The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), in partnership with The Venture Center and the State of Arkansas, has unveiled its fourth annual ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator cohort. The latest fintech cohort in this global fintech accelerator supports ICBA’s mission to help community banks flourish.
The Venture Center’s immersive accelerator programs are designed to accelerate the growth of early-to-growth stage companies and help them validate their solutions for real-world problems. The Venture Center’s methodology provides an opportunity to connect with community bank executives, receive investment and learn from a comprehensive curriculum that will aid in strategically addressing go-to-market, business and finance challenges.
The 2022 cohort were chosen from hundreds of applicants following a vetting process by the ICBA Selection Committee for overall sustainability including the strength of the team and product maturity and market viability. Selected companies receive ICBA investments and participate in an immersive 12-week bootcamp, and receive mentorship from a distinguished roster of community bank executives and industry leaders before revealing their retooled offerings with a showcase at ICBA’s annual convention, ICBA LIVE in February, and a Venture Center Demo Day in March.
“Technology is rapidly adapting to meet evolving market dynamics, requiring community banks to move with efficiency, expediency and purpose to remain at the forefront of innovation,” ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey said. “This year’s cohort represents a broad spectrum of offerings designed to reduce costs, increase revenue, and create meaningful experiences that strengthen community bank customer relationships. I’m looking forward to seeing what develops over the course of the program as we write the next chapter of the community bank innovation story.”
The 2022 ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator cohort includes:
- Accrue – loan origination/business account opening
- Chimney – (formerly Signal Intent) next generation financial calculators
- DocFox – business account opening/Bank Secrecy Act compliance
- KlariVis – data and business intelligence
- LemonadeLXP – learning experience/digital adoption
- Quilo – installment lending
- Senso – lead generation for mortgages
- Sequretek – cybersecurity
- Unifimoney – Investing and money management
- Vero Technologies – floor plan lending
- WealthStack – SMB-focused financial wellness platform
“The fourth annual ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator is here in a time of tremendous opportunity for community banks and fintechs to collaborate,” said Wayne Miller, The Venture Center’s executive director. “We are honored to play a role in bringing community banks and fintechs to the table in this transformative program that is both grounded in hard results and guided by innovative vision.”
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