Cohort offers diverse mix of cybersecurity, lending, financial wellness solutions, and more
Washington, D.C. (Nov. 30, 2021) — The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) and The Venture Center, in partnership with the State of Arkansas, announced the selection of 11 companies for the fourth annual ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program, kicking off on Jan. 11, 2022 during an event hosted by the groups.
The latest ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program continues ICBA’s initiative to foster successful partnerships between promising fintechs and community banks through an immersive, hands-on, innovation experience. This year’s program will again include an incubator phase, bringing the intensive bootcamp process to 16 weeks during which the cohort will receive guidance from a distinguished network of industry leaders, including community bank executives, along with an initial investment to help refine their offerings for community bank consumption.
"Community bank innovation requires a tremendous investment of time and resources," ICBA Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer Charles Potts said. "ICBA remains dedicated to fostering community bank-fintech collaborations to help source and cultivate promising fintechs and accelerate their growth as we support our community bank members’ efforts to remain responsive to the evolving needs of their customers."
The 2022 ICBA ThinkTECH cohort includes:
- Accrue – loan origination/business and consumer account opening, integration-as-a-service
- DocFox – business account opening automation
- KlariVis – data and business intelligence
- LemonadeLXP – learning experience/digital adoption
- Quilo – instant personal lending
- Senso – proactive lead generation for retail mortgages
- Sequretek – cybersecurity
- Signal Intent – next generation financial guidance
- Unifimoney – investing and money management
- Vero Technologies – inventory finance platform for small- to medium-businesses
- WealthStack – small- to medium-business focused financial wellness platform
"The Venture Center is honored to produce the only community bank-focused accelerator program in the country with the incredible team at ICBA and with support from the state of Arkansas," The Venture Center's Executive Director Wayne Miller said. "The selection process ensures a highly impactful forum for community bankers to explore innovation, test solutions in real-world scenarios, and collaborate with growth-stage fintechs to shape the future of community banking together."
To learn more about the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program, visit icba.org/thinktech/accelerator.
To register as press for the Jan. 11 virtual kickoff event, contact [email protected] or [email protected].
About ICBA
The Independent Community Bankers of America creates and promotes an environment where community banks flourish. ICBA is dedicated exclusively to representing the interests of the community banking industry and its membership through effective advocacy, best-in-class education, and high-quality products and services.
With nearly 50,000 locations nationwide, community banks constitute 99 percent of all banks, employ more than 700,000 Americans and are the only physical banking presence in one in three U.S. counties. Holding more than $5 trillion in assets, over $4.4 trillion in deposits, and more than $3.4 trillion in loans to consumers, small businesses and the agricultural community, community banks channel local deposits into the Main Streets and neighborhoods they serve, spurring job creation, fostering innovation and fueling their customers’ dreams in communities throughout America. For more information, visit ICBA’s website at www.icba.org.
About The Venture Center
The Venture Center’s immersive accelerator programs are designed to accelerate the growth of early-stage companies and help them validate their solutions for real-world problems. Our methodology provides a unique opportunity to connect with community bank executives, receive seed investment and learn from a comprehensive curriculum that will aid in strategically addressing go-to-market, business, and finance challenges.
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