THE FinTech Connector story
By Angel Lorente – Founder & Master Connector
In June 2016, I created a weekly social networking event at Hurley’s Saloon in NYC for NY-area based MIT/GetSmarter Fintech online course cohorts. I am a firm believer that nothing is more valuable than face-to-face interactions.
Every week I participated in the online forum of the MIT FinTech course and let everyone know that I would be at Hurley's Saloon grabbing a beer and talking fintech. The first week two people showed up. By the time the course was over 12 weeks later we had anywhere from 20 to 30 people show up. The NY cohorts, the GetSmarter team, and one of the senior MIT instructors David Shrier who met me in NY told me that I had created something special with the weekly networking events and that I should continue doing it...SO I DID.
I set up a NYC Meet-up page in September 2016 and referred to ourselves as the MIT FinTech Connector Cohorts. I kept doing the Hurley's Social Networking but also added events like Fireside Chats with CEOs of start-ups and investors to understand their journey, a tech education series (the first was “A Day in the Life of A Bitcoin Transaction”) and FinTech Pitch Presentation Night where cohorts could present their ideas or start-ups, get feedback, and meet enablers that could help them take their fintech idea to the next level.
My focus was to create an exclusive community of enablers and innovators that could connect, share ideas, learn from each other, and help drive fintech innovation forward for all people.
I soon began getting requests from people outside the MIT/GetSmarter FinTech course to join so I changed our name to FinTech Connector and opened it up to other fintech members. New members had to have relevant business, technology, finance, or consulting experience as an Enabler, and a clear idea or fintech business in startup mode as an Innovator.
I met so many wonderful people from the events that saw value in what I was doing. Some of them have joined me on the journey to create and expand FinTech Connector globally as Advisers and Investors.
I also received encouragement from my international MIT FinTech Cohorts to partner with them in establishing local FinTech Connector communities and connecting them globally to encourage networking, collaboration, and innovation. This led to creating Community Partners that are FinTech Connector leads for their cities/countries — to help plan and execute events, encourage collaboration and innovation locally, and invite fintech Enablers and Innovators to join the exclusive, global FinTech Connector online networking platform.
FinTech Connector is still in the beginning of this great initiative. I believe the community will drive a number of key innovations in the years to come and will be viewed as a global powerhouse of fintech thought leaders, subject matter experts, investors, start-ups, and entrepreneurs.
I hope that you will join me as we connect the fintech dots for Enablers and Innovators around the world and helping them disrupt and innovate financial services for all people.
OUR CORE PRINCIPLES
Community
A truly borderless and exclusive community driven by a common purpose – innovate financial services
Connect
A member platform to connect financial services and business enablers with fintech innovators
Collaborate
The tools and resources to collaborate on fintech solutions that will innovate financial services
Create
A community driven platform to find, fund, and create fintech solutions for global impact
“I believe FinTech Connector will be viewed as a global powerhouse of professionals, thought leaders, investors, and innovators helping drive financial services innovation around the world”
Meet the Master FINTECH Connector
ANGEL LORENTE
Angel Lorente is the Founder and Master Connector of today’s fastest growing global fintech network — FinTech Connector. Angel is an alumnus of MIT’s FinTech: Future Commerce and Big Data & Social Analytics where he evolved a vision to connect the fintech world for impact. Angel’s storyline connects every dot from financial services to MIT to the future of financial technology.
Angel is continuously cultivating an exclusive community of Enablers (professionals, investors, thought leaders and subject matter experts) and Innovators (fintech and blockchain entrepreneurs and startups) that come together in their local communities to share ideas, learn from each other, and drive fintech innovation forward.
Throughout his career, Angel has shaped and articulated a vision and strategy for global financial institutions, supported key business lines, evolved as an expert in financial products, reporting, risk management, and treasury services, and pivoted his career to lead a global financial services innovation team in the Americas.
He has built a reputation as a collaborative influencer who excels within highly competitive environments where leadership and teamwork are keys to success.
Angel commented, “We are still in the beginning stages of this great initiative that will, in my opinion, drive key market innovations in fintech. I believe FinTech Connector will be viewed as a global powerhouse of professionals, thought leaders, investors, and innovators helping drive financial services innovation around the world.”
meet our Strategic AdvisErs
Narayanan Ganpathy, CFA
Chief Executive Officer - Angivest Ventures
Narayanan runs an early stage investment firm based in Bahrain providing pre-seed and seed stage capital to technology startups globally. Over a career spanning twenty years, Narayanan has evolved as an investment management specialist, having held senior management positions with prominent institutions such as Deutsche Bank in London, GFH Financial Group, KPMG Corporate Finance and International Investment Bank in Bahrain across a range of sectors. As an advisor to FinTech Connector, he brings to bear a combination of skills as an angel investor, a financial analyst, an investment manager and a Fintech enabler. He is a CFA Charterholder, a Master in Finance from London Business School, an alumnus of MIT’s Fintech: Future Commerce and has completed the Digital Business Leadership Program at Columbia Business School.
Fredrik Andersson
Founder Miltton Labs and Partner Miltton Group Head of Strategy Tech & Politics Miltton Group
Orlando Camargo
Founder, Ithaca Street Partners &
Former, VP Head of Communications, Goldman Sachs Japan
Orlando Camargo is a business and communications executive with over 25 years of global experience working with multinational companies, governments and organizations. He is the Founding Partner of Ithaca Street Partners, a global strategic communications consultancy.
Orlando received his Masters Degree in Economics and Business from the University of Tsukuba in Japan and upon graduation was the first non-Japanese to be hired as a civil service researcher at a prestigious Science and Technology Agency’s National Institute for Science and Technology (NISTEP) of Japan.
From May 2000 Orlando was Vice President and Director of Communications for Japan for Goldman Sachs Inc. He had oversight for media relations, marketing & branding and internal communications for the Tokyo office of 1,300 employees, reporting jointly to the Tokyo office co-presidents and the head of Asian Communications in Hong Kong. From 2006 Orlando was President and Representative Director of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide Japan. He was the primary driving force in establishing and growing the Japan office of one of the world’s leading Public Relations consultancies, focusing on developing social media strategies, and integrated marketing and reputation management programs for organizations, companies, brands and government organizations.
Orlando helps clients identify and connect with influencers, investors and entrepreneurs.
Carlos Mendes
Vice President / Global Digital Solutions - RGP Consulting
Top business executive, advisor, and investor with a purpose to inspire and connect others to achieve extraordinary things. Highly regarded for setting strategic vision, building new business models / Fintech products, growing high-performance diverse teams, driving revenue growth and cost elimination across Europe, Asia, and Americas.
Vikas Bansal
Regional Lead Digitial, Fintech, & Blockchain - HCL Technologies
Vikas Bansal is a Master Connector of today’s fastest growing global fintech network — FinTech Connector. Vikas is an alumnus of Columbia Business School and Oxford University’s SAID Business School’s FinTech Program.
Vikas has successfully managed multiple consulting/outsourcing relationships as a Client Partner for various Banks and Financial Services institutions to deliver transformation projects and achieve key business objectives. As a strategic adviser to clients, Vikas has been a keen observer and researcher of trends and opportunities that contextualize FinTech and the various thematic areas of FinTech innovation and disruptive technologies. He is proficient in the Lean Launchpad methodology – including Business Model Generation, Product Market Fit, Value Proposition Canvas and the Ten-point Innovation Framework. He has an astute understanding of the domains of Digital Transformation and their application in the context of Financial Services. He has published his points of view on Digital Transformation and future of retail banking.
Vikas is focused on curating a community of Fintech enthusiasts, innovators and enablers locally in Chicago and around the globe.
Antonia Savaria
Chief Executive Officer - Atlantia Advisers &
Counsel - Cash App, Crypto Product, & Program Compliance Management Lead - Square
Antonia Savaria is a regulatory compliance attorney and risk management executive with over 15 years industry experience in investment management, hedge fund, corporate governance, contract and business law. Antonia has extensive in-house expertise and has worked in various legal, compliance and risk management capacities at global financial organizations as well as entrepreneurial ventures, such as Morgan Stanley, KPMG, Focus Financial Partners and Intrade. She has provided counsel on legal, regulatory and compliance issues arising under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Investment Company Act of 1940, SEC and FINRA rules, as well as regulations of the FCA (UK regulator) and the Ontario Securities Commission and Autorité des marchés financiers (Québec) (Canadian regulators).
Antonia founded Atlantia Advisers with the goal of providing a holistic approach to the strategic advisory and regulatory compliance needs of small- to mid-sized investment advisers, hedge funds, wealth managers, and private equity firms that seek expert advice, benchmarking against industry best practices, practical guidance and sustainable solutions.
Antonia partners with the C-level executives and understands the value of effective, timely and efficient communication. Her approach is discerning and resourceful.
Mario Cohen
Chief Executive Officer - Demtech
Mario Cohen started Demtech as an outsource sales and business development company in February 2000. The objective was to assist high-tech companies expand into the European, Israeli, and South American markets.
Over the years, Mario has partnered with Venture Capitalists, Family Offices, and Angel Investors, working as their sales acceleration partner for their portfolio companies to help them scale and expand in to new markets.
Mario is based in Madrid, Spain and his Demtech operations are located in London, Italy, and Tel-Aviv.