Financial Technology Finalists Coming to Wichita for NXTSTAGE Pilot Competition
Kansas financial services businesses getting access to next-gen innovation tools
NXTSTAGE financial technology competition innovation showcase presented at Distillery 244 and live-streamed on Septemaber 14, 2022.
Alongside Emprise Bank and Fidelity Bank, NXTUS, Inc.’s NXTSTAGE Financial Technology Pilot Competition today announced eight program finalists and its upcoming FinTech Innovation Showcase.
The 2022 FinTech competition attracted 94 competitors hailing from 27 states and 13 countries, and NXTUS staff partnered with leaders from founding partners Emprise, Fidelity and INTRUST banks to curate this group of leading startups to host in Wichita.
The finalists are offering next-generation technology solutions to help regional banks, credit unions and financial services businesses improve identity verification, design hyper-targeted marketing campaigns, prevent fraud, link in with their small-business customers’ financial information, and effectively cultivate customers from underserved community segments.
Similar to ABC’s Shark Tank, the upcoming Innovation Showcase will include three-minute product pitches from each finalist. The event is Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 4:00 p.m., with in-person attendees gathering at Distillery 244 here and other participants able to watch via live-stream. Register at EventBrite to see how these innovators can infuse the region with tomorrow’s financial technologies.
“Innovation is driving the banking industry, and it’s invigorating to see Wichita play a key role through NXTSTAGE,” said Matt Michaelis, Chairman, President and CEO of Emprise Bank, which has awarded three pilot projects through NXTSTAGE since 2020. “We are thankful eight promising FinTechs are finalists this year and we look forward to engaging with them. Collaboration with startups like this is critical to Emprise’s efforts to continually empower our customers by delivering more personalized and relevant experiences.”
“Collaborating with the startups spotlighted by NXTSTAGE connects us to the solutions that are creating better experiences for consumers and more secure banking relationships,” said Aaron Bastian, President and CEO of Fidelity Bank. “We are proud to help show the world that Wichita is a hub for turning ideas into viable, scalable businesses that elevate the entire sector.”
The competition’s applicant pool was very diverse; 53 percent had either minority or female representation on their founding teams. Of the finalists, 100 percent have minority or female founders. The finalists hail from Canada and four states: California, Nebraska, New York and North Carolina.
The banking partners, along with support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Greater Wichita Partnership, help NXTSTAGE power the growth of young tech companies and accelerate innovation in Kansas.
2022 NXSTAGE FinTech Pilot Competition Finalists:
Agora Services (New York City) is the next generation of Bank as a service provider, offering a complete Fintech ecosystem that allows banks, credit unions or fintechs to build advanced digital solutions or leverage Agora’s existing white-label solutions.
Array (New York City) is a financial enablement platform specializing in embeddable tools and white label credit and identity products, used by fintechs and financial institutions to drive greater engagement with customers.
Boss Insights (Toronto, Canada) is a leader in open banking, linking fintech and financial institutions to their small and medium-sized business clients’ financial accounting, commerce, payroll and tax data in minutes.
Maxwell (Omaha, Neb.) makes it easy for employers to offer personalized benefits & rewards that attract and retain the talent they need.
Photon Commerce (San Francisco) provides instant straight-through-processing of real-time payments, remittances, checks, invoices, and statements to financial institutions, standardizing ISO20022 data automatically.
upSWOT (Charlotte, N.C.) serves banks and FIs by helping them build loyalty and expand engagement with their SMB clients, thanks to its white-labeled financial management solution.
V2verify (Omaha, Neb.) Simplifies Life by replacing MFA, Passwords, and PINs with a simple-to-use voice authentication solution.