WMNfintech

Develop your services or solutions with tailored fintech support, resources, & mentorship from BMO Financial Group experts & leaders in our program designed for women-led companies.

Stay in touch via this interest form to be one of the first to hear about the next cohort application in 2023!

About the program

WMNfintech is our award-winning program powered by BMO Financial Group that empowers startup founders to create services or solutions that will transform the financial sector.

In this three-month mentoring initiative, cohort members will gain access to:

1:1 guidance from industry experts & executive champions at BMO Financial Group
Four-month complimentary membership to 1871’s space, resources, & roadmap of support
A tailored curriculum focused on enterprise sales cycles, vendor management, information security & risk and regulatory requirements
The opportunity to pitch VC investors for feedback, mentoring, & continued connections

You’ll be in great company

We’re proud to open doors for women founders working in the fintech field, and we can’t wait to connect you with your next great opportunity! In addition to the program itself, participants become alumni to an exclusive community that includes financial institutions, venture capitalists, and industry leaders.

You’ll be in great company with alumni like Trustate, which leveraged the resources through the program to refine their product offering, access mentorship opportunities, and secure seed round funding.

Eligibility

WMNfintech is designed to support women founded & led startups with a U.S. based product or service that supports the financial sector. This is the perfect opportunity for you if you have:

A working, assumptions-driven financial model & analytics tied to each relevant step of your customer’s journey
A built minimum viable product (MVP)
A team consisting of more than one person
Have a United States focused product and/or service

Program schedule

WMNfintech builds upon 1871’s structured yet flexible roadmap of support known as PYROS, which includes a 12-week series of hybrid workshops, share outs, deep dives, and one-to-one mentoring built to help founders navigate startup fundamentals.

In this immersive program, cohort members will participate in four immersive weeks (one per month) where they will attend PYROS programming and tailored fintech deep dives led by BMO leaders & experts.

The program will also culminate in a cohort showcase, where participants will have the opportunity to share their business solutions & services directly with BMO executives.

Applications Open: 3.21
Applications Close: 4.22
Program Kickoff: 5.16
BMO Week 1: 5.23 – 5.27
BMO Week 2: 6.20 – 6.25
BMO Week 3: 7.18 – 7.22
BMO Week 4: 8.15 – 8.20

About our WMNtech initiatives

WMNfintech is a part of WMNtech, our affinity offerings designed specifically for women founders & leaders in technology. Ranging from tailored & regular programming, mentorship, pitch competitions, & more, WMNtech serves women professionals from across the entire maturity curve & empowers them to succeed in every step of their career journey.

To learn more about our bi-annual programming for women professionals, check out our WMNtech Founders & WMNtech Leaders pages!

Our partner

A special thank you to our longtime partner BMO Financial Group for making WMNfintech possible!

WMNfintech in the news

Our WMNfintech program & its cohort members are frequently featured in the news! Check out some of our recent clips:

Five Women-Led Startups Selected for BMO Harris Bank and 1871 WMN•FINtech Program
1871, BMO Bank Announce WMN-FINtech Accelerator’s Inaugural Class
Meet the 5 startups in 1871’s first women-focused BMO Harris Bank accelerator
How Millennials And Gen Z Could Reinvent The Banking Industry
BMO Harris Bank Partners with Fintech Startup Hope Trust
Five Women-Led Startups Selected for BMO Harris Bank and 1871 WMN•FINtech Program
BMO Harris Bank, 1871 open applications for women-led fintech startup accelerator