Shows
FINTECHTALKLongevity Meets AI: How HighPeak is Reinventing Financial PlanningHello FINTECHTALKERS!In this episode, I sat down with Sharon Rodriguez, CEO of HighPeak AI and venture partner at 1843 Capital, to explore how data, AI, and deep insurance insight are transforming long-term care planning. Backed by Prudential and built on three decades of claims and underwriting data, HighPeak is rethinking how Americans plan for healthcare, retirement, and the silver economy. Sharon shares her journey from MetLife’s global IT strategy to startup success, and how HighPeak is creating tools that deliver hyper-personalized financial forecasting and remove the anxiety from aging.We talk a lot about we...
2025-05-3042 min
FINTECHTALKInside the Sandbox: Gaming, AI, and the Future of the Metaverse - conversation with Sebastien Borget, Co-Founder & COO of The SandboxHELLO FINTECHTALKERS!In this episode, I sat down with Sebastien Borget, the visionary co-founder and COO of The Sandbox, a platform that has redefined gaming by turning players into creators, users into owners, and digital assets into economies.Sebastien shares his journey from a teenage gamer to a serial entrepreneur who pioneered one of the most active decentralized gaming platforms in Web 3 — now with over 6 million wallets, major brand partnerships like Jurassic World, Snoop Dogg, Warner Music, and Deepak Chopra, and a creator economy powered by NFTs, AI tools, and player-owned virtual real estate....
2025-05-0337 min
FINTECHTALKHow Ansel is Redefining Supplemental Insurance - conversation with CEO Veer GidwaneyHELLO FINTECHTALKERS,In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Veer Gidwaney, founder and CEO of Ansel. With a strong entrepreneurial background and a successful exit from Maxwell Health to Sun Life, Veer’s passion for solving healthcare challenges is evident.Ansel is redefining the world of supplemental insurance by covering 13,000 conditions—far more than traditional offerings—and providing proactive claims payments. That means insured individuals often receive financial support without even filing a claim. Veer shares how Ansel’s model leverages diagnostic codes, eliminates unnecessary friction, and brings innovation to a sector long ove...
2025-04-0237 min
FINTECHTALKA Small business co-pilot – A Conversation with Liberis CEO, Rob Straathof a pioneer in embedded financeWelcome FINTECHTALKERS!In this episode, I sat down with Rob Straathof, CEO of Liberis, to explore how embedded finance is reshaping the lending landscape for small businesses. From instant capital access to AI-driven analytics, Liberis is building a small business co-pilot for SMEs worldwide. Rob shares his journey from being raised in a small business family to investment banking to fintech disruption, why traditional banks have missed the mark on SME financing, and how AI and embedded finance will drive the next era of business growth.Timestamp Table0:00 – 1:21 – How to to get on the...
2025-02-1948 min
FINTECHTALKUberizing Wealth Management: Disrupting the Industry with Steven Woods, CEO of StirlingshireWelcome back and a BIG thank you FINTECHTALKERS!FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and CryptoRanked by ListenNotesLooking to amplify your brand's reach? Partner with our podcast and connect with an engaged and loyal audience. Contact us today to explore sponsorship opportunities and elevate your brand! fintechtalk@substack.comIn this episode, I sat down with Steven Woods, founder and CEO of Stirlingshire, to explore how his company is disrupting the wealth management industry. From his journey from the military education to...
2025-02-1036 min
FINTECHTALKFrom LendTech Pioneer to Banktech Powerhouse: Conversation with Adam Hughes, CEO of AmountWelcome back and a big Thank you FINTECHTALKERS! FINTECHTALK: A Top 10% Global Podcast Shaping the Future of Fintech, AI, and CryptoSince its inception, FINTECHTALK has organically risen to rank among the top 10% of podcasts worldwide. It's become the go-to platform for startup CEOs, visionary venture capitalists, and forward-thinking bank innovators to share their stories and insights. With a focus on fintech, AI, and crypto, FINTECHTALK is where the brightest minds come together to shape the industry's future.Ranked by ListenNotesFor over a decade, FINTECHTALK has been at...
2024-12-0931 min
FINTECHTALKAgentic AI: Revolutionizing Banking, Wealth and CommerceHi FINTECHTALKERS,This year’s Money 20/20 was all about AI and generative AI. Last year, I wrote about the shift from "FINTECH" to "FINTEL"—a fusion of financial technology with AI—and, in just a year, we’re seeing that vision come to life. From startup funding trends to major incumbents rolling out AI-driven solutions, the transformation is well underway.On the sidelines of the event, I had the opportunity to sit down with two AI leaders reshaping financial services: Shri Santhanam, EVP and GM at Experian, and Mike Conover, Founder and CEO of Brigh...
2024-11-1235 min
FINTECHTALKThe Rise of High-Touch VCsHi FINTECHTALKERS, I sat down with Garnet Heraman Co-founder and Managing Partner at Aperture Venture Capital, and Dave Anderson Founding General Partner at Beat Ventures to talk about the rise of emerging managers and how they differentiate in an increasing crowded venture capitalist space.Garnet and Dave represent a dynamic new breed of emerging managers, bringing a personalized, niche, and highly flexible approach to founders in the venture ecosystem. Unlike many established Silicon Valley VC firms, they’re not bogged down by the groupthink that has contributed to the persistent disparities in capital access and le...
2024-10-091h 03
FINTECHTALKTrue Global Ventures - the global venture capital firm with a hyperlocal presenceHI FINTECHTALKERS, (follow me on Twitter (X) for lively discussions on these topics @PADDYRAMANATHAN),I sat down with Frank Desvignes, founding partner of True Global Ventures (or TGV) 4 Plus. We talked about the unique approach of TGV in the venture capital landscape, their global footprint with local presence in all major theatres, and the recently concluded AI startup competition they recently held in San Mateo. TGV's remarkable success underscores the essential need for startups to cultivate a global presence early in their journey. This approach is vital for securing capital, accessing diverse markets, and building...
2024-06-1440 min
FINTECHTALKEnd-to-end Digital Transformation for Financial ServicesHi FINTECHTALKERS, (follow me on Twitter (X)) for real-time discussions on these topics @PADDYRAMANATHAN),I sat down with Deep Varma, CTO of Alkami (0-41.20) to talk about Digital Banking Solutions and separately with my good friend Booshan Rengachari, CEO of Finzly (41.30-1.13) to talk about Finzly’s BankOS and how he plans to incorporate AI/GenAI. You don’t want to miss the insights of these technology visionaries building the next generation of technology for financial services.ICYMI, the two-part series on AI that Elon Musk and Sam Altman appear to be r...
2024-02-151h 13
FINTECHTALKReal-Time Wage Access: How Earnin Is Transforming the Life of Its Customers By Providing Earned Wage AccessHi FINTECHTALKERS, (follow me on Twitter (X)) for lively discussions on these topics @PADDYRAMANATHAN),I sat down with Ram Palaniappan, CEO of Earnin, a company that allows workers to access their pay instantly. Lot of folks in the industry like to talk about financial inclusion as it is good for the brand, Palaniappan and Earnin are the real deal. Palaniappan has built a very sucessfull main street fintech and raised around $200 million from prominent VCs like Andreessen Horowitz, Matrix Partners, Ribbit Capital. He talks passionately about how how his company’s product have im...
2024-02-0133 min
FINTECHTALKArtificial Financial Intelligence (AFI) With Zor Gorelov, CEO of KasistoHI FINTECHTALKERS, (follow me on Twitter (X) for lively discussions on these topics @PADDYRAMANATHAN),Happy New Year! I sat down with Zor Gorelov, CEO of Kasisto, a pioneer in AI. We cover a lot of topics from Artificial Financial Intelligence (AFI before AGI) that Zor passionately talks about, how domain-specific models can win over general-purpose LLMs, and how those capabilities will provide a competitive advantage for future enterprises. Here is the table of timestamps for easy navigation of the conversation0.-4.40 - Intro of the episode, Zor’s background, and what got him to...
2024-01-1236 min
FINTECHTALKFINTECH Becoming FINTEL — Fin + AIHI FINTECHTALKERS, (follow me on Twitter (X) for lively discussions on these topics @PADDYRAMANATHAN),I sat down with David Nohe, CEO of Fingoal, a Fintel Startup creating hyperpersonalization, and Leslie Gillin, Chief Growth Officer at Pagaya another innovative company applying AI in financial services in credit decisions and financial inclusion. Subscribe to tune into my conversation with Zor Gorelov, CEO of Kasisto, and Deep Varma CTO of Alkami coming up next.Enjoy and always be in the know,Paddy Ramanathan Follow me on the new X @PaddyRamanathanFounder of iValley (www.ivalley...
2023-12-0856 min
FINTECHTALKWhy DeFI Matters: With Ian HorneHI FINTECHTALKERS, (follow me on Twitter (X) for lively discussions on these topics @PADDYRAMANATHAN),I sat down with Ian Horne, author of Why DeFI Matters to discuss his book. This was recorded on the sidelines of Money2020.We talk about how DeFI changes to the financial system factor whereas fintech is essentially a distribution innovation, and how Web3 fundamentally changes the business model of the internet. Ian talks about successful projects in DefI/Crypto that don’t get much attention and what he is most excited about. Enjoy and always be in the kn...
2023-11-2244 min
FINTECHTALKWilliam Capuzzi - CEO of Apex - The Stripe of WealthTech That You Should Know; the Fintech for FintechsHI FINTECHTALKERS, (follow me on Twitter (X) for lively discussions on these topics @PADDYRAMANATHAN),I sat down with William Capuzzi, CEO of Apex Fintech Solutions (also a board member at DTCC and a prolific investor) on the sidelines of the Money20/20 show this week in Las Vegas. We covered a lot of topics including why Bill challenges himself to run triathlons, what is his mission at Apex, and how he and his team are enabling average retail investors to invest like hedge fund managers; Apex’s new fractional fixed income product; the transformative role that AI and ge...
2023-10-3140 min
FINTECHTALKSouth is the New North - Fintech Growth in Latin AmericaHI FINTECHTALKERS,This is one of the recordings from the sidelines of Money 2020 earlier this fall in Vegas. It was great to be back at this high energy show sometime back when FTX was just a TLA known to a few. There were several broad themes at the show. Here are my top takeaways.* Modernization of Infrastructure - Digital platforms like Smart Card, BaaS/Embedded Finance, neoCore platforms, and Enterprise DeFI * Fintech explosion in the South - LATAM and beyond (I talk to Jean Mies of PPRO in this edition)
2022-12-0730 min
FINTECHTALKPodcast: Embedded Finance and Evolution of Core BankingHI FINTECHTALKERS,I was at Money 2020 in Vegas. It was great to be back at this high energy show, antithetical in some sense to the Vegas cliché - what happens in Money 2020 is talked about all over the fintech world. There were several broad themes at the show. Here are my top takeaways. * Modernization of Infrastructure - Digital platforms like Smart Card, BaaS/Embedded Finance, neoCore platforms, and Enterprise DeFI - succinctly captured in our editorial info graph at the end.* Fintech explosion in the South - LATAM and beyond (don’t m...
2022-11-0735 min
FINTECHTALKPodcast: The making of the autonomous Bank and frictionless cross-border paymentsHI FINTECHTALKERS,It has been a while. I had some personal situations over summer and beyond for an extended time. Just getting back into rhythm.I sat down a few weeks back with Devon Kinkead (CEO of Micronotes), Patrick Reilly (CEO of Verde International), Naushad Contractor (CEO of Fable Fintech) to talk all things about data, AI/ML in financial services and the still evolving space of cross-border payments. AI is not going to just drive our cars, but manage our finances and will augment the enterprise’s decision making and processes. We ar...
2022-10-071h 01
FINTECHTALKPodcast: A Silent Banking Tsunami That Just HappenedHI FINTECHTALKERS,I sat down with Shamir Karkal (CEO of SilaMoney), Brion Bonkowski (CEO & Founder at Tern) to talk about Fintech, the Equity/Crypto market correction, and the future.We covered a lot of ground and in order to make it easy to navigate the podcast, I have included a table of timestamps and our infographic view of the Payment value chain along with Fintech Elder recap of the podcast.0.10-7.05 - Introduction 7.05-16.00 Challenger Bank evolution - segment-specific lifestyle applications16.00-16.50 Inclusion - Kilimanjaro initiative
2022-06-0752 min
FINTECHTALKPodcast: The Beginning of the Beginning–Metaverse’s Promise of Infinite PossibilitiesHI FINTECHTALKERS,I sat down with Ram Subramaniam (CEO of Guardianlink.io), Prakash Somosundram (CEO of Enjinstarter.com), and Matthew Gunnin (CEO of eSports.one) to talk about all things Metaverse, the rise of the immersive web, NFTs, Digital Assets and more. We covered a lot of ground and in order to make it easy to navigate the podcast, I have included a table of timestamps.Metaverse represents the evolution of the Web, where you are in the Web not just connected to it through a device like a mobile phone...
2022-05-181h 05
FINTECHTALKPodcast: Modernization of Financial Services With Provenance BlockchainHI FINTECHTALKERS,I sat down with Morgan McKenney, the CEO of Provenance Blockchain Foundation to talk about all things Blockchain, the future of DeFI, and how Provenance and Figure are driving innovation in all domains of financial services - Lending, Payments, Capital Markets. We covered a lot of ground and in order to make it easy to navigate the podcast here is a table of timestamps.0.10-0.55 - Introduction1.00-4.45 - Morgan’s background across the years4.45-5.45 - What made Morgan join Provenance as CEO and promise of DeFI...
2022-04-281h 01
FINTECHTALKPodcast: Are startup hubs coming to a city near you?Recording of The FINTECHTALK™ Show on Clubhouse on Nov 18th, 2021.EPILOGUETo join iValley as it sculpts (build, write, and talk) the future of fintech and crypto economy click here.Connect with us!iValley Innovation Center11040 Bollinger Canyon Rd, E-909San Ramon, CA 94582,The United States. Get full access to FINTECHTALK™ Sculpting the future of fintech, AI, & Crypto at substack.fintechtalk.ivalley.co/subscribe
2021-11-2959 min
FINTECHTALKPodcast: Programing Money vs. Design Money Experience–Which is the Pen, and Which is the Sword and Which is Mightier?Recording of The FINTECHTALK™ Show on Clubhouse on Oct 13th, 2021.Connect with us!iValley Innovation Center11040 Bollinger Canyon Rd, E-909San Ramon, CA 94582,The United States.Phone: +1 925-575-7832 Get full access to FINTECHTALK™ Sculpting the future of fintech, AI, & Crypto at substack.fintechtalk.ivalley.co/subscribe
2021-10-211h 02
FINTECHTALKPodcast: The Changing Monetization Models in Financial ServicesRecording of the FINTECHTALK(TM) Show on Clubhouse on Aug 25th, 2021.Connect with us!iValley Innovation Center11040 Bollinger Canyon Rd, E-909San Ramon, CA 94582,The United States.Phone: +1 925-575-7832 Get full access to FINTECHTALK™ Sculpting the future of fintech, AI, & Crypto at substack.fintechtalk.ivalley.co/subscribe
2021-09-091h 18
FINTECHTALKChallenger Banks and Fintechs for Small Businesses | 28 JulySmall is Beautiful: Where Challenger Banks and Fintechs Really ScoreI was in a philosophical mood when I checked in to a Fintechtalk session on Clubhouse on July 28. Why, I asked no one in particular, did the word “success” seem to invariably suggest terms like “large deal”, “double digit growth”, “enterprise solutions” and so on. “Does that imply that to be small is somehow not as cool?” I wondered, as I sat in the digital shadows and looked on silently, and a bit crabby, sipping on a below-average Pina Colada, waiting for the session to begin.As I lea...
2021-08-161h 26