While the venture capital world obsesses over AI valuations and debates whether fintech has lost its edge, institutional investors are quietly making different calculations. Erik Wiesner-Mostenicky, part of the team at Fidelity International Strategic Ventures (FISV), which has deployed $260 million across 25 fintech investments at Fidelity International Strategic Ventures, sees opportunities where others see obituaries.
His perspective cuts through the noise with institutional pragmatism. Where others see "fintech is dead," he sees legacy infrastructure creating trillion-dollar replacement opportunities. Where others worry about AI bubble valuations, he's watching companies scale at 10 times the pace of traditional software. And where the market declares ESG finished, he's observing a fascinating rebranding exercise that's changing terminology but not fundamentals.
This isn't just another venture capitalist's market outlook. Erik brings the long view of a major institutional player who's been tracking these trends through multiple cycles, from the early days of blockchain hype to today's AI revolution.
Interested in learning more about GenTwo? Visit us here: gentwo.com
For more on Fidelity International Strategic Ventures: fisv.com
You can follow the FISV team on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fidelity-international-strategic-ventures
You can follow Erik on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/erikwm
Key Topics Covered:
The fintech infrastructure opportunity - Why B2B fintech replacing legacy systems from the 1980s and 1990s (some still running on COBOL) represents a massive untapped market, despite post-2021 venture slowdowns
AI's defensibility paradox - How democratization of AI tools creates both unprecedented scaling opportunities and fundamental challenges to traditional investment moats and valuations
The great ESG rebrand - Why sustainability initiatives aren't disappearing but morphing into "supply chain management" and "compliance-driven measures" as companies navigate political headwinds
Private credit's explosive trajectory - The market's growth from $200 billion in 2000 to $1.5 trillion today, with projections reaching $2.6-3.5 trillion within four years
Stablecoins beyond payments - How institutional adoption is moving from basic remittance use cases toward wealth management, private credit access, and tokenized asset infrastructure
The one-person unicorn question - Whether AI agents and democratized technical capabilities could enable single founders to build billion-dollar businesses
Institutional AI adoption reality - How established players are integrating AI for research and data collection while remaining cautious about core financial modeling and valuation work
About Our Guest:
Erik Wiesner-Mostenicky is a Principal at Fidelity International Strategic Ventures, a team that has invested $260 million across 25 portfolio companies, with a focus on fintech solutions in wealth management, asset management, and capital markets. Previously a banker, founder, and strategy consultant, Erik brings over a decade of fintech expertise to his thematic investment approach. His institutional perspective, grounded in the long-term outlook of one of the world’s largest asset managers, offers a counterpoint to the venture capital echo chamber.
All the best,
Tom
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