Descoped: The Payments Security Podcast

Architecting a Future-Proof Payments Company with Don Hartley

PayFacs come with a multitude of benefits by allowing businesses to inject themselves into the fund flow. With the ability to spin off various products like payroll, merchant cash advances, fast-funding, and expedited underwriting, while remaining compliant, PayFacs are highly customizable and open a world of possibilities for businesses across industries.
On this episode, we speak with Don Hartley, Head of Payments at Squire. As a self-described payments nerd, Don shares what he’s learned throughout his 25 years in fintech and payments creating products and systems for the world’s top payment companies.Main topics:
What sets PayFacs apart from other payments systems
A layered approach to regulation and privacy protection
Exciting possibilities of FedNow
How AI breakthroughs will be impacting fraud
Our guests
Don Hartley has been in payments and FinTech for 25 years and is a self-described payments nerd. He has worked worldwide, from Europe to the Middle East, to Southeast Asia.Don has created mobile wallets, the first payment processing app for the iPhone, Payment Processing Software, Gateways, Mobile processing solutions, Neo-banks, Card Issuances, POS Hardware,  and PayFac.   He founded, built, and sold an ISO and Payment Software company between 2001 and 2007 and has built products for companies ranging from PayPal to JP Morgan to MoneyGram.  Don’s currently Head of Payments at Squire, a POS company, and lives off the coast of Georgia with his wife, 5 children, and a foul-tempered rabbit.
Travis Mottershead is a Senior Solutions Architect at VGS. He helps larger customers descope their network from sensitive or toxic data. He lives in Edmonton, Canada with his wife, one-year-old, and two small dogs.
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For more insights, practical advice, and the latest trends in payments security, subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app or check us out at VeryGoodSecurity.com.
If you'd like to be a guest or you have a suggestion of a topic you'd like us to cover, please email us at pod@verygoodsecurity.com.
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Combating Fraud & Reducing Friction in Transactions with Nicole Jass

Enter the ever-evolving world of financial fraud prevention and IDV.
We sat down with Prove, whose at the bleeding edge of fraud prevention, to discuss the customer experience, rising trends in fraud, and best efforts to move towards a password-less system. Additionally, we talk about best and worst career advice, emphasizing the importance of staying true to yourself and your goals. Tune in to hear more about the intersection of technology and security in the financial world, and how to navigate your career with authenticity. Prove provides a trust layer for the internet, using a methodology to verify possession, reputation, and ownership, they’re able to reduce fraud and create a low-friction experience for users. 
Main topics:
Who Prove's ideal customer is and why
The ins and outs of a smooth transaction for your customers
What the top trends in fraud are today
Our guests
Nicole Jass is Chief Product Officer at Prove. Prior to joining Prove, Nicole served as the Senior Vice President of Growth Solutions at FIS, where she was responsible for driving strategy and execution of high-value, high-growth product portfolios in fraud, identity, loyalty, data science, and checkout. Prior to joining FIS, Nicole was the founder and CEO of SpyderLynk, a mobile advertising technology company.Sameer Patwary is Senior Director of Product Management at VGS. Prior to joining VGS, Sameer served as Head of Product Strategy at Riskified, a global payments fraud leader headquartered in New York, NY. At Riskified, Sameer was in charge of new product strategy, corporate development, and partnerships. Prior to Riskfiied, Sameer was Product Management Leader at Amazon’s Kindle division, leading multi-disciplinary product and tech teams.
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For more insights, practical advice, and the latest trends in payments security, subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app or check us out at VeryGoodSecurity.com.
If you'd like to be a guest or you have a suggestion of a topic you'd like us to cover, please email us at pod@verygoodsecurity.com.
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Next-Gen Payment Platform: Insights from VGS’ Chuck Yu

The world is quickly changing. So should the way we interact with it.
That’s one of the main takeaways from this conversation with Chuck Yu, Chief Executive Officer at VGS. Here you’ll hear Chuck’s thoughts on how the ecosystem has experienced consolidation, and his predictions of how the future of partnerships in payments will involve companies mastering certain areas of the ecosystem, rather than trying to be a one-stop-shop for everything.
We’ll talk about how the evolution of technology and the internet has impacted the way we conduct business and interact with each other, and why the need to move away from traditional swipe or dip cards to faster, cheaper, and safer payment options is more alive than ever.
Main topics:
What surprising use cases developers have discovered with the VGS platform
Why Chuck believes that pain points lead to the creation of the best products
Where Chuck was before joining VGS and how that experience shaped his approach to innovation in the payment industry
Our guest
Chuck YuAs the CEO of Very Good Security, Chuck Yu brings extensive experience and a proven track record in financial services. With a diverse background in executive leadership roles at VISA Inc., Point Digital Finance, and TrialPay, including leading the VISA Global Fintech team, Chuck has consistently driven growth, fostered innovation, and steered diverse teams in the rapidly evolving world of finance and technology.Prior to joining Very Good Security, Chuck served as Chief Revenue Officer at TrialPay Inc., where he played a crucial role in its acquisition by Visa in 2015. Holding a BA from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Juris Doctor from UCSF Law, Chuck leverages his unique blend of legal expertise and business acumen to drive VGS’ mission of providing secure, compliant, and scalable payment security solutions.
 
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For more insights, practical advice, and the latest trends in payments security, subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app or check us out at VeryGoodSecurity.com.
If you'd like to be a guest or you have a suggestion of a topic you'd like us to cover, please email us at pod@verygoodsecurity.com.
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Changing Landscape of Buy Now Pay Later with Kunal Shah

On this episode of Descoped, we explore the emerging "Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL)" space. Our guest and co-host on this show together explore how BNPL has changed how consumers purchase products. With transparency in fees, people can complete online purchases with a clear understanding of exactly how much they will pay over a set amount of payments. BNPL also offers credit and privacy protection not found in traditional loan and credit card products.
But where is BNPL in the development cycle and widespread adoption today? And why are some companies finding great commercial success while others haven’t?
On this episode of Descoped, we speak with guest Kunal Shah, Head of Treasury, Payments and Capital Markets at Uplift and Nithin Bose, VP of Product and Customer Success at Very Good Security, who dive into the depths of the past, present, and future of BNPL.
Main topics:
Benefits of BNPL for consumers and companies
What makes BNPL products successful, and why some fail
The global future of BNPL
Our guests
Kunal Shah Kunal is currently working as the Head of Treasury, Payments, and Capital Markets at Uplift Inc., a startup company based in San Francisco, California. He has been with the company for about four years, during which he effectively scaled the platform, leading and collaborating across executive, operational and functional teams from initial product-market fit, to more than $100M in annual revenue. He has also administered various capital transactions, including warehouse credit facilities, corporate debt, whole loan sales, securitization, and bank partnerships. Prior to joining Uplift, Kunal provided mentorship to early stage companies like Ticr, Oculis-mountain lodge, & Adventure-locals. Kunal is skilled in capital raising, operational management, financial planning & consulting, and strongly believes in data evangelism. He also possesses a Master’s in Finance from HULT international Business School.Nithin BoseNithin leads Product and Customer Success at VGS. He has been at VGS for the past three years, helping build and scale the organization through its 10x revenue growth phase. He is a seasoned leader with a track record of building various GTM and R&D teams at both startups and larger publicly traded organizations.Nithin’s initial career is rooted in technology consulting, helping large organizations drive transformation. Nithin is a parent of a teenager and a naughty golden retriever.
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For more insights, practical advice, and the latest trends in payments security, subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app or check us out at VeryGoodSecurity.com.
If you'd like to be a guest or you have a suggestion of a topic you'd like us to cover, please email us at pod@verygoodsecurity.com.
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Building Fintech Community with Cristina Ciaravalli & Saira Rahman

In this episode, we explore the power of partnerships and community in the Cristina Ciaravalli, Head of Community at This Week in Fintech and New Business & Partnerships at Unit, and Saira Rahman, VP of New Investor Initiatives at Fundrise. 
We discuss the role of partnerships and community in driving innovation and growth in fintech, and how collaborations between companies can help address challenges, while also meeting the evolving needs of customers. We also delve into the importance of building trust and fostering strong relationships between partners, as well as the potential for partnerships to enable financial inclusion and create positive social impact.
Main topics:
The role of partnerships in driving innovation and growth in Fintech
Building trust and fostering strong relationships between partners
The potential for Fintech innovators to enable financial inclusion and create positive social impact
Be sure to listen through to the end to learn what people and companies Saira and Cristina think are making waves in Fintech and Payments!
Our guests
Cristina CiaravalliCristina works in go-to-market (GTM) at Unit, where she focuses on strategic partnerships and enterprise clients. She also works at This Week in Fintech, helping to build the largest global fintech community. Cristina started her career on Wall Street, working at Goldman Sachs and BlackRock before she pivoted to fintech and joined Plaid's GTM team in San Francisco, where she spent several years. Cristina was recognized for her work as a leader in the fintech community by being named an Inspiring Fintech Female by NYC Fintech Women in 2020 and 2022. She currently resides in New York City and enjoys advising and investing in startups, overpaying for boutique fitness classes, cooking up new recipes for friends, and connecting good people with each other.
Saira Rahman Saira is currently the VP of New Investor Initiatives at Fundrise, where she is building new fintech products for the alts platform. Prior to this, she was the VP of Finance at HMBradley, a consumer neobank. Saira was also the co-host of the viral podcast "Girls Just Wanna Have Funds," where she spent time discussing the nuance behind financial literacy. Before entering the world of fintech, Saira spent 11 years working in derivatives sales and trading. In her spare time, Saira loves to spend time with her family, and make art.
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For more insights, practical advice, and the latest trends in payments security, subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app or check us out at VeryGoodSecurity.com.
If you'd like to be a guest or you have a suggestion of a topic you'd like us to cover, please email us at pod@verygoodsecurity.com.
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2023 Data & Security Compliance Trends with Kenneth Geers, PhD

We have renamed the show Descoped: The Payments Security Podcast, rebranded it, and we have a new host (Megan Powers on our marketing team) to kick-off our second season with this latest episode!
VGS enjoys keeping up with trends and sharing what matters in the data security, payments, and fintech space. At the end of 2022 our own Ken Geers, PhD, wrote a retrospective on trends for the year, and then recently wrote one about trends to look for in 2023.
Ken came on the podcast as our first guest of season two to chat about these emerging trends.
“FinTech companies should invest in security, privacy, and trust, not simply due to regulatory requirements, but because this is a lucrative business model.”
We discussed open banking, CFPB & FedNow, Robots, financial wellness, and more.
Our guest
Dr. Kenneth Geers works at VGS and has deep experience in cyber security. He’s an Atlantic Council Cyber Statecraft Initiative Senior Fellow, a NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence Ambassador, and a Digital Society Institute-Berlin Affiliate. Prior to those services, Ken served for twenty years in the US Government: in the Army, for the National Security Agency (NSA), in Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), and at NATO. He’s the author of the book “Strategic Cyber Security,” editor of the books ”Cyber War in Perspective” and ”The Virtual Battlefield,” and a technical expert for the ”Tallinn Manual” (an academic, non-binding study on how international law applies to cyber conflicts and cyber warfare).
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For more insights, practical advice, and the latest trends in payments security, subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app or check us out at VeryGoodSecurity.com.
If you'd like to be a guest or you have a suggestion of a topic you'd like us to cover, please email us at pod@verygoodsecurity.com.
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The Potential of Monetizing Payments with Caleb Avery

When should your company think about monetizing payments? Are you missing a potential profit opportunity? In this episode, Founder & CEO of Tilled Caleb Avery explains how he found success in the payments ecosystem and eventually launched Tilled, a PayFac-as-a-Service company.
Join us as we discuss:
- When businesses should monetize their payments- Changes in the payments ecosystem- Best practices when selling a nuanced payments solution
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For more insights, practical advice, and the latest trends in payments security, subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app or check us out at VeryGoodSecurity.com.
If you'd like to be a guest or you have a suggestion of a topic you'd like us to cover, please email us at pod@verygoodsecurity.com.Note: We rebranded the show to the "Descoped" name starting with the 10th episode (season 2)!
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Investing in the Next Frontier of Fintech & Commerce with Brandon Hoffman

Brandon Hoffman is a Managing Partner of Sunset Ventures, which invests in fintech and commerce. He draws from various roles in his career: from retail banking at JPMorgan Chase, to equity research at Morgan Stanley, to venture and innovation at Samsung Electronics. 
In this episode, Brandon shares his investor journey, founding Sunset Ventures, and the surprises that come with starting a venture fund.
Join us as we discuss:  - The value that can come from corporate venture- Brandon’s investor journey into blockchain & web3 technologies- Investing in the new frontier of fintech & commerce
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For more insights, practical advice, and the latest trends in payments security, subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app or check us out at VeryGoodSecurity.com.
If you'd like to be a guest or you have a suggestion of a topic you'd like us to cover, please email us at pod@verygoodsecurity.com.Note: We rebranded the show to the "Descoped" name starting with the 10th episode (season 2)!
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Building Fintech’s Next Account Plumbing with Rory O’Reilly

Rory O'Reilly and his brother are serial entrepreneurs. After founding a GIF company after dropping out of Harvard, they went on to create two more innovative fintech startups, Millions and Knot API. 
In this episode, Rory shares his entrepreneurial journey, the vision for Knot API, and the lessons he learned along the way.
Join us as we discuss: - Growing a fintech social media following- Building “account plumbing” for merchants- Rory’s founder journey
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For more insights, practical advice, and the latest trends in payments security, subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app or check us out at VeryGoodSecurity.com.
If you'd like to be a guest or you have a suggestion of a topic you'd like us to cover, please email us at pod@verygoodsecurity.com.Note: We rebranded the show to the "Descoped" name starting with the 10th episode (season 2)!
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Solid Building Blocks of Fintech with Arjun Thyagarajan

From crypto to vertical SaaS platforms, payments and fintech are cropping up in more places than ever. What many of the disparate applications of fintech have in common are key infrastructure building blocks.  
In this episode, Co-Founder and CEO of Solid, Arjun Thyagarajan, shares how he found his passion for fintech and used it to create a developer-friendly fintech infrastructure.
Join us as we discuss: - Fintech Infrastructure- Embedded Finance- Market Trends within the Fintech Ecosystem
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For more insights, practical advice, and the latest trends in payments security, subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app or check us out at VeryGoodSecurity.com.
If you'd like to be a guest or you have a suggestion of a topic you'd like us to cover, please email us at pod@verygoodsecurity.com.Note: We rebranded the show to the "Descoped" name starting with the 10th episode (season 2)!
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