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Finovate Blog
Tracking fintech, banking & financial services innovations since 1994
A look at the companies demoing at FinovateSpring in San Diego on May 7 – 9. Register today using this link and save 20%.
Anonybit
Anonybit prevents fraud and protects user privacy with decentralized biometrics at login, step up, help desk, and other user touchpoints.
Features
Enhances security with passwordless, privacy-preserving biometrics
Reduces fraud and support costs
Implements with easy pre-integrated, device-agnostic technology
Who’s it for?
Banks, credit unions, and fintechs.
APIMatic
With every bank and fintech heavily invested in API programs, APIMatic helps them generate ROI from these API investments via automation and AI solutions.
Features
APIMatic has developed API Recipes to give developers production-ready code in a guided manner.
Accelerates API adoption
Reduces integration time
Improves time to revenue
Who’s it for?
Banks, payment providers, and fintechs with public APIs.
Cratoflow
Cratoflow is an AI-powered accounting platform that automates 90% of workflows, streamlining invoicing, payments, and customer invoicing, accelerating close cycles, and boosting financial accuracy.
Features
Delivers invoice processing in 20 seconds
Provides seamless ERP integration
Automates approvals and workflows
Who’s it for?
Mid-market businesses with high transactional volume.
Crux Analytics
Crux Analytics is a relationship intelligence platform empowering bankers to drive more valuable outcomes with small business clients.
Features
Crux combines powerful workflow automation with data-driven intelligence to unlock sustainable institutional growth, efficiency gains for bankers, and more retentive relationships for SMBs.
Who’s it for?
Community banks, credit unions, and regional banks.
Tavant
Tavant’s LO.ai boosts loan officer productivity, cuts sales expenses, and empowers borrowers. Powered by Gen AI, it revolutionizes lending with enhanced lead conversion and reduced onboarding time.
Features
Provides a complete regulatory compliant solution
LO.ai qualifies borrowers and converts them into loyal customers, driving business outcomes
Ensures advanced, compliant solutions for lending ecosystems
April is Financial Literacy Month. While we are all getting an education in trade policy these days, making sure we’re up to speed when it comes to financial wellness is just as important.
With that in mind—and with FinovateSpring less than one month away (May 7 – 9)—we wanted to highlight those demoing companies that have financial literacy and inclusion at the heart of their mission.
CoHome
Based in San Francisco and founded in 2025, CoHome offers a real estate co-ownership marketplace and management app that makes owning property more accessible for college students and their parents, reducing rent to zero.
How they support financial literacy: CoHome introduces parents to the concept of co-investing in student housing for their child.
Express Wages
Founded in 2023 and headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, Express Wages offers Earned Wage Access (EWA) services to enable employees to receive some or all of their wages as they earn them.
How Express Wages supports financial literacy: Express Wages features a Financial Literacy blog on its website with articles and guides on budget-making, saving for a first home, and strategies to pay back student loans.
Kaian
Los Angeles, California-based Kaian provides a billpay support system that ensures that credit union members never have to worry about missing a payment due to temporary cash flow issues. The company was founded in 2022.
How Kaian supports financial literacy: Kaian’s AI-powered assistance provides personalized, on-demand financial guidance, including insights on budgeting, saving, and long-term financial planning.
Penny Finance
Founded in 2020 and based in Boston, Massachusetts, Penny Finance describes its mission as “closing the wealth gap.” The company offers an online financial planning engagement engine for credit unions and small banks.
How Penny Finance supports financial literacy: Penny Finance provides tailored education, resources, and perks to credit union members and customers of small banks.
Supermoney
Headquartered in Santa Ana, California and founded in 2013, SuperMoney offers a comprehensive financial services comparison website providing recommendations on products from personal loans and savings accounts to tax preparation firms and brokerages.
How SuperMoney supports financial literacy: SuperMoney offers financial tools and resources—as well as industry studies—to help individuals make better financial decisions.
A look at the companies demoing at FinovateSpring in San Diego on May 7 – 9. Register today using this link and save 20%.
BankShift
BankShift’s new innovation is a low-code, patent-pending embedded banking platform that integrates financial services into non-financial apps, enhancing engagement, loyalty, and revenue opportunities.
Features
Seamless Integration: Embeds banking into apps with SDKs
Enhanced Security: Biometric authentication, KYC, and transfer lock
Credit unions, community banks, and regional banks.
Hive Technologies
Hive Technologies is a fintech solution that helps financial institutions serve low and moderate income consumers profitably in auto.
Features
Increases membership and customers by offering a differentiated auto finance product
Reduces net charge offs via improved payment performance from members
Improves the membership/customer experience
Who’s it for?
Financial institutions such as credit unions, banks, and OEM captives interested in serving more low and moderate income (LMI) consumers in auto.
Illuma
IllumaShield™ by Illuma streamlines caller verification with a frictionless voice biometrics authentication solution that protects against account takeovers.
Features
Improves account security and customer satisfaction
Reduces caller verification time by 85% or more
Deploys quickly with low lift from internal IT resources
Who’s it for?
Credit unions, community banks, regional banks, and insurance companies that need a state-of-the-art solution to prevent fraud in the contact center.
Layerup
Layerup builds Voice AI agents for financial institutions.
Features
Layerup’s Voice AI agents help automate inbound and outbound calls for financial institutions.
Who’s it for?
Banks and credit unions.
ReSight
ReSight takes raw data and generates periodic reports instantly – no manual work, just seamless automation with a click of a button.
Features
Delivers pixel perfect reporting from existing data
Removes the need for internal resources to manually create reports
Available on the cloud or self-hosted
Who’s it for?
Asset management firms, banks, credit unions, and financial software providers.
When it comes to fintech conference content, our keynotes are king.
From the growing role of AI in financial services to the deregulation trends in the US, this year’s FinovateSpring will offer a variety of insightful keynotes and special addresses on the most pressing issues in banking and fintech.
Below we’re highlighting some of the presentations that will be delivered from the main stage over the three days of FinovateSpring, May 7 – 9, in San Diego. Visit our FinovateSpring hub to learn more, check out the full agenda, and reserve your seat!
Keynote Addresses: Deregulation, Crypto, AI, and More
What will the Trump Administration Mean for Banking, Fintech, and Innovation? What are the Risks and Opportunities of Deregulation? How Will Consumer Protection be Affected? Will We See More Bank M&A Activity as a Result of Deregulation? Featuring James McCarthy, Founder and Chairman, McCarthy Hatch. Wednesday / 10:15am
The Crypto Craze: Does it Matter? Rather than the Crypto Lottery, Should We Focus on Stablecoins as the Real Game Changer as They Become a Major Cross Border Payment Type? Featuring Michael Rihani, Director of Product, Coinbase. Wednesday / 4:05pm
The Inexorable Move from AI to GenAI to Agentic AI: What Challenges and Opportunities will Agentic AI create for FIs? What Does Agentic AI Promise and What Are the Risks? Featuring Nick Fok, Venture Partner, Erez Capital. Wednesday / 4:20pm
The Global Economic and Geopolitical Outlook and the Direction of Travel for the US Economy. Featuring Manas Chawla, Founder and Chief Executive, London Politica. Friday / 2:20pm
Additional scheduled keynotes include:
The intersection of Quantum and AI and What it Means for Financial Services. Friday / 3:25pm
Global Fintech Trends: Where are the Most Exciting Innovations and What Can US Banks Learn from Asia, Africa, and Latin America: How Collaboration between Traditional Banks and Fintechs in Emerging Markets is Fostering Innovation Enhancing CX and Driving Financial Inclusion. Friday / 9:05am
Where Next for Banking-as-a-Service Following the Collapse of Synapse? Thursday / 3:50pm
Special Addresses: Agentic AI, Credit Management, and Modernization
How Banks and Fintechs Are Using AI to Modernize, Automate, and Drive Profitability Now. Featuring Javier Pérez García – Global Director, VASS FSI (A Digital Transformation Company specializing in Financial Services). Wednesday / 10:00am
How AI-Enhanced Credit Management Elevates Creditworthiness, Trust, and New Revenue. Featuring Adrian Nazari, Founder & CEO, Credit Sesame. Wednesday / 1:50pm
The Age of Agentic AI: Financial CX at the Edge of Autonomy. Featuring Alan Ranger, VP of Marketing, Cognigy. Wednesday / 3:05pm
Out of the Box Keynotes: Cybersecurity, Culture Fluidity, and CX
Cybersecurity and Your Business—How to Protect Your Customers’ Money and Data, Plus Your Brand. Featuring John Iannarelli, The Voice of Cyber & Security, FBI John. Wednesday / 10:30am
Culture Fluid: A New Mindset in an AI-Driven Age. Featuring Sharon Gai, Author, Culture Fluid. Thursday / 10:35am
Creating Trust and Loyalty Through AI-Enhanced CX. Featuring Jon Lakefish, Founder, Lakefish Group. Friday / 9:50am
A look at the companies demoing at FinovateSpring in San Diego on May 7 – 9. Register today using this link and save 20%.
Bits of Stock
Bits of Stock empowers financial institutions to offer fractional stock rewards on everyday transactions and account activity.
Features
Auto-enrollment of digital banking users into investment accounts
Free-to-premium investing and rewards account structure
Stock roundups and recurring investments
Who’s it for?
Community banks and credit unions.
Express Wages
With Express Wages on-demand pay, employees receive some or all of their wages as they are earned.
Features
The Express Wages solution offers a simple, safe dashboard where users can see wages and view financial wellness.
Who’s it for?
Banks, employers, businesses, and credit unions.
Penny Finance
Penny Finance is an online financial planning engagement engine that attracts, retains, and serves the digital generation by helping them get out of debt, get into investing, and retire with wealth.
Features
Delivers custom financial plans for members within minutes
Drives 60% digital engagement and 30% product referrals
Scales seamlessly with expanding enterprise requirements
Who’s it for?
Credit unions, community banks, and small banks.
Solda.ai
Leading fintechs and banks use Solda.ai’s AI sales representatives to automate onboarding, upsell, KYC, and retention calls with <1% AI detection at 60% cost.
Features
Automates sales with top-performing AI trained across phone, text, email, and chat
Scales instantly with multi-lingual, on-brand engagement
Reduces costs by 40% with <1% AI-detection
Who’s it for?
Consumer and commercial fintechs, banks, payment providers, and other financial services companies.
SuperMoney
SuperMoney’s personal finance super app puts money on autopilot, using real-time credit and bank data to deliver intelligent, stress-free financial decisions.
Features
Keeps spending aligned with user goals with AI-powered budgeting
Delivers tailored financial insights to put money on autopilot
Automates finding better loans and credit cards with Refi Robot
A look at the companies demoing at FinovateSpring in San Diego on May 7 – 9. Register today using this link and save 20%.
Cinareo Solutions
Cinareo is a SaaS solution designed for scenario-based capacity planning for both agents and support staff at a contact center, including financial analysis and recruitment and training planning.
Features
50% time savings for workforce planners adopting cloud-based planning
20% cost reduction while keeping high service levels and productivity
25% improvement in service efficiency and customer satisfaction
Who’s it for?
Any financial institution with a contact center that has over 100 seats.
Covet
Covet transforms estate organization by consolidating financial, physical, and digital assets into a real-time estate summary—unlocking insights for advisors and financial institutions.
Features
Provides complete estate visibility across financial, physical, and digital assets
Automates estate documents that are generated and updated seamlessly
Delivers scalable, automated updates for assets and family changes
Who’s it for?
Financial advisors, wealth management firms, family offices, credit unions, investors, and individual clients seeking seamless estate organization, automated updates, and multigenerational insights.
Kaian
Kaian’s white-label solution helps banks and credit unions support customers and members.
Features
Supports bill payment challenges for customers and members
Rewards smart spending habits to improve financial behavior
Drives loyalty and increases lifetime value for banks and credit unions
Who’s it for?
Credit unions and community banks.
TAPP Engine
TAPP Engine bridges the gap between banking and wealth, helping financial institutions grow by embedding white-labeled investment solutions that enhance engagement, drive revenue, and strengthen loyalty.
Features
Delivers an intuitive design, educational resources, and accessibility
Provides access to self-directed, automated, and practice investing experiences
Offers institutional-grade connectivity with data-driven personalization
Who’s it for?
Credit unions, banks, fintechs, RIAs, independent broker dealers, and more.
Winnow
Winnow is an award-winning regulatory change management platform that allows customers to build customized state and federal compliance surveys.
At FinovateSpring 2025, taking place May 7 through 9, the excitement doesn’t end with the live demos on stage during the first two days of the conference. In addition to a star-studded keynote lineup and a full afternoon of topic-specific breakout sessions on Friday, attendees can look forward to a carefully curated selection of engaging panel discussions and executive briefings led by some of the sharpest minds in financial services and fintech.
Tickets for FinovateSpring are available now! Visit our registration page today and take advantage of early-bird savings.
Here’s a preview of what’s in store:
Beyond Financial Inclusion: How Can Banks Capture the Huge Growth Opportunity Offered by This New Customer Base?
In this panel, moderated by Jim Perry, Senior Strategist at Market Insights, the audience will discover how banks can move beyond traditional notions of financial inclusion and tap into the enormous growth potential of underserved markets. This session will explore strategies to authentically connect with and serve new customer segments.
AI-Driven Profitability in Financial Services: How Banks and Fintechs Are Unlocking New Revenue Streams and Cost Efficiencies
In this 90-minute session, which is hosted by VASS Intelegyz and moderated by Julie Muhn, Senior Research Analyst at Finovate, will showcase how AI can transform core financial operations, with real-world strategies for aligning AI with business goals and scaling from pilots to production. Practical, no-nonsense insights await.
Please note that this is an exclusive, invitation-only briefing for banks and financial institutions. If you are in that category and are interested in participating, please email Billy.Smith@Informa.com.
Power Panel: Getting Beyond the Hype: How Can Financial Services Providers Harness AI, GenAI, and Agentic AI to Make or Save Money?
Moderated by Jason Henrichs, CEO at Alloy Labs, this session looks into AI in banking. It is everywhere— but how can banks and fintechs really turn it into profit? The panel will cut through the buzzwords to reveal how financial services providers can capitalize on AI’s real opportunities.
Analyst All Stars: How Financial Services Have Been Changed Forever
The Analyst All Stars Session is always one of the most popular sessions at the event! This year’s session features analysts from Cornerstone Advisors, Curinos, CCG Catalyst Consulting, and Fingerprint. The experts will bring their own, unique insights on the shifts redefining banking technology, digital content strategies, and customer onboarding.
The Coming Storm for Community Banks: How Can They Find a Path to Change and Compete in the New Digital World?
This executive briefing, moderated by Jason Henrichs, CEO at Alloy Labs, tackles how community banks can navigate digital disruption, adapt quickly, and carve out competitive advantages.
Power Panel: As Embedded Finance Expands Beyond Banking, How Can FIs Capture the Opportunity That Could Generate Over $100B in Revenue?
Moderated by Phil Goldfeder, CEO at American Fintech Council (AFC), this panel will explore how embedded finance is reshaping the industry—and what banks need to do now to get ahead of the curve.
Power Panel: As Fraud Threats Continue to Evolve, How Can All Players Collaborate to Safeguard Customer Assets and Company Reputations?
This power panel, which is moderated by Jas Randhawa, Managing Partner at StrategyBRIX, will look at how collaboration is key as fraud threats escalate. This session will explore how technologies like regtech, GenAI, and digital identity can help defend the financial ecosystem.
Power Panel: The CX Revolution: How Financial Services Providers Can Compete in a Hyper-Personalized World
This session, moderated by Tanvi Lal, Investor at Intuit Ventures, will explain how top financial brands are reinventing customer experience (CX) to meet consumers at their point of need—and what lessons they can steal from big tech.
Power Panel: Balancing the Balance Sheet: How Can Banks Win the Battle for Deposits?
Moderated by Mary Miklethun, Senior Vice President at U.S. Bank, this power panel will offer strategies for banks to win (and keep) customer funds in a competitive market in which deposits are under pressure.
Investor All Stars: Are We Going to See a Sustained Fintech Boom?
The Investor All Stars session is notoriously popular with fintechs looking to form and maintain relationships with venture capitalists, as well as banks interested in keeping tabs on funding and valuations. Moderated by Kris Cole, Managing Director at Prosek Partners, this session will offer insight into an investor’s perspective on what’s going on in fintech and banking.
Whether you’re looking to deepen your understanding of AI, explore new growth channels, or get ahead of trends like embedded finance and CX, these sessions offer invaluable opportunities to gain fresh insights and connect with industry leaders.
This year’s FinovateSpring conference in San Diego (May 7 through May 9) will feature six separate streams that will enable attendees to participate in deep-dives and extended conversations about some of the most dynamic areas of fintech and financial services.
From AI, customer experience, and open banking to innovations in lending and payments, our stream sessions will help professionals in fintech and financial services take better advantage of the trends that are driving innovation in our industry.
Tickets for FinovateSpring are available now! Visit our registration page today and take advantage of early-bird savings!
Artificial Intelligence
This stream will feature a fireside chat on the real use cases for AI in banking and financial services. Theodora Lau of Unconventional Ventures and Arvind Ayyala of Geodesic Investments will discuss how smart players are using AI to solve real pain points for their businesses and their customers.
This stream will also feature a Power Panel on how financial institutions can better leverage generative AI. This panel, moderated by Lau, will include insights from Chad Smith of Better.com, Alisa Rusanoff of Crescendo Asset Management, and Tamara Zaichkowsky of Acrisure.
Customer Experience
The Customer Experience stream will include a keynote address from Sean Albertson, Founder and CEO of CX4ROCKS on the battle for customer trust and ways that banks can make every department responsible for customer experience. The Customer Experience stream will also feature a Special Address from Kyle Mack, CEO and Co-Founder, Middesk.
The Customer Experience Power Panel will examine how financial institutions can deliver outstanding omni-channel CX and move away from a siloed approach to blend human and digital CX. This panel will include Kaushal Pandia of U.S. Bank and Glenn Borok of Jump Capital. Beyond the Arc CEO Steven Ramirez will moderate.
Future Banking
The Future Banking stream will feature a keynote address from Tiffani Montez, Principal Analyst, Insider Intelligence, on “The Bank of 2030: How to move from a product-centric design to life-stage banking and compete with big tech companies that are already experience-led.”
Shining a spotlight on the issue of bank modernization, this Power Panel will examine how banks can modernize their tech estates to be fit for the digital future. The panelists will discuss the key questions—and answers—around technology, cloud, business and operational models, risk, talent, and culture. Moderated by JT Thykattil, VP & Research Director, Forrester Research, the panel will include Aditya Vikram Singh of Capital One and Katie Quilligan of BankTech Ventures.
Future Lending
The Future Lending stream will include a keynote address on capturing the opportunity of SME lending and how financial institutions can successfully engage this market.
The Future Lending stream will also feature a Power Panel on the rise of embedded lending. The panelists will discuss how embedded lending is moving beyond Buy Now, Pay Later and discuss ways financial institutions can participate in the growing ecommerce trend. The panel will include Diksha Gera of Bloomberg Intelligence, Ibrahim Al Suwaidi of DCM, Jamie Twiss of Beforepay, and Rob Seidman of U.S. Bank Avvance.
Future Payments
The Future Payments stream will include a keynote address from Lindsay Lehr, Managing Director, Payments and Commerce Market Intelligence (PCMI), titled, “Are Real-Time Payments Ready to Take Off?” Lehr’s address will answer the question “is faster always better?” and look at the challenges involved when building products on top of RTP and FedNow rails.
The Future Payments stream will also feature a Special Address: “Navigating Regulation Uncertainty While Gearing Up for Growth.” Patrick Dix, Vice President, Client & Association Engagement, SHAZAM, will share his insights on this topic and the importance of “picking the right payments partner.”
Moderated by Rutger van Faassen of InformationBanker, the Future Payments Power Panel will discuss how new technologies, new competitors, new business models, and embedded payments will shape the future of the payments market. Sharing their insights will be Ipsita Basu of Shopify, Jim Colassano of The Clearing House, and June Yuan of Wise Platform.
Open Banking
Our Open Banking stream features a keynote address on the future of open banking, a deep dive into Rule 1033, and a look at how open data will impact the US banking industry.
The Open Banking stream will also include a Power Panel on compelling use cases for open banking in the US and what financial institutions in the US can learn from the success of open banking in the rest of the world. Joining the Power Panel will be Nirvikar Jain of Woodside Capital Partners.
It’s been nearly a year since we celebrated the innovators crowned Best of Show winners at FinovateSpring 2024. As we gear up for our upcoming FinovateSpring 2025 event in sunny San Diego, taking place May 7 through 9, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the impressive achievements of last year’s standout demo companies. These fintechs have continued their momentum from FinovateSpring by making waves in the fintech industry.
Business Insider listed Cascading AI as one of 15 Most Promising AI-Powered Fintech Startups to Watch in 2025.
Gartner identifies Casca as a key vendor for GenAI in lending.
Prosperity Now announces Lukas Haffer, CEO and Co-founder of Casca, as second place award winner of the RISE Challenge Award for its solution to improve loan assistance and identification.
Cascading AI featured in AI in Business Lending Report fro Datos Insights.
Finopotamus features how Remynt rethinks debt collection.
Fox 26 interviews Remynt Founder and CEO Gwyneth Borden on the state of debt in Texas.
Badcredit.org highlights how Remynt brings empathy to collection practices.
FinovateSpring 2025 kicks off May 7 through 9 in San Diego, California. Visit our FinovateSpring hub today to learn more about our emerging speaker lineup, demoing companies, and how to plan your visit to Finovate’s first conference in SoCal!
Earlier this week, we highlighted some of the women who will be introducing their companies to Finovate audiences via the demo stage at FinovateSpring 2025 in San Diego, May 7 through 9.
Today, as part of our continued Women’s History Month commemoration, we feature the “content” side of Finovate conferences by showcasing the women who will be discussing and interpreting many of the trends and technologies that are shaping fintech today.
Ipsita Basu
Product Management Leader, Shopify
Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Shopify is an international commerce company that provides tools to enable entrepreneurs to start, grow, manage, and market a retail business of any size. The company powers millions of businesses in more than 175 countries.
Behavioral scientist and Managing Director, Irrational Labs
Irrational Labs leverages behavioral science to make people happier, healthier, and wealthier. The company applies behavioral economics findings to product, marketing, and organizational design problems. Through environment design and thoughtful interventions, Irrational Labs improves decision-making for both companies and their customers.
SVP, Chief Marketing Officer, Valley Strong Credit Union
With more than 350,000 members, Bakersfield, California-based Valley Strong Credit Union offers checking and savings accounts, credit cards, personal and auto loans, mortgage and home loans, investing and retirement services, and more.
Headquartered in London, Wise provides currency management and exchange solutions that enable individuals and businesses to hold more than 40 currencies, move money between countries, and spend money abroad. Launched in 2011 as “TransferWise,” the company serves 16 million people and businesses around the world.
Culture Fluid is a monthly newsletter, published on LinkedIn, that offers “a new way to think in a post-AI world.” Recent newsletter topics include “What is Creativity in an AI Age?” “DeepSeek: Searching for Answers in the Depth of the US-China AI War,” and “The Agentic Future and How it Will Change Work.”
Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) provides independent perspectives, interactive data, and research across a variety of industries and international markets. The BI team features 400 research professionals who help clients make more informed decisions in an ever-shifting investment landscape.
A paid subscription service of Amazon, Amazon Prime gives users access to a range of additional services including one- or two-day goods delivery; streaming music, video, e-books, gaming, grocery shopping services, and more. The company has more than 200 million subscribers around the world.
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, TTV Capital invests in fintechs that serve the diverse needs of businesses in financial services as well as the consumers of financial products. With more than 100 years of venture capital and relevant industry operating expertise, TTV creates value for entrepreneurs and investors, helping them grow and succeed.
Chief Research and Digital Experience Officer, MSU Federal Credit Union
MSU Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) was founded in 1937 in order to help its members secure financial success and stability during challenging economic times. MSUFCU has 23 locations including five in Oakland County, one in downtown Detroit, two in Grand Rapids, and two in Traverse City.
Built by community bankers to help community banks innovate, evolve, and thrive, BankTech Ventures is a strategic investment founded in 2021. Based in Costa Mesa, California, BankTech Ventures seeks to generate both strategic value and financial returns for their investors. The fund sources, vets, invests in, and introduces bank-enabling technology solutions to boost the competitive positions of its community bank partners.
Innovator, Technologist, and Connector, Unconventional Ventures
Unconventional Ventures provides boutique consulting services to drive innovation that enhances financial wellness. The firm connects founders to funders, provides mentorship to entrepreneurs, advises a broad range of corporates, and helps broaden opportunities for diversity with financial services. Unconventional Ventures works with banking clients, fintech startups, and technology firms alike
Managing Director, Payments and Commerce Market Intelligence (PCMI)
Based in San Francisco, California and founded in 2022, Payments and Commerce Market Intelligence (PCMI) works with payment and technology companies from around the world to help them make strategic decisions in emerging markets through research, data analysis, and innovative thinking. PCMI is a subsidiary of Latin America-based market intelligence company Americas Market Intelligence (AMI).
Goldman Sachs was founded in 1869. A leading global investment banking, securities, and investment management firm, Goldman Sachs offers a range of financial services including investment banking, securities trading, asset management, and wealth management to corporates, governments, financial institutions, and individuals.
A digital bank serving small businesses, startups, and investors in the innovation economy, Grasshopper Bank offers digital solutions for small businesses, venture-backed firms, fintech-based Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) and commercial API banking platforms, as well as both SBA and commercial real estate lending. Founded in 2019, Grasshopper Bank is based in New York.
U.S. Bank is the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United States. The firm offers a diversified mix of businesses, including commercial and institutional banking, business banking, payments, wealth management, and consumer banking. The company is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Finovate conferences showcase cutting-edge banking and financial technology through a unique combination of live, short-form technology demonstrations and mainstage presentations from thought leaders and analysts in fintech and financial services.
Head of Embedded Payments, SVB, a Division of First Citizens Bank
SVB, a Division of First Citizens Bank, is known for its role in supporting innovative companies, entrepreneurs, and investors. More than 70% of cyber companies featured on the Fortune Cyber 60 list are SVB clients as are 50% of all US VC-backed technology companies with 2024 IPOs.
Curinos was founded in 2021 and is headquartered in New York. The firm leverages AI-based decisioning tools, predictive analytics, and science-based platforms to enable clients to spot emerging opportunities that lead to better decision-making and enduring performance gains.
Head of Credit / Trade Finance, Crescendo Asset Management
Crescendo Asset Management offers a trade finance strategy focused on supply chain finance, embedded finance, accounts receivable purchasing, structured trade and other trade finance structured products that support the SME (small and mid-sized enterprise) market in the US as well as around the world.
SVP, Chief Retail Officer, Valley Strong Credit Union
Headquartered in Bakersfield, California and founded in 1938, Valley Strong Credit Union serves its community with extensive loan programs—including home and auto—as well as the latest in digital technology, retirement and wealth management services.
Headquartered in San Diego, California, Symphonic Capital is a pre-seed venture capital fund. Led by veteran pre-seed investors and operators, the fund bets on founders at their earliest stages and matches them with the tools, guidance, and capital they need in order to succeed.
Founded in 2011 and known as “TransferWise” when it made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2013 in London, Wise today facilitates the movement of $37 billion (£30 billion) across borders each quarter. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) under the ticker WISE, and has a market capitalization of $11.5 billion.
Last week, we showcased five companies—all led by female CEOs—who demonstrated their latest innovations at FinovateEurope in London in February. Part of Finovate’s annual Women’s History Month commemoration, the post not only highlighted the achievements of women in fintech, it also helped introduce five new companies to our Finovate audience.
With that last point in mind, we’re thrilled this week to introduce you to some of the women who will be leading their companies on the Finovate stage next month at FinovateSpring in San Diego, May 7 through 9.
First, meet the two companies—Cinareo Solutions and Cratoflow—that were selected to participate at FinovateSpring as part of our Female Founder Scholarship program. Second, we introduce two additional companies—Penny Finance and Instarails—both with female CEOs, and both slated to demo their latest innovation at FinovateSpring next month.
Elliott (LinkedIn) is CEO and Co-Founder of Cinareo Solutions, a SaaS platform that provides capacity planning for agents and support staff, financial management, what-if scenario modelling, and multi-skilling simulation.
Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Cinareo Solutions sets a new standard for workforce planning and decision support for multi-channel contact centers. This provides robust and pro-active resource planning and financial analysis to cost-efficiently manage front and back-office staff, as well as all support staff.
Patel (LinkedIn) is CEO of Cratoflow, a company that helps organizations to save up to 110 hours a week, reduce errors, and acclerate payments, enabling faster decision-making and driving operational efficiency and cost savings.
Based in Anaheim, California, and founded in 2021, Cratoflow offers a no-code financial workflow solution that centralizes and simplifies complex daily accounting processeas with an intuitive user interface. The platform leverages machine learning and AI to sync with third-party financial systems to systematically complete revenue, banking, and expense entries.
Sagar (LinkedIn) is founder and CEO of Instarails, a global payment network infrastructure that helps credit unions, community banks, and businesses attract and retain more clients while accelerating revenue growth,
Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Instarails leverages blockchain technology to make direct, real-time, cheap, inclusive, and transparent payments. Clients connect to Instarails’ network via SaaS API and send transactions. These transactions are routed through Instarails’ network and recipients get funds instantly through their bank, e-wallet, or via cash pickup.
Cole (LinkedIn) is CEO and Founder of Penny Finance, an online financial planning engagement engine that attracts, retains, and services the digital generation of credit unions and community banks by providing tailored education, resources, rewards, and services to their members and customers at large.
Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, and founded in 2020, Penny Finance connects the dots between a financial institution’s products and services and member and customer needs, all while creating efficiency for their marketing organizations.
FinovateSpring 2025 kicks off May 7 through 9 in San Diego, California. Visit our FinovateSpring hub today to learn more about our emerging speaker lineup, demoing companies, and how to plan your visit to Finovate’s first conference in SoCal!
FinovateSpring 2025 takes place in San Diego on May 7 through May 9. Register to attend by March 28 and save $400.
FinovateSpring is making it’s SoCal debut this May with an unmissable showcase featuring over 50 trailblazing fintech innovations.
With just 7 minutes each, they’ll unveil the cutting-edge technology shaping 2025 and beyond.
This year’s carefully curated demo lineup dives into technology trends including:
Third-party risk management for FI vendors
Contact center capacity planning
Earned-wage access and pre-emptive pay gap planning
BaaS from retail and commercial angles
Enhanced compliance workflows that scale
Streamlined KYC/B through biometrics and automation
Agentic AI for improved customer experience
. . . and much more!
Join us to develop a strong foundation for your fintech success early this year.
Demo applications are still open to those driving innovation in financial services. Whether a startup, bank, public entity, or established leader–all organizations can demo.
With main stage speaking, plug-and-play expo stand, speaker passes, lead generation reports, coaching calls with Finovate’s host and resident expert, and marketing and media exposure, this is unparalleled exposure with a high ROI. Apply now.
