Brussels, 21 May 2014
Swift Innotribe, together with a pool of over 500 judges, have nominated the semi-finalists for the 2014 Startup Challenge. 47 companies have been selected from around the world to pitch their business ideas during three regional showcases in London, Singapore and New York. The five winners of each regional showcase (three early-stage startups and two growth-stage innovators) will automatically secure a place as a finalist in the Grand Finale at Sibos, Swift's annual conference, in Boston on Wednesday 1 October.
Fabian Vandenreydt, Head of Markets Management, Innotribe and the Swift Institute at Swift, says "We are very impressed with the record number and quality of the 280 applications submitted for this year's Innotribe Startup Challenge. Our judges have selected a variety of companies showcasing numerous opportunities for the financial services industry. We look forward to seeing these companies in action at the different showcases, pitching with enthusiasm and passion."
Commenting on New York's innovation landscape, Fabian adds: "The US market is a hotbed of innovation and New York City is an ideal location for us to offer inspiration, gain insights, and add valuable connections to our network. We are delighted to be back in New York for a third straight year and are proud to continue to support innovation in this region."
During the showcases, the semi-finalists will pitch their new innovative business ideas to an audience of global innovators and investors, venture capitalists and industry experts. Attendees will be involved in insightful discussions, and able to network with early-stage startup and growth-stage innovators. They will also vote for the companies of their choice, helping to select the 5 finalists who will join us at Sibos.
Semi-finalists for the New York showcase
The American leg of the competition will take place on Thursday 5 June at the Convene Centre, New York's largest dedicated conference center located in Mid Town East. Innotribe Day will be a full day event about innovation, with presentations and panel discussions focused on Compliance and Investment Management challenges in the morning and the Innotribe Startup Challenge showcase in the afternoon.
This year's semi-finalists are:
| Early-stage startups (founded < 3 years, and < 1million USD in combined revenue and investment in the last 12 months) |
Growth-stage innovators (founded > 3 years, or > 1million USD in combined revenue and investment in the last 12 months) |
|---|---|
| - Beyonic - Bison - CUneXus - Digital Retail Apps - Epiphyte - LendingRobot - Nerture Technologies - SnapSwap - Standard Treasury - TrustingSocial |
- Advanced Merchant Payments - Intoo - Juntos Finanzas - NoveltyLab - PayByGroup - Socure - Wallaby Financial |
The winners from the New York showcase will be invited to the Innotribe Grand Finale, held at Sibos on 1 October, to compete against the winners from the London and Singapore showcases.
The American leg of the Innotribe Startup Challenge is sponsored by HP, Level39, and SAP.
For further information about the competition, please visit: http://innotribe.com/2014-startup-challenge/ or follow @innotribe on Twitter.
About Innotribe
Swift Innotribe is about connecting people, networks and ideas - bringing together global startups and innovators with investors, strategists, and influential decision-makers from leading financial institutions across the globe. The initiative seeks to bridge the gap between the startup ecosystem and the financial services industry, looking for products and services that could disrupt current business models and create opportunities for new ones. For more information, please visit http://www.innotribe.com/ or follow us on Twitter: @innotribe and Linkedin: Innotribe.
About Swift
Swift is a member-owned cooperative that provides the communications platform, products and services to connect more than 10,000 banking organisations, securities institutions and corporate customers in 212 countries and territories. Swift enables its users to exchange automated, standardised financial information securely and reliably, thereby lowering costs, reducing operational risk and eliminating operational inefficiencies. Swift also brings the financial community together to work collaboratively to shape market practice, define standards and debate issues of mutual interest. For more information, please visit http://www.swift.com/ or follow us on Twitter: @swiftcommunity and LinkedIn: Swift.
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