Humans of Fintech

In this commentary episode, Nicole gets straight into talking about the topic of the moment: Silicon Valley Bank. Digging below the story, Nicole offers searing analysis on the root causes and asks the important questions. You'll also hear her take on herd mentality and how fintech must do better. And if you love listening to Humans of Fintech, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: h...

How come they teach math and sex-ed at school but not money? CJ MacDonald is CEO and Founder of Step, the next generation financial services company helping teens and young adults achieve financial independence and knowledge at an earlier age.  Nicole and CJ discuss why getting into schools at the earliest age creates the building blocks to financial stability, how savings bonds led to an aha mome...

Katie agrees to step into the spotlight for this quickfire round of questions. Find out who’s on her fintech soundtrack, the best advice she ever received and so much more in this fireside chat with Nicole Follow Katie: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiepalencsar/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/damekatiep And if you love listening to Humans of Fintech, please leave me a 5-star review on Rat...

How do you smash down common misconceptions around female fintech founders? Katie Palencsar is the startup founder turned investor, determined to bring equity into VC investments. Katie is an investor at the Female Innovators Lab Fund within the Anthemis Group, the global platform cultivating change in the financial system by investing in, growing, and sustaining businesses committed to resiliency...

How can your fintech product prioritize inclusion, generate profitability, and serve people who need financial tools? In this quick breakdown Nicole defines what inclusion really means in the space, gives examples from Annie Jean-Baptiste’s best settling book, and how to capture a larger market share by creating more inclusive products for people of color, women and other underrepresented groups....

Join Nicole and Alison in this lightning round of questions, covering everything from music to inspirational advice. Get to know Nicole's inspirational podcast guest even better in this 5-minute fireside chat. Follow Alison: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisonstaloch/ And if you love listening to Humans of Fintech, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcas...

From medicine to regulations and headlong into Fintech, meet the CFO building a better financial system. Alison Staloch is CFO at Fundrise, America’s largest direct-to-investor alternatives investment platform, since 2012. Nicole and Alison, dig into why a career in medicine left her cold, how she navigated a course through regulations and policy at the US Securities And Exchange Commission, and w...

Vered is under the spotlight in this quickfire round of questions. Discover her fintech soundtrack, the best advice she ever received and more in this fireside chat with Nicole. Follow Vered:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veredfrank/ You can keep up-to-date with everything Humans of Fintech at https://workweek.com/brand/wtfintech/ And if you’ve enjoyed Humans of Fintech why not try: Chick...

From traditional finance to fintech and back again, Vered Frank is the CMO helping investors find meaning and connection. She is Head of Marketing at Seeds Investor, empowering financial advisors to deliver a more meaningful investment experience. Nicole and Vered talk robo investment advisors, the disconnect between earning and spending, and how Vered found her fintech sweet spot. Follow Vered: L...

What happens when you’re frozen out of financial conversations because of gender and ethnicity? You start your own conversation Eve Halimi and Anam Lakhani are the first-time founders behind Alinea Invest, the community-driven money app with financial education, news, stock & crypto investing. Nicole, Eve and Anam explore why so many women aren’t taught how to save and invest, the importance o...

Hold on tight as Michelle answers a lightning round of questions from Nicole in this fireside chat. Get personal with 3 minutes, you don’t want to miss! And if you love listening to Humans of Fintech, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/humansoffintech Thank you so much! Follow Michelle: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellektran/ Twitter: https...

Michelle Tran is building a community, meeting fintech bro culture head on. Find out why she will no longer be talked over. Michelle Tran is the Head of Enterprise Sales and SVP at Vestwell, a platform working to close the savings gap. She’s also the Founder of NYC Fintech Women and Dreamers // Doers, a collaboration and mentorship community. Nicole and Michelle get into her inspiring family story...

It’s 2023 and still female founders are facing tough challenges getting recognized and funded. Why? Nicole explores the topic in this 5-minute commentary episode. Join Nicole as she dives into recent research showing the difficulty female founders have getting funding from male-founded VC firms. She gets into the numbers around this issue and some solutions to changing up the status quo. And if yo...

Hold on for this lightning round of questions, getting to know Drew a little deeper. From the best advice to dream collabs - this is 3-minutes you can’t miss! And if you love listening to Humans of Fintech, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/humansoffintech Thank you so much! Follow Drew: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drewbailerglover LinkedIn: https://twit...

From struggling to read to becoming a highly successful VC and Founder, this is the unique story of Drew Glover. Drew is Co-Founder of Fiat Ventures and Fiat Growth, helping fintech startups scale through mentorship and investment. He grew up overcoming learning difficulties, thanks to his own determination and an encouraging mom, and is now a successful investor and mentor. Nicole and Drew get in...

Get to know Meg a little better, as Nicole unleashes this lightning round of questions. From Fintech songs, to Meg’s biggest supporter - this is 3-minutes you can’t miss! And if you love listening to Humans of Fintech, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/humansoffintech Thank you so much! Follow Meg: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/megnakamura You can keep up-...

You don’t get a hall pass for making mistakes with people’s money. Meg Nakamura is the Co-founder and CEO building trust through fintech. Find out how. Apto Payments is the next-generation cards and payments platform that helps companies design and launch successful card programs in as fast as a day. Meg and Co-founder Greg Kidd are building a company with community and trust at its core. Nicole a...

Get to know Yoni a little better with this lightning round of questions.. From Fintech songs, to Yoni’s biggest supporter - this is 3-minutes you can’t miss! And if you love listening to Humans of Fintech, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/humansoffintech Thank you so much! Follow Yoni LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yoniassia Twitter: https://twitter.com/yo...

This is a special one. Yoni Assia is the Founder and CEO of eToro, discover his vision for Fintech and why investment is for everyone. eToro is the world’s leading social investment platform. Founded in 2007 with a mission to open the world's markets to everyone -everywhere. Nicole and Yoni sit down to talk about the power of connection, why education is so key to successful investment, and how fi...

Get ready for a lightning round of questions, getting to know Kristy on a more personal level. From Fintech songs, to biggest supporters - this is 3-minutes you can’t miss! And if you love listening to Humans of Fintech, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/humansoffintech Thank you so much! Follow Kristy: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kristykim7 Twitter: htt...

Welcome to the first episode in this brand new season. This is a special one. Kristy Kim is a South Korean immigrant and the founder of TomoCredit, the fintech company offering the smartest consumer credit card that doesn’t require a credit score for approval. Nicole and Kristy get into conversation about how Kristy solved her own credit problem, how she went all founding a startup, and how a sens...

The world of fintech is dominated by the same old voices, drowning out diverse founders and operators. Step forward Humans of Fintech. The podcast elevating the stories of diverse leaders at the forefront of change in our industry. Hosted by me, Nicole Casperson, journalist and founder of the Fintech Is Femme. This show shines a spotlight on those underrepresented fintech founders , zoning in on h...

Tracy Schroeder is democratizing R&D Tax Credits, and finding her home in Fintech. As VP of Strategy and Growth at MainStreet, she’s part of the company’s mission taking the guesswork out of tax credits and passing the savings onto small businesses and startups. Nicole and Tracy talk why Fintech isn’t the cool kids club everyone thinks it is, how surrounding yourself with a diverse network is...

What does embedded finance mean to Dani Fava? It means providing a more secure future for millions of Americans. Find out how. Dani is Group Head of Product Innovation at Envestnet, transforming the way financial advice and wellness are delivered. Their mission is to empower advisors and financial service providers with innovative technology, solutions and intelligence to make financial wellness a...

Live from Money 20/20 Nicole is joined on stage by two stellar guests, moving the needle on financial inclusion. Nicole is in conversation with Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President at Women’s World Banking and Shivani Siroya, CEO and Founder at Tala. The panel gets into 720 billion reasons for financial equity, helping women and marginalized people across the globe get access to financial products, a...