Humans of Fintech

.Today, SoFi serves more than 12 million members, operates as a full-scale digital financial services platform, is the NBA's official bank, and is the namesake of SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. And their EVP, group business unit leader for Spend, Invest, Protect, and Save, Kelli Keough, sits down with Nicole to discuss how consumer behavior is changing under economic pressure, what it takes to build a winning consumer fintech brand at scale, and how the next era of fintech will belong to companies that understand people as deeply as they understand systems. 🎧 Hit play to learn how today’s leaders are scaling across borders and shaping a more connected financial future. SPONSORED BY FINTECH MEETUP: https://hubs.la/Q040Bpk50 AND for the first time ever, Humans of Fintech is hosting the premier podcast booth at Fintech Meetup—where the fintech industry actually does business. Fintech Meetup brings together leaders from banks, fintechs, credit unions, and investing firms for 50,000+ one-to-one meetings designed to drive real partnerships and real ROI. And this year, we’re spotlighting the humans behind the headlines. 🎧 Nominate Someone to Be Featured on Humans of Fintech In partnership with Fintech Meetup, we’re launching a special nomination contest for the Fintech Is Femme community. Here’s how it works: live recording of Humans of Fintechdiscounted Fintech Meetup ticketsFREE VIP ticketslive podcast episode with Nicole CaspersonHumans of Fintech100,000+ fintech leaders 🎯 Ready to step into the spotlight? 👉 Nominate now and lock in your spot: https://hubs.la/Q040Bpk50 Because fintech is built by humans — and their stories deserve the mic. Ready to join Fintech Meetup now? Secure your registration here: *https://register.visitcloud.com/survey/1tipmzl935flc?actioncode=000187WUF*

Recorded in the heart of Manhattan, we’re kicking off a very special Season 10: The Winner’s Circle with Fintech Meetup’s Sanjib Kalita. Host Nicole Casperson and Kalita sit down to discuss his start as an engineer building the early stages of big tech to his current role as Chairman of Fintech Meetup, the importance of relationships and storytelling in fintech, and lessons learned from his time at both large institutions and scrappy startups. 🎧 Hit play to learn how today’s leaders are scaling across borders and shaping a more connected financial future. SPONSORED BY FINTECH MEETUP: https://hubs.la/Q040Bpk50 AND for the first time ever, Humans of Fintech is hosting the premier podcast booth at Fintech Meetup—where the fintech industry actually does business. Fintech Meetup brings together leaders from banks, fintechs, credit unions, and investing firms for 50,000+ one-to-one meetings designed to drive real partnerships and real ROI. And this year, we’re spotlighting the humans behind the headlines. 🎧 Nominate Someone to Be Featured on Humans of Fintech In partnership with Fintech Meetup, we’re launching a special nomination contest for the Fintech Is Femme community. Here’s how it works: live recording of Humans of Fintechdiscounted Fintech Meetup ticketsFREE VIP ticketslive podcast episode with Nicole CaspersonHumans of Fintech100,000+ fintech leaders 🎯 Ready to step into the spotlight? 👉 Nominate now and lock in your spot: https://hubs.la/Q040Bpk50 Because fintech is built by humans — and their stories deserve the mic. Ready to join Fintech Meetup now? Secure your registration here: *https://register.visitcloud.com/survey/1tipmzl935flc?actioncode=000187WUF*

Recorded live from the Money20/20 show floor in Las Vegas, this special Humans of Fintech episode explores what it really takes to design a fair digital economy in a moment when financial systems are shifting faster than ever. Host Nicole Casperson sits down with Consumer Reports leaders Delicia Hand, Johnny Mathias, and Evan Feeney to break down the six principles of the Fair Digital Finance framework that help fintechs embed transparency, inclusion, and user protection from day one. Across the episode, one truth becomes clear. Fair design isn’t just good for consumers — it’s good for business. The companies that measure fairness, communicate clearly, and give users real control are the ones that earn trust, loyalty, and long-term growth. 🎧 Hit play to learn how today’s leaders are scaling across borders and shaping a more connected financial future.

Recorded live from the Fintech Penthouse at Money 2020 in Las Vegas, this two-part 'Humans of Fintech' special explores what it really takes to grow globally in a moment when financial systems are being rewritten in real-time. Host Nicole Casperson gathers leaders shaping the future of cross-border fintech to share the mindsets, tactics, and human stories behind global expansion. Part 1 features Mary Murcko, Head of Growth at Fintech Meetup, who has scaled some of the world’s most iconic media brands and is now leading Fintech Meetup’s international expansion. Mary breaks down how to know when a company is ready to go global, the signals that pointed her team to Lisbon, and why clarity, culture, and storytelling matter more than ever when entering new regions. She shares tactical lessons from decades of building brands across borders and explains how connection and trust outweigh everything else when it comes to global scale. Part 2 brings forward Jessica Johnson, CEO of Rosy Finch Method and Co., and Remy Sirls, Executive Director of the Joblio Foundation. Together, they unpack the human, operational, and strategic layers of expanding across markets. Jessica reveals her framework for localizing messaging, understanding cultural nuance, and knowing whether a product is truly ready for another region. Remy offers a rare glimpse into the global labor migration ecosystem and shares how Joblio is utilizing technology to create ethical pathways for talent worldwide. Across both conversations, the morning centers on a powerful truth. Growing Global is not just about moving money. It is about moving people, ideas, and opportunity with intention and responsibility. These live sessions capture the clarity, grit, and global perspective needed to build the next era of fintech. 🎧 Hit play to learn how today’s leaders are scaling across borders and shaping a more connected financial future.

Recorded live from the Fintech Penthouse at Money 2020 in Las Vegas, this special edition of Humans of Fintech honors the past, confronts the present, and reimagines the future of financial systems. Host Nicole Casperson opens the night by grounding the room in a powerful truth. Women have been shaping fintech long before fintech had a name, from Ada Lovelace and Grace Hopper to Maggie Lena Walker. And today’s builders are continuing that legacy with intention, grit, and a vision for real financial inclusion. Nicole is joined by industry leaders moving the world forward in meaningful ways: • Alexander Matjanec, Founder and CEO, Wysh • Edwin Endlich, President and Chair of the Board, NAFLI • Kseniya Zaslavskaya, Business Development Operations, Wysh • Erica Woods, Head of US State and Local Public Policy, Stripe • Shanthi Shanmugam, Co-founder and CEO, Casap • Shilpi Nayak, Co-founder and CTO, Goodfin Together, they deliver a candid, energetic, and deeply insightful conversation about what it means to build in this historic in-between era: a moment when the old financial systems are breaking and the new ones are being written in real time. These live sessions capture the urgency, hope, and fire of a community committed to designing a financial system that works for all of us. It is fintech for good in action. 🎧 Hit play to hear the leaders rewriting the rules and building what comes next.

Live from a buzzing room in NYC, this special Humans of Fintech episode brings two dynamic leaders to the stage: Nicole Mitchell, Partner at Aprio, and Tiffany Haynes, investor, advisor, and former COO of Fingercheck. Nicole shares how she’s spent nearly 30 years as a connector, guiding founders to see the bigger picture and helping businesses grow beyond the numbers. From her bold beginnings to becoming a trusted advisor across industries, she unpacks the value of foresight and why she calls herself a “travel guide” for entrepreneurs. Tiffany reflects on her move from corporate to fintech, where she scaled a bootstrapped company to a $150M exit. She discusses the strategies that kept her teams engaged, why timing matters more than speed, and how to make growth sustainable. Together, they unpack how to “connect the dots” in leadership, scale, culture, and why the future of fintech belongs to leaders who see people first. 🎧 Hit play to hear Nicole and Tiffany’s playbooks for building businesses that last.

Live from a packed room in NYC, this special Humans of Fintech episode brings two powerhouse voices to the stage: Nina Chmura, Partner at Withum and creator of its Outsourced Accounting Systems & Solutions practice (OASyS), and Amanda Estiverne-Colas, Board Member at the National Alliance for Financial Literacy and Inclusion and long-time champion of innovation, access, and equity in finance. Nina shares the bold pivot that took her from the partner track to building a “scrappy startup” inside a 2,500-person firm and why she believes relationships, not revenue targets, are the real foundation for growth. Amanda reflects on her career inflection points, from traditional banking to fintech strategy, and the leadership lessons she’s carried into her work in financial inclusion. Together, they unpack what it means to lead with ambition and humanity, the challenges of building resilient teams in an AI-driven world, and why “there’s no such thing as a simple business” when people are at the center. Plus: their hardest leadership lessons, the future of innovation in finance, and the one takeaway they hope will stick with you long after the conversation ends. 🎧 Hit play to hear how Nina and Amanda are rewriting the rules of leadership, one bold move at a time.

In this episode of Humans of Fintech, host Nicole Casperson sits down with Trisha Kothari, Co-Founder and CEO of Unit21, for a deep dive into one of fintech’s most urgent (and misunderstood) frontiers: fraud and compliance. From uncovering flaws in legacy systems to building a platform trusted by top fintechs, Trisha has made it her mission to stop financial crime—without making it harder for teams to do their jobs. She shares what the early fintech boom got wrong about compliance, how AI is changing the FinCrime landscape, and why collaboration—not isolation—is the secret weapon against fraud. Plus, hear the wildest fraud case Unit21 has ever seen, what’s keeping Trisha up at night, and how the “Fraud Fighters” network is turning industry knowledge into community-powered defense. If you care about infrastructure, inclusion, or the humans behind fraud prevention—this one’s for you. 🎧 Hit play to hear how Trisha is building smarter tools, stronger teams, and a safer financial future.

In this episode of Humans of Fintech, host Nicole Casperson sits down with Bhuva Shakti, founder of Bhuva’s Impact Global and Chief Sustainable Innovation Officer at Wallet Max™, for a conversation about the intersection of fintech, climate, and innovation. With more than 30 years of experience in digital finance, Bhuva has helped companies navigate complex financial landscapes—while pushing for solutions that put both people and the planet first. Now, she’s at the forefront of the Climate Fintech movement, using AI-powered tools to build a more inclusive and sustainable financial system. Bhuva shares how her work is challenging legacy mindsets, how fintech can help solve the world’s most urgent environmental problems, and why intentional collaboration—like the upcoming Emerald Summit she’s co-hosting with Nicole—is the future of meaningful progress. If you're curious about where climate, finance, and innovation collide, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

In this special episode of Humans of Fintech, recorded live at the Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit 2025, host Nicole Casperson sits down with Angel Rich, Founder and CEO of CreditRich, for a powerful conversation on purpose-driven leadership, strategic disruption, and building a billion-dollar impact in fintech. Dubbed “the next Steve Jobs” by Forbes and honored with a Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, Angel is behind the first Black woman-owned neobank and has led CreditRich to groundbreaking partnerships with Experian, Visa, and Equifax. But her path hasn’t been easy. From raising just $200K while competitors raised millions to leveraging what she calls the “Trojan Horse Strategy,” Angel shares how being underestimated became her greatest advantage. In this fireside chat, Angel opens up about leaving corporate America, designing tools for financial inclusion, and leading CreditRich during a time of deep economic inequality. She also dives into what it means to build a legacy as an underestimated founder and what’s next in her mission to shift power in finance. If you’re building with purpose, navigating resistance, or looking for real talk on disrupting from the inside out, this episode is for you.

In this in-person episode of Humans of Fintech, host Nicole Casperson sits down with Carlos Díaz, Co-Founder of RUUT, Mexico’s largest Registered Investment Advisor, for a candid conversation about access, inclusion, and reimagining investing for a new generation. RUUT serves many first-time investors, with an average user age of just 24. The platform already manages $4 million in assets and has helped clients earn more than $100,000 in returns. With Carlos recently crowned the winner of the Nasdaq Trailblazer Contest, RUUT’s mission is catching the attention of global fintech leaders. Carlos shares the frustrations that sparked RUUT’s launch, what it means to design for “non-investors,” and why community has been key to building trust in a market with historically low financial literacy. He also unpacks the UX decisions that make RUUT stand out and what’s next for the future of fintech in Latin America. If you care about inclusive finance, next-gen innovation, or what it takes to build a high-impact fintech in a challenging market, this episode is a must-listen.

In this episode of Humans of Fintech, host Nicole Casperson sits down with Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen, Co-Founder of Female Invest, for an inspiring conversation about financial empowerment, global community-building, and what it takes to challenge a male-dominated industry from the ground up. What began as a frustration with the lack of women in finance events has since become a movement. Since 2019, Female Invest has reached more than 90,000 members in over 120 countries—offering tools, education, and support to help women invest with confidence. With endorsements from icons like Emma Watson and Hillary Clinton, the platform is making massive waves in the financial education space. Anna shares the story behind launching Female Invest, the early challenges of convincing others that women do want to talk about money, and the moments that proved the mission was working. She also opens up about how intentional community-building became their superpower. If you care about inclusion, financial literacy, or what it looks like to build a mission-first company that lasts, this episode is a must-listen.

In this episode of Humans of Fintech, host Nicole Casperson sits down with Ashley Fox, Founder and CEO of Empify, for a powerful conversation on financial literacy, community empowerment, and what it means to challenge Wall Street’s status quo. Ashley shares how her experiences as a former Wall Street analyst led her to launch Empify—a platform committed to delivering financial education and resources to underserved communities. With a mission to reach the 99% that traditional finance has long ignored, Ashley is reshaping how everyday people access, understand, and build wealth. This episode unpacks her entrepreneurial journey, the real-life impact of financial education, and the power of meeting people where they are when it comes to money. Ashley's story is a must-hear for anyone passionate about creating a more inclusive and equitable financial future. You can hear even more of Ashley’s story at the upcoming Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit, where she’ll be joining as a featured speaker. 🔗 Learn more & secure your spot: https://www.fintechisfemme.co/leadershipsummit2025

Live from Fintech Meetup, this episode of Humans of Fintech explores the power of storytelling, community-building, and the dynamics of working alongside a partner in the fintech space. Host Nicole Casper is joined by her life and business partner, Anton Briones (Co-Founder and CEO & Creative Director), along with Dan and Sarah Roselli from Rev Tech Labs, a couple who have built a thriving fintech accelerator together. The conversation dives into the unique challenges and advantages of working with a partner, the balance between personal and professional life, and how strong relationships drive innovation and success. They also discuss their journey from launching a startup hub in Charlotte to growing a global fintech accelerator, the significance of New York Fintech Week, and why founders’ personal stories matter more than ever to investors. Tune in to hear their experiences, lessons learned, and advice for those navigating similar paths in the industry. Get ready for the fintech events that will define 2025. Don’t miss out-tune in now! 🔗 Learn more & secure your spot at the Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit: https://www.fintechisfemme.co/leadershipsummit2025

In this episode of Humans of Fintech, host Nicole Casperson sits down with Jon Zanoff, the Founder of Empire Startups—better known as the "Mayor of Fintech" in NYC. For over 15 years, Jon has been at the forefront of the fintech community, bringing together founders, investors, and banking leaders through the country’s largest fintech meetup and the highly anticipated New York Fintech Week. But this year, there’s something even bigger on the horizon. Nicole’s Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit is back, and it’s redefining fintech as we know it. Following the success of last year’s groundbreaking event, the summit is set to deliver even more high-impact conversations, featuring powerhouse speakers like Angel Rich (CreditRich), Drew Glover (Fiat Ventures), Rochelle Gorey (SpringFour), and more. Expect expert-led panels, fireside chats, and unmatched networking opportunities with fintech’s most influential leaders. Jon and Nicole break down why these events are must-attend moments for anyone in fintech—whether you’re a founder, investor, or rising leader looking to make an impact. Plus, they share exclusive insights on what’s in store for NY Fintech Week, how fintech is stepping up to tackle major economic challenges, and why inclusive leadership is the future of the industry. Get ready for the fintech events that will define 2025. Don’t miss out—tune in now! 🔗 Learn more & secure your spot at the Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit: https://www.fintechisfemme.co/leadershipsummit2025

In this episode, we sit down with Frances Zelazny, a trailblazer in the biometrics and fraud prevention space. Frances shares insights into her unique journey, shaped by her mixed cultural background, and how it led her to create innovative solutions for one of the world’s biggest challenges: fraud. From her early career in foreign policy to discovering the potential of biometrics, Frances talks about how her experiences shaped her mission to protect personal data in an increasingly digital world. Join us as we explore the intersection of identity, technology, and fraud prevention, and how we can build a safer, more secure future.

In this very special episode of Humans of Fintech, we’re taking you live to an unforgettable evening: the book launch party for FinTech Feminist in New York City. With 100 of the most dynamic leaders in fintech gathered to celebrate, the energy was electric. But here’s the twist—this time, the mic wasn’t in my hands. Our guest interviewer? The one and only Amy Nauiokas, Founder & CEO of Anthemis and a visionary force in fintech investing. Known for her fearless commitment to inclusive innovation, Amy turns the tables and dives into the stories behind the book, explores the future of fintech, and uncovers what it really takes to thrive in this ever-evolving industry. Get ready for a candid, inspiring conversation full of community spirit, personal reflections, and bold ideas. Let’s dive in!

In this episode, we're bringing the heat with Tori Dunlap, powerhouse founder of Her First $100K and advocate for women's financial independence. Tori’s on a mission to smash the glass ceiling of money myths and help women claim their financial power. She gets real about her journey, her upbringing, and her path from breaking into the financial world to empowering women everywhere to take control of their wealth. Expect insights on breaking down barriers, owning your financial story, and why Tori believes financial freedom is the greatest form of protest. Get ready for some serious inspiration—let’s dive in! Note: This interview was recorded in January 2024.

In this episode, we’re bringing some serious fire with none other than Sallie Krawcheck—the OG queen of fintech and Founder & CEO of Ellevest. She’s out here breaking down barriers, building empires, and proving that women can—and will—run the financial world. We get real about money, leadership, and what it really takes to flip the script in an industry built by men, for men. Sallie drops gems on leveling up, owning your power, and why the future of finance is female. Get ready to feel inspired and maybe a little savage. Let’s dive in.

Student loan debt is a major issue in the United States, affecting millions of Americans. Nicole sits down with Laurel Taylor, CEO and Founder of Candidly, to discuss how her company is using technology to empower individuals and help them navigate the complexities of student loan repayment. Laurel shares her personal journey and the challenges she faced in bringing her idea to life. She explains how Candidly uses AI to go beyond simple debt by helping users achieve financial wellness. On track to deliver nearly a billion dollars in student loan debt savings, Candidly is one of the foremost fintech solutions for absolving a financial crisis so many face. Plus, Nicole and Laurel also discuss the broader implications of student debt on the economy and how technology is ultimately a force for sustainable, positive change. 00:00:02 - Navigating the World of Human Fintech 00:02:47 - The Growing Crisis of Student Debt in America 00:09:57 - How Candidly Helps Americans Manage Student Debt 00:15:34 - Overcoming Rejection: Turning Laughter into Success 00:22:36 - Human Touch: Managing Student Debt 00:28:05 - Secure Act and Student Loan Payments 00:35:10 - Staying Positive Through Uncertainty and Student Debt 00:40:16 - Enlightened Capitalism: Purpose and Profit in Fintech Learn More About Candidly: Website: https://getcandidly.com Follow Laurel: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ltmit/ Follow Nicole: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nicole-casperson-0820a5133/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicolecasperson 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!