Finovate Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of the Finovate Podcast, host Greg Palmer sits down with Dor Eligula, co-founder and Chief Business Officer at Bridgewise, to explore how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the investment and wealth management industries. Dor shares insights into his personal journey, the founding of Bridgewise, and the company’s mission to bridge the wisdom gap in financial services. With a focus on enabling smarter investment decisions, Bridgewise leverages cutting-edge AI technologies to serve a diverse range of clients, from retail investors to brokers, advisors, and quant hedge funds.

Dor delves into the transformative impact of AI on both individual and institutional investors. He explains how Bridgewise uses AI to analyze 70,000 financial instruments daily across 18 languages, providing detailed insights into stocks, ETFs, ESG factors, and more. The platform’s ability to convert unstructured data into actionable intelligence empowers users to make informed decisions, while its agentic AI layer orchestrates portfolio management at an unprecedented scale. Dor also highlights the psychological benefits of informed investing, emphasizing how better tools and processes can enhance investor confidence—even in the face of losses.

The conversation concludes with a look at global trends and the future of AI in wealth management. Dor discusses regional differences in AI adoption, comparing markets like the US and Japan, and predicts the rise of niche-focused AI applications as the next wave of innovation. He shares his vision for Bridgewise as a leader in AI for wealth and offers insights into the broader economic implications of AI advancements. Packed with valuable perspectives, this episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of technology and finance.

More info:

Bridgewise: https://bridgewise.com/; https://www.linkedin.com/company/bridgewise/

Dor Eligula: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doreligula/

Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/

Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/

FinovateEurope: https://informaconnect.com/finovateeurope/

#Finovate #FinovateEurope #Banking #banks #investing #wealthmanagement #AI #research #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #innovation #digitraltransformation #fintech #finserv #modernization #businessintelligence #capital #wealth

In this episode of the Finovate podcast, host Greg Palmer sits down with Matt Ober, Managing Partner at Social Leverage, to discuss the dynamic world of venture capital in the fintech space. Matt shares insights into Social Leverage’s focus on seed-stage investments, highlighting their success as early investors in companies like Robinhood, eToro, and Alpaca. With the recent close of their fifth fund, an $85 million venture, Matt reflects on the current investment landscape, emphasizing the influx of capital into AI-driven solutions and the evolving opportunities in financial services driven by regulatory changes and technological advancements.

The conversation delves into the role of AI in reshaping industries, particularly in financial services. Matt discusses how AI is enabling companies to streamline operations, reduce costs, and rethink traditional business models. He highlights the importance of leveraging AI for tasks like data collection, organization, and analysis, which can significantly enhance decision-making processes. While acknowledging the imperfections of AI, Matt stresses the importance of transparency, auditability, and critical thinking when utilizing AI tools. He also shares his perspective on the future of financial services, predicting the rise of super apps, tokenization, and global investment opportunities that will simplify access to private and public markets.

Finally, Matt offers valuable advice for fintech founders looking to stand out in a crowded space. He emphasizes the importance of networking, securing warm introductions, and targeting the right investors who align with their vision. He also warns against common mistakes, such as raising money from unsuitable investors or structuring teams ineffectively. The episode concludes with Matt’s predictions for the next five years, including the blending of investing, gambling, and prediction markets, as well as the global expansion of investment opportunities. With San Diego hosting FinovateSpring, Matt also shares his enthusiasm for the city’s vibrant business ecosystem and lifestyle, making it an ideal destination for innovators and investors alike.

More info:

Social Leverage: https://www.socialleverage.com/; https://www.linkedin.com/company/socialleverage/

Matt Ober: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obermattj/

Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/

Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/

FinovateSpring: https://informaconnect.com/finovatespring/

#Finovate #FinovateSpring #Banking #banks #venturecapital #fintechVC #AI #SMEfintech #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #innovation #digitraltransformation #fintech #finserv #modernization #diversity #capital

FinovateFall Best of Show winner Krida’s AI layer is transforming the lending process and deepening relationships to make the process easier for everyone.

Detailed Summary:

Krida, cofounders by Shivangi Khanna and Sophie Jewsbury join Greg on this episode to talk about their assistive AI tools for commercial loan officers in relationship banking and localized community banking. Krida focuses on streamlining the commercial lending process through workflow automation. The platform they demoed in New York addresses the universal pain point of document collection and processing by automating the feedback loops between borrowers and loan officers, pre-filling forms, and reducing overall cycle time from lead generation to loan application completion. The system can work as a standalone solution that integrates with existing core banking systems or it can function alongside loan origination systems to maintain established workflows.

Shivangi and Sophie share their experience post-demo, where they discovered broader market appeal than they anticipated. While they originally designed their product alongside community and regional banks, they were pleasantly surprised by significant interest from credit unions looking to build out their commercial banking platforms. Additionally, super regional and national banks approached them, expanding their potential customer base beyond their initial target market. Both co-founders emphasized that the pain points they address – manual document processing, understanding diverse business requirements across different locations, and data entry work – are universal across all types of financial institutions, regardless of size or organizational structure.

The conversation concludes with some personal background for both Sophie and Shivangi. Shivangi talks about spending nearly a decade in finance and technology, including time at JPMorgan Chase working with interest rates and regional bank balance sheets, which provided deep insights into banking operations and regulatory compliance. For her part, Sophie previously built an SME lender in Southeast Asia and worked as a bank consultant at McKinsey, giving her firsthand experience with manual processes in lending workflows. These experiences have helped them to make Krida into the Best of Show winning solution that it is today.

More info:

Krida: https://www.krida.ai/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/krida-ai/

FinovateFall Demo: https://finovate.com/videos/finovatefall-2025-krida/

Shivangi Khanna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivangik/

Sophie Jewsbury: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiejewsbury/

Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/

Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/

#Finovate #Krida #FinovateFall #BestofShow #lending #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #AI #relationshipbanking #loanorigination #digitraltransformation #fintech #finserv #modernization #innovation #startup #banking #creditunions #communitybanks

Discussing the fintech funding landscape with a focus on DEI initiatives and Credit Unions

Community banks and tech implementation – hear from Lone Star National Bank on tech priorities, tips for engaging with banks like them, and how to make a partnership work

Geopolitical risk and fintech – hear from FinovateFall keynote Manas Chawla on what’s coming and what you should be doing now.

FinovateFall Speaker Luke Williams on the strategy behind innovation

FinovateSpring Best of Show winner QuickFi on reimagining business financing and successfully managing rapid growth.

FinovateSpring Best of Show winner 9Spokes on open banking and personalization in the SMB space.

FinovateSpring Best of Show winner 1Kosmos on the future of password-optional authentication