FinTech Innovation Summit

1.14.25 -- 1.16.25

Join us for an immersive day of FinTech Programming! 

Built w/

Supported by

Our Innovation Labs Connects
Founders
Corporates
Investors
Innovation Ecosystem

Built with industry experts

Xiaochen Zhang 

CEO, FinTech4Good and Executive Director & Chief Responsible AI Officer, AI 2030

The path to becoming a successful FinTech entrepreneur is fraught with challenges. You don’t have to navigate this journey alone. Join the 1871 FinTech Innovation Lab and immerse yourself in a dynamic, global FinTech ecosystem. Here, you’ll find inspiring mentors, strategic investors, talented collaborators, and a supportive community—all dedicated to your growth. This is why I’m thrilled to be an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) at the Lab. Together, we can turn your ambitious FinTech dreams into reality. Take the leap. Shape the future. Join us now.”

Day 1: Market Matching Day

  • Experience high impact collisions: Exclusive event for Corporates and Investors to match with founders solving problems relevant to their business.

Note – This day is exclusive to corporates and investors only. You must recieve an acceptance email to attend.

Day 2: Market Match Day Cont. & Pitch Showcase

  • Discover cutting-edge innovation: Learn from visionary founders in our fintech cohort.
  • Expand your network: Connect with leaders and innovators driving change at the intersection of industry and technology.
  • Exclusive for corporate partners: Join our corporate innovators roundtable and network with peers leading transformative projects within their companies.

Day 3: Innovation Day

  • Hear from industry leaders: Hear from industry leaders about disruptive trends and watch the top pitches from our innovation cohort.
  • Dive into hot topics: Engage in small group discussions in breakout rooms focused on the hottest challenges in your industry.
  • Explore the startup expo: Meet 35+ founders, experience live demos, and discover how their solutions are shaping the future.
  • Learn from corporate innovators: Gain insights into how our corporate partners are leading the charge on innovation in their industries.

Day 3: Summit Agenda

9:00 AM

Opening Remarks

Betsy Ziegler

Betsy Ziegler, CEO @1871

9:15 AM

Partner Fireside: Discover

With Discover

9:50 AM

Partner Fireside: United

With United

10:25AM

Pitch Showcase Finale

Cheer on our pitch showcase finalists!

11:35 AM

Breakout Sessions (3)

Innovative Pathways to Financial Inclusion
Investing In FinTech: Unlocking Value in Financial Technology Disruption
Payments 2030: Emerging Technologies and the Evolution of Transactions

12:15 PM

Lunch & Networking

1:15 PM

Panel #1

Fintech In Chicago: Bridging Technology & Finance In The Midwest

2:05 PM

Panel #2

The Evolution of FinTech: Discussing Emerging Trends & ROI

2:50 PM

Fireside Chat with Bill Phelan

Bill Phelan, Senior Vice President @ Equifax

3:40 PM

Startup Expo

5:10 PM

Awards & Closing Remarks

Thank you for joining us!

Lab breakdown

Next Cohort: Fall 2024

At a glance

Run time:
10.14.24 -1.17.25
Time commitment:
1 Week / month 4 months
Experience: 
Immersive vertical & in-personal weeks w/ a capstone Summit event

Getting started

Application phase:  08.05.24 – 09.06.24

Immersive week 1: 

10.14.24 – 10.18.24 [Virtual]

 

Immersive week 2: 

11.18.24 – 11.22.24 [In-Person]

 

Immersive week 3: 

12.16.24 – 12.20.24 [Virtual]

 

Immersive week 4:

 1.13.25 – 1.17.25 [In-Person]

 

Innovation Summit: 

1.14.25 – 1.16.25 [In-Person]

Focus Areas in FinTech for Lab 2024

Payments

These payment innovations aim to improve the way payments are processed, managed, and secured, benefiting both businesses and consumers.

Frictionless payment (B2C Payment):

Payment innovations which eliminate any friction or complications in the transaction process. Frictionless payments can be achieved through various technologies and methods.

• Mobile wallet payments
• Online one-click checkout payments
• Software integrated payments
• Connected car/home/city payments (IoT-enabled)
• Personalized digital offers (placement/redemption)
• Advanced authentication (password to passkey)

 Seamless payment (B2B Payment):

Payment innovations which streamline and improve transactions between businesses. Digital Invoicing and Payment Platforms, Virtual Cards, Cross-Border Payment Solutions, Supply Chain Finance Platforms and Embedded Finance Solutions.

Payment Safety and Security:

Fraud detection, Authentication solutions, Regulatory compliance solutions.

Banking

The banking innovations aim to disrupt traditional models and introducing new ways of delivering banking services.

Digital Banking:

Digital banking provides traditional banking services online or via mobile devices, eliminating branch visits. EX. Chatbots, instant account opening, authentication, digital wallets, mobile payments, financial inclusion solutions.

Open Banking:

Allows third-party financial providers to access consumer banking data via application programming interfaces (APIs). Ex. Payment initiation, personal finance management, credit scoring, and lending.

Compliance/ Risk Management:

Innovations that provide advanced tools and solutions to maintain regulatory standards and mitigate risks. E.g., AML/KYC solutions, RegTech platforms, risk management, fraud detection, and compliance.

Emerging FinTech

Utilizing cutting-edge technologies to develop new financial services and improve existing ones.

Digital Identity Verification:

Utilizing biometric and digital technologies to verify customer identities quickly and securely, facilitating access to financial services.

Blockchain and DLT based FinTech solutions:

Transform financial services with decentralized, secure, transparent, and efficient technologies for payments, lending, and asset management.

Cybersecurity Innovations:

Developing advanced security measures to protect against financial fraud and cyber threats.

Data, advanced analytics, and quantum computing:

Harnessing big data, advanced analytics, and quantum computing for innovative, efficient, and powerful financial solutions. e.g. predictive analytics, personalized financial services, quantum-based, new innovations.

Lab breakdown

The lab is made up of 4-weeks of immersive programming and culminates with a capstone-like event, our AI Innovation Summit. 

Startup recruitment & application

Apps due by

03.10.23

2023 Immersive Lab

Week 1

4.3.23 - 4.7.23 [Virtual]

Week 2

5.1.23 - 5.5.23 [In-person]

Week 3

5.30.23 - 6.02.23 [Virtual]

Week 4

6.26.23 - 6.30.23 [In-person]

2023 AI Innovation Summit

Public showcase

6.29.23

2023 AI Innovation Summit

Join us on 6.29.23 for the first-ever event to link early stage startups, growth scalers, corporate innovators, mentors, venture capitalists, and community leaders in ALL that is happening in AI innovation.

Program supporters

Thanks to the following companies for supporting our immersive week program + summit event.