FIS, Venture Center announces seventh cohort for fintech accelerator program
Financial technology giant FIS and The Venture Center announced on Wednesday (10 August) the 10 companies selected for the 2022 FIS Fintech Accelerator programme. The Little Rock-based program provides growth-stage fintechs with guidance, training and a monetary investment to develop their solutions.
It is the seventh cohort for the fintech accelerator program.
“FIS’ Accelerator provides fintech startups with guidance from executives and subject matter experts, access to developers and customers, and a strategy to create a path forward with FIS,” said Elaine Duff, Head of FIS Impact Ventures Fintech Advocacy, FIS. “We are thrilled to have these ten companies on board to explore their ideas and technologies while providing them with incredible tools and resources to build their businesses.”
The accelerator is an important strategic pillar of FIS Impact Ventures, the corporate investment division of FIS that identifies and helps develop new technologies. With 30% of this year’s cohort consisting of female founders, the ten selected companies and their technologies are:
- Connect to earth – Green environmental impact bank
- Equipment – Buy now, pay later
- Neural payments – P2P (peer-to-peer) payments
- Nickel – Credit card debt management for financial wellness
- Privacy lock – Automation of privacy
- Sardine – ACH money movement and cryptocurrency risk management
- Sygno – Monitoring of fraudulent transactions
- Editable – Cloud-based compliance
- Press check – Earned wage access for employees’ financial well-being
- Themis – Solutions for regulatory compliance
“Arkansas is globally recognized as a financial technology center. FinTech was created here, and with programs like the FIS Fintech Accelerator, we continue to drive innovation,” said Governor Asa Hutchinson. “The future is coming, so banking and finance must evolve to meet the advanced technologies and provide better opportunities for customers. As we enter our seventh year in partnership with the Venture Center and FIS, Arkansas looks forward to hosting the next group of minds that will stir the balls of innovation.”
Arkansas is home to three publicly traded bank holding companies with presence in several states, as well as Stephens Inc., one of the largest investment banking firms outside of Wall Street.
“We are excited to begin the seventh year of our partnership with FIS and the state of Arkansas to produce the 2022 FIS Fintech Accelerator,” said Wayne Miller, CEO of the Venture Center. “Our work with FIS is more important than ever as digital transformation continues to revolutionize everything we do. This year’s cohort demonstrates what fintech partnerships are all about, and the program is sure to be elevated as we work with FIS Impact Ventures President Rob Lee and his team, whose dedication to fintech advocacy, diversity and inclusion perfectly aligns with our own aim to drive meaningful impact.”
Next week, The Venture Center is hosting a fintech summit in Little Rock called VenCent. It will feature a variety of speakers and conversations regarding the state of fintech in Arkansas and globally.
