Five southern financial technology companies have been accepted into the next cohort of Charlotte, NC-based Queen City Fintech accelerator, along with startups from around the globe. The group of 10 startups in Class 7 is the first Fall cohort of the competitive accelerator, which is backed by a robust sponsor and mentor network including Bank of America, Ally Bank, Wells Fargo, BB&T, Ernst & Young, and more.
Cohort 7 includes companies with roots in already-established global fintech hubs of Atlanta and Singapore. The accelerator is designed to connect these post-revenue startups with mentors from professionals in disciplines from banking to legal to business development.
“Queen City Fintech is pulling fintech founders from all over the world to come to the Southeast to incubate their startup,” says Dan Roselli, Queen City Fintech’s Managing Director, and a former Bank of America executive and entrepreneur.
“The ability for fintech founders based in the Southeast to interact in the same Charlotte-based cohort as founders from Singapore to Silicon Valley is helping put the Southeast U.S., Charlotte, and Atlanta on the map as a hot and rising Fintech region.” Roselli also founded Packard Place, a co-working and startup hub in Charlotte that ranks in the top five largest innovation centers in the country — and the new home for the companies in this cohort.
Charlotte’s strong banking sector make it a contender to become a leading fintech city as well. The city is home to the headquarters of Bank of America, Wells Fargo East Coast hub, and many others. Roselli says programs like Queen City accelerator are fortifying that commitment.
Over 100 companies applied for Cohort 7, which kicks off in early September and run for 12 weeks in-person. Demo Day will take place at the Southeast Fintech Venture Conference on November 20, an event intended to showcased the top fintech companies in the Southeast.
Founders will continue to receive mentorship and assistance in a remote capacity for a remaining nine months following the Charlotte-based program. They also receive a $20,000 capital infusion with potential for follow-on funding, in exchange for 6 percent equity.
“We feel that we will be able to learn and grow our footprint with the help, expertise, and strong relationships Queen City Fintech has to offer,” says Christian Zimmerman of Atlanta-based debt micro-payment app Qoins, currently based at Switchyards Downtown Club.
Last year’s Queen City cohort included Trust Stamp, this year’s Technology Association of Georgia’s 2017 Innovation Award recipient.
Meet the Queen City Fintech Fall 2017 Class:
CapWay (New York City) – Products and services to the financially underserved — those that are unbanked, underbanked, and the working poor — to assist them in becoming financially healthy
Hardbacon (Montreal, Canada) — A platform that syncs with brokerage accounts and analyzes portfolios automatically
HonestFi (Los Angeles, CA) — A platform that enables NGOs, small businesses, and community members to provide financial services
QBRICS, Inc. (Charlotte, NC; Park City, UT; Bangalore, India) — A robust and flexible platform providing trust, security and interoperability for any private enterprise Blockchain
Qoins (Atlanta, GA) — An automated micro-payment solution that seamlessly rounds up the spare change from everyday purchases and automatically applies it towards your debt
Quarule (Charlotte, NC; New York City, NY; Portland, OR) — A platform that automates risk and compliance program management, certification, and controls
Remotize, Inc. (Ann Arbor & Detroit, MI) — A marketplace that provides alternative student loan solutions funded by everyday investors
Speakalytics (Atlanta, GA; Charlotte, NC) — The Artificial Intelligent Sales Coach for enterprise conversations
Tookitaki (Singapore) — A Machine Learning platform to build and optimize risk workflow models for financial institutions primarily in the operations and compliance space
Veriphy Analytics (Atlanta, GA) – A unique SAAS platform bringing accountability, transparency and objective value measurement to Retirement Plan Portfolios
Photos via Queen City Fintech and participating companies
