Kevin Nazemi, CEO of Charlie, on building a trusted fintech serving seniors
It is something of a mystery that virtually no fintech entrepreneurs have tackled one of the biggest markets there is: senior citizens collecting social security. Well, until now.In this episode, I sit down with Kevin Nazemi, CEO and co-founder of Charlie, to explore serving this large market. With over 60 million Americans in this demographic, Kevin explains why traditional banks and fintechs have largely ignored this population despite their significant needs. The conversation dives deep into Charlie's innovative approach to serving customers 62 and above, including their groundbreaking fraud prevention tools like "Speed Bump" that have already documented a significant amount of prevented fraud, and how they're building trust in a market where respect and security are paramount.In this podcast you will learn:His formative interview with a sitting president at the age of 11.How he became convinced that seniors needed better financial services.Why senior citizens are generally ignored by banks and fintechs.How Kevin realized he could build a real business serving this population.How they communicated that Charlie works with a partner bank.Why it was so important to have their partner bank front and center.How Charlie makes money and how it compares to other fintech leaders.The obvious product they could expand into.What they are doing to protect their customers from fraud.How they are combating the rise in AI-driven fraud.Kevin’s vision for the future of Charlie.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes
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Arad Levertov, CEO of Sunbit, on creating an offline BNPL leader
Today, I welcome back to the show Arad Levertov, CEO and co-founder of Sunbit (I last had him on the show in 2019), one of the leaders in offline buy-now-pay-later. From 2,000 retail locations in 2019 to nearly 30,000 across verticals like auto repair, dental, and veterinary services, Sunbit has achieved tremendous growth. But what I found most impressive is this: a 90% approval rate combined with low single-digit default rates.Arad reveals the secret behind these remarkable metrics lies not just in sophisticated AI-powered underwriting, but in their holistic approach that includes strategic merchant selection, gamified associate training, personalized offers, and a customer-first philosophy with zero fees. Now serving over 4.5 million customers and approaching $400 million in revenue while reaching GAAP profitability, Sunbit demonstrates how the right blend of technology and human elements can revolutionize offline lending.In this podcast you will learn:The highlights for Sunbit over the last six years.Why they have remained focused on the offline space.The different verticals they have targeted.How their lending process works.How they are able to approve 90% of their borrowers.Why the key to their success is the associates in the physical stores.Attributes of the 10% of borrowers they decline.Their average default rate.How they decide which merchants to bring on their platform.How Sunbit makes money.How they are growing their merchant base.What their partnership with Stripe looks like.How they are partnering with Checkout.com.How Arad views the competitive moat he has built at Sunbit.What they are doing differently when it comes to collections.Their expansion plans for the future.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes
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Joseph L. Breeden, CEO of Deep Future Analytics, on the hidden math behind credit risk
Today, I sit down with Joe Breeden, CEO and founder of Deep Future Analytics (DFA), for what is, in effect, a two-part conversation. First we do a deep dive into credit risk management and where it is falling short today and then we discuss AI monitoring and governance and how it is going to revolutionize software.The conversation covers why traditional machine learning models are missing critical components for accurate risk assessment and how adverse selection has dramatically impacted loan quality in recent vintages. Then Joe makes a bold prediction that software user interfaces are on the verge of a transformation that will render them unrecognizable from previous versions Curious? All is revealed in this fascinating conversation.In this podcast you will learn:How he got started with Deep Future AnalyticsThe state of credit risk management in banking today.What is missing, even with fintech lenders, who are using machine learning.What lenders get wrong when they focus on credit score.Why loans booked since 2022 are lower quality than even 2006-07.What kind of lift lenders or investors can see with DFA’s models.What Joe sees in the pool of borrowers today.Why DFA moved into AI monitoring and governance.Who is using these new AI models they have developed.Why a “human in the loop” is not an effective monitoring method.What their new Strategic Recommendation Agent (SyRA) does.How they incorporate Large Language Models to ensure zero hallucinations.Why the future of software is dashboards on demand and analytics on demand.How Deep Future Analytics is different to others in the market.What it is going to take before software moves to a chat-based interface.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes
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Joe Heck, US CEO of Zip, on the role of BNPL for America's underserved consumers
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) has transformed how consumers approach purchasing, yet adoption in the US still trails markets like Australia and Europe. In this episode, we sit down with Joe Heck, US CEO of Zip, who brings somewhat of a contrarian perspective to the industry. Joe argues that BNPL isn't just another credit product, it's a financial tool designed for what he calls "underestimated Americans," the paycheck-to-paycheck consumers often underserved by traditional banks.With Zip achieving a 98% payback rate and growing over 40% year-over-year, Joe shares insights on why the credit system is too judgmental, how BNPL provides working capital flexibility, and his vision for autonomous finance powered by AI. Whether you're curious about the future of payments or want to understand how fintech is serving overlooked consumer segments, this conversation offers fresh insights into one of the fastest-growing areas of financial services.In this podcast you will learn:What attracted Joe to take the CEO role at Zip.Why BNPL has not taken off as fast in the U.S. as it has in Australia and Europe.How Zip’s BNPL product works.What Zip’s customers are spending their money on.What kind of checks they do for new customers.Joe’s view on reporting BNPL transactions to credit bureaus.What is driving the growth at Zip over the last year.How Joe responds to media criticisms of BNPL and mounting consumer debt.How they help their customers smooth out their payments.How they partner with Stripe and what it means for Zip’s growth.Where Zip is looking to expand.How Joe sees the the BNPL sector evolving and the role of AI.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes
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Jason Guss, CEO of Octane Lending, on building the number one powersports lender
In this episode, I sit down with Jason Guss, CEO and co-founder of Octane Lending, to discuss how the company became the #1 powersports lender in the country. The conversation covers Octane's early pivot from lender aggregator to direct lender, their dominance in niche markets, and strategies for thriving in challenging interest rate environments.Jason talked about how their early focus on good unit economics and then profitability put them in a great position during the challenging times of 2022 and 2023, enabling them to gain market share and rebound quicker than their competitors. He also has some interesting things to say about the banks in the market and strong thoughts on the importance of capital markets.In this podcast you will learn:The A-B test that led to the founding of Octane Lending.Why they built a loan origination system right off the bat.The “burn the ships” moment when they decided to pivot the business.How they were able to last sixteen months with very little revenue.The different niches within powersports where they provide financing.Their typical loan terms.The total size of the powersports market and the percentage Octane has.The advantages that Octane has competing with banks in this market.How their loan application works at the point of sale.How their customers are navigating a higher interest rate environment.Why an efficient capital markets function is so important.Connect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes
Fintech is eating the world. Join Peter Renton, Co-Founder of Fintech Nexus, every week as he interviews the fintech leaders who are leading the transformation of financial services. If you want to understand what the future will look like for lending, payments, digital banking and more tune in to Fintech One•On•One (formerly the Lend Academy Podcast).
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