Voice of FinTech®

Nicholas Rudder, CEO and CFO at Sphere, an AI-native, revenue-based tax compliance platform, spoke with Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about the challenges businesses face with cross-border tax compliance and how Sphere's AI and automation solutions can help.

Here is what they talked about in more detail:

• Nicholas's entrepreneurial journey leading to Sphere
• What led Nicholas (Nick) to start his own business
• What is Sphere? What problem is Sphere you trying to solve
• What is Sphere's unique advantage? How is it different from other compliance solutions? 
• What does it really mean, AI native?
• How does Sphere make money (business model)?
• Who are its target customers
• Expansion plans?
• What were your very first steps to start this venture
• What are your next steps for this year and beyond
• Interested parties contact Nicholas Rudder on LinkedIn or the Sphere website.

Ron Benegbi, founder and CEO of Uplinq, a unique credit-scoring solution for SMEs, spoke with Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about how to make credit scoring for SMEs smarter while working alongside existing solutions.

Here is what they talked about in more detail:

• Ron's background and experience
• Ron's reasons for starting his business
• What is Uplinq? What problem do they solve?
• What is Uplinq's unique advantage? How do they differ from other credit scoring solutions? 
• Business model
• Target customers
• Locations
• The very first steps in starting this venture
• Where are you in your journey regarding product development, geographic reach, funding, and hiring? Can you share any numbers?
• What are your next steps for this year and beyond? 
• Where can interested parties contact you? Uplinq site orRon Benegbi on LinkedIn 

Krik Gunning, co-founder and CEO of Fourthline, a Dutch KYC and AML scale-up, spoke with Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about its proprietary technology, helping its clients to build a fourth line of defence against bad actors.

In more detail, Krik discusses his extensive international background and transition from investment banking to entrepreneurship. He elaborates on the origins and innovative solutions of Fourthline, a company specializing in anti-fraud and KYC (Know Your Customer) solutions tailored for financial institutions. Fourthline, initially a part of Safened, addresses regulatory compliance with a unique AI-driven, cloud-native platform that integrates multiple checks to offer a seamless and secure onboarding experience. Krik also highlights Fourthline's deep regulatory knowledge, in-house proprietary technology, and focus on user experience as key differentiators. The company leverages AI to continuously improve and adapt to evolving fraud techniques, ensuring the safety of user identities and financial assets. The conversation also touches upon future plans, including embracing gen AI advancements and adapting to upcoming European regulatory changes. Krik invites interested parties to connect with him on LinkedIn (see Krik Gunning) or visit Fourthline's website for more insights.

Harry Mamaysky, Professor at Columbia Business School and Chief Investment Officer at QuantStreet Capital, spoke with Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about AI potential for investment management and asset allocation.

Here is what they covered:

• Harry – what's your background? How did you get to what you do today? Why re-join academia?
• Why are we now going through the AI revolution? 
• Where are we in terms of adoption? Is general AI on the horizon? Will everyone be affected by AI?
• Why is letting AI trade by itself unlikely to work? How can AI be useful in investing?
• How correct are AI models? What would AI (Gemini) answer for asset allocation questions?
• What's the confidence level of such an answer?
• Are the answers factually correct? When mistakes are made, how grave are they?
• Do LLMs know about real-time news?
• How about systematic investing? Can you provide an example of QuantStreet's asset allocation architecture?
• What are the things that AI doesn't know about?
• What are your recommendations for resources from which to learn more about AI in Finance? 
• What's the best way to reach out? QuantStreet Capital (website), newsletter, e-mail: [email protected] or Harry Mamaysky on LinkedIn

Tamás Varga, PhD, founder of q-edu-lab.com, spoke with Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about the educational game he invented, Niels' Chess, which teaches the principles of quantum physics through the game of chess. 

Here is what they talked about:

• How did Tamas get to do what he does today
• Brief explanation of the basic principles of quantum, and especially quantum computing, e.g., superposition, entanglement, random collapse, unitary transformation, and a bit of quantum interference in some variants
• Discussed what would constitute a working, i.e., useful quantum computer
• Why is it taking so long to build one?
• Where does the name Niels' chess come from?
• How does it work, and why did you pick chess as a basic game to explain it? See the picture of the moves on the podcast website here.
• How can a game like this generate revenue, and who is it intended for?
• Ìs there an online version?
• Milestones ahead
• The best way to reach out  - through LinkedIn on Tamás Varga, PhD

Kamal Hassan, Managing Partner at Loyal VC, spoke with Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about backing INSEAD and Founder Institute alums (mainly) worldwide with a unique approach.

Here is what they covered: 

• Kamal, can you briefly introduce yourself?
• Can you describe Loyal VC - what does it do? Where are you based?
• Are you global? How much money have you facilitated since inception, and for how many growth companies? How many investors?
• What kind of growth companies have you invested in? 
• What’s your onboarding approach? E.g., minimum size of the stake
• What are your best tips for aspiring founders to grow their companies?
• How do you find investment opportunities and investors? What are your selection criteria?
• Can you share success stories of the growth companies you invested in?
• What’s your favorite business book (or another learning source)?
• Wrap up: What’s the best way to reach out? Check out www.loyal.vc

Nathaniel (Nathan) Powell, founder at Deep Market Making spoke with Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about leveraging AI to make pricing models for bond markets better than ever.

Here is what they discussed in more detail: 

• Nathan, tell us how you got to where you are today.
• Many people recently opened up to AI with the advent of GenAI. But AI has been with us for much longer, right? Why has GenAI, in particular, gained such traction vs. traditional AI?
• What problem are you solving at Deep Market Making, and why is it worth solving?
• What is your solution and your unique selling point?
• Who are your key clients? Can you tell us some case studies of the successful implementation of your solution?
• What’s your technology angle? What kind of AI are we talking about?
• How do we navigate the unique risks and challenges posed by AI, especially in financial markets?
• What are the milestones you want to achieve next?
• What’s your favorite business book? Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel
• What’s the best way to reach out: Nathaniel (Nathan) Powell (LinkedIn) or e-mail: [email protected]

Tobias Wohlfarth, Chief Business Officer (CBO) at Obligate, an on-chain regulated bonds platform based in Switzerland, spoke with Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about bringing private debt opportunities to more investors by leveraging blockchain.

Here is what they discussed in more detail: 

• Tobias' journey to the entrepreneurship world
• Why Tobias joined Obligate
• What is Obligate? What problem is Obligate trying to solve
• Their unique advantage - how is Obligate different from digital assets exchanges
• Business model - how does Obligate make money
• Target customers
• Locations of staff and customers
• How did Obligate scale?
• Where is Obligate on their journey now
• What are Obligate's next steps for this year and beyond? 
• Where can interested parties contact you? Website: https://www.obligate.com/ or Tobias on LinkedIn here.

In this episode, Dorra Mahbouli speaks with Rinse Jacobs, former Solaris executive and now CEO of Zazu, the rising B2B fintech reshaping SME banking in Africa. Zazu is building Africa’s first finance super-app, offering a unified platform that addresses the fragmented, outdated financial tools SMEs currently rely on.

With over 44 million underbanked SMEs across the continent and a $5.1 trillion credit gap in emerging markets, Zazu positions itself as the go-to digital banking solution for SMEs—combining payments, finance management, and credit access in one place. Backed by VCs and built by FinTech veterans, Zazu is now expanding beyond South Africa into other African and MENA markets to support SME growth at scale.

Find it here or reach out to Rinse on LinkedIn.

Chris Ball, CEO and founder of Hoxton Wealth, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about building an internationally focused wealth manager from the ground up.

Here is what they discussed in more detail:

• Chris, tell us how you got to do what you do today.
• Future of wealth management - how technology meets personalized advice
• The problem Hoxton Wealth is helping clients with and why
• Nuances of the wealth management industry in the Middle East vs. the UK or the US
• What is the key advice for advisors working with international clients to achieve their goals 
• The first steps with Hoxton - How did Chris get his first 100 clients
• Later on, how did Chris scale Hoxton from a start-up to managing $2.1 billion in assets
• What is Hoxton's unique advantage - How is it different from large, global international wealth managers
• Can you recommend a favorite business book or another resource for continuous learning? Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win and 80/20 Daily: Your Day-by-Day Guide to Happier, Healthier, Wealthier, and More Successful Living 
• The best way to reach out: find Chris Ball on LinkedIn