OpenFin MVP Podcast

In this episode, we speak with Ed Zimmerman, a lawyer, investor, professor, wine enthusiast, and advocate on social issues including race, gender, the LGBTQ community, reproductive rights and gun control. We talk about his career at the law firm Lowenstein Sandler where he is a partner and Chair of the Tech Group, and where he created the VentureCrush platform for startups and the investors who back them. We explore some common legal mistakes that founders make and the current fundraising environment. We also discuss Ed’s social advocacy and he offers advice on what we can all do to improve diversity in technology and the venture space.

In this episode, we speak with Andy Brown, the CEO of Sand Hill East, a strategic advisory group supporting the growth of digital, technology, and FinTech businesses. We talk about his start in programming, his successful career in banking, and his latest venture as an investor and advisor to early stage companies. We also talk about the FinTech Innovation Lab and the areas of FinTech he’s most excited about.

In this episode, we speak with HSBC’s global head of strategic innovation investments, Ore Adeyemi. We talk about his fascinating path to venture investing in Silicon Valley via MIT and Boise, Idaho. He explains what it means to get a strategic investment from a major bank and how it works. We also talk about how we can all help to improve diversity and inclusion in finance and Silicon Valley.

In this episode we catch up with Colin Eberhardt, Technology Director, of Scott Logic and author of “What is WebAssembly?” to talk about WebAssembly, the desktop ecosystem and the Atari 2600. We cover the state of the art with respect to WebAssembly, that most of us are likely using products powered by it, as well talk through how we may be at an inflection point on professional finance’s inevitable move to the cloud.

In this episode, we speak with JP Male, CEO of BidFX. We talk about the challenges and opportunities associated with creating a new product inside a larger organisation, the importance of learning from failures and the journey to spinning out to be a separate company including the recent acquisition of BidFX by SGX, the Singapore exchange.

In this episode, we speak with rock star FinTech founder Laura Spiekerman from Alloy. We talk about her early start in FinTech straight out of university, the founding of Alloy to improve customer onboarding, and their recent Series B fundraise led by Canapi Ventures. She offers advice to FinTech entrepreneurs who are fundraising during COVID and to women who aspire to be FinTech founders themselves. We also talk about how we can improve diversity in FinTech and the important role of boards and investors.

In this episode, Sam Cole talks about his path to finance starting as a defense analyst, then consulting at McKinsey, and subsequently COO-ing a major hedge fund. We talk about Phigital, the startup he co-founded and sold, his important role in the creation of OpenFin, and his latest act as an investor at Stonecutter Ventures. He also tells us about two not-for-profit initiatives he’s involved with: Success Academy, a charter school network in NYC, and Business Executives for National Security where he co-leads a group advising on the United States’ digital infrastructure.

In this episode, Dan Zinkin talks about his impressive career at J.P. Morgan, starting straight out of university and now running Global Investment Banking technology. We talk about his startup side hustle back in the day and his current innovation priorities. He also explains how he’s been able to improve gender diversity across his teams and offers lots of terrific, practical advice for managers across the industry.

In this episode, co-founders Chuck Doerr and Mazy Dar are joined by special guest and employee #1 Wenjun Che to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of OpenFin’s founding. We talk about the early days: how it all got started, our first office in Greenwich Village, and some of our early thinking on technology and business strategy. We also share some of our favorite moments from the past 10 years as our team and the community around OpenFin have grown.