From mobile credit to autonomous accounting using financial data and AI, with Puzzle CEO Sasha Orloff

<p>Lex chats with Sasha Orloff, CEO and Co-founder of Puzzle - “the first smart accounting software,” which combines a streaming financial data platform that’s connected to a general accounting ledger. Sasha starts the conversation detailing his journey from traditional banking to fintech entrepreneurship. Reflecting on the early days of fintech, contrasting the East and West Coast perspectives, and sharing his experiences from leading innovative fintech ventures like LendUp. The conversation dives into the future of fintech, discussing the transition into autonomous accounting, the rise and fall of Personal Financial Management (PFM) tools, and the integration of natural language processing into quantitative software. The duo also contemplates the nature of rules in language models, the dichotomy between deterministic and probabilistic models in AI, and the future of intelligent software. The episode concludes with Sasha sharing various channels to connect with him and learn more about Puzzle.</p><p> </p><p>MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION</p><p> </p><p>Puzzle's Website: https://bit.ly/3NKuO6Y</p><p>Sasha's LinkedIn profile: https://bit.ly/3Pt3pHX</p><p> </p><p>Topics: Fintech, AI, artificial intelligence, machine learning, GenAI, Accounting, Software, LLM, embedded finance</p><p> </p><p>Companies: Puzzle, Puzzle Financial, Mission Lane, LendUp, ChatGPT, Brex, Stripe, Plaid</p><p> </p><p>ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT</p><p> </p><p>🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2</p><p> </p><p>🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV</p><p> </p><p>👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>TIMESTAMPS</p><p> </p><p>1’43”: The evolution from traditional banking to fintech entrepreneurship: Exploring personal journey and the early days of fintech</p><p> </p><p>7’10”: The East vs West Coast perspective in fintech's infancy: Analyzing venture investments, startup culture, and the birth of innovative