OpenFin MVP Podcast

In this episode, we speak with Ed Zimmerman, a lawyer, investor, professor, wine enthusiast, and advocate on social issues including race, gender, the LGBTQ community, reproductive rights and gun control. We talk about his career at the law firm Lowenstein Sandler where he is a partner and Chair of the Tech Group, and where he created the VentureCrush platform for startups and the investors who back them. We explore some common legal mistakes that founders make and the current fundraising environment. We also discuss Ed’s social advocacy and he offers advice on what we can all do to improve diversity in technology and the venture space.

In this episode, we speak with Andy Brown, the CEO of Sand Hill East, a strategic advisory group supporting the growth of digital, technology, and FinTech businesses. We talk about his start in programming, his successful career in banking, and his latest venture as an investor and advisor to early stage companies. We also talk about the FinTech Innovation Lab and the areas of FinTech he’s most excited about.

In this episode, we speak with HSBC’s global head of strategic innovation investments, Ore Adeyemi. We talk about his fascinating path to venture investing in Silicon Valley via MIT and Boise, Idaho. He explains what it means to get a strategic investment from a major bank and how it works. We also talk about how we can all help to improve diversity and inclusion in finance and Silicon Valley.

In this episode we catch up with Colin Eberhardt, Technology Director, of Scott Logic and author of “What is WebAssembly?” to talk about WebAssembly, the desktop ecosystem and the Atari 2600. We cover the state of the art with respect to WebAssembly, that most of us are likely using products powered by it, as well talk through how we may be at an inflection point on professional finance’s inevitable move to the cloud.

In this episode, we speak with JP Male, CEO of BidFX. We talk about the challenges and opportunities associated with creating a new product inside a larger organisation, the importance of learning from failures and the journey to spinning out to be a separate company including the recent acquisition of BidFX by SGX, the Singapore exchange.

In this episode, we speak with rock star FinTech founder Laura Spiekerman from Alloy. We talk about her early start in FinTech straight out of university, the founding of Alloy to improve customer onboarding, and their recent Series B fundraise led by Canapi Ventures. She offers advice to FinTech entrepreneurs who are fundraising during COVID and to women who aspire to be FinTech founders themselves. We also talk about how we can improve diversity in FinTech and the important role of boards and investors.

In this episode, Sam Cole talks about his path to finance starting as a defense analyst, then consulting at McKinsey, and subsequently COO-ing a major hedge fund. We talk about Phigital, the startup he co-founded and sold, his important role in the creation of OpenFin, and his latest act as an investor at Stonecutter Ventures. He also tells us about two not-for-profit initiatives he’s involved with: Success Academy, a charter school network in NYC, and Business Executives for National Security where he co-leads a group advising on the United States’ digital infrastructure.

In this episode, Tony Schiavo, CTO Trumid, talks about remote work, responding to challenges and how big bank experience powered his move into the world of startups. Not willing to rest on their laurels, he also talks about what Trumid is doing to be ready for 10x more growth as well as how buying an Airstream trailer can be considered “leading by example.

In this episode, Dan Zinkin talks about his impressive career at J.P. Morgan, starting straight out of university and now running Global Investment Banking technology. We talk about his startup side hustle back in the day and his current innovation priorities. He also explains how he’s been able to improve gender diversity across his teams and offers lots of terrific, practical advice for managers across the industry.

In this episode, co-founders Chuck Doerr and Mazy Dar are joined by special guest and employee #1 Wenjun Che to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of OpenFin’s founding. We talk about the early days: how it all got started, our first office in Greenwich Village, and some of our early thinking on technology and business strategy. We also share some of our favorite moments from the past 10 years as our team and the community around OpenFin have grown.

In this episode, David Temkin talks about his fascinating career in Silicon Valley, building products at Apple, AOL, Brave and now Google. We discuss how entrepreneurship has changed in the past 20 years through the lens of two companies he founded, Laszlo and Cola. We also talk about his important role in making OpenFin the “Operating System of Finance.

In this episode, Adam Wolff, VP Engineering at Robinhood and former lead of the Platforms team at Facebook (owner of the React framework), talks about his journey to fintech, and how surprising some of the requirements are. We dig into engineering leadership and how to get the best out of our teams and somehow Adam works in that Microsoft reintroduced a use-after-free bug in Windows 95 for “backward compatibility” so that SimCity would still work...

In this episode, Paul Walker talks about the art of explaining and we test his skills on black hole theory and artificial intelligence. We talk about initiatives he’s spending time on, including Motive Partners, Unqork, OpenFin and Quill.org. He also offers advice for founders to focus on what they can control and his thoughts on how we can improve diversity in FinTech.

In this episode, Kim Trautmann, Head of DRW Venture Capital, talks about how she got her start in finance and her journey to becoming a VC. She offers advice for founders raising money in these challenging times. Who should you raise money from? What’s the right valuation for your company? We also talk about diversity and how to get more women in finance.

In this episode, co-hosts Chuck Doerr and Mazy Dar reflect on the most recent MVP Podcasts and OpenFin webinars. They also discuss open source, progressive web apps (PWAs), Chromium upgrades, sports and Black Lives Matter.

In this episode, Tobie Langel, founder of UnlockOpen, dispels several common misconceptions about open source. Is open source free? Does it enable interoperability? Does it prevent lock-in? We also discuss what it takes for banks to run successful open source projects and attract engineering talent.

In this episode, Jonathan Clark, CEO of Luminex, talks with us about Luminex’s platform for institutional equities block trading. We discuss the new work-from-home environment, how it has impacted buy side equities traders, and how Luminex has leveraged OpenFin to transform end-user trading experiences.

In this episode, Cian Ó’Maidín, CEO of NearForm, one of the most active companies in the Node.js community, talks with us about how NearForm was born a remote-first company, how they have been tapped by various governments to help with Covid-19 tracing as well as how Node.js has become the place to go if you need performance and scale.

In this episode, co-hosts Mazy Dar and Chuck Doerr talk about how the MVP Podcast has gone so far, how OpenFin is adapting to the new environment, and some of the latest developments in OpenFin OS.

In this episode, Stephen Murphy, CEO of Genesis Global tells us what low-code is all about and how it’s transforming how we develop software in capital markets

In this episode, Brendan O’Leary from GitLab tells us what DevOps is all about and how it applies to capital markets. He also tells us how GitLab got started being an all-remote company well before COVID made it mandatory.

On this episode, Maria Gotsch, President and CEO of the Partnership Fund for NYC, tells us about the mission of the FinTech Innovation Lab and gives an update on the "virtual" class of 2020. She also provides valuable advice to entrepreneurs on engaging with customers during this work-from-home period.

On this first episode of the OpenFin MVP podcast, John McEvoy explains how he decided to become the first investor in OpenFin. He also discusses the results of the Tribeca Early Stage Partners COVID-19 survey, what entrepreneurs should do in this environment, whether grads should pursue a career on Wall Street, and what you should be drinking in these turbulent times.