S 02 | Ep 25 The Double - Edged Sword of AI in Financial Services Luke Giancarlo , Director of the New York FinTech Innovation Lab and executive at Accenture , pulls back the curtain on one of the most well - connected startup programs in financial services . The lab pairs early - stage companies with tier one institutions like Goldman Sachs , JP Morgan , and BlackRock for three months of mentorship , product refinement , and real enterprise feedback . Luke explains how the lab operates as a civic , non - dilutive program co - founded with the Partnership Fund for New York City , meaning startups pay no fees and give up no equity . He shares what separates companies that land real deployments from those that stall in pilot purgatory , including the importance of solving one problem exceptionally well rather than positioning a platform as an all - purpose solution . This episode focuses on the trends Luke sees shaping financial services over the next several years , from agentic AI and AI ops infrastructure to stable coins powering agent - to - agent commerce . He also shares his perspective on the convergence of blockchain and AI as complementary technologies . For founders considering applying to the program , Luke offers candid advice on building the right network , moving with urgency , and using available tools to stay competitive in enterprise sales cycles .