Join Vikas Raj and Alex Lazarow as they navigate the defining technology and financial services questions of the 21st Century. From bank collapses in Silicon Valley to crises on Wall Street, people have good reason to question whether or not unending technological change is really a positive force on society. The Pnyx tackles this question head on. From ESG and crypto to remote work and A.I., we assemble leading voices in the technology, venture, and fintech spaces and debate one fundamental ...
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VentureKast is the podcast about fintech and financial inclusion. Hosted by Vikas Raj, Managing Director of Accion Venture Lab, VentureKast features the stories of the entrepreneurs and investors who are using inclusive fintech to serve the three billion people around the world who are underserved by the mainstream financial system. Accion Venture Lab is a global venture fund at Accion that invests in fintech for financial inclusion.
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“Part of being an entrepreneur is knowing what to steal”
21:29
21:29
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What makes people remarkable? How do entrepreneurs figure out what product or service to build? Are startup ideas really that novel? In this episode, we talk to Guy Kawasaki on what makes people remarkable and discuss the corresponding lessons for founders. Listen as we dive into the growth mindset, artificial intelligence, and the common path of r…
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“The pendulum of entrepreneurship...can swing widely.”
19:42
19:42
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19:42
Can fintech thrive in a volatile world? How will 2024 compare to 2023? Where will remote work remain? What is the Asian market outlook? In this episode, the final in our series on reflections on 2023 and the outlook for 2024, we cover challenging questions and market insights with Ganesh Rengaswamy of Quona Capital. Listen as we look to the past an…
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“There are going to be places where Fintech is going to thrive"
20:27
20:27
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20:27
What does a tighter macro environment mean for fintech? Is embedded finance a long-term trend or just a fad? How can founders build good partnerships with corporates? In this episode, the second in our series on reflections on 2023 and the outlook for 2024 we discuss these questions and more with Victoria Cheng, Partner at Pruven Capital. Join us a…
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"Capital is coward...but there is opportunity for those with appetite"
15:35
15:35
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Is capital a coward? What is the venture outlook for Egypt and the Middle East in 2024? How are trends from 2023 - from remote work to buy now pay later - going to evolve in the next year? When will later-stage investors return to the market? In this episode, the first in our series on reflections on 2023 and outlook for 2024, we discuss these ques…
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“The advice I would give is, one, don't expect to be successful off the top.”
27:05
27:05
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27:05
What makes a good investor? And what makes an investor good? Whether impact investing or driving above-market returns, David Rubenstein has done it all. In this episode, we interview the formidable Rubenstein, co- founder of The Carlyle Group. We explored the qualities of successful investors and venture capitalists, as well as what qualities make …
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“We need to buy less and sell less, and we need to pay people more.”
28:29
28:29
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28:29
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)-based investing: just more Wall Street bullsh*&t or a way to finally hold polluters accountable for their actions? This week, we're diving into the controversial topic of ESG investing, and we have two deeply knowledgeable debaters who will present their perspectives. Hans Taparia, a professor at NYU Ster…
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“In theory, it's a great product…in practice, it's quite dangerous…”
23:23
23:23
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You’ve seen them in your checkout carts and they follow you online shopping: Buy-Now-Pay-Later companies have become significant players on the fintech scene. In the inaugural episode of “The Pnyx”, your hosts Alex and Vikas discuss Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay and all the other actors that constitute the Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) phenomenon. Joined by …
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Growing digital tools to match workers’ needs: An interview with SmartMEI’s Carlos Dejavite
16:23
16:23
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16:23
“Most microentrepreneurs here in Brazil… don’t have a lot of the tools that a bigger business would get. And they were struggling a lot,” says Carlos Dejavite, co-founder of SmartMEI, on the final episode of a four-part miniseries of VentureKast. In this series, we discuss insights from Accion Venture Lab’s latest publication, which explores how fi…
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Deepening support for farmers in East Africa: An interview with Apollo Agriculture's Eli Pollak
17:59
17:59
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Apollo Agriculture co-founder and CEO Eli Pollak joins VentureKast to share how Apollo is staying focused on helping their small-scale farmer customers improve their incomes. Apollo Agriculture empowers small-scale farmers in East Africa with the tools they need to maximize their profits, produce food for their communities, and build financial stab…
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Engaging existing users to drive growth: An interview with Advance's Jaime de los Angeles
18:45
18:45
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An interview with Jaime de los Angeles, CEO of Advance, a salary-on-demand platform in the Philippines that is engaging directly with users in order to “win from within."By Venture Lab
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Three ways startups can grow by focusing on existing users
15:54
15:54
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Accion Venture Lab's Amee Parbhoo joins the first episode of a four-part mini-series of VentureKast to discuss insights and strategies from Accion Venture Lab's latest publication, which explores how fintech startups can grow by focusing on building value for their existing users. Amee also shares highlights from the report's case studies of nine f…
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"The pandemic is a moment to get in touch" — Creditas’ Ann Williams
17:10
17:10
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In episode ten of VentureKast: Rebuild, Creditas COO Ann Williams explains how Creditas has reached out to their customers during COVID-19 to find out how they can help. The company’s digital platform and focus on long-term customer relationships has led them to design fair, transparent, and affordable financial services and consumer solutions for …
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"We need collaboration and a multi-stakeholder approach" — CFI’s Mayada El-Zoghbi
17:41
17:41
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In episode nine of VentureKast: Rebuild, managing director of the Center for Financial inclusion Mayada El-Zoghbi explains how COVID-19 has impacted different populations and sectors of the economy in unique ways depending on existing infrastructures, government responses, and “how digitally connected people are.” Mayada discusses how microfinance …
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“More solutions focused on fluidity, solving for rigidity in our system" LendStreet's Jerry Nemorin
17:57
17:57
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17:57
In episode eight of VentureKast: Rebuild, co-founder and CEO of LendStreet Jerry Nemorin explains that customers of traditional lenders struggle to cope with financial shocks caused by events like the COVID-19 pandemic. Data aggregation and a focus on consumer financial behavior has enabled LendStreet “to assess, identify and to structure the appro…
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“The pandemic provides lots of new problems for entrepreneurs to solve" – Field's Michael Moreland
18:47
18:47
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In episode seven of VentureKast: Rebuild, Co-Founder and CEO of Field Intelligence Michael Moreland explains how his pharmaceutical supply chain company leverages tech and data to help keep local pharmacies open and stocked during the COVID-19 pandemic. His work is more important than ever as vulnerable populations increasingly rely on community…
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“Everyone is out there reassessing how much liquidity they have” – Toffee Insurance’s Rohan Kumar
22:25
22:25
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22:25
In episode six of VentureKast: Rebuild, Co-Founder and CEO of Toffee Insurance Rohan Kumar explains how the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a “mass behavioral change” in the form of increased demand for insurance products, and why fintechs are uniquely positioned to meet the increased demand with truly affordable, flexible, and high-quality digital …
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