Shows
The Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaBuilding Payments Infrastructure: Highnote’s John MacIlwaineWelcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with John MacIlwaine, Co-Founder and CEO of Highnote, a payments technology company offering a unified platform for embedded finance. Founded in 2020, Highnote enables enterprises and fintechs to issue cards, accept payments, manage credit, and track funds through a single API-driven system. The platform integrates issuing, acquiring, ledgering, and real-time money movement to help organizations design, launch, and scale their payment products more efficiently.
Before founding Highnote, John held senior executive roles across technology and...
2025-11-2523 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaModernizing Construction Finance: Constrafor’s Anwar GhaucheWelcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with Anwar Ghauche, Founder of Constrafor, a construction procurement platform with embedded financing. Founded in 2020, Constrafor supports general contractors and subcontractors by standardizing key back-office workflows — including contracts, COIs, invoices, and payments — and provides subcontractors with fast, cost-effective receivables financing through its Early Pay Program.
Before launching Constrafor, Anwar held roles across engineering, management consulting, AI product development, and technology investing.
I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show...
2025-11-2113 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaFinancing Small Businesses: Qred’s Emil SunvissonWelcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with Emil Sunvisson, CEO and Co-Founder of Qred Bank, a fintech company simplifying access to financing for small businesses. Founded in 2015, Qred offers fast, flexible business loans and credit cards, serving more than 50,000 entrepreneurs across seven European markets.
Before founding Qred, Emil founded and led multiple companies across technology, finance, and gaming. Today, he leads Qred’s mission to make business financing faster and easier for entrepreneurs.
I am your host, RJ Lu...
2025-11-2017 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaSimplifying Embedded Payments: Rainforest’s Joshua SilverWelcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with Joshua Silver, Founder and CEO of Rainforest, a Payments-as-a-Service provider built for vertical software platforms. Rainforest enables platforms to embed payments directly into their products without taking on risk, compliance, or operational burdens. Its low-code, white-label solution supports card, ACH, and Apple Pay transactions—helping software companies drive payments volume, grow revenue, and maintain full control over their customer relationships.
Before founding Rainforest, Joshua co-founded Patientco, later acquired by Waystar, and advised more th...
2025-11-1118 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaTransforming Payments: NMI’s Steve PinadoWelcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with Steve Pinado, CEO of NMI, an embedded payments provider powering over $440 billion in volume and 5.8 billion transactions annually. NMI’s platform enables transactions across multiple payment channels, including online, in-store, in-app, mobile, and unattended.
Steve became CEO of NMI in August 2025 after decades of leadership in fintech and SaaS. He previously helped guide Billtrust through rapid expansion, its IPO, and eventual sale, and also held senior roles at Jonas Software, Advanta, NextCard, and El...
2025-11-0617 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaSimplifying Retirement Benefits: 401GO’s Dan BeckWelcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with Dan Beck, CEO and Co-Founder of 401GO, a fintech retirement platform built to simplify 401(k) setup and management for businesses of all sizes. 401GO leverages automation to reduce costs and administrative burdens, while ensuring support and education remain central to the participant experience.
Dan founded 401GO after experiencing firsthand how limited and costly retirement options were for small businesses. Today, the platform makes it possible for companies to provide employees with an affordable...
2025-11-0420 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaGlobal Payments Leader: Jeeves’ Dileep ThazhmonWelcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with Dileep Thazhmon, Founder and CEO of Jeeves, an all-in-one financial platform for businesses operating in over 30 markets worldwide. Jeeves enables companies to open multi-currency accounts, issue corporate cards, send cross-border payments, and manage expenses from a single platform.
Dileep previously co-founded PowerInbox, a digital monetization platform that scaled to billions of emails monthly and was acquired in a $100 million exit. He has since led Jeeves’ growth into a global platform, supporting businesses across cu...
2025-10-3020 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaSimplifying Home Buying: Habito’s Ying TanWelcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
Today, we speak with Ying Tan, CEO of Habito, a digital platform designed to make mortgages and home-buying more straightforward. Habito searches thousands of products from more than 90 lenders and connects customers with brokers, surveyors, and conveyancer partners. The company also provides a complete home-buying service that combines financing, property surveys, and legal work in one place.
Ying is an experienced entrepreneur with a background in investment banking and accounting. He previously founded Dynamo, a leading UK mortgage brokerage...
2025-10-2822 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaRedefining Wealth Management: Farther’s Taylor MatthewsWelcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with Taylor Matthews, Co-Founder and CEO of Farther, a wealth management firm that combines experienced advisors with advanced technology to deliver a more comprehensive service for high-net-worth clients. Farther has grown quickly, now managing over $5 billion in assets through more than 100 advisors serving thousands of clients nationwide.
Taylor co-founded Farther in 2019 after helping scale fintech retirement advisory firm ForUsAll from $25 million to nearly $1 billion in assets. Earlier in his career, he co-founded Essmart, a...
2025-10-2320 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaBuy Now, Pay Later in Brazil: Pagaleve’s Henrique WeaverWelcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
Today, we speak with Henrique Weave, Co-Founder and CEO of Pagaleve, a pioneering fintech in Brazil’s Buy Now, Pay Later market. Founded in 2021, Pagaleve allows consumers to split purchases through Pix in up to four interest-free biweekly installments or twelve monthly installments with interest without relying on credit cards. For retailers, the platform drives higher conversion rates, larger average purchases, and reduced payment risk.
Henrique previously held roles at Coca-Cola, McKinsey & Company, and Uber, where he served as Ge...
2025-10-2118 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaDemocratizing Small Business Financing: Froda’s Olle LundinWelcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
Today, we speak with Olle Lundin, CEO and Co-Founder of Froda, a fintech company founded in 2015 to make financing accessible for small businesses. Froda’s platform uses digital onboarding and data-driven credit models to simplify lending, helping entrepreneurs secure fair, transparent loans without hidden fees or time-consuming processes.
Since inception, Froda has issued more than 100,000 loans and today supports about 14,000 active SME clients across seven European markets. With a fully automated lending platform and a growing network of distribution pa...
2025-10-1619 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaFarmland as an Asset Class: AcreTrader’s Rob Moore and Drew LipkeWelcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
Today, we speak with Rob Moore, General Manager of AcreTrader, and Drew Lipke, Managing Director of Investments. Rob leads the company’s operations across farm management and acquisitions, while Drew oversees investment strategy and capital markets.
Founded in 2018, AcreTrader is an online platform that gives investors direct access to farmland as an asset class, while also supporting farmers through innovative routes to capital. The company manages the complexities of land ownership—from insurance and accounting to working with farmers and im...
2025-10-1522 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaDigitizing Wealth Management: Flanks’ Joaquim de la CruzWelcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
Today, we speak with Joaquim de la Cruz, Co-Founder and CEO of Flanks, a wealth management technology company based in Barcelona. Flanks was founded in 2019 to digitize and aggregate global wealth data, giving banks, family offices, and advisors a unified, real-time view of their clients’ portfolios.
The company’s platform, Flanks LUME, now connects with over 350 financial entities and manages over $39 billion in assets. Flanks works with financial institutions across Europe and beyond to bring greater transparency and efficiency to wea...
2025-10-0917 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaSimplifying Legal Payments: Shieldpay’s Sophie CondieWelcome to The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
Today, we speak with Sophie Condie, CEO of Shieldpay, a payments platform for the legal and professional services sector that provides technology to verify parties, hold funds, and disburse payments securely.
Sophie has nearly two decades of experience in banking, fintech, and payments, including leadership roles at Form3, Barclays Corporate Banking, and RBS.
Since its founding in 2016, Shieldpay has processed more than £12.8 billion in transactions and works with over 40 of the UK’s top 100 law firms.
S...
2025-10-0717 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaDigitizing Real Estate Deals: Dealpath’s Mike SrokaToday, we speak with Mike Sroka, Co-Founder and CEO of Dealpath, a real estate investment management platform built for institutional investors. Dealpath serves as a cloud-based command center for deal management, helping firms track pipelines, analyze deals, and coordinate workflows in one place.
Mike began his career in real estate private equity before moving into venture-backed software, with leadership roles at Fanhood, Zynga, and OneSeason. In 2014, he co-founded Dealpath to bring modern software solutions to an industry long underserved by technology.
Since its launch, Dealpath has supported more than $10 trillion in real estate transactions and...
2025-10-0217 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaHigh-Precision Cell Therapy: Orca Bio’s Nate FernhoffToday, we speak with Nate Fernhoff, Co-Founder and CEO of Orca Bio, a biotechnology company developing high-precision cell therapies to treat patients with blood cancers and immune diseases. By applying single-cell technology at scale, Orca Bio aims to deliver transplants that rebuild a patient’s blood and immune system while lowering the risk of serious complications.
Nate co-founded the company after his research at Stanford, where he helped translate decades of immunology into a platform ready for clinical use. Under his leadership, Orca Bio has advanced its lead program, Orca-T, which recently produced positive Phase 3 results, marking a...
2025-10-0115 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaBanking-as-a-Service Leader: Solaris’ Konstantin KavvadiasThis episode is brought to you by The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions.
In this episode, we speak with Konstantin Kavvadias, Interim Chief Financial Officer and Chief Investment Officer at Solaris, Europe’s leading embedded finance platform. Solaris enables partners ranging from SMEs to multinationals to embed banking services through its modular B2B tech stack.
Konstantin brings more than 16 years of experience in investment banking, including senior leadership at HSBC as Managing Director and Head of Banks Germany and Austria. At Solaris, he is focused on bu...
2025-09-3019 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaTax Efficient Investing: Frec’s Mo Al AdhamIn this episode, we speak with Mo Al Adham, Founder and CEO of Frec, a company transforming complex financial products that have traditionally only been available through wealth advisors, into automated, easy-to-use technology.
Mo’s team has been funded by a long list of notable investors including Google, Meta, Brex, and others, with their biggest backer being Greylock.
Frec’s goal is for customers to reach financial independence. With modern day technology, financial control is shifting to the hands of everyday investors. Frec exists to enable that shift and give everyone the chance to create new...
2025-04-3022 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaReal-Estate Guru: Roofstock’s Doug BrienIn this episode, we speak with Doug Brien, President of Roofstock and Co-Founder and CEO of Mynd.
Roofstock is building the world’s leading single-family real estate investment platform. It has surpassed $6 billion in transactions and continues to disrupt the industry, deploying technology and innovation to build a vibrant, data-rich service for real estate investing.
Doug is a former professional athlete turned entrepreneur on a mission to make investing in single-family real estate simple and accessible for all. He began his career as a NFL placekicker, playing for twelve seasons and winning one Super Bowl.
2025-04-1622 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaPowering Specialty Lending: Octane’s Jason GussIn this episode, we speak with Jason Guss, Co-Founder and CEO of Octane, a financing platform assisting fast and confident powersports purchases by making financing as easy as cash and creating access through fair credit products.
Under Jason’s leadership, Octane has raised both debt and equity amounting to approximately $2.6 billion. Prior to Octane, Jason worked at Capital One in Corporate Strategy.
Since 2014, Octane has partnered with dozens of manufacturers and thousands of powersports dealerships to help drive more sales with their platform. They are backed by Valar Ventures, Contour Venture Partners, IA Ventures, DreamIt Ventu...
2025-04-0924 min
Simply StartupsWeeFin’s €25 Million Boost: A Leap Towards Global Sustainable FinanceParis-based fintech WeeFin secures €25 million in Series B funding led by BlackFin Capital Partners, marking a significant milestone in sustainable finance technology. The company plans to expand internationally, targeting the US and Asia-Pacific markets, and aims to double its workforce. Discover how WeeFin's SaaS platform is transforming sustainability strategies for financial institutions managing €6,900 billion in assets. Join us as we explore WeeFin's rapid growth and future ambitions in the global financial landscape.
Sources:
https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/01/weefin-boucle-une-serie-b-de-25-millions-deuros-pour-devenir-un-champion-europeen-de-la-finance-durable/
https://www.iris.vc/articles/weefin-announces-a-new-eu25-million-financing-round-to-accelerate-international-growth
https://ffnews.com/newsarticle/fintech/ia-engine-welcomes-seven-new-fintech-firms-to-its-innovator-and-advanced-access-programmes/
https://www.eu-s...
2025-04-0104 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaTransforming B2B Payments: Paystand’s Jeremy AlmondIn this episode. we speak with Jeremy Almond, the Founder and CEO of Paystand, whose software makes it possible to digitize receivables, automate processing, reduce time-to-cash, eliminate transaction fees, and enable new revenue.
In 2013, Jeremy was on a mission to create a more open financial system, starting with B2B payments. Using blockchain and cloud technology, Paystand pioneered Payments-as-a-Service to digitize and automate the entire cash lifecycle.
Jeremy has spent the last 15 years in the tech-industry as a serial entrepreneur, startup adviser, and occasional investor. He led global ERP implementation at nanotech startup Digital Instruments...
2024-11-2722 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaB2B Payments Maestro: Tipalti’s Chen AmitIn this episode, we speak with Chen Amit, the Co-founder and CEO of Tipalti, the only global payables automation solution to streamline all phases of the accounts payable and payment management workflow in one holistic cloud platform.
In 2010, Chen Amit and Orez Zeev created Tipalti to transform global payables with true, end-to-end automation that removes the pains and risks of paying suppliers around the world. Tipalti has raised over $700 million from notable investors including Durable Capital Partners, G Squared and others.
Prior to Tipalti, Chen was CEO of Atrica, a Carrier Ethernet company that Nokia-Siemens a...
2024-08-1420 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaBringing Efficiency To Residential Real Estate Investing: Avenue One’s Bill MartinerIn this episode, we speak with Bill Martiner, the Co-Founder and CTO of Avenue One, a technology service platform and investment marketplace for institutional owners, buyers, and sellers of residential rental real estate.
With deep experience in driving growth and innovation for the financial services industry, Bill co-created Avenue One in 2020. The company’s platform connects local experts to institutional capital, making investing in housing debt and equity more efficient for institutions, while also supporting local businesses.
With a highly impressive technical background, Bill was previously Head of Enterprise Technology at Compass, CTO at York Cap...
2024-04-0224 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaEnabling Efficient Investing: Public.com’s Leif AbrahamIn this episode, we speak with the Co-founder and Co-CEO at Public.com, Leif Abraham. Public.com is an investing platform that helps people become better investors. Members can build a diverse portfolio of stocks, funds, and crypto within a single platform.
Launched in 2019, Leif and his team’s main vision started by introducing the world to fractional investing. Public.com became the first broker-dealer to introduce commission-free, real-time investing. Then, they set their sights on creating a new kind of multi-asset investing experience. They offer the tools, data, and AI-powered insights customers need to make informed in...
2024-02-2921 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaGlobal FinTech Infrastructure Leader: Jeeves Founder Dileep ThazhmonIn this episode, we speak with Dileep Thazhmon, the Founder and CEO of Jeeves, an all-in-one corporate spend and expense management platform for businesses in global markets. The platform allows clients to open multi-currency accounts, issue corporate cards, send cross-border payments, and manage expenses.
More than 3000 companies across the world trust Jeeves with their financial payment stack. Jeeves has raised $380 million from Andreesen Horowitz, CRV, GIC, and other notable investors.
Previously, Dileep was the Co-Founder & COO at Jeeng/PowerInbox, which he exited at $100 million.
I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you e...
2024-02-2725 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaCredit FinTech Powerhouse: Avant Co-Founder Paul ZhangIn this episode, we speak with Paul Zhang, the Co-Founder and leader of technology of Avant, a credit-first financial technology company that provides access to innovative financial solutions, including personal loans and credit cards.
Since its founding in 2012, the company has connected almost 3 million customers to $8 billion in loans and 1 million credit cards. Avant has raised over $600 million of equity capital.
I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.
2024-02-2018 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaLeading Cloud Software for Insurance: Applied Systems’ Taylor RhodesIn this episode, we speak with Taylor Rhodes, CEO of Applied Systems, the leading global provider of cloud-based software that powers the business of insurance. Recognized as a pioneer in insurance automation and an innovation leader, Applied is the world’s largest provider of agency and brokerage management systems.
Taylor joined Applied in 2019 after serving as Chief Executive Officer of SMS Assist, the leading cloud-based software platform for multi-site property management. Previously, he was CEO of Rackspace, where he led the company’s growth from a cloud pioneer to an industry leader with more than two billion doll...
2024-02-1321 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaTech Entrepreneur Polymath: Figment’s Lorien GabelIn this episode, we speak with Lorien Gabel, Co-founder and CEO of Figment, the leading provider of blockchain infrastructure. The company has raised over $150 million and is backed by Thoma Bravo, B Capital, Two Sigma, and other notable investors.
Figment provides comprehensive staking solutions for over 250 institutional clients. The world’s largest asset managers, custodians, exchanges, foundations, and token holders leverage Figment’s infrastructure and APIs to earn staking rewards. Staking is a process in which token holders can earn rewards by helping to secure a blockchain network.
Before Co-Founding Figment, Lorien was both a seri...
2023-10-1819 minThe Financial Technology Report with RJ LumbaThe Finance Platform for SaaS Founders: Arc Technologies’ Don MuirIn this episode, we speak with Don Muir, Co-Founder and CEO of Arc Technologies. Founded in 2021, Arc provides a better way for software startups to raise capital without incurring costly dilution and risky debt.
Arc converts a startups’ future revenue into upfront capital, provides a cash management account to store, manage and spend funds, and delivers financial analytics to drive growth.
The Company is backed by Left Lane Capital, Bain Capital Ventures, NFX and Atalaya Capital, among others.
I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show.
2023-02-0219 min