Meet the 5 startups in 1871’s first women-focused BMO Harris Bank accelerator

A savings app and financial literacy business are among the five startups participating in the 1871 and BMO Harris Bank accelerator this summer, which for the first time is completely dedicated to women-founded fintech startups.

The companies, selected June 15, are all creating products for the financial industry that aim to simplify money management, investing and banking.

The five participating startups were chosen from a group of 10 by a panel of judges, which included Vlatka Puljic, the director of strategic initiatives and the women in business initiative at BMO Harris Bank, and Stephanie Miller, the vice president of corporate innovation at 1871.

All of the participants have access to 1871’s “PYROS” initiative, a 13-week series of workshops, seminars and one-to-one mentoring built to help founders gain and grow customers and investor traction, 1871 said.

Last year, startups Holberg Financial, XSELL and Manifest won first, second and third place, respectively, at the accelerator’s pitch day.

"We were very excited to have the opportunity to meet so many female founders solving FinTech problems”, said 1871 CEO Betsy Ziegler in a statement. “This program brings cutting-edge technology and products forward with undeniable energy and access, and we believe through this program all five participants will exceed their own expectations on growth and impact.”

Take a look at each of the startups in this year’s cohort below. (Descriptions provided by 1871 and BMO Harris Bank.)

DelShan, Inc.

DelShan, Inc. by Atkco is the go-to finance, employee safety and human resources partner based out of Chicago that improves and develops best practices through the implementation of automated operational procedures and employee workflow.

Hope Trust

Working as a trustee, or seamlessly with third-party trustees and investment managers, Hope Trust enables families and professionals to provide holistic financial planning, case management, and fiduciary services, such as managed distributions and government benefits navigation. Hope Trust is headquartered in Eatontown, NJ.

Plinqit

Plinqit by HTMA is a brandable, mobile-first platform that is elegant and highly powerful at the same time. Unlike any other savings app on the market, its patent-pending Build Skills pays users for engaging with content, creating higher user engagement for financial institutions and improved financial literacy for users with a reward. Created by Millennials for Millennials, Plinqit helps financial institutions connect with this important demographic in a meaningful, relevant way. The app, which is based out of Ann Arbor, has successfully helped users save over $1 million since launching last year.

Pocketnest

Pocketnest, headquartered in Detroit, provides comprehensive financial planning to GenX and Millennials through a white label of our software to financial institutions like banks, credit unions, advisors and retirement plan sponsors. Under their own brand, a financial institution can take their customers through step by step guidance. Users end up with a customized to-do list consisting of actionable recommendations, education and tasks. Pocketnest’s customers, the financial institutions, benefit from efficiently knowing who their customers are and what financial solutions are right for them.

The Wealth Factory

The Wealth Factory, based in Washington, D.C., designs WealthyLife Financial Literacy education technology games, curriculum, and fintech products that walk users from birth to retirement in 12 interactive modules to exceed the personal finance common core standards. Similar to Candy Crush, our first app, CreditStacker, allows users to swap credit pieces to pay debt, achieve a high credit score, and learn from the multiple choice questions. Named the best financial literacy company in the country by the White House, Department of Education, and JP Morgan Chase our app climbed to #1 education app in 14 countries on Apple, top 5 in 40 countries, and has been inducted into the top 50 apps department at Google.