ICBA and The Venture Center Showcase Community Bank Innovation
Washington,
April 8, 2020
ICBA and The Venture Center Showcase Community Bank Innovation
ICBA 04/08/2020 The Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) and The Venture Center, in partnership with the State of Arkansas, today hosted the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator Virtual Demo Day, for its second cohort. The program drives community bank innovation through the introduction of high-tech, high-touch solutions aimed at enhancing customer experiences. ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator participants are also offering community banks free services, deferred payments, or accelerated deployments of their digital products to support community banks amid the COVID-19 pandemic. During the Demo Day, fintech participant Lendsmart was named “MVP” for its extraordinary effort, spirit of collaboration, and platform’s potential to solve for community bankers’ business challenges and opportunities. Griffin Technologies was also recognized as the 2020 Banker’s Choice Award winner at ICBA’s national convention, ICBA LIVE® last month in Orlando, Fla. Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), Little Rock, Ark. Mayor Frank Scott Jr., ICBA Chairman Noah Wilcox, ICBA Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer Charles Potts, and The Venture Center Executive Director Wayne Miller spoke at the live-streamed event. “ICBA launched the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program, in partnership with The Venture Center and the State of Arkansas, so that community banks can continue making a positive economic impact in the communities we serve day in and day out, especially during difficult times like these,” said Wilcox who also serves as president, CEO and chairman of Grand Rapids State Bank and its holding company, Wilcox Bancshares Inc., both based in Grand Rapids, Minn. "Community banks are, and always have been, nimble innovators and creative problem solvers, particularly during challenging times like these," ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey said. “We’re proud to support these efforts through the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program, as we strive to create and promote an environment where community banks and their customers flourish.” “The ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator is the launchpad for community bank and early-stage fintech partnerships,” The Venture Center’s Miller said. “Now, more than ever, we see the critical need for expedient innovation, and we are grateful to play a role in ICBA’s mission to support community banks working to meet the needs of their consumers in times of certainty and in times of crisis.” After completing the rigorous bootcamp, the nine selected companies are primed to usher innovation in the areas of lending, customer acquisition and retention, data analytics and fraud mitigation, and financial well-being. The 2020 ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator alumni are: Finscend, Tel Aviv, Israel Fintel Connect, Vancouver, B.C. Finzly, Charlotte, N.C. FI Works, Little Rock, Ark. Fraud.net, New York, N.Y. Griffin Technologies, Overland Park, Kan. Hexanika, New York, N.Y. and Pune, India Lendsmart, Hoboken, N.J. Wallit, Portland, Maine |
