Wharton FinTech Podcast

In this episode of the Wharton Fintech Podcast, host Sabrina Fathi speaks with Catherine Porter, Chief Business Officer at Prove, a leading platform in digital identity verification and authentication. Catherine shares her journey from Silicon Valley to spearheading innovation in identity security. They explore how AI is reshaping fraud prevention, the future of portable identity, and how Prove is helping companies build trust in an increasingly digital world.

In today’s episode, Jackson Ellis hosts Melissa Wasser, the Partner and Head of the Fintech Capital Network at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), a leading venture capital firm backing bold entrepreneurs building the future through technology.

Tune in to hear about:

- Melissa’s career journey from Goldman Sachs to FT Partners to leading fintech support at a16z

- How the Fintech Capital Network helps founders navigate fundraising, M&A, and strategic partnerships

- The tradeoffs between equity and debt financing, and how fintech founders can structure smarter capital strategies

In today’s episode, Zoey Tang speaks with Marc Andrusko, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), where he focuses on fintech and B2B software investments. Marc’s current investment interests span capital markets, AI applications, payments infrastructure, and companies operating at the intersection of fintech and other sectors.

Marc shares how his journey—from working in interest rate sales and trading at Goldman Sachs to leading personal financial management at Plaid—influenced his perspective on fintech and broader B2B applications. In addition to his work at a16z, Marc is known for hosting what some may call "the Met Ball of finance"—a gathering that bridges executives and startups within New York City’s vibrant financial services ecosystem.

Tune in to hear about:

-Marc’s path from Goldman Sachs to Plaid and eventually a16z

-Opportunities in Capital Markets

-AI and Finance

-AI x Accounting (read more about Marc's latest perspectives here: https://a16z.com/generative-ai-in-accounting/)

For more FinTech insights, follow us on:

Medium: medium.com/wharton-fintech

Twitter: twitter.com/whartonfintech

Instagram: instagram.com/whartonfintech

In today's episode, Wesley Aster speaks with Ezra Kebrab, Founder and CEO of Caliza, a cross-border payments platform leveraging stablecoins to eliminate geographic barriers by allowing companies around the world to open digital dollar accounts for their users to save and transact. Ezra shares how is personal journey - from his childhood to his experience at Visa and Intuit - inspired him to build infrastructure for the next generation of global payments.

Tune in to hear about:

- Ezra's path from Intuit and Visa to launching Caliza

- The problems Caliza solves for businesses in Brazil and the company's recent expansion to Mexico and Asia

- The advantages of using stablecoins over traditional cross-border systems like SWIFT

- Caliza's 2024 raise with Initialized, Quona, Abstract Ventures, Digital Currency Group, and others

For more FinTech insights, follow us on:

- Medium: medium.com/wharton-fintech

- Twitter: twitter.com/whartonfintech

- Instagram: instagram.com/whartonfintech

In this episode of the Wharton Fintech Podcast, Sabrina Fathi sits down with Tom DeBow, CTO of Schonfeld Strategic Advisors, to explore how AI and advanced technology are reshaping modern hedge funds. Tom shares insights from his journey through top-tier firms like SAC Capital and Alphadyne, and dives into Schonfeld’s pragmatic yet forward-thinking approach to AI adoption. From developing the firm’s in-house AI tool to enhancing talent workflows and unifying data systems, Tom discusses how AI is driving smarter, faster decision-making across the organization without replacing the human edge.

In today’s episode, Kimberly Zhang sits down with David Fortunato, CEO of Wealthfront, for an in-depth conversation on how technology is transforming wealth management, and what it takes to build a truly digital-first financial advisor. David shares his journey from early software engineer to CEO, reflecting on how an engineering mindset helped shape Wealthfront’s product-led culture and commitment to automation.

Tune in to hear about:

• How Wealthfront is navigating the shifting landscape of wealth management

• The company’s approach to making institutional-grade financial strategies accessible through innovative products

• David’s thoughts on the future of WealthTech and leading a company that’s reshaping how a generation grows their money

In this episode of the Wharton Fintech Podcast, host Sabrina Fathi sits down with Marshall Hayner, Co-Founder and CEO of Metallicus. A true pioneer in the blockchain space, Marshall shares his journey from the early days of Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and Stellar to building a compliance-first digital asset infrastructure that bridges blockchain and traditional finance.

Marshall reflects on how his background in cryptography, early product innovation, and respect for the banking system led him to reimagine how blockchain can serve as secure, regulated infrastructure. He also unpacks why compliance isn’t a roadblock to innovation — but rather the unlock that will shape the future of digital finance.

In today’s episode, Kimberly Zhang sits down with David Blumberg, Founder and Managing Partner of Blumberg Capital. David shares his journey from his early days in venture capital to building a leading early-stage investment firm, with a deep dive into his rules of thumb in identifying and supporting groundbreaking technologies from inception through exit.

Tune in to hear about:

- The impacts of technological evolution on early-stage venture investing

- The expectations for funds to provide value beyond capital and to foster strong ecosystems to drive success

- David’s long-term vision for Blumberg Capital and how to stay ahead of the curve in identifying and nurturing the next wave of innovation

In today's episode, Ben Newman sits down with Sam Gaynor, managing director at

Altamont Capital Partners, for an insightful conversation on investing across the

insurance landscape. Sam shares his path to private equity, how Altamont navigates the

complexity of investing in insurance businesses, and his perspective on when it makes

sense to build vs. buy a company.

Tune in to hear about:

- Why private equity has traditionally shied away from insurance—and why

Altamont is leaning in

- Altamont’s investment in Accelerant, a risk exchange transforming the specialty

insurance value chain through advanced data ingestion, transparency, and

analytics

- Altamont’s approach to de novo financial services investments

In today’s episode, Kimberly Zhang sits down with Kevin McColly, CEO of Coinstar, for a conversation on the evolving role of cash in a digital world. Kevin shares his journey at Coinstar from financial analyst to CEO and how the well-known coin giant is making moves into financial innovations by bridging the gap between physical and digital finance.

Tune in to hear about:

• How Coinstar is expanding into cryptocurrency and digital wallets

• The role of cash in an increasingly digital economy and what that means for financial accessibility

• Kevin’s perspective on the future of fintech, innovation, and adapting to changing consumer behaviors