The Yield

Startups today have more opportunities than ever before, with funding available to match their ambitions.  In this episode of The Yield, Yieldstreet CFA Peter Kerr welcomes Mary Ann Azevedo, Senior Reporter at TechCrunch, for a discussion on the latest trends in the startup and fintech space. Mary Ann is currently a senior reporter at TechCrunch covering startups and investing with a focus on fintech, proptech and LatAm. She has more than 20 years of business reporting and editing experience for publications such as Crunchbase News, Crain, Forbes and Silicon Valley Business Journal. 

[1:20] Mary Ann’s insights into the potential for another tech bubble.  

[5:00] Repercussions surrounding sustainability, innovation, transparency, and exit strategies.

[9:03] The impact of the pandemic on startups and the need to pivot business strategies. 

[11:58] A five year look into the future of fintech startups. 

[16:02] The positive and negative impact of the distributed team approach. 

[20:10] Growing startup areas across the US have a few things in common. 

[25:21] Fintech startups on the global stage. 

[26:56] Risks and opportunities associated with cryptocurrencies and NFTs.  

[31:34] The impact that startups can have on VC investments. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Yieldstreet

Open banking is the future of banking — do you understand how it can affect your banking experience? In this episode of The Yield, Yieldstreet CFA Peter Kerr is joined by Frédérick Lavoie for a discussion on how data & technology are improving the consumer experience for bankers.  Frédérick is currently Chief Operations Officer at Flinks, which he co-founded in December 2016. Before starting Flinks, he spent several years working in online personal lending. Using innovative data technology, he brought to market competitive consumer financing offers that undercut payday lenders with lower interest rates. Trusted by hundreds of world-class companies, Flinks enables businesses to connect users' bank accounts, enrich their data, and utilize it to deliver better products.

[1:25] The aim at Flinks and what open banking can do for you.

[5:32] Enriching the data and simplifying a loan application.

[9:01] The future of fintech isn’t only found on the credit side.

[12:35] The power of creating a frictionless user experience.

[15:34] Flinks’ key market, main competitors, and digital banking trends that are here to stay.

[21:25] What can buy now/pay later offer consumers that credit cards can’t? 

[27:40] Scaling Flinks, navigating competitor offerings, and their ultimate exit strategy. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Yieldstreet

Today’s consumer demands are changing almost as quickly as their Tik Tok feed, and the successful companies tend to be the ones that have a marketing strategy that can keep up.  On this episode of The Yield, guest host Wittney Rachlin, CMO of Yieldstreet, and Ryan Alford, host of The Radcast, sit down for a discussion about entrepreneurship and financial marketing. They dive into the demands of today’s consumers and the marketing strategies that are the mark of some of today’s most successful companies. 

[2:04] How is Radical changing the marketing landscape? 

[5:54] Prominent trends in financial marketing lean into removing friction between customers and their money. 

[7:47] How important is it for companies to have a mission that benefits the greater good and tie their marketing to it? 

[9:18] The evolution of SEO into 2022, and what marketers need to do to keep up with it. 

[13:27] The types of content that can be the leaders in 2022.

[19:00] Consumers are already numb to digital marketing ads, but what about influencer marketing? 

[22:30] The evolution of social media marketing and where we believe it’s headed next. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Yieldstreet

Yieldstreet is committed to providing a way to invest in fine art. That’s why we are happy to announce the expansion of our art platform into equities with the launch of our first Art Equity Fund. On this episode of The Yield, the team from Athena Art Finance joins us to discuss the current art market and artists from the Post War & Contemporary periods. Join Peter Kerr, CFA, as he sits down with Rebecca Fine, Managing Director and Giovanna Quattrone, Art Research & Valuation Specialist from our Athena Art Finance Team to discuss the launch of the world's first widely available diversified art equity fund.

[1:18} Rebecca and Giovanna share the vision of the Art Equity Fund. 

[5:35] Key features of the American contemporary artwork offered in this fund. 

[15:02] Why would investors want to own art in their investment portfolio? 

[21:26] Details of the three artists, their styles and career timeline in this initial offering. 

[29:12] Average targeted ROI, term details and other FAQs. 

[30:45] Wealth alone doesn’t always provide access to art. 

[33:28] The analytics platform that informs Athena’s lending practice. 

[39:52] Performance trends, growth rates and the right time to sell artwork. 

[42:01] Debt ratio in this portfolio of artworks and recession-proofing art. 

[44:25] Potential future art fund genres. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Yieldstreet

Data is the most valuable asset a company has, and what a company does with that data can be a great indicator of their success. But what does data and trading mean for you? In this episode of The Yield, Yieldstreet CFA Peter Kerr is joined by Francis Wenzel as they discuss the role and accessibility of data as it relates to trading, compliance, artificial intelligence and machine learning within the financial markets. Francis is a financial data and technology expert who is applying his knowledge and experience to TickSmith, a true “FinTech” software company that combines cutting-edge technology and deep knowledge in Capital Markets to reach new summits of innovation. Driven by more data-intensive data requirements for trading, compliance, artificial intelligence and machine learning, there has never been so much traditional and alternative data to work with. TickSmith's highly scalable, modular platforms, built on open-source technologies are crucial in today’s data-driven world.

[1:46] Enterprise software company or cutting-edge fintech? TickSmith is actually both.

[5:52] Data privacy concerns at every usage level of company and individual data.

[8:31] Why are capital markets so interested in data?

[12:25] Correcting the pitfalls in the buy-side capital markets and a look at one of the biggest new trends in data sharing.

[15:00] TickSmith’s role as a data platform seller, and how data might be utilized moving forward.

[20:17] Benefits of using charting and technician analysis tools.

[23:15] The financial potential that comes with understanding and utilizing data.

[25:06] Practical use cases of data in blockchain and cryptocurrencies.

[28:17] The computer revolution is bigger than the industrial revolution.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Yieldstreet

We live in an instant economy, so why does it take so long to access your own money? Despite incredible technological advancements in the fintech space, money still moves around as slowly as it did decades ago with a paper-based payments system. It’s time for a change. In this episode of The Yield, Yieldstreet CFA Peter Kerr is joined by Orum Founder and CEO Stephany Kirkpatrick for a discussion about how technology is helping investors optimize their financial outcomes and move immediately and automatically across accounts, products, and financial institutions. Orum is the leading platform for smart real-time money movement and is aiming to tackle infrastructure around money at its core.

[1:37] Orum’s mission was founded on the belief that consumers should always have immediate access to their money.

[4:22] Why does it still take up to seven days for moving money to settle?

[9:25] How instant money transfers actually work and the impact they have on banks.

[11:35] A look into the current fraud space and Orum’s ability to change the paradigm of fraud.

[15:20] Using machine learning to gather data and increase financial safety.

[17:14] How does blockchain fit into the digital ledger at Orum?

[23:15] Stephany’s insights as a CFP have shaped her drive with Orum.

[28:24] A look at the coming major shifts in financial services.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Yieldstreet

What will it take to make cryptocurrencies a part of the average consumer’s everyday life? In this episode of The Yield, Peter Kerr, CFA is joined by Edward Woodford for a discussion on the financial system 2.0. Edward is Co-Founder and CEO of Zero Hash, a company empowering your favorite brokerage app or neo bank to offer BTC, providing the rails to the 2.0 payment processors, and giving platforms the ability to facilitate instantaneous cross border payments. Tune into their conversation for an exciting look at the ways that disruptive innovation is shaping Finance 2.0. 

[1:28] Zero Hash is on a mission to empower innovators by delivering access to the financial system 2.0.

[3:40] The key products that set Zero Hash apart from their competitors. 

[8:15] NFTs are gaining traction as their practical uses spread. 

[9:15] How to identify the cryptocurrencies that are worth following. 

[14:31] A look at upcoming initiatives at Zero Hash. 

[18:17] A comparison of staking and crypto-backing loans. 

[19:28] When will cryptocurrencies become a part of people’s everyday personal lives? 

[22:20] Potential tax implications of earning crypto rewards. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Yieldstreet

Challenger banks are newer banks that are armed with the latest technology to democratize access to financial products. They’re also disruptive, pioneering a new space, and might even be seen as attacking their incumbents. But in reality, banking is not a zero-sum game. In the latest episode of The Yield, Peter Kerr, CFA and Daniel Eberhard discuss the next age of banking. Daniel has built his career as an entrepreneur by finding ways to create scalable mission-driven companies. In 2010, he co-founded Kineticor Renewables, a wind energy company that developed 50M dollars in wind projects. The company was acquired by Algonquin Power in 2011. In 2014, Daniel founded KOHO, a leading Canadian challenger bank that has raised more than $130M on the path to democratizing access to financial products.

[1:40] Challenger banks as technology-enabled leaders that are democratizing access to financial products.

[6:33] KOHO aims to eliminate the poor tax that hits the underbanked.

[10:49] What makes a challenger bank’s offerings different from those at a traditional bank?

[17:25] Overcoming the common pitfalls that lead to low credit scores.

[21:20] Are digital currencies a threat to the challenger bank model?

[24:30] Lessons learned from this successful entrepreneur.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Yieldstreet

What options are available in the alternative retirement investment space?  In this episode of The Yield, Peter Kerr is joined by Damion Lupo to discuss personal finance, investment, and retirement strategies. Damion is founder of eQRP, the ultimate investment retirement tool, and the best-selling author of a dozen books and he is on a mission to free 1 million people from financial bondage. He hosts the Financial Underdogs podcast, ripping conventional wisdom apart for the Main Street investor looking for the truth about money and investing. 

[1:18] Damion’s journey from a $25 million loss in real estate to founding eQRP retirement. 

[6:36] Overcoming decision paralysis to get more out of your investments. 

[10:10] Alternative investments can take investors beyond mutual funds, stocks and bonds.  

[17:25] Regulatory risks associated with alternative retirement accounts. 

[20:10] When to pay taxes on deferred and Roth IRAs. 

[22:25] Is there a downside to alternative retirement investment accounts? 

[24:07] Details about moving an existing 401(k) or 1031 into an EQRP. 

[27:10] What kind of lessons do you learn when losing $25 million? 

[28:21] Key differences between an EQRP and a self-directed IRA. 

[33:09] Strategies that offer no tax payments under current tax codes. 

[34:35] Educating yourself is the best move any investor can make. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Yieldstreet