Fintech is moving fast, but this conversation makes one thing clear: the future will not be won by technology alone.

Sam Kilmer and Kelli Schultz are joined by three founders -- Mike Duncan of Bankjoy, Nima Ghamsari of Blend, and Paul Danola of Bridgeport Partners — for a lively, unscripted look at the next chapter of financial services. AI is the headline, but the real story is bigger…what happens when critical data, smarter digital experiences, trusted relationships, and old-fashioned curiosity all collide.

From community banks and credit unions and private equity firms to core systems, fraud prevention, lending, and the changing role of the branch, the group explores where fintech is getting more fluid, where it still feels too fragmented, and why staying open may be the most important leadership trait of all.

Guests include:

• Paul Danola - Founding Partner, Bridgeport Partners
• Nima Ghamsari - Founder and Head of Blend
• Mike Duncan - CEO & Co-Founder of Bankjoy
• Kelli Schultz (Co-Host) - Managing Director, Cornerstone Advisors

Subscribe to the Fintech Hustle podcast here:
https://qrco.de/bgfV6g

Chapters
[0:00] Welcome to Fintech Hustle
[0:32] Meet the co-host and guests
[2:47] Mike Duncan on the mission behind Bankjoy
[4:20] How Bankjoy keeps teams aligned around OKRs
[5:50] Getting back in front of clients and partners
[7:47] Paul Danola on life after FIS and building Bridgeport Partners
[10:38] Why investing still comes down to clients and employees
[11:10] Relationships, trust and curiosity in fintech
[14:55] Nima Ghamsari on Blend, AI transformation and building again
[18:15] What’s making fintech leaders optimistic right now
[20:36] AI as both opportunity and competitive threat for community FIs
[24:09] The next chapter of customer engagement
[28:05] Kelli Schultz on the integration problem across fintech stacks
[34:26] AI agents as the future users of banking software
[37:15] What the future digital banking interface could look like
[40:56] Hyper-personalized financial guidance in real time
[43:38] Using data and AI for real-time fraud prevention
[45:50] Final thoughts and wrap-up

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Live from the AFT Spring Summit, Sam Kilmer (Managing Director, Cornerstone Advisors) is joined by fintech leaders to discuss what’s really happening in banking and financial services right now.

Guests include:

Laura Kornhauser (CEO & Co-Founder, Stratyfy)

David Eads (CEO & Co-Founder, Vine Financial)

Kirsten Longnecker (Executive Vice President, York Public Relations)

Tim Hamilton (Founder & CEO, Praxent)

This unscripted “in the hall” conversation covers:

• The real impact of AI in banking (beyond the hype)
• Why trust between fintechs and banks is critical
• Core system challenges still holding banks back
• The future of software development with generative AI
• Risks of AI hallucinations and regulatory implications
• Why entry-level talent may drive the next wave of innovation
• What’s working — and what’s still broken — in fintech

From customer-centricity to infrastructure challenges, this discussion captures the current state of fintech innovation and where the industry is heading next.

Click to watch more Fintech Hustle!

🔗 https://www.crnrstone.com/gritty-insights/podcasts/fintech-hustle/

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn:

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/samkilmer/

Connect with Laura on LinkedIn:

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-kornhauser/

Connect with David on LinkedIn:

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstenlongnecker/

Connect with Kirsten on LinkedIn:

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstenlongnecker/

Connect with Tim on LinkedIn:

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/timham/

Subscribe to the Fintech Hustle podcast here:
https://qrco.de/bgfV6g

Recorded live from GAC, Sam Kilmer (Managing Director, Cornerstone Advisors and host of Fintech Hustle) sits down with a powerhouse panel of credit union and fintech leaders for an unscripted hallway conversation.

Joining the discussion:

• Brandi Gregory (Managing Director, Cornerstone Advisors)
• Ned Tobey (CEO, Circuit)
• JB Orecchia (CEO, SavvyMoney)
• Nicole Haverly (VP Credit Unions, nCino)
• Rob Landis (CEO, Correlation)

Topics include AI, member primacy, financial wellness, fraud risks, speed of innovation, and what credit unions must rethink in 2026.

Click to watch more Fintech Hustle!

🔗 https://www.crnrstone.com/gritty-insights/podcasts/fintech-hustle/

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn:

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/samkilmer/

Watch the Video Episodes on Youtube!

🔗https://youtu.be/LQOMuzfwl84

Subscribe to the Fintech Hustle podcast here:
https://qrco.de/bgfV6g

Recorded at a location near AOBA 2026, this Fintech Hustle episode brings guests Aleda DeMaria (EVP & Chief Operating Officer, PeoplesBank), Mac Thompson (Founder & CEO, White Clay) & Christina Miller (VP, Alkami) for an unscripted hallway conversation on what’s changing right now.

Key topics include:

• Deposit retention after massive outflows and why “acquisition” is not the finish line
• AI everywhere, including fraud, and why banks must fight AI with AI
• Vendor consolidation and the reality of fragmented tech stacks
• Data strategy as a growth engine, not just a compliance tool
• Why the branch still matters and how to modernize the in-branch experience
• The talent challenge for community banks trying to innovate
• A clear warning: community banks should stop trying to build what mega-banks build, and focus on partnerships and execution

Let us know what theme you’re hearing most in your institution right now.

Click to watch more Fintech Hustle!

🔗 https://www.crnrstone.com/gritty-insights/podcasts/fintech-hustle/

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn:

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/samkilmer/

Subscribe to the Fintech Hustle podcast here:
https://qrco.de/bgfV6g

Kicking off 2026 with a strategy-focused episode of Fintech Hustle. Sam Kilmer (Managing Director, Cornerstone Advisors) and co-host Kelli Schultz (Principal, Cornerstone Advisors) are joined by Erica Pilon (Head of Strategy, Jack Henry) and Scott Hildenbrand (Chief Balance Sheet Strategist, Piper Sandler) to discuss what’s changing in banking and fintech, and what winners will do differently.

Topics include: vendor strategy and fintech partnerships, stablecoin and payments, customer-first balance sheet thinking, redefining “community,” why bank valuations aren’t reflecting performance, and the missed marketing opportunities banks keep repeating.

What’s your top strategic priority for 2026?

00:00 Intro + 2026 kickoff
01:00 Erica Pilon intro + strategy shifts
05:00 Jack Henry priorities, fintech alliances, ecosystem
09:30 Scott Hildenbrand: ALCO, balance sheet, M&A
12:00 Deposit chaos and customer-first ALCO
14:00 Redefining “community” and loyalty vs trust
17:30 What’s “broken”: integration + standards
24:00 What’s “broken”: marketing and telling the story
29:45 What’s “jazzing” them: stablecoin + opportunity
32:30 Wrap

Click to watch more!
https://www.crnrstone.com/gritty-insights/podcasts/fintech-hustle/

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/samkilmer/

Subscribe to the Fintech Hustle podcast here:
https://qrco.de/bgfV6g

Host Sam Kilmer looks back at the year’s most quoted hallway moments—packed with real-world takes on AI (purposeful, not buzzwordy), stablecoins (watch the fiat on/off-ramps), data activation (from “we have it” to “we use it”), and go-to-market alignment. Highlights include an AI reality check from a startup CEO, pragmatic stablecoin guidance from an investing leader, compliance and fraud implications for the AI era, organizing sales + marketing around bookings, and why community FIs must aim for personalization beyond product silos. Plus a few road-warrior stories (Grace Potter sighting, sun-safe merch) to cap a big year.

Links

• Sam Kilmer (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/samkilmer/
  
  
• Fintech Hustle (Cornerstone site): https://www.crnrstone.com/gritty-insights/podcasts/fintech-hustle/
  
  

00:04 Flashback setup: a “greatest-hits-ish” reel—AI, stablecoin, data, GTM
01:23 AI culture shift: a CEO’s take on leaders who hoped to “retire before it hits”
03:06 Stablecoin sanity check (rooftop chat): focus on fiat ↔ stablecoin conversions now
05:07 AI’s compounding edge: “It’s the dumbest it will ever be today”—early adopters win on efficiency, profitability, M&A leverage
07:18 Purposeful AI: define the outcome first (ops efficiency, intimacy, personalization), then pick the tech
08:25 GTM org design: marketing + sales co-own accounts and bookings; content ≠ handoff forms
10:48 Data to action: banks have data—now align strategy, frontline, and offers to actually use it
12:03 Sign-off: community, road notes, and gearing up for 2026’s guest slate

Subscribe to the Fintech Hustle podcast here:
https://qrco.de/bgfV6g

Host Sam Kilmer gathers Reva Rao (Head of Digital Transformation, Blend), David Ladic (SVP, Zafin), Adam Aspes (Partner, FINTOP), and co-host Kelli Schultz for a candid hallway conversation. They trade “day-in-the-life” views (and nonstop event planning), argue for purposeful AI over buzzwords, and unpack regulator-ready AI governance (from “know your agent” to vendor disclosures). The group debates blockchain/tokenization in mortgages, smart-contract enforcement, fraud realities, and whether consumers even care about the rails—so long as pricing and trust improve. It closes with a challenge to community FIs: get entrepreneurial, use your data, personalize beyond product silos, and solve for outcomes—not tech for tech’s sake.

Key Moments

00:11 Guest lineup and setup from the halls of fintech to real operator stories
08:45 Events as strategy why orchestration and education matter as much as product
13:22 Purposeful AI prioritize problems, outcomes, and ROI rather than buzzwords
20:36 Governance and exams “know your agent,” vendor AI disclosures, anonymization, and risk
28:32 Tokenization debate on chain home equity, cost dynamics, smart contract enforcement, and whether consumers care
42:10 What’s broken and what wins data driven personalization and a call for FI entrepreneurship
47:03 Wrap and takeaways solve outcomes first and let tech follow

Subscribe to the Fintech Hustle podcast here:
https://qrco.de/bgfV6g

Recording “in the hall” at FinovateFall, host Sam Kilmer is joined by Wayne Miller ( SVP Innovation at ICBA & GP at BankTech Ventures), Tiffani Montez (Principal Analyst, EMARKETER), and Har Rai Khalsa (CEO & Co-Founder, Swaystack). They discuss what a fintech leader’s day really looks like, the urgency of AI adoption, the shaky logic of bank-issued stablecoins, and why personalization and life-stage experiences must replace product silos.

• 00:04 Live from FinovateFall, NYC — Sam introduces Wayne, Tiffani, and Har Rhai.
• 01:10 Day-in-the-life: matchmaking fintech + banks, research for clients, go-to-market hustle.
• 04:24 Hallway buzz: AI and stablecoin — time to focus on how, not why.
• 07:25 Industry pain points: inactive accounts, lack of engagement, and missing 360° customer views.
• 12:16 Positive outlook: AI as augmentation, personalization at scale, and shifting from products to customer life-stage journeys.

Subscribe to the Fintech Hustle podcast here:
https://qrco.de/bgfV6g