In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Carey Ransom, Managing Director of BankTech Ventures, to explore how banks and entrepreneurs can work together to drive the future of financial services.

Carey shares how BankTech Ventures acts as a bridge between innovative fintech founders and community banks, helping banks modernize while staying deeply rooted in the communities they serve.

They discuss what “bank tech” really means, why community banks still matter, and how AI, stablecoins, and new business models are reshaping banking.

The conversation also covers Carey’s hands-on approach to meeting banks where they are, and why Fintech Meetup has become a can’t-miss event for building meaningful, high-impact connections.

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib Kalita sits down with Stefania Di Bartolomeo, Founder and CEO of Physis Investment, to discuss how AI and sustainability are converging to reshape investment decision-making.

Stephania shares her journey from impact investing to building Physis, an end-to-end AI platform that transforms fragmented sustainability and financial data into actionable insights for investors.

They explore why ESG scores fall short, how natural language and AI assistants are replacing legacy dashboards, and what it takes to build trust in AI-driven finance.

The conversation also touches on company culture, inclusive leadership, and why Fintech Meetup remains a must-attend event for meaningful connection in fintech.

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Dana Warren, Venture Partner at Canaan Partners, to explore how decades of fintech experience and the power of pattern recognition are shaping the next generation of founders and investors.

Dana shares her journey from leading major partnerships at Stripe, PayPal, and American Express to joining one of Silicon Valley’s most storied venture firms. She discusses how her operating background gives her an edge in identifying great founders, building high-performing teams, and spotting the signals of scalable success.

They also dive into AI’s transformative role in fintech—from programmable money and stablecoins to agentic commerce and the evolving CFO stack—and how Canaan’s principled, founder-first approach has kept the firm thriving for 37 years.

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Rory O’Reilly, Co-Founder and CEO of Knot, to explore how merchant connectivity is redefining the future of payments and digital commerce.

Rory shares how Knot helps fintechs seamlessly connect users’ cards to their favorite merchants; reducing churn, boosting engagement, and simplifying how people pay online.

They also discuss Rory’s entrepreneurial journey from building gifs.com and Millions to launching Knot, the rise of agentic shopping and API-driven checkouts, and why user permission and trust are at the heart of the next generation of fintech innovation.

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Phil Goldfeder, CEO of American Fintech Council, to discuss how fintech innovation and policy are shaping the future of financial services.

Phil shares how AFC connects fintechs, banks, and regulators to drive responsible innovation, strengthen consumer protection, and build a more inclusive financial ecosystem.

They also talk about fintech’s growing bipartisan momentum in Washington, why collaboration is key to progress, and how Fintech Meetup helps foster the meaningful relationships that move the industry forward.

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Sherry Wu, CTO of the University of Michigan Credit Union (UMCU), to discuss driving digital transformation in community banking and building a culture of curiosity and collaboration.

Sherry shares her journey from global tech roles to fintech, how UMCU blends personal service with digital-first experiences, and what it takes to choose the right technology partners. They also explore the value of Fintech Meetup for discovering solutions and why Sherry is excited about agentic AI for automation, fraud detection, and smarter member experiences.

If you’re interested in modernizing credit unions and the future of community-driven fintech, don’t miss this conversation.

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Maik Wehmeyer, Co-Founder and CEO of Taktile, to talk about reimagining credit and fraud decisioning, the rise of AI in risk management, and why agility is the biggest challenge for today’s lenders.

Maik shares his journey from building credit models to founding Taktile. He explains how Taktile helps institutions harness AI and LLMs for smarter, faster decisions, why SMB underwriting is a prime use case, and what makes B2B adoption so compelling.

They also discuss balancing AI with business rules, scaling across markets with very different credit cultures, and why preparation is essential for getting the most out of Fintech Meetup.

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Dan Kimerling, Founder and Managing Partner of Deciens Capital, to talk about zero-to-one investing, building fintech companies from scratch, and why the best venture partnerships are artisanal, not industrial.

Dan shares his journey from founding Standard Treasury (acquired by SVB) to launching Deciens, now investing out of its third fund. He explains why Deciens leads nearly every deal, what founders often misunderstand about VCs, and how regulation, from stablecoins to private credit, is reshaping the future of financial services.

They also discuss lessons Dan carried from being a founder into venture, what makes a capital-efficient lending business, and why pacing and prep are key to getting the most out of Fintech Meetup.

If you’re interested in early-stage fintech, founder-VC dynamics, and the next wave of innovation—don’t miss this conversation.

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Julián Huertas, Relationship Manager at Zulu, to talk about building cross-border payment infrastructure, empowering SMBs in Latin America, and finding the right partners to scale globally.

Julián shares how Zulu pivoted from a B2C wallet to a B2B cross-border platform, why owning the rails is key to long-term success, and how compliance became a deliberate competitive advantage. He also highlights the unique challenges SMBs face in Latin America, what real-time payments could mean for the region, and how events like Fintech Meetup helped Zulu connect with top investors and industry leaders like Nigel Morris, ex-PayPal, and ex-Stripe.

If you’re interested in cross-border fintech, LATAM’s rapidly growing startup ecosystem, and the future of payments infrastructure—don’t miss this conversation.

In this episode of FintechTalks, Sanjib sits down with Ryan Breslow, Founder and CEO of Bolt and Love.com, to talk about building for scale, disrupting payments, and launching a SuperApp for North America.

Ryan shares the decade-long journey of building Bolt into an 80-million-user checkout network, why ending guest checkout is just the beginning, and how the upcoming Bolt SuperApp aims to unify a fragmented U.S. fintech experience. He also dives into AI-powered personalization with Checkout 2.0, the company’s unconventional no-lock-in business model, and what it takes to form high-impact partnerships.