Startupbootcamp FinTech
Startupbootcamp is a network of industry-focused accelerators that has run more than 150 accelerators in more than 20 countries since 2010 and counts more than 1,600 portfolio companies. Its fintech programs started in London in 2014 and in Amsterdam in 2016, with banks such as Lloyds, Rabobank, ING and ABN AMRO as partners.
The most recent fintech cohort on its website, Inclusive FinTech & DeFi in the Netherlands, ran from March to June 2024. If you look for a fintech accelerator in Europe now, Plug and Play, Station F and the LHoFT run fintech programs.
FinTech London, 2014
Startupbootcamp FinTech London launched in February 2014 with Lloyds Bank, Rabobank and MasterCard as partners. Ten startups received £15,000 in cash, mentoring from more than 100 industry experts and three months of office space at the Rainmaking Loft near Tower Bridge. The partners gave access to customers, data, APIs and capital, and the program ended with a Demo Day in front of more than 150 investors.
The London launch was the first step of a plan to run fintech programs in fintech centers around the world. Singapore and New York followed, and the Startupbootcamp website lists a later fintech cohort in Mexico City. London's fintech campus today is Level39 at Canary Wharf.
FinTech & CyberSecurity in Amsterdam
In July 2016 Startupbootcamp started a FinTech & CyberSecurity program in Amsterdam (in Dutch). It looked for startups in blockchain, peer-to-peer payments, compliance and KYC, fraud detection, cloud security and encryption. Rabobank, ING, ABN AMRO, SNS Bank, PwC, NN Group, Delta Lloyd and Athlon were its sponsors.
The program was still running in 2022: the cycle on its website announced ten startups in January 2022, started on February 28 and closed with an Impact Day in June. The Dutch fintech scene around it is covered at Holland FinTech and fintech in Amsterdam.
Inclusive FinTech & DeFi, 2024
The Inclusive FinTech & DeFi accelerator is the most recent fintech cohort on the Startupbootcamp website. It announced ten startups on February 15, 2024, started on March 4 and closed with an Impact Day on June 6, 2024. Its two subjects have their own pages here: financial inclusion in payments and DeFi in Europe.
The format stayed the same from London in 2014 to the Netherlands in 2024: about ten startups, three months, corporate partners who open their business units, and a closing day in front of investors.
Upcoming fintech events in Europe
Does Startupbootcamp still run a fintech accelerator?
The Startupbootcamp website lists no open fintech cohort. Its most recent fintech program, Inclusive FinTech & DeFi, ended in June 2024, and the cohorts it lists as active cover AI and Web3, deep tech and robotics, and agriculture and food.
What did Startupbootcamp FinTech London offer?
The first London cohort in 2014 gave ten startups £15,000 in cash, three months of office space at the Rainmaking Loft, mentoring from more than 100 industry experts and access to Lloyds Bank, Rabobank and MasterCard. It ended with a Demo Day for more than 150 investors.
Which fintech accelerators run in Europe?
Plug and Play runs fintech programs from offices in Paris, Munich, Amsterdam, London and other cities, Station F in Paris hosts programs run by banks, and the LHoFT in Luxembourg runs its own acceleration programs. The overview at fintech hubs in Europe lists the campuses, associations and accelerators by country.
Startupbootcamp FinTech and Finance Loop
Finance Loop brings founders from fintech accelerators together with banks and investors in Germany, at its events in Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and Hamburg. Finance Loop is built in collaboration with Frankfurt Main Finance and TechQuartier, the Frankfurt startup center. A fintech that wants to meet German banks can present at a Finance Loop meetup or a webinar, and the free Network Membership brings the invitations.
Finance Loop is a professional network and has the goal of driving the adoption of emerging technologies in finance, such as AI, digital payments, cloud and blockchain solutions. Finance Loop helps its members build skills and personal networks in these fields: Investment & Digital Assets, Payments & Digital Money, Digital Infrastructure & Sovereignty, and Risk & Compliance.