S9 E3: Not Fintech Investment Advice: Kato, FlowX, Mesa, and Cavela—AI is Devouring Fintech

Welcome back to Not Fintech Investment Advice, where Simon Taylor and I spotlight new and exciting fintechs. 

This time, we're diving into how AI is shaking up customer service, banking, homeownership, and procurement—and where to draw the line. Because knowing when NOT to use AI in financial services? That’s *the* real art.

First up: KatoHQ. Their AI-powered voice agents decode customer intent and cut through the IVR hell. No more “Press 1 for misery”—just state your issue, and you're directed to the fix, no shouting required. It’s an idea that could even revolutionize collections by reaching pre-delinquent customers before they spiral.

Next up: FlowX.AI, automating digital transformation for banks. Their AI agents streamline workflows and build the infrastructure banks need to compete with fintech disruptors like Nubank. After pouring billions into modernization and cloud migration, FlowX.AI might be the boost banks need to fix unit economics and crank up feature velocity.

Then there’s Mesa, targeting homeowners with a credit card that rewards essential payments like mortgages and utilities. It’s like Bilt for homeowners—but can Mesa pull off Bilt’s pandemic-era success without the same tailwinds? Homeownership is our biggest asset, yet there’s no “operating system” to manage it all.

And finally, Cavela: slashing procurement costs with AI-driven sourcing and price negotiation, saving businesses 40% on wholesale goods. An AI agent that finds and seals the deal—no human needed? Yes, please!

Plus, how do we ensure AI-driven consumer agents serve user interests while enhancing fairness and explainability? Could Australia’s "action initiation" model redefine trust in financial services?

Raising the standard of quality for embedded finance infrastructure, Newline™ by Fifth Third is an API platform that enables enterprises to launch and scale payment, card and deposit products directly with Fifth Third Bank.  

Learn more at newline53.com

00:02:28 - KatoHQ

00:14:02 - FlowX AI

00:24:33 - Mesa

00:37:58 - Cavela

00:46:21 - Manifesting Fintech Ideas 

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Follow Simon:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor/

Substack: https://sytaylor.substack.com

 

Follow Alex: 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Companies featured:

https://katohq.com/

https://www.flowx.ai/

https://www.mesamember.com/

https://www.cavela.com/