ScratchWorks FinTech Accelerator

Welcome to ScratchWorks: a new FinTech Accelerator that launched last week at the Barron's Summit in Orlando. The goal of this accelerator program is to place a spotlight on innovative tech companies that are transforming the financial services industry. Scratchworks provides a stage for these companies to present to five investors who manage assets in excess of $60 billion, in hopes of securing funding or partnerships to propel their ventures. 

"The goal of this accelerator program is to place a spotlight on innovative tech companies that are transforming the financial services industry."

The event was live, in front of over three hundred investment professionals.The company concepts ranged from robo-advisors to automated marketing for advisors to a mobile wealth manager app. You could feel the tension, the excitement, and the energy in the room as these ventures presented and negotiated with the investors. It was awesome! 

While there were many amazing elements of this new program, perhaps the most impressive is that we developed this in just a few months. We were entrepreneurial! We created this new program in collaboration with the Burridge Center for Finance at Leeds along with Fidelity, Barron's and eMoney. We saw a need in the industry, did our research, and created and executed a plan. 

And the result? FinTech companies injecting their innovative ideas into the industry and raising the bar. Pretty darn cool. We look forward to next year ...