Fintech early-stage startups have gathered in Little Rock in recent months for the second ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator, a program designed to drive innovation in the community banking sector, hosted by the Venture Center in partnership with the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA).
On Wednesday, April 8, the nine participants pitched their companies during a virtual Demo Day. During the Demo Day, each of the participating companies had seven minutes to discuss their products or services.
This Demo Day was the culmination of a rigorous 12-week program focused on accelerating fintech companies by providing them with access to capital, mentorship, connections to industry partners and more.
“The ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator is the launch pad for community bank and early-stage fintech partnerships,” Wayne Miller, executive director of The Venture Center, said in a statement. “Now, more than ever, we see the critical need for expedient innovation, and we are grateful to play a role in ICBA’s mission to support community banks working to meet the needs of their consumers in times of certainty and in times of crisis.”
One company was recognized during Demo Day for its performance throughout the accelerator. Lendsmart received the MVP award for “extraordinary effort, spirit of collaboration, and platform’s potential to solve for community bankers’ business challenges and opportunities,” according to a Venture Center news release. Lendsmart, a digital lending platform and home buying marketplace, is a company that aims to serve all of the needs of homebuyerss – from mortgage applications to finding insurance to closing the deal. The company provides a platform that helps guide banks through the home buying journey in one digital experience
Previously, Griffin Technologies had been declared the 2020 Banker’s Choice Award winner at ICBA’s national conventionin Orlando, Fla., in March.
The 2020 ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator alumni include:
- Finscend, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Fintel Connect, Vancouver, B.C.
- Finzly, Charlotte, N.C.
- FI Works, Little Rock, Ark.
- Fraud.net, New York, N.Y.
- Griffin Technologies, Overland Park, Kan.
- Hexanika, New York, N.Y. and Pune, India
- Lendsmart, Hoboken, N.J.
- Wallit, Portland, Maine
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