FinTech Innovation Lab
1.14.25 -- 1.16.25
1871’s FinTech Innovation Lab connects growth-stage, late-stage, and corporate tech businesses that want to solve the biggest challenges and opportunities in FinTech.
Now recruiting for 2025!
Built w/
Supported by
Our Innovation Labs Connects
Founders
Corporates
Investors
Innovation Ecosystem
Benefit From Year Round High Impact Experiences
Built with industry experts
Xiaochen Zhang
CEO, FinTech4Good and Executive Director & Chief Responsible AI Officer, AI 2030
“The path to becoming a successful FinTech entrepreneur is fraught with challenges. You don’t have to navigate this journey alone. Join the 1871 FinTech Innovation Lab and immerse yourself in a dynamic, global FinTech ecosystem. Here, you’ll find inspiring mentors, strategic investors, talented collaborators, and a supportive community—all dedicated to your growth. This is why I’m thrilled to be an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) at the Lab. Together, we can turn your ambitious FinTech dreams into reality. Take the leap. Shape the future. Join us now.”
Day 1: Market Matching Day
- Experience high impact collisions: Exclusive event for Corporates and Investors to match with founders solving problems relevant to their business.
Note – This day is exclusive to corporates and investors only. You must recieve an acceptance email to attend.
Day 2: Market Match Day Cont. & Pitch Showcase
- Discover cutting-edge innovation: Learn from visionary founders in our fintech cohort.
- Expand your network: Connect with leaders and innovators driving change at the intersection of industry and technology.
- Exclusive for corporate partners: Join our corporate innovators roundtable and network with peers leading transformative projects within their companies.
Day 3: Innovation Day
- Hear from industry leaders: Hear from industry leaders about disruptive trends and watch the top pitches from our innovation cohort.
- Dive into hot topics: Engage in small group discussions in breakout rooms focused on the hottest challenges in your industry.
- Explore the startup expo: Meet 35+ founders, experience live demos, and discover how their solutions are shaping the future.
- Learn from corporate innovators: Gain insights into how our corporate partners are leading the charge on innovation in their industries.
Day 3: Summit Agenda
9:00 AM
Opening Remarks
Betsy Ziegler, CEO @1871
9:30 AM
Innovating FinTech: Corporate Partner Panel
10:25AM
Pitch Showcase Finale
Cheer on our pitch showcase finalists!
11:35 AM
Breakout Sessions (3)
Innovative Pathways to Financial Inclusion
Investing In FinTech: Unlocking Value in Financial Technology Disruption
Payments 2030: Emerging Technologies and the Evolution of Transactions
12:15 PM
Lunch & Networking
1:15 PM
Panel #1
Fintech In Chicago: Bridging Technology & Finance In The Midwest
2:05 PM
Panel #2
The Evolution of FinTech: Discussing Emerging Trends & ROI
2:50 PM
Fireside Chat with Bill Phelan
Bill Phelan, Senior Vice President @ Equifax
3:45 PM
Startup Expo
5:20 PM
Awards & Closing Remarks
Thank you for joining us!
Lab breakdown
Next Cohort: Fall 2024
At a glance
10.14.24 -1.17.25
1 Week / month 4 months
Experience:
Getting started
2024 Lab Schedule
Immersive week 1:
10.14.24 – 10.18.24 [Virtual]
Immersive week 2:
11.18.24 – 11.22.24 [In-Person]
Immersive week 3:
12.16.24 – 12.20.24 [Virtual]
Immersive week 4:
1.13.25 – 1.17.25 [In-Person]
Innovation Summit:
1.14.25 – 1.16.25 [In-Person]
Focus Areas in FinTech for Lab 2025
Payments
These payment innovations aim to improve the way payments are processed, managed, and secured, benefiting both businesses and consumers.
Payment innovations which eliminate any friction or complications in the transaction process. Frictionless payments can be achieved through various technologies and methods.
• Mobile wallet payments
• Online one-click checkout payments
• Software integrated payments
• Connected car/home/city payments (IoT-enabled)
• Personalized digital offers (placement/redemption)
• Advanced authentication (password to passkey)
Payment innovations which streamline and improve transactions between businesses. Digital Invoicing and Payment Platforms, Virtual Cards, Cross-Border Payment Solutions, Supply Chain Finance Platforms and Embedded Finance Solutions.
Fraud detection, Authentication solutions, Regulatory compliance solutions.
Banking
The banking innovations aim to disrupt traditional models and introducing new ways of delivering banking services.
Digital banking provides traditional banking services online or via mobile devices, eliminating branch visits. EX. Chatbots, instant account opening, authentication, digital wallets, mobile payments, financial inclusion solutions.
Allows third-party financial providers to access consumer banking data via application programming interfaces (APIs). Ex. Payment initiation, personal finance management, credit scoring, and lending.
Innovations that provide advanced tools and solutions to maintain regulatory standards and mitigate risks. E.g., AML/KYC solutions, RegTech platforms, risk management, fraud detection, and compliance.
Emerging FinTech
Utilizing cutting-edge technologies to develop new financial services and improve existing ones.
Utilizing biometric and digital technologies to verify customer identities quickly and securely, facilitating access to financial services.
Transform financial services with decentralized, secure, transparent, and efficient technologies for payments, lending, and asset management.
Developing advanced security measures to protect against financial fraud and cyber threats.
Harnessing big data, advanced analytics, and quantum computing for innovative, efficient, and powerful financial solutions. e.g. predictive analytics, personalized financial services, quantum-based, new innovations.
2025 Rewind
Industry Tracks
This year, 1871 is focusing on 11 different Industry Tracks – whether or not you work in the specific industry or not – all members are invited to be a part of as many lab communities as they want. Being a part of the Innovation Lab Community is what gives you access to the year-round programming and events focused on that specific industry.
Meet Our FinTech Industry Champions
Industry Champions are dynamic leaders dedicated to fostering community within specific industries. They create and nurture grassroots communities of forward-thinking individuals, share valuable insights, and drive future trends. Acting as connectors and catalysts, Industry Champions play a key role in shaping Innovation Lab community events while expanding their networks and influence.
Lab breakdown
The lab is made up of 4-weeks of immersive programming and culminates with a capstone-like event, our AI Innovation Summit.
Startup recruitment & application
Apps due by
03.10.23
2023 Immersive Lab
Week 1
4.3.23 - 4.7.23 [Virtual]
Week 2
5.1.23 - 5.5.23 [In-person]
Week 3
5.30.23 - 6.02.23 [Virtual]
Week 4
6.26.23 - 6.30.23 [In-person]
2023 AI Innovation Summit
Public showcase
6.29.23
2023 AI Innovation Summit
Join us on 6.29.23 for the first-ever event to link early stage startups, growth scalers, corporate innovators, mentors, venture capitalists, and community leaders in ALL that is happening in AI innovation.
Program supporters
Thanks to the following companies for supporting our immersive week program + summit event.
How Members Get Involved
There are two steps for you to start engaging in the Innovation Lab Communities and Events:
Step 1: Self-Select & Join Innovation Lab Communities
On the member portal, you have the power to self-select exactly which industry communities you want to be a part of. Joining tech specific Lab Industry Groups you are interested in gets you access to those member-only events and indicates to our team that you are interested in other events and opportunities in that specific industry.
Step 2: Start Signing Up for Innovation Lab Events!
Take a look at all upcoming labs programming and start signing up to get engaged in the range of programing for each Industry.