News(ish) #8: Overdrafted and Underbanked

I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Kamran Ansari, Partner at Headline Ventures. We talk about public markets, private markets, why he’s convinced Stripe isn’t going public in 2024, and some other smokin’ hot takes. Enjoy and remember to subscribe to us on YouTube!!!!Links:Kamran on LinkedInHeadline Sponsor:SkipfyTopics:(00:00:00) - Intro(00:01:27) - Kamran’s journey into VC(00:05:05) - The early days of Venmo(00:11:52) - Working in corporate development with Pinterest(00:15:14) - The importance of people and recruiting(00:25:04) - Stripe will not IPO in 2024 PERIOD(00:32:43) - Predictions for NeoBanks(00:35:16) - Chime(00:40:40) - SPACs and Better(00:46:02) - The Capital One/Discover deal(00:54:37) - How do you start a bank?(00:56:56) - Kamran’s day-to-day life and work**note on Venmo: The deal happened before Kamran joined. He ended up finding deep alignment with the founders and ended up working closely with the team as a Board Observer as well as a Leader and Advisor in many capacities.

We have a VERY Special episode for y’all, I sat down with not one…but THREE amazing women in Fintech to discuss the world of PR and Comms for our industry. Erin Bruehl, VP of Comms at Current, Meg Stinson, Co-Founder of CMAND, and Kelly Soderlund, Head of Comms at Navan all give the what’s what on how to succeed in this world. Enjoy!!Links:Kelly on XErin on XMeg on XSponsor:SkipifyTopics:(00:00:00) - Intro(00:03:16) - Introducing the housewives & Vegas gossip(00:10:28) - What do good and bad pitches look like?(00:32:10) - How important are tech journalists vs. micro-influencers?(00:45:15) - How much are we supposed to answer reporters?(00:54:19) - Building incentive alignments(00:57:26) - Dealing with internal conflicts of interest, communicating with reporters, and the reality of PR life(01:11:24) - Are press releases dead?(01:21:16) - Wrap up

We bring back a fan-favorite of the show: Alex Johnson. But this time we don’t chat over Zoom, we had to do this Podcast face-to-face. Because I needed Alex to deep-dive into how the credit world works…Enjoy!Links:Fintech TakesAlex on XSponsor:SkipifyTopics:(00:00:00) - Intro(00:03:40) - Alex’s career in the credit world(00:16:38) - The year banking changed forever(00:19:31) -  Federally chartered banks(00:23:58) - How has credit scoring kept up with innovation?(00:39:34) - Credit building theory & Buy Now Pay Later(00:44:30) - Do we need another credit bureau? (00:467:11) - Where would you build within the credit scoring industry if you were a founder?

Welcome back to a very special BONUS episode! Today on the episode we welcome Matt Marcus and Dimitri Dadiomov, both Co-Founders of Modern Treasury, to discuss the upcoming Transfer Conference on May 15th, new product offerings at MT, and some hot takes on AI’s applications in fintech and payments. Enjoy! Remember, you can watch our beautiful faces doing the video show over on YouTube! Links:Transfer Conference on May 15thModern TreasuryDimitri on LinkedinMatt on LinkedinSponsor:SkipifyTopics:(00:00:00) - Catch Up on Life & MT’s Focus(00:06:45) - Defining Reconciliation in the Payment Arena(00:10:32) - Defining Reconciliation For Companies that Move a Lot of Money(00:21:30) - Addressing Real Customer Problems(0:25:37) - Building a Communicative Culture and Feedback Loop(00:37:21) - The Potential of AI

Welcome back!Continuing our epic run of in-person recordings brings us face-to-face with TWO fan favorites of the show in an epic return to form with our Are You Human Series. Kristen Anderson joins me as we pull back the curtain to discover whether Drew Glover (From our episode back in August) is actually a human. Drew is a Founding Partner of Fiat Growth and a General Partner at Fiat Ventures. He is no stranger to the world of growth, technology, and marketing. From his time at Steady where he led marketplace development and growth to Namely, Fjord, and Portal A, he navigated the ins and outs of Go-to-Market strategies and user acquisition. He has helped companies like Root, JP Morgan Chase, Adidas and Nike bring award-winning services and partnerships to market.Remember, you can watch our beautiful faces doing the video show over on YouTube! Links:Drew on XFIAT VenturesSponsor:SkipifyTopics:(00:00:00) - Intro(00:01:18) - Welcome!(00:03:25) - Introducing Drew(00:05:33) - Drew’s upbringing and the “importance” of school(00:28:19) - Drew’s sporting history(00:33:58) -  Are you frugal?(00:50:28) - What’s the meaning of life?

Welcome back!Today on the episode we welcome Itai Damti, CEO of Unit. If you’re in the know, you’re probably aware of alllll the drama going on in BaaS, and if you’re finding for more on what’s happening. You’ve come to the right place. Enjoy! Remember, you can watch our beautiful faces doing the video show over on YouTube! Links:UnitItai on LinkedInSponsor:SkipifyTopics:(00:00:00) - Intro(00:01:53) - Itai’s journey in embedded finance(00:04:56) - Learning experiences from past startups(00:08:29) - How Unit was built & inside the crazy world of banking regulations(0:35:15) - Embedded Finance theories(00:40:22) - Will embedded finance move in a RegTech direction?(00:44:51) - Has the conversation cadence between regulators and partners increased?(00:51:26) - What is the most exciting future for Fintech?(00:58:57) - What has it been like emotionally going through the ups and downs of running a business in embedded finance?(01:09:46) - How do you stay functional in such a complex industry?

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?