TechCrunch was proud to host Mastercard at Disrupt 2023 in San Francisco. Here’s an overview of their partner session on the Breakout Stage.
Sustained innovation requires more than having the right technology. It’s about being part of an ecosystem that provides access to a diverse suite of APIs, products, programs, services and partners — an environment that helps you build, grow and thrive. Mastercard has a long history of supporting fintech partners of any size to co-innovate and scale solutions. In this session at Disrupt 2023, Mastercard discussed how to make 1 + 1 = 3 through strong partnerships, access to low-code solutions and frictionless API integration that will make it easier to deliver greater impact for your customers.
Speakers
Christie Kristensen, VP, Global Developer Strategy and Business Enablement, Mastercard
Christie H. Kristensen is an experienced API marketing and growth leader and has a track record of how to successfully do more business through APIs. She is passionate about data intelligence, behavioral analysis and performance marketing that drives impact. Christie was the former CMO at one of the leading European open banking aggregators, Aiia, which got acquired by Mastercard in late 2021. In September 2022, she was recruited to lead global DevRel. In the very short time, her DevRel team has increased website traffic by 40% and impacted API adoption.
Yuval Refua, Vice President, Product, Navan
Yuval Refua has over 15 years of experience managing and scaling product organizations and developing products that excite users. Yuval joined Navan in 2019 to launch and direct the Navan Expense and Payment products. Prior to Navan, Yuval ran digital payments at American Express, was the SVP of product at NAM, the CPO at Syp and Aris Genuine Solutions, and held several product leadership roles at Thomson Reuters and Noise. Yuval earned his MBA from Columbia Business School.
Sabrina Tharani, Senior Vice President, Global Fintech Programs, Mastercard
Sabrina is a senior vice president of global fintech programs at Mastercard. She leads the award-winning global startup engagement program Start Path, which works with select later-stage startups and helps them to scale, leveraging a customized combination of Mastercard’s technology, expertise and channels. These companies cover a diverse set of areas, including payments, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, wearables, logistics and financial inclusion. Prior to Start Path, Sabrina worked in Mastercard’s digital payments organization, where she helped build and commercialize several new payment technologies such as Mastercard’s tokenization platform and Mastercard Send. Sabrina received a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Cornell University with concentrations in technology and entrepreneurship. She has been a volunteer with The Resolution Project since 2014.
Amir Wain, CEO, i2c
Amir is a recognized payment thought leader and serial entrepreneur. His entrepreneurial journey began when he founded Innovative Private Limited (Avanceon) in 1987. In 2001, he founded i2c to modernize financial technology. As CEO, Amir sets the strategic direction to realize his vision of a global, unified banking and payment platform that delivers unparalleled flexibility and agility while providing security and reliability.
