2012 Innotribe Startup Challenge for FinTech is open

The 2012 Challenge is open to companies (including participants from 2011) working in financial technology or technology-enabled financial services including payments, securities, trading, social media tools, big data/data analytics, security, identity, b2b or b2b2c mobile, small business apps & services &/or IT infrastructure, and consulting or outsourcing firms remain ineligible. Early-stage applicants must be less than 3 years old and have less than $1M in combined revenue and investment in the last 12 months. Later-stage applicants may be of any maturity, but the product or service submitted for consideration must still be ‘under the radar’.

The Innotribe Startup Challenge aims to fosters collaborative innovation between financial institutions and emerging innovators from around the world.

-     The online application process is a 1 page questionnaire and a pitch deck to make things easier for applicants

-     The 2012 Challenge awards provide greater exposure and interaction between participants and potential investors, partners and customers at a series of one-day invitation-only Challenge Showcases in NYC (Feb 8), Bangkok (Apr 25 or 26) and Belfast (late June) to bring together regional semi-finalists with 40-50 judges, active investors and financial industry players for presentations, discussions & networking. Expert judges will select the 45 semi-finalists invited to the Challenge Showcases, and qualified financial industry professionals and investors will select the 15 finalists.

-     Applicants will be segmented into early-stage and later-stage companies to balance the competition, with 10 early and 5 later-stage semi-finalists selected for each Showcase, and 10 early & 5 later-stage finalists selected from across all Showcases to participate in the finals at Innotribe @ Sibos in September in Osaka, Japan.

Applications are open on the following schedule, and companies not selected as semi-finalists may apply to subsequent Showcases:
- NYC Showcase: Dec 6, 2011 - Jan 6, 2012
- Bangkok Showcase: Feb 15 - Mar 21, 2012
- Belfast Showcase: Apr 15 - May 12, 2012