Podcasts about fintech accelerator

I'm Mark Ritter, and this is Credit Union Conversations. Today, I'm joined by Austin Wentzlaff from Nook to discuss how credit unions can evolve beyond competitive rates and traditional relationships by using digital tools to deepen member engagement. We'll explore how Nook takes a fresh approach—focusing on lifestyle topics like travel, health, and relationships—to build trust and naturally drive financial product adoption. Plus, we'll dive into the role of venture capital in fintech, the challenges early-stage companies face, and what it really takes to bring innovation to the credit union space.IN THIS EPISODE:(00:00) Introduction(01:50) Austin shares his professional journey(07:36) Austin explains Nook's purpose and how it operates(13:39) How is the industry responding to the premise of Nook's purpose(17:44) What is in Nook's future and Austin explains the roots of FinTech Accelerator(25:16) Discussion of venture capital KEY TAKEAWAYS: The credit union industry has thrived on competitive rates and strong member connections, but digital tools now deepen engagement. By focusing on lifestyle topics over direct financial discussions, this approach builds trust and drives natural product adoption.Successful early-stage fintechs and QSOs must be innovative, not just marginally improving existing solutions. They should be in a pilot phase with limited clients and employees, and they must be genuinely committed to the credit union industry rather than just exploring it as a potential revenue stream.While venture capital provides diversification and reduces risk for credit unions, it can also create a disconnect. Historically, credit unions invested in QSOs they were already working with, ensuring strategic alignment. The shift toward aggregated investment funds may weaken direct relationships between credit unions and fintechs, potentially impacting strategic collaboration.RESOURCE LINKSMark Ritter - WebsiteMark Ritter - LinkedInAustin Wentzlaff - Nook - LinkedInNook - WebsiteAustin's EmailBIOGRAPHY: Austin Wentzlaff is the Co-Founder & CEO of Nook and brings 10+ years of credit union industry, CUSO, and Fintech startup leadership experience.Prior to starting Nook, Austin was the Founder and CEO of Fintech Accelerator, a consulting firm focused on bringing new technologies to the credit union industry, whose client list included CUSOs, RenoFi and Illuma, among other successful startups. Prior to founding Fintech Accelerator, he was the Chief Revenue Officer overseeing sales and marketing efforts at OnApproach, a CUSO acquired by Trellance in 2019. He has spent the entirety of his career in the credit union industry, where he has worked exclusively for Fintech startups from the earliest stages of growth through exit. Austin has extensive experience working with Fintech startups as an early employee (joining OnApproach, Illuma, and RenoFi all with less than 10 employees) and a key contributor, instrumental in their early success. Austin is an alumnus of Gustavus Adolphus College, where he received a degree in Financial Economics.

In this episode of #StreetsTalksTo we talk to Gillian Painter, Head of Membership and Engine, The Investment Association. We talk about the journey of Engine, the IA's Innovation Hub and FinTech Accelerator, and explore the transformative power of technology in investment management. Our discussion also covers : Innovative Programs: Gillian sheds light on the evolution of Engine, from its inception in response to regulatory changes to becoming a global hub for FinTech innovation. With programmes including the IA Engine Innovator, Sparks, and Advanced Access, Engine caters to firms at different stages of development, providing tailored support to foster growth and drive industry-wide innovation. Real-World Impact: Through success stories and testimonials, Gillian illustrates the tangible benefits that participating firms experience. From generating additional revenue to securing new partnerships and funding opportunities, Engine's ecosystem empowers FinTech innovators to thrive and make meaningful contributions to the financial services landscape. Global Collaboration: The importance of collaboration on both national and international levels. By forging partnerships and facilitating exchanges with global counterparts, The Investment Association seeks to harness the collective expertise and drive cross-border innovation. Through initiatives like the Global Partners Programme and international conferences like EmTech, The IA fosters a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing. We discuss the intersection of technology, innovation, and financial services, and explore the endless possibilities for growth and transformation in the industry.  

In this episode of the Jon Myer podcast, the host Jon interviews Kiante Evans, the Director of Business Development at Ibexlabs, discussing the intersection of cutting-edge FinTech solutions and AWS cloud technology. The conversation covers various aspects of the FinTech industry, its challenges, and how Ibexlabs is addressing these challenges for its customers. Kiante defines FinTech as organizations that provide access to the global economy through digital payment systems, peer-to-peer payment solutions, and other digital banking services, making the economy more inclusive for everyone. The challenges faced by FinTech companies include compliance with regulatory frameworks like PCI-DSS, which governs credit card transactions, and other financial regulations. Ibexlabs assists FinTech companies in managing compliance and regulatory aspects effectively. Security is another significant challenge in FinTech, given the critical nature of the data involved, such as financial, personal, and transactional information. Ensuring security is essential for building trust with customers and maintaining the reputation of the company. The podcast highlights that customer trust is vital in the FinTech sector, especially considering recent security breaches and data-related issues in the banking and financial industry. Building and maintaining security and credibility are crucial for long-term success. The roles responsible for handling these challenges include the CEO, CTO, Chief Compliance Officer, and CFO. These individuals play a crucial role in navigating compliance and security requirements. Ibexlabs' FinTech Accelerator program is introduced, aimed at assisting FinTech companies in managing compliance, cost optimization, and security. The program provides 24/7 management and support in these areas, helping companies navigate the complexities of the FinTech landscape. Kiante emphasizes that Ibexlabs' focus on FinTech stems from a desire to support highly regulated industries that play a critical role in global ecosystems. By assisting FinTech companies, Ibexlabs indirectly contributes to creating a more inclusive and balanced world. The podcast concludes with both hosts expressing gratitude for the interview and for the opportunity to showcase Ibexlabs' FinTech Accelerator and its commitment to assisting FinTech companies in their growth journey.

In this episode of the Jon Myer podcast, the host Jon interviews Kiante Evans, the Director of Business Development at Ibexlabs, discussing the intersection of cutting-edge FinTech solutions and AWS cloud technology. The conversation covers various aspects of the FinTech industry, its challenges, and how Ibexlabs is addressing these challenges for its customers. Kiante defines FinTech as organizations that provide access to the global economy through digital payment systems, peer-to-peer payment solutions, and other digital banking services, making the economy more inclusive for everyone. The challenges faced by FinTech companies include compliance with regulatory frameworks like PCI-DSS, which governs credit card transactions, and other financial regulations. Ibexlabs assists FinTech companies in managing compliance and regulatory aspects effectively. Security is another significant challenge in FinTech, given the critical nature of the data involved, such as financial, personal, and transactional information. Ensuring security is essential for building trust with customers and maintaining the reputation of the company. The podcast highlights that customer trust is vital in the FinTech sector, especially considering recent security breaches and data-related issues in the banking and financial industry. Building and maintaining security and credibility are crucial for long-term success. The roles responsible for handling these challenges include the CEO, CTO, Chief Compliance Officer, and CFO. These individuals play a crucial role in navigating compliance and security requirements. Ibexlabs' FinTech Accelerator program is introduced, aimed at assisting FinTech companies in managing compliance, cost optimization, and security. The program provides 24/7 management and support in these areas, helping companies navigate the complexities of the FinTech landscape. Kiante emphasizes that Ibexlabs' focus on FinTech stems from a desire to support highly regulated industries that play a critical role in global ecosystems. By assisting FinTech companies, Ibexlabs indirectly contributes to creating a more inclusive and balanced world. The podcast concludes with both hosts expressing gratitude for the interview and for the opportunity to showcase Ibexlabs' FinTech Accelerator and its commitment to assisting FinTech companies in their growth journey.

NEW: You can watch this entire episode on Youtube, by clicking here.Episode SummaryI got to know Yodaly through my work as a mentor at F10's Fintech Accelerator where she won the Demo Day's Audience Award in Zurich with her start-up Eco2Wallet. In our episode together we tackle some pretty tough questions, such as: Is Sustainable Capitalism, a complete oxymoron, possible? How can Gamification help change people's purchasing behaviour? Why are overlaps between disciplines crucial to move towards a Sustainable future? Yodaly shares her perspective on these topics and guides me as well as all viewers and listeners of this episodes through some very engaging visualising experiments. What we talk aboutEco2Wallet's Gamification Approach to promote more sustainable purchases and educating peopleFinding your own Sweet Spot as a (female) leaderStrategies to influence People's Behaviour in a planet-positive wayYodaly explaining her concept of Sustainable CapitalismThe importance of cross-collaboration and partnershipsAbout Yodaly Sierra-RubioYodaly Sierra-Rubio is the founder of a Green Fintech start-up called eco2wallet that provides a sustainable VISA debit card planting trees for each purchase. Eco2wallet is mentored by Rise Barclays, won both the Mastercard world expo award in Dubai as well as the SIEMENS high impact startup award in Lisbon. Yodaly is a lecturer for energy finance at the University of London and a big advocate for sustainable capitalism, carbon tokenization and tree hugging. This episode is brought to you on International Women's Day, which is why Yodaly and I spoke a lot about the role of female leaders. But we also discussed the importance of cross-collaboration, her plans with Eco2Wallet and what she believes will help shift people's behavior in the face of Climate Change. Originally from Colombia, she is currently building up Eco2Wallet with her team aka "fantastic five of female fintech".Resources mentionedEco2Wallet's WebsiteEco2Wallet on InstagramMore episodes like thisThank you for joining the Naturally Innovative Podcast! Don't miss out on new episode releases on Instagram.If you enjoyed this episode please share, subscribe and review it, so more people can find this podcast and be inspired by the stories my guests shared!For any kind of feedback, feel free to connect with me on Instagram or LinkedIn!

11:11 Metaverse Everything — ⌚ Luxury watches dominating the Metaverse news for this week:

Today in the HeronCode studio we are joined by Raja Al Mazrouei. She is the Executive Vice President of Fintech Hive in DIFC where she oversees the regions first Fintech Accelerator, which brings together Financial Institutions, Government Entities, Technology partners and Entrepreneurs to develop technologies that benefits the financial industry.HeronCode's Executive Search division is ensuring women are appropriately represented across C-suites and Boards globally. For more information visit www.heroncode.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wayne Miller from the Venture Center joins us as we discuss what it takes to move a fintech from an idea on the back of a napkin to a well-funded Financial Technology organization. We discuss what makes one fintech successful over others, and investment opportunities within Fintech funds. BankTalkPodcast.comRemedyconsult.net

How does a CDFI, payments subsidiary and fintech accelerator all fit together?

Interested in ideas it wants to learn more about or see go to market, Central Payments set out to develop a fintech accelerator. And it succeeded. Falls Fintech is up and running as a 12-week program designed to accelerate market readiness for early-stage fintech startups. So how did Central Payments approach developing its accelerator? In this podcast, host Terry Ammons talks with Trent Sorbe, President and Founder of Central Payments and Cofounder of Falls Fintech, and Nikkee Rhody, Executive Vice President of Strategy at Central Payments and Cofounder of Falls Fintech, about their process. Learn about: What Central Payments' role was in nurturing companies through the accelerator How the Falls Fintech program is unique compared to other accelerators How Central Payments learns from cohort companies to help all of its business partners and clients

You might not immediately associate credit unions with fintech startups, but this intersection is Austin Wentzlaff's passion — so much so he started his own business.As the founder of FinTech Accelerator, Austin works with early-stage startups that provide tech solutions for credit unions. For instance, he's working with a company called Illuma Labs, a voice-authentication solution built for credit unions. The idea is for credit unions to bypass those annoying security questions and better serve the needs — and wants — of customers.He also works with a company called RenoFi, what he describes as a “HELOC on steroids.” It's a lending solution that allows homeowners to borrow money based on the value of their post-renovation home.In this episode of the Digital Banking podcast, Austin shares his insights into the world of credit unions and tech. He explains how voice authentication solutions could change the way credit unions interact with customers, and he emphasizes the important role technology plays in this space — and how it could help credit unions reclaim thousands of hours a year.

FIS accelerator/Stratyfy Welcome to the Tearsheet Podcast. I’m Tearsheet editor Zack Miller. We’ve spoken to a lot of innovation program execs on this podcast. From corporate venture investing to accelerator programs, traditional FIs, in various ways, are trying to leverage the innovation that’s happening in fintech. This hasn’t been lost on the providers, either. FIS runs its own accelerator that works gets early-stage fintech firms in front of its clients to help solve their problems. FIS Banking Product Officer Spencer Jones joins me on the podcast along with Laura Kornhauser, CEO and founder of Stratyfy, a fintech company in the current cohort at the accelerator that develops AI-driven predictive-modeling software for FIs.

Many organizations are realizing the tremendous value of having a workforce educated on the latest developments in fintech. But what are some of the most crucial topics folks are learning about in fintech? What are some of the things entrepreneurs need to know about fintech? What does fintech education even look like? To answer questions like these and more, we were joined by Janos Barberis, Head of Entrepreneurship at CFTE or the Center for Finance Technology, and Entrepreneurship. CFTE works to address the needs of professionals in finance and technologists to upskill in a rapidly changing industry being transformed by emerging technologies. Janos is also the Founder of SuperCharger, the largest Fintech Accelerator in Asia, and a PhD candidate at the University of Hong Kong, and had tremendous insight to share! Find show notes and more at: https://www.soarpay.com/podcast/

Successful people get our attention. We’re fascinated by how they got to where they are. Well on the latest episode of the Payments Innovation podcast, we didn’t just interview someone successful. We interviewed Brendan Holt Dunn who’s carrying on his family’s legacy — five generations’ worth of successful business. Brendan is the CEO at Holdun Family Office and Founder at Holt Fintech Accelerator.  He came on the show to talk about his family, their businesses, and their fintech accelerator. To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.  Until next time!

- LAWCLERK introduces duplication and notification features to help attorneys outsource projects - Ashurst launches Fintech accelerator program - Thomson Reuters and OpenLaw create automated, blockchain-driven smart contracts solution - KPMG Legal absorbs Romanian law firm as part of EU expansion - Latham & Watkins introduces mobile app to help investors navigate the regulatory landscape - Catalyst founder launches nonprofit to promote open-source legal software

Welcome to the Tearsheet Podcast. I’m Zack Miller. Smaller financial institutions are finding a way to compete in a world of too big to fail banks. The Central Bank of Kansas City is an interesting case study. The bank is one of a small number of FIs in the US certified by the Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution, serving people of modest means who may not have had the benefit of affordable and accessible financial products. A little over five years ago, the company launched Central Payments, a division that leads the bank’s nationwide presence in the payments industry. Trent Sorbe is the president of Central Payments and joins us on the podcast to talk about how his firm has been able to punch above its weight in issuing activities, headquartered near Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Central Payments recently announced the creation of its Falls Fintech accelerator and Trent describes how the new program will continue to service the ecosystem Central Payments is building. We also discuss the company’s new Open API platform, CPX and how that fits into all the moving pieces. Trent Sorbe is my guest today on the Tearsheet Podcast. Before we jump into the interview, I wanted to invite you to Tearsheet’s latest event, The Embedded Conference. A big theme on this program and in our reporting has been about how financial services are showing up everywhere — in B2B software platforms, in retail, in transportation and travel. The Embedded Conference brings together financial services, fintech, and vertical industries looking to create new financial products. We’ve got a great speaker lineup — register today by going to our website and clicking on the Embedded Conference button at the top right of your screen. Here’s my interview with Trent.

A lot of people ignore the middle part of the United States.  The “flyover” states, as they’re called, get a bad rap. They’re ignored for the likes of New York, LA, Silicon Valley, and Austin.  But there is so much happening in Middle America. Incredible things really.  On this most recent episode of the Payments Innovation Podcast, we sat down with Nikkee Rhody, Vice President of Product Development and Marketplace Strategy at Central Payments, and Co-Founder and Managing Director at Falls Fintech.  We talked about Middle America, what’s going on with Falls Fintech, a fintech accelerator, and what their plans are for the coming year.

This week on CFTC Talks, we speak with World Bank’s Sharmista Appaya, a Senior Financial Sector Expert – in the Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation (FCI) Global Practice at the World Bank Group and focuses on Bank’s engagement on fintech issues as they relate to, and can have an effect on, financial inclusion and financial sector development. Most recently, she was the Head of the Fintech Accelerator at the Bank of England in London looking at innovative firms and technologies to understand both the applications of and implications on Central Banking practices. “Find a problem first, then look for a fintech solution.”

We were at the Selection Day of the FinTech Accelerator Elevator Lab, with the Finalist Finabro (Austria), PayKey (Israel), Cambrist (Ireland) and the Program Lead Maximilian Schausberger.

In this episode, we talk with Zach Pettet and Melissa Eggleston at NBKC Bank in Kansas City. They discuss the unique approach their bank is taking to develop a FinTech accelerator program, as well as their mission to embrace the thriving FinTech community in their city. https://www.nbkc.com/

Holt AI Fintech Accelerator. Created by modern day brokers, accelerating deals for fintech startups between corporate clients and investors. They help their partners navigate success through investors and associated network of financial institutions; powered by an AI lab.  The Holt family has a history of investing, growing, supporting, and building financial companies for the past five generations. With the rising need for AI throughout all aspects of daily life, Holt Fintech Accelerator focuses on boosting AI capabilities of Fintech businesses and expanding their international network.

Missouri Business Alert’s Speaking Startup podcast explores news and issues important to the state’s entrepreneurs. In this week’s episode: • 0:53 - How Kansas City's AMC Theatres responded to the challenge posed by the upstart MoviePass • 4:30 - What a new World Health Organization classification could mean to the burgeoning esports industry • 8:25 - Two efforts announced this week to fund Kansas City startups • 11:40 - A Q&A with Zach Pettet, managing director of Kansas City's new Fountain City Fintech accelerator • 17:30 - A look at important numbers from the week in entrepreneurship news Check out our website for more: http://www.missouribusinessalert.com/sections/multimedia/podcasts/ Thank you to Podington Bear (soundofpicture.com) for this episodes music!

Some organizations are so interesting that we come back to them more than once. Among US regulatory agencies, the most fascinating may be the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Last July we ran a podcast conversation with the Commission’s Chairman, Christopher Giancarlo, which goes into greater depth about the role of the CFTC and it also contains Chairman Giancarlo’s thought-provoking statement that the top priority facing every regulatory body is to convert the rule book from analog to digital design. The CFTC is at the forefront of regulatory innovation in part because its leader is so passionate about the importance of it. In that spirit, they recruited the perfect person to lead the LabCFTC innovation project -- today’s guest, Daniel Gorfine. Luckily for us, the CFTC was able to attract Dan into government from the fintech sector – I first met him when he was at OnDeck – and he’s been bringing an innovator’s mindset and working models to this venerable government agency. This episode has three very meaty topics, each of which could have been a whole show. First, Dan talks about the vision and work of LabCFTC, sharing insights about how it’s organized that I know other regulators will find helpful. He talks about how they track and facilitate innovation in the financial markets, including a “primer” they issued on rules applying to cryptocurrency. He also explains how they explore new technology for use by the agency, itself -- they call that CFTC 2.0 -- as well as “Digital Reg,” an internal think tank for rapid learning and sharing of tech insight. Second, Dan talks with me about an exciting initiative they’ve just launched, issuing the first-ever CFTC Science Prize Competition Act challenge. They discovered this law empowering agencies to run competitions to solve regulatory problems in science and technology, and they decided to crowdsource ideas on both the problems to tackle and the process to use. Public comments are due July 24. In our conversation, Dan throws out some of the ideas he and his colleagues have thought of -- maybe regulatory data visualization tools, or machine-learning for market surveillance, or machine-readable and machine-executable regulation -- but they want to hear from you. Our listeners are among the most thoughtful people anywhere on regulation innovation, so please comment. You could even become CFTC Innovator of the Year! Our third topic is one that rarely surfaces in the innovation dialogue, and solely needs discussion: the legal and procedural obstacles to government agencies that want to embrace innovation. We could call the topic, government modernization. Think about it. If you were a federal agency wanting to keep up with technology innovation, you would want to be able to do a few things. You would want to be able to try out new technologies, hands-on. If the innovation was something you might adopt for your own agency, you would want to test it before you had to commit to a major procurement budget and procedure. You would also want to be able to brainstorm with a wide range of people, learning from them, thinking through ideas with them. All of this is stunted today by well-intentioned rules that were designed long ago -- for good reason -- to prevent inappropriate influence, backroom deals, and the like. Dan talks in particular about the Anti-Deficiency Act, which restricts procurement activities and prevents the CFTC from being able to try out new kinds of tools. Another issue is the procurement process itself. I met a few months ago with people from a different agency, showing them some innovative technology that could make their regulatory work easier, and one of them said, “If we decided today that we should adopt this, we would have it in seven years.” I’ve talked with other agencies that cite the Federal Advisory Committee Act, with its restrictions on meetings, and the Administrative Procedure Act, which structures the rule-making process and, at some stages, limits interactive dialogue. Agencies have raised concerns about various “government in the sunshine” rules, which again make it difficult to talk informally. Some can’t readily attend a breakfast or lunch event. They have to ask about the value of the meal being served and if it’s more than, I think it’s $15, they can’t eat it, or they have to go through paperwork to pay for it. And of course, there are complex approval processes for participating in various kinds of forums. More than any show we’ve done, this one puts you in the shoes of the regulatory agency and shows how their hands are tied by procedural prohibitions and requirements. I’d love to see someone do a study, maybe a graduate thesis, on how rules that were written in an older, slower era may now undermine the ability of regulators to keep up with exponential change in technology. We could use suggestions on updating them for the digital age. And remember, it’s an issue much broader than finance. I’ve been in and around Washington for decades and can remember the bad old days before some of these rules were created -- indeed, I remember some of the bad old practices that led to them. Still, we don’t need to straightjacket our regulators. Other countries have a much more fluid discussion between agencies and industry, and also have the ability to try things. One model is the Bank of England’s Fintech Accelerator, which explores new technology for the bank itself. And Dan and I both participated in London last month in the amazing AML Tech Sprint run by the UK Financial Conduct Authority -- which is a stunning model of innovative regulatory process. Its leaders were my guests on the last podcast we posted (which my friend Peter Renton of LendAcademy and LendIt called the “most fascinating discussion he’s ever heard on the future of financial regulation” -- if you missed it, check it out). Meanwhile, here’s some great news. Just a few days ago, Congressman Austin Scott (R-GA) introduced the CFTC Research and Development Modernization Act, H.R. 6121. Dan refers to it in our talk – it’s bipartisan legislation to address some of these hurdles at the CFTC. We’ll link to it in the show notes. The bill would permit the Commission to collaborate on projects with fintech developers. It would also allow it to receive “gifts” for R&D purposes, including software to try out, subject to common sense safeguards. The bill echoes work by Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC), who has sought to facilitate innovation by all the financial regulatory agencies. And the US agencies, themselves, are all moving ahead, too. The CFPB’s Acting Director, Mick Mulvaney, plans to launch a regulatory sandbox. The FDIC held a tremendously impressive technology forum. Five US agencies attended the UK tech sprint. Regulation innovation is coming, and no one is more thoughtful about it than Dan Gorfine. More links Our Podcast with Christopher Woolard of the UK Financial Conduct Authority Our Podcast with Nick Cook, the FCA’s head of regtech FinRegLab, which is leading regulatory innovation in the US Link to transcription of this episode (Note that transcripts may sometimes contain errors and that transcript timing notations do not match the posted podcast) More on Dan Gorfine Daniel Gorfine is Chief Innovation Officer and Director, LabCFTC at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. LabCFTC is dedicated to facilitating market-enhancing financial technology (FinTech) innovation, fair market competition, and proactive regulatory excellence and understanding of emerging technologies. Daniel is also an Adjunct Professor at the Georgetown University Law Center where he teaches a course on ‘FinTech Law & Policy.’ Daniel was most recently Vice President, External Affairs & Associate General Counsel at OnDeck, and previously served as director of financial markets policy and legal counsel at the Milken Institute think tank where he focused on technology-driven financial innovation, capital access, and financial market policy. Earlier in his career, Gorfine worked at the international law firm Covington & Burling LLP and served a clerkship with U.S. District Court Judge Catherine C. Blake in the District of Maryland. A graduate of Brown University (A.B.), Daniel holds a J.D. from George Washington University Law School and an M.A. from the Paul H. Nitze School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. More for our listeners We have many more great podcasts in the queue. We’ll talk with another community bank CEO, Mike Butler of Radius Bank.  We’ll have two more episodes that we recorded this year at LendIt. One is a discussion of new research by LendUp and Experian, on credit reporting, and the other is with Greg Kidd, Founder of Global ID.  We also recorded two episodes at last month’s Comply 2018 conference in New York, with two regtech firms -- Compliance.ai, which offers machine-readable regulatory compliance, and Alloy, which has high-tech solutions for meeting the Know-Your-Customer rules in AML. Speaking of LendIt, I was a guest last week on Lend Academy podcast, and Peter Renton will be on our show soon as well, so watch for those. I’m also excited we’ll have several leading members of Congress on the show in the coming weeks. So, stay tuned! The summer conference slowdown is nearly upon us, but I hope to see you at upcoming speeches and events including: American Bankers Association Regulatory Compliance Conference, June 26, Nashville, TN Money 2020, October in Las Vegas. Among other things, I’ll be speaking on the Revolution Stage about the regulation revolution Also, watch for upcoming information on my collaboration with Brett King on his new book on the future of finance -- we’ll have a show and events on that as well. If you listen to Barefoot Innovation on iTunes, please leave a five-star rating on the show to help us build it. Also please remember to send in your “buck a show” to keep it going, and come to jsbarefoot.com for today’s show notes and to join our email list, so you’ll get the newest podcast, newsletter, and blog posts. As always, please follow me on Twitter and Facebook. Support our Podcast And tell me what you’re thinking about digitizing regulation. Let’s widen this dialogue to more people and more and more ideas! Subscribe Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Email Address Sign Up We respect your privacy. Thank you!

For this episode of the Charlotte Angel Connection, we continued our interview with two of the founders of Credpal (they have 4) and one of the founders with Invoiro (they have 2).  In keeping with tradition, the first episode is primarily dedicated to their companies and the second episode will target their experiences thus far (about 1/2 way into the program at the time of the recording). These two companies are part of the QC Fintech Accelerator Program Class 8 – a world class accelerator program. As a reminder, you can come see these two companies and their classmates on June 13 at the Fintech Generations conference at AvidExchange. It will be an awesome event and would love to see you out there. In this episode we tackle some of the following questions: How did you find QC Fintech?  What was the process like for finding it?  I found it interesting they were both very quick to credit (www.f6s.com). What were you looking for out of an accelerator program? What’s been the most surprising thing so far about the program – positive or negative? How do they process the feedback they get from the advisors and mentors associated with QC Fintech and use it to propel the business forward to their next board meeting (they have board meetings every two weeks during the program)? What has QC Fintech done for you so far?  Has it caused them to pivot their original business, focus further, or something else? Are they currently raising money?  What do they do in the interim while they raise money?  How do they stay afloat? What are the potential exit strategies for both companies and at what point do they start thinking about the exit? Come back next week and listen to Keith Leudeman in the first of two podcasts.  As many of you know, Keith started GoodMortgage in 1998 and sold it back in 2016.  After staying on board for two years, Keith started to become VERY active in the startup space in Charlotte in March 2018. For our first interview, I wanted to explore Keith’s journey with GoodMortgage – he never took investor money – and then in Part II we talk about the Charlotte startup scene in ways we have yet done.  They are both worth the wait. William Bissett is an Investment Advisor Representative with Secrest Blakey & Associates, a Registered Investment Adviser.  Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Secrest Blakey & Associates. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.  Secrest Blakey & Associates does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under the Securities Act, and a Qualified Purchaser as defined in Section 2(a)(51)(A) under the Company Act or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests.  Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

Today we are happy to bring back two companies from the QC Fintech Accelerator Program Class 8.  This is the third class now where we have brought several members onto the program to talk about their companies and their experience in Charlotte - and more importantly being a part of what has grown to be a world class accelerator program. As a reminder, you can come see these two companies and their classmates on June 13 at the Fintech Generations conference at AvidExchange. It will be an awesome event and would love to see you out there. For this episode of the Charlotte Angel Connection, we interviewed two of the founders with Credpal (they have 4) and one of the founders with Invoiro (they have 2).  In keeping with tradition, the first episode is primarily dedicated to their companies and the second episode will target their experiences thus far (about 1/2 into the program at the time of the recording). As such, in this episode we tackle some of the following: What is their company and where the idea came from? Are they scared about the fact that both companies have competition in their space? What were the founders doing prior to starting their companies? How did they meet their co-founders? What's been the most difficult aspect of their startup - given they are both about 1-year into it? How do they tackle all the various challenges they already see and anticipate the ones ahead of them? Come back next week and listen to what they have to say about Charlotte and the QC Fintech Accelerator program.  How is Charlotte attracting really high quality talent from across the world and what do they think of the program today!  It's a great part II and speaks to the quality and depth of what Dan and his team have built.  I'm excited to bring it to you next week! William Bissett is an Investment Advisor Representative with Secrest Blakey & Associates, a Registered Investment Adviser.  Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Secrest Blakey & Associates. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.  Secrest Blakey & Associates does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under the Securities Act, and a Qualified Purchaser as defined in Section 2(a)(51)(A) under the Company Act or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests.  Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.

In this episode, Sam speaks with Veronika Kuznetsova, Managing Director of Supercharger, the most prestigious FinTech accelerator in Hong Kong, about the role the private sector has played supporting startups and driving the development of an I&T ecosystem. Veronika provides an insightful overview for Aussie FinTech startups with tips on how to access networks and capital in Hong Kong. More information about Supercharger, visit www.fintechsupercharger.com

What if regulation, as we know it, might disappear? Regulation will never stop, of course, but what if some of it will take on a new form, shaped by technology?  What if we’re entering into a new era of what we could call “digitally-native” regulation, that’s as agile and intuitive about regulation as digitally-native consumers are about consumer technology? Of all the shows we’ve ever done, I think this is the most mold-breaking and thought-provoking. My guest comes from the agency that is leading the world in modernizing financial regulation for the digital age, and he leads the team that’s doing it. Nick Cook is the head of Regtech and Advanced Analytics for the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority. The FCA’s innovation leadership is world-renowned, especially for their Project Innovate and its “regulatory sandbox,” which allows careful testing of new financial technology that could benefit consumers. Less well-known, though, is a newer initiative, launched about 16 months ago, to explore regtech. As we’ve discussed in other shows, the term “regtech” is used in two ways. It refers both to regtech for regulators -- technology to enhance their own activities, and to regtech for the industry, to improve or streamline regulatory compliance. The FCA is working on both halves of this equation, and true to form, they’ve invented an innovative way to explore it. They aren’t using a sandbox for regtech (although the Bank of England has a sandbox-like “Fintech Accelerator”). Instead, Nick’s team has been convening what they call “tech sprints.” They invite a diverse set of participants -- banks, fintechs, tech companies, lawyers, consultancies, academics and others -- to come together for problem-solving exercises designed like hackathons. Sometimes for a day or two, and sometimes longer, they work on how new technology could be applied to a regulatory challenge like “digitizing” the rule book or streamlining regulatory reporting. Nick and I recorded this discussion at the Regtech Enable conference in Washington in December, where he had just shared an update on their work from the stage. At the time, they were in the midst of a two-week sprint that had two objectives. The first is to try to make regulatory reporting requirements “machine-readable,” and therefore much easier to navigate, including for innovative companies that often struggle just to know what rules apply to them. The second -- even more profound -- is to explore whether some regulations can also be made “machine-executable” -- could regulatory guidance, in some cases, be issued in the form of computer code, and therefore be self-implementing? This is an idea that’s been under discussion for about a year, including at a regtech roundtable I hosted last spring as a Senior Fellow in the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Business and Government. The same conversations have included a second concept the FCA is also pursuing, namely that new, high-tech regulation should be introduced gradually and should be optional for the industry. Gradual rollout would enable policymakers to start small and learn, while voluntary adoption opens up a practical road to changing our complex system with minimal disruption.   The FCA’s tech sprint on machine executable reporting ended a few days after we recorded this podcast. They will be sharing its results in the coming months, so be sure to watch for it! Let’s step back and think about what’s underway here. Finance is being transformed from analog to digital design. And, right behind it, so is regulation. Digitization will do for both -- for finance and financial regulation -- what it does for everything else. That is, it will make them faster, better, and cheaper, and will create a new foundation on which people will innovate further, in ways we cannot yet envision. A striking thing about my talk with Nick is how different he sounds from traditional regulators. It’s hard to put your finger on exactly why, but I think it’s mainly the comfort he displays with uncertainty. The same trait was evident in my earlier podcast with Christopher Woolard, who heads the FCA’s innovation strategy. Somehow this agency manages to be simultaneously bold and humble. They know they don’t have this all figured out. They even know they can’t figure it out by themselves. But they also know they can move forward, and that the way to do so is by engaging a community of diverse experts to work together. As Nick says, that can be scary, but the risks come way down, for regulators and everyone else, when solutions are developed collaboratively by people who believe in its potential to make regulation better. I hope this episode finds its way to many regulators, including those in the US where our agencies are actively exploring innovation agendas. Nick says regtech should be easier for regulators than fintech change is. For one thing, the companies leading it are generally not regulated entities, which makes them easier to work with. In addition, no consumers are affected by regtech experimentation. It’s about how the regulators can do their own jobs better, and/or can enable financial companies to do the same. As he puts it, regulators can, therefore, put “a toe in the water,” in regtech, and then move forward. My friend Andrew Burt of Imuta and Yale Law School helped design the FCA’s December sprint and has put out a white paper on it. And here is the FCA’s great video on how tech sprints work. So, I’m not naive. I’ve been a bank regulator, a U.S. Senate staffer, and I’ve worked in regulatory compliance for decades. Technology won’t magically make regulation easy. These solutions won’t fit some types of regulation, and where they do fit, they will inevitably create new problems. We all know all that. Still...Digitally-native regulation. Think about it. More on Nick Cook Nick leads the FCA’s RegTech activities, including the FCA’s TechSprint events - the first events of their kind convened by a financial regulator. He is responsible for creating the FCA’s Analytics Centre of Excellence to drive the organization’s use of data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence.  Nick is the FCA’s representative on the European Securities and Markets Authority’s (ESMA) Financial Innovation Standing Committee and an advisor to the RegTech for Regulators Accelerator Programme. Nick joined the Financial Services Authority (the FCA’s predecessor) in 2009, initially in its Enforcement and Market Oversight Division. Prior to joining the regulator, Nick qualified as a chartered accountant at KPMG Forensic. Other links Podcast with Sanjay Jain on the “India stack” technology Podcast with Miles Reidy on regtech More for our listeners Just before Christmas, I finished my 7 week, three-continent “World Tour.” I think 2017 was the pivotal year for moving both fintech regulation and regtech toward becoming priority issues at regulatory agencies throughout the world. 2018 will take it all to the next level. We’re starting the year with amazing shows in the queue. We’ll have a fascinating London conversation with the charismatic CEO of Starling Bank, Anne Boden; another with Innovate Finance CEO Charlotte Crosswell; and another with a group of amazing innovators working in Europe and Africa, including Ecobank. In the U.S. we’ll have one with Cross River Bank CEO Gilles Gade; with Michael Wiegand, who heads the Gates Foundation’s work on financial services for the poor; with Financial Services Roundtable CEO Tim Pawlenty; and with Nerd Wallet CEO Tim Chen...and many more! I hope to see you at upcoming events including: OCC Bank Information Technology Conference, January 9-12, Washington, DC Innovate Finance Global Summit, March 19-20, London, UK Bank Director, The Reality of Regtech, April 18, New York Texas Bankers Association Annual Conference, May 3, Houston, Texas Comply 2018, May 16, New York As always, please remember to review Barefoot Innovation on iTunes, and sign up to get emails that bring you the newest podcast, newsletter, and blog posts, at jsbarefoot.com. Again, follow me on twitter and facebook.  And please send in your “buck a show” to keep Barefoot Innovation going. And keep innovating! Support our Podcast Jo Ann Subscribe Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Email Address Sign Up We respect your privacy. Thank you!

Discover more tech podcasts like this: Tech Podcast Asia. Produced by Pikkal & Co - Award Winning Podcast Agency. Felix is the Managing Director of The Finlab, a corporate FinTech Accelerator which is a joint venture between United Overseas Bank (UOB) and SGInnovate, previously known as Infocomm Investments. Felix was one of the pioneers of the Singapore startup and internet scene and started building funded companies as far back as 1995. His two most famous companies were SilkRoute and ECNet, which we discuss at length. The stories about the founding, growth, funding and ultimate demise of these companies is compelling and an interesting tale of being a bit too early. Felix was a Computer Science graduate and represented Singapore in the South East Asian Games in the sport of Fencing.

In Episode #622, Nathan interviews Nektarios Liolios. He’s the CEO and co-founder of Startup Bootcamp, Financial Technology, and Insurance Technology—the leading innovation program in the financial and insurance industry. They provide funding, mentorship, office space in the heart of London, Singapore, New York and Mumbai and access into their global network including investors and VCs, up to 10 folks, each time they do it. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – The Lean Startup What CEO do you follow? –  N/A Favorite online tool? — Slack Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – Nektarios wished that at 20, he would have known that he didn’t know everything and to be less scared   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:28 – Nathan introduces Nektarios to the show 02:08 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech is a network of accelerators 02:17 – It is cohort-based 02:24 – The programs are industry focused programs 02:58 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech has 400 companies that have graduated 03:12 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech was launched in January 2014 03:29 – Nektarios shares how Startup Bootcamp FinTech started 03:56 – “To add real value, you need to be super sharp in your focus” 04:20 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech doesn’t take investments, but they take equity 04:30 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech takes 6% equity 05:52 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech has a variety of programs 06:35 – One of their teams is in Singapore 07:30 – Walnut Algorithms of France is part of their program 07:47 – It was built thinking it would revolutionize the algorithm industry 07:57 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech usually works with pre-seed startups 08:05 – Their products are not ready to launch yet 08:38 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech had 60 companies that are FinTech focused 08:52 – Buzzmove is one of the companies that have raised the most 09:05 – It provides accurate data for home insurance 09:25 – It is a data provider solution 09:35 – It sells to insurance providers 09:54 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech programs are funded by the industry players 10:26 – Nektarios shares what drives their company 11:07 – Who will win, Betterment or Wealthfront? 11:49 – It is difficult for Nektarios to discern which company will succeed 12:25 – Nathan shares his interview with Andy of Wealthfront 12:58 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech is the only program with the global reach 13:08 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech offers every entrepreneur in the globe access to their network 13:24 – The Global Insurance Accelerator is their only competition 13:34 – Nektarios shares what he thinks of the insurance space 13:58 – Insurance people are relevant to the industry 14:24 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech creates fund structure for every program 14:42 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech needs a minimum amount to run a program 15:05 – Every location of Startup Bootcamp FinTech has 5 people 15:53 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech isn’t driven by a commercial perspective 17:40 – The Famous Five   3 Key Points: To add real value, you need to be razor sharp in your focus. Insurance space has so much potential to be a lucrative space—it’s less crowded and there are so many problems to solve. Just go for it—take the consequences as it’s going to be a ride.   Resources Mentioned: The Top Inbox  – The site Nathan uses to schedule emails to be sent later, set reminders in inbox, track opens, and follow-up with email sequences Organifi – The juice was Nathan’s life saver during his trip in Southeast Asia Klipfolio – Track your business performance across all departments for FREE Acuity Scheduling – Nathan uses Acuity to schedule his podcast interviews and appointments Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for the cheapest price possible Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he’s driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5-hour drive) to listen to audio books Freshbooks – Nathan doesn’t waste time so he uses Freshbooks to send out invoices and collect his money. Get your free month NOW Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

You are in for a fun and informative show today. We have Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson on the show from a live interview earlier today in Spring Hill, Arkansas at the Spring Hill School District. The governor discusses his Tour to promote the computer science and coding standards, #ARKidsCanCode and the FinTech Accelerator. We also have a lovely visit with Spring Hill Superintendent Angie Raney. Music from our favorite Ni(c)ks, Nik Sea (@niksea) and Nick Flora (@nickflora).

Well, this is one inspiring lady, with a can do attitude and a thirst for knowledge. GeekGirl caught up with Adizah Tejani of Level39 (@adizah_tejani)to discuss everything from FinTech to accidentally meeting Bill Gates. Adizah is the Head of Ecosystem Development at Level39. She has been in the startup ecosystem for the last six years and understands how to create an environment for startups to grow. At Level39 her work ranges from building and connecting the 180+ community of startups to establishing key strategic partnerships with organisations that understand the Level39 ethos. She leads the curation of seven hours of content delivered weekly to startups, mentor engagement, membership growth and investor relations. Partnerships over the last two years include World Economic Forum, Paypal, Swift and many more. Her contribution to fintech in the UK is as part of the founding team of Level39 the first FinTech Accelerator in Europe - when Level39 opened there were 6 startups and now there are 180+ across three floors creating a thriving ecosystem for growth. Adizah was recently named in the City A.M Power 100 women 2016 and has spoken in USA, Europe and Asia about technology entrepreneurship, startups and digital driven change.