Entrepreneurial group NXTUS Inc. is launching its next pilot competition through its NXTSTAGE arm, this time again focusing on financial technology startups.
Premiere sponsors for the competition are Emprise Bank and Fidelity Bank. The organization is also receiving support for the contest from Intrust Bank and grant funding from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the U.S. Economic Development Association.
Applications for fintech startups are available online, with a March 31 deadline.
“We greatly value our participation with NXTUS as a founding program partner,” Matt Michaelis, CEO of Emprise Bank, says in a press release. “NXTSTAGE gives us the opportunity to engage with entrepreneurs who have diverse perspectives and backgrounds and offer innovative technology solutions to deliver personalized and relevant experiences to our customers. Collaborating with them has helped drive us forward, and we’re excited to meet this year’s competitors.”
Emprise has awarded three pilot projects so far through the competition.
That includes the primary winner of the last fintech competition, South Dakota-based Cedar Credit Builder, now called Tuo Credit Builder, which helps customers boost their credit scores.
“The financial services industry is undergoing a technology transformation, and the entrepreneurial spirit is powering that,” says Aaron Bastian, CEO of Fidelity Bank. “For us, the innovation spotlighted by NXTSTAGE invigorates our work to continue to build capabilities that help us deliver excellent experiences for our customers. At the same time, NXTSTAGE helps grow the startup ecosystem right here in Kansas.”
The 2021 fintech competition, which wrapped up last October, attracted 107 competitors — a 60% increase over 2020 — from 27 states.
“NXTSTAGE is backed by forward-thinking organizations that believe Kansas can be a great proving ground for promising technologies and a place where startups can thrive,” says Mary Beth Jarvis, NXTSTAGE executive director. “We’re working to accelerate innovation in our region and send a strong signal to early-stage companies in the region and around the world that they can grow their business here.”
While the NXTSTAGE contests have drawn in entrepreneurs from all over the country to secure potential investment from Kansas companies, NXTUS has also recently launched an accelerator program for local startups.
NXTUS was founded in early 2020 after rebranding from its preceding e2e organization.
