On Building Trustworthy Fintech Platforms at Scale | From CTO of Redwood Trust

Abhinav Asthana, CTO of Redwood Trust, joins Mala Ramakrishnan to share his unconventional journey from early data science in Formula 1 to leading technology at a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT).

In this candid conversation, Abhinav breaks down how technology drives real business outcomes in financial services, how private credit and non-qualified mortgages work, and why AI must tie directly to return on equity—not just automation metrics.

He also shares insights from investing in early-stage AI startups through Redwood’s corporate venture arm, what founders get wrong when selling to financial institutions, and why solving “hard, boring problems” can create lasting economic moats.

This episode is a must-watch for founders building in fintech, AI infrastructure, real estate tech, and regulated markets.

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Timestamps:

00:00 Intro and Abhinav’s background
01:00 Early data science in Formula 1
02:30 From engineering to M&A at Wipro
03:40 Transition into product leadership
05:00 Building zero-to-one product strategy
06:10 Joining Redwood Trust as CTO
07:20 Understanding non-QM and jumbo mortgages
08:40 The evolution of private credit in housing
10:00 Corporate venture investing in AI startups
11:20 Check sizes and early-stage investment strategy
12:40 How REIT economics shape tech decisions
14:00 Why partial automation doesn’t cut costs
15:30 Moving humans up the value chain
16:40 Advice for founders selling into real estate
18:00 Homogeneity doesn’t exist in customers
19:20 Design partners and industry networks
20:40 Solve hard problems with economic moats
22:00 Why pricing power comes after market capture
23:20 Books that shaped Abhinav’s thinking
24:30 Growth mindset and lifelong learning

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🔗 Connect with Abhinav Asthana → https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhiasthana/

🔗 Connect with Mala Ramakrishnan → https://www.linkedin.com/in/malaramakrishnan

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