Charlotte City Council member and fintech recruiter Tariq Bokhari hopes a combination of putters and priceless paintings can help raise awareness with international entrepreneurs and established firms alike.
Bokhari, a Republican who was narrowly reelected for a third term last week, is executive director of Carolina Fintech Hub, a local nonprofit formed in 2017. Carolina Fintech recruits financial technology companies of all sizes, nurtures startup ventures and works with established financial services companies and others to provide skills training.
Quail Hollow Club will host the Presidents Cup, a biennial match-play event pitting the top international golfers against the best Americans, Sept. 20-25. Another event with international cachet — an exhibit of landscape paintings by Pablo Picasso — will begin a limited engagement at the Mint Museum in February.
Bokhari told CBJ that both events provide an opportunity to reach international audiences, a mirror version of what he and others in business here did when the NBA Charlotte Hornets played in Paris and when the NFL Carolina Panthers played in London.
Two years ago, Charlotte was a finalist but ultimately lost out to Brooklyn for the first American office for Curve, a credit-debit all-in-one card and app based in the U.K. A push from Panthers owner David Tepper put Charlotte in the running.
“We are taking a targeted, international scope to recruiting startups, to partner with our sponsors and bring jobs to our city,” Bokhari told CBJ during a recent interview.
For the Presidents Cup and the Picasso exhibit, he said fintech startups in different countries will be targeted based on the likelihood of U.S. expansion, availability of representatives to visit, and other factors.
Startups from Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Mexico and South Korea are the focus for the golf event. Companies from Spain, naturally, are being eyed for the Picasso exhibit, which is debuting in Charlotte and will visit only three cities. Picasso grew up in Barcelona.
Combined, Bokhari said 1,950 firms are being analyzed. Those prospects will be whittled down to a handful of the likeliest targets, who will then be invited to attend the events. Carolina Fintech will not be paying travel expenses, Bokhari said.
How many startups will be here has yet to be determined. Bokhari said the fintech hub plans to enlist representatives from the big banks to meet with prospects while they’re in town.
“The first point is, are you or will you soon be considering a U.S. expansion,” Bokhari said. “We’ll see who’s coming and where they are fits with our private-sector folks and go from there.”
Later this month, the target list for the Presidents Cup will be finalized, he added. Invites for the Picasso exhibit will be determined closer to the February start date.
