:11:44) Philosophies around money & investing(00:16:42) Simon’s inherent curiosity, stories of getting embarrassed at work, and dealing with cancer(00:31:10) The importance of exercise(00:32:52) Is Simon frugal?

Question for the audience: What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase: “Vest in Peace”?While you chew on that, I want to introduce you to Immad Akhund: Founder and CEO of Mercury and our esteemed guest this week on the show. We spend a lot of time talking about Mercury’s amazing growth trajectory, the harsh realities of being a founder, Immad’s passion (or lack thereof) for investing, the importance of having a network in San Francisco, Mercury Raise and more. Please note that Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC. Enjoy!!Links:MercuryMercury RaiseImmad on LinkedInOpen by Andre AgassiOn Writing by Stephen KingTopics:00:01:30) It’s called a Zoom!(00:02:54) The industry avoids talking about SVB(00:06:54) Mercury’s explosive growth(00:16:55) Immad’s rolling fund and passion for investing(00:23:27) The harsh reality of being a founder(00:35:42) Immad’s north star(00:39:51) The importance of having a San Francisco network today(00:43:27) Mercury Raise(00:46:35) Multi-product strategies(00:49:26) How much time do you spend thinking about Fintech?

Can you smell it? There’s Money(20/20) in the air…On this episode we are blessed with the presence of Ariel Cohen, CEO of Navan, and not only is he a wonderful guest for the show: He will also be a speaker alongside Ben Horowitz in Las Vegas for Money 20/20!We have an amazing conversation deep diving into Ariel’s upbringing and we find a mutual love for basketball before going into more detail on Navan’s insane growth trajectory, developing strengths and weaknesses, navigating a wartime economy, the art of having hard conversations and so much more.This is an incredible hour and I hope you enjoy!Links:Ariel on TwitterNavanTopics:(00:00:00) Intro(00:02:07) Ariel’s upbringing, competition, and leadership(00:15:07) The Navan Team(00:16:39) Strengths vs. weaknesses(00:22:34) Would you say we are in peacetime or wartime right now?(00:28:55) What was it like with Ben Horowitz during Covid?(00:34:01) The art of having hard conversations(00:37:13) How are you segmenting your thinking and energy throughout the day?

Community is about having people in your corner, and at Fintech Family Hour we are all about building our corner in the industry.On episode 101, we grow that corner by launching our first ever Co-Cast! Nicole Casperson of Fintech is Femme and I recorded an amazing conversation and have half on this feed and half on hers, which you can find on Humans of Fintech.On my side of the mic, we cover Nicole’s process for creating content, breaking the glass ceiling in Fintech, how to build a community, her fashion inspo, and a ton more.Enjoy!Links:Fintech is FemmeNicole on IGNicole on LinkedInNicole on TwitterTopics:(00:01:16) Everything is content(00:05:48) Nicole's process for writing her newsletter(00:09:36) Did you have a glass ceiling to break through?(00:15:00) Making feminine content appealing to all (00:19:46) Learning how to build community(00:24:51) Do you consider your Real Talkers friends?(00:31:14) What additional value do you create with paid subscribers?(00:39:25) What do you wish men were doing more in Fintech?(00:44:11) Does it ever seem like some men are theatrically feminist?(00:46:00) How do you think about fashion?

We did it! 100 episodes!For such a special occasion, my wonderful co-host, Kristen, pitched the idea for a unique version of our “Are you human?” series where we turn the tables and finally answer the question:Am I human?I won’t lie, it was VERY different being on the other side of one of these episodes, and I thoroughly applaud all of the previous guests for giving such amazing answers. We got to touch on a lot of things you all may not know about me. We talk about some childhood stories, bad comedy, first date tactics, conversations with Mike Tyson’s tiger, and of course, whether or not I’m frugal. Thank you to everyone who’s tuned in to the show over the years, you’re the ones who keep us coming back to the mic every week! Here’s to the next hundred, enjoy!Links:Kristen on LinkedInAlex on TwitterTopics:(00:01:12) Kristen introduces ZAP(00:03:16) Childhood stories and bad comedy(00:06:15) What assumption did you have as a teenager that was totally wrong?(00:17:14) A story that Zach’s mom wouldn’t know(00:21:56) The ability to make friends and different levels of friends(00:30:53) Zach’s career archetype(00:37:55) First date tactics(00:41:04) What trip most impacted the way you see the world?(00:52:18) What animal would you most like to have a conversation with?(00:56:12) What’s one thing you refuse to spend money on?(01:01:19) Is there any luxury item you’re currently saving up for?(01:04:35) Are you a big gift giver?(01:14:22) What one trait do you look for in your friends that you think is undervalued?(01:18:24) What is your biggest pet peeve in other people?(01:26:09) What is the meaning of life?

Bem-vindos de volta ao podcast, meus amigos! That’s Portuguese for welcome back, because on this episode we’re headed to the beautiful beaches of São Paulo, Brazil!I had the immense pleasure to be joined by Jag Duggal, Chief Product Officer at Nubank. Nubank is the largest fintech bank in Latin America with $1.69bn in revenue. Jag and I go deep on their explosive growth, what he learned as a Product Manager for Google, and how Nubank is going to expand outside of Brazil.Enjoy!Links:NubankJag on LinkedInJag’s appearance on the 20VC PodcastTopics:(00:01:19) Jag’s upbringing and career(00:07:49) Product Management thesis’(00:08:54) Experiences from PM-ing at Google(00:15:56) Lessons learned from the Pandemic & NuBank’s explosive growth(00:31:56) Mazlow’s hierarchy of Fintech(00:34:48) Nubank’s goals for the future(00:38:35) How are you approaching expansion outside of Brazil?