Fifteen fintech start-ups will pitch their business ideas to an audience of bankers and VCs at the European semi-final of Swift's Innotribe Start-up Challenge, which is taking place at the Finextra Future Money show in Canary Wharf later this month.
The semi-finalists have been individually hand-picked by the innovation arm of the global banking co-operative, together with a pool of over 500 judges. In total, 47 companies have been selected from around the world to pitch their business ideas during three regional showcases in London, Singapore and New York.
The 5 winners of each regional showcase (three early-stage startups and two growth-stage innovators) will automatically secure a place as a finalist in the Grand Finale at Sibos, Swift's annual conference, in Boston on Wednesday, 1 October. The most innovative startup will receive a $50,000 cash prize.
Fabian Vandenreydt, head of markets management, Innotribe and the Swift Institute at Swift, says: "We are very impressed with the record number and quality of the 280 applications submitted for this year's Innotribe Startup Challenge. Our judges have selected a variety of companies showcasing numerous opportunities for the financial services industry."
This year, the European leg of the competition is taking place in London on 1 May, during the Finextra Future Money conference at Level39, in the heart of the financial district in Canary Wharf.
Early stage start-ups on display (defined as companies that are less than three-years old or with less than $1 million in revenue) include:
- Bitbond.net
- BondIT
- ClauseMatch
- CurrencyTransfer
- Ensygnia
- moneymeets
- Sedicii
- SilverOak
- TransferGo
- Xuvasi
Five growth-stage innovators (over three-years old or more than $1 million in revenue) will also be pitching their wares:
- Karma Platform
- Mambu
- MatchMove
- MidVision
- SlimPay
The Innotribe Start-up Challenge wraps up the two-day Fintextra Future Money event, where over 250 senior business, IT and innovation participants at banks, VCs, start-ups and industry influencers will network and learn more about the competitive threats and collaborative opportunities for banks in the digital era.
Registration for the event - which has so far attracted bank innovation teams from across Europe - is filling up fast, but there are still some seats available.
Registration is free to banks and venture capitalist firms.