While money may not be the root of all evil as one might suggest, the concept of currency and exchange of goods have roots in practically any society around the world. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that an accelerator program focused on disrupting such industry with global implications would attract an international cohort of companies, even in its inaugural run.
On August 3, the Clinton Presidential Center will host the VC FinTech Accelerator’s inaugural Global Investor Demo Day that will feature ten teams representing the depth and breath of the need for FinTech disruption, both in location and proposed solution. Powered by FIS, the 12-week program comes to a close as the companies present their businesses with an investor pitch to highlight traction to date for investors and the community.
“We are excited to showcase the significant traction these disruptive FinTech companies have made in our program,” said Lee Watson, president and CEO of The Venture Center. “The past 12 weeks have been intense, and these CEOs have made tremendous steps forward with going to market in the short time they’ve been at The Venture Center.”
The registration to the event has now closed, but the Venture Center has partnered with Arvest to bring a livestream of the event:
The featured teams are:
- Akouba: an online, end-to-end commercial loan platform that enables regulated financial institutions to lend money to small businesses simply, efficiently and profitably through an omni-channel experience.
- Bleu: a point-of-transaction network and universal payment gateway, powered by Bluetooth beacons, that enables all forms of payment and a mobile platform for customer loyalty and engagement.
- Dream Forward: a low-cost 401(k) retirement plan that uses new technology to boost the savings rate among middle- and low-income employees.
- Flutterwave: technology and infrastructure for seamlessly and securely processing payments, remittances and digital services across Africa.
- Fundseeder: a data and performance analytics platform for traders, designed to democratize and globalize the capital allocation process.
- Hexanika: an end-to-end solution for financial institutions to address data sourcing and reporting challenges for regulatory compliance.
- LumoXchange: a remittance marketplace to compare exchange rates in countries across the world and enable individuals to send online money using local FX rates at lower costs versus current providers.
- Mortgage Peer Network: a platform that enables analysis of a bank’s mortgage lending process by providing peer-based scoring and real-time customer feedback to improve processes and increase customer retention.
- Monotto: a personal finance solution that automates the process of saving and is built to increase the savings of millennials and grow with them as their needs change.
- PFITR: a BPVTM tool that provides bond market transparency and internal controls for the Bond Buyer, helping them to get better bond pricing and risk information. Koetting.
Demo Day in itself is a momentous occasion for any startup community, but the Venture Center and Little Rock have made a point to see a larger picture of what an entrepreneurial ecosystem could be for the ecosystem of the local economy and beyond. Gov. Asa Hutchinson will be the keynote speaker for the afternoon, and in addition to investor pitches, the event will include economic development announcements, which will be revealed for the first time at the demo day.
With their choice of venue and level of community involvement for this demo day, it’s encouraging to see Little Rock making a strategic move in making sure that FinTech as well as the entire entrepreneurial community has a positive relationship with the community-at-large moving forward.
Photo provided by the Venture Center
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