In recent years, working for, or banking with, a traditional financial institution was decidedly uncool. Then the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates, stocks tanked, and a lot of fintech outfits that appeared to be doing well began looking far less hardy and hale. In a panel discussion hosted by this editor late last week in San Francisco, the answer was resoundingly no, though the panelists — Mercedes Bent of Lightspeed Venture Partners, Victoria Treyger of Felicis, and Jillian Williams of Cowboy Ventures — didn’t sugarcoat things, either.
