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.____________________________________________________Timestamps:00:00 Intro and Abhinav’s background01:00 Early data science in Formula 102:30 From engineering to M&A at Wipro03:40 Transition into product leadership05:00 Building zero-to-one product strategy06:10 Joining Redwood Trust as CTO07:20 Understanding non-QM and jumbo mortgages08:40 The evolution of private credit in housing10:00 Corporate venture investing in AI startups11:20 Check sizes and early-stage investment strategy12:40 How REIT economics shape tech decisions14:00 Why partial automation doesn’t cut costs15:30 Moving humans up the value chain16:40 Advice for founders selling into real estate18:00 Homogeneity doesn’t exist in customers19:20 Design partners and industry networks20:40 Solve hard problems with economic moats22:00 Why pricing power comes after market capture23:20 Books that shaped Abhinav’s thinking24:30 Growth mindset and lifelong learning____________________________________________________🔗 Connect with Abhinav Asthana → https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhiasthana/🔗 Connect with Mala Ramakrishnan → https://www.linkedin.com/in/malaramakrishnan🎧 Subscribe to the podcastYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnL3D6aI60R-cCvypFIkh4ASpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NIDE4cT5fuVjC3HaGbCDK?si=eoSTNmhqQNKHQl9d1Jx0UQApple Podcast: https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/show/talking-to-the-leaders-of-ai-the-ceo-series-with-mala/22ad2bae-502b-4eb1-aa74-53bc79754db7Visit our Website: www.malaramakrishnan.com | www.founderscreative.ai