Wharton FinTech Podcast

In this episode of the Wharton FinTech Podcast, host Vaibhav speaks with Riya Grover, co-founder and CEO of Sequence, an AI native revenue platform that unifies quoting, billing automation, and receivables so finance can finally run at the speed of sales. Riya shares her journey from investment banking and Harvard Business School to exiting her first startup and then launching Sequence to fix one of the most neglected parts of the CFO stack, quote to cash and accounts receivable. She goes deep on what it really takes to find product market fit in a saturated software world, why AI native entrants can out execute incumbents, and how Sequence is using agents to automate complex finance workflows. They also unpack Riya’s recent Series A fundraise, the story that resonated with investors, and her candid advice for founders building in a noisy, AI heavy, but more competitive than ever venture environment. In this episode, we learn about: - Why quote to cash and revenue operations have lagged behind AP and spend in automation - How Sequence uses AI agents to read contracts, generate invoices, and support finance teams - What investors really cared about in Sequence’s Series A, from logo quality to 190 % NRR - How Riya stays close to customers while scaling a fast growing infra company - Her advice for aspiring founders on standing out in today’s crowded AI landscape

In this episode of the Wharton FinTech Podcast, host Vaibhav sits down with Sarah Levy, CEO of Betterment and former executive at Disney, Viacom, and Nickelodeon. Sarah shares her insights on the evolution of financial services, why trust is the cornerstone of financial decision-making, how Betterment balances simplicity with expanding investor choice, and how AI is shaping the future of wealth management. Sarah emphasizes the significance of fiduciary responsibility and the role of simplicity in financial tools, while also providing advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in the wealth management space. She also shares key insights from Betterment’s latest Retirement Readiness Report, including why Gen Z is both confident and deeply anxious about the future. A wide-ranging conversation that blends behavioral finance, product strategy, and the future of wealth tech.

In this episode of the Wharton FinTech Podcast, host Meaghan McGowan sits down with Mike Yu, CEO and Co-founder of Vesta, to explore the modernization of the mortgage technology stack. Mike shares Vesta’s origin story and how he and his team are rebuilding the loan origination system to be flexible, automated, and API-first. The episode explores: - How modern workflows, partner integrations, and recent developments, including Vesta’s partnership with Pennymac, are reshaping lender operations - Macro trends, the growing role of AI, and how lenders are rethinking their technology stacks - The future of “self-driving” origination, and - Advice for founders building in regulated financial infrastructure

In this episode, Jackson sits down with Jimena, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Prometeo, to discuss the future of financial infrastructure in Latin America. Jimena shares her journey from tech journalism to entrepreneurship, the inspiration behind building Prometeo, and how the company is creating a unified API layer across the Americas to power open banking, real-time payments, and next-generation financial innovation. In this episode, you’ll learn: - How Prometeo became one of LatAm’s leading open banking infrastructure platforms - The challenges of building across highly fragmented regulatory and technical environments - Why true financial inclusion requires more than just account access - How real-time payments, cross-border rails, and agentic financial services are reshaping the region - Prometeo’s philosophy on trust, cybersecurity, and building long-term infrastructure “legacy”

In this episode of the Wharton FinTech Podcast, host Ruhi Jain sits down with Aaron Kaplan, Co-CEO of Prometheum, Inc., for a deep dive into the digitization of capital markets and the future of fully regulated digital assets. Aaron shares his journey from securities attorney to fintech founder, why he believes U.S. federal securities laws offer the most resilient pathway for blockchain innovation and how Prometheum’s end-to-end infrastructure aims to reshape how digital assets are issued, traded, custodied, and settled. Together, Ruhi and Aaron explore: - Why the regulatory lens is essential in building blockchain-based financial infrastructure - Efficiency gains blockchain can unlock across settlement, transparency, capital usage and market structure - and what this means for both institutions and retail investors - A forward-looking view into the future of capital markets, the evolving role of intermediaries and the “wild-card” risks Aaron believes the industry is overlooking A must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of blockchain, securities regulation and the next decade of digital market infrastructure.