Ten startups, including six from Cincinnati, have been named finalists in the 2021 FinTech Frontier pitch competition, and the companies will compete Oct. 28 for $75,000 in cash prizes — one of the largest prize pools in the U.S.
Sixty-five submissions were received from across the country, including Texas, California, New York, Miami, Atlanta and Boston. The pitch competition aims to showcase the most innovative, early-stage fintech startups with a focus on increasing access, data and privacy and the supply chain.
FinTech Frontier is presented by Cintrifuse — Cincinnati's startup catalyst group — as well Western & Southern Financial Group, Fifth Third Bank, and JobsOhio.
“The startups capture the essence of what financial technology companies can unlock for consumers in this digital world," Pete Blackshaw, CEO of Cintrifuse, said in a release.
The FinTech Frontier pitch contest finalists include:
- Willow Estate Planning, based in Cincinnati, which simplifies the estate planning process.
- PayTheory, a Cincinnati-based company that’s created an electronic payment solution to help unbanked families and schools manage financial payments.
- Akru (formerly Tokenism), based in Cincinnati, a blockchain-based platform that lets users invest in commercial real estate for as little as $1,000.
- Tesouro, a recently launched Cincinnati fintech, which is rebuilding fintech infrastructure to enable companies to seamlessly embed modern financial services into their offering.
- Rente, operating out of Jacksonville Beach, Fla., and Cincinnati, which utilizes open banking and AI to help landlords inclusively identify and retain profitable tenants
- Koinage, an Franklin-based company that developed a mobile app to help retailers and consumers manage change resulting from cash transactions.
- KiddieKredit, based in Miami, a mobile app designed to educate children on the credit system by completing chores.
- Doriot, out of Bloomington, Ind., a free, true-to-life simulation to empower users with the knowledge and confidence to become a startup investors.
- Sigo Seguros, a Texas-based inclusive auto insurance provider focused on serving the Spanish-speaking community.
- Basis Theory, based in Columbus, provides a flexible platform to protect data at rest with the same ubiquity as data in transit.
The Fintech Frontier pitch competition will take place during StartupCincy Week. Fintech activities kick off at 2 p.m. Oct. 28 with the competition launching shortly thereafter.
The competition format includes a five-minute pitch, live Q-and-A with industry experts, and judge and audience voting.
Winners will be determined by a scoring rubric including judge scores and popular vote amongst competition viewers.
This year’s judges are:
- Maribeth Rahe, CEO, Fort Washington Investment Advisors
- Ron Rock, senior director of Insurtech, JobsOhio
- Mike Crawford, vice president of digital, Fifth Third Bank
- George Cook, founder of Pittsburgh-based Honeycomb Credit, the FinTech Frontier 2020 pitch competition champion.
To attend StartupCincy Week, RSVP here.
