Mike de Vere of Zest AI

Fintech One-on-One #432: Mike de Vere of Zest AI

There is no hotter area in technology today than AI. We see articles in the press about it every day but in the fintech lending space using AI in underwriting is something that has been mainstream for some time.

My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Mike de Vere, the CEO of Zest AI. Zest are pioneers in the field of using AI for underwriting having been working on this for more than a decade (listen to my interview with the former CEO and founder of Zest, Douglas Merrill, here). 

In this podcast you will learn:

  • What attracted Mike to Zest AI.
  • How he describes Zest today.
  • Some of the large lenders they work with.
  • What Mike makes of the current AI craze.
  • Where we are at today with explainable AI.
  • How they are removing bias from underwriting models.
  • Details of their different offerings.
  • How they customize their offerings for lenders.
  • How they use alternative data.
  • How their models have improved over time.
  • How quickly they can deploy a new credit model.
  • What is involved in implementing Zest into a lender.
  • Why they build models for new customers at no cost.
  • The pushback they receive when talking with new customers.
  • How lenders operationalize the Zest models.
  • How Zest is engaging with the regulatory bodies in Washington and the states.
  • What they are working on now that is most exciting.

Connect with Mike on LinkedIn
Connect with Zest AI on LinkedIn

Connect with Fintech One-on-One:

  • Peter Renton

    Peter Renton is the chairman and co-founder of Fintech Nexus, the world’s largest digital media company focused on fintech. Peter has been writing about fintech since 2010 and he is the author and creator of the Fintech One-on-One Podcast, the first and longest-running fintech interview series.