After two impactful months of programming and connections, CAFE’s 2nd accelerator program has completed. Our participants gained valuable knowledge from sessions that included insightful speakers, dedicated mentors, and customer and investor pitches and networking opportunities. This program wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support of our sponsors, partners, industry expert contributors, and our accelerator participants. Thank you all for contributing to this meaningful experience.

Together, we’re working to foster innovation and drive financial inclusion in the fintech space!

Our Demo Day was the culmination of weeks of hard work and collaboration. Over the past two months, we’ve had the privilege of working with an exceptional cohort of fintech founders as part of our CAFE Fall Fintech Accelerator Program.  Each of these companies has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to innovation and social impact, embodying the mission of our accelerator program. On November 18th, our six cohort companies Carvertise, Giving Credit, Kredit Academy, Odynn, Prism, and Salus, delivered compelling pitches to a room full of investors, banks, industry and community leaders at the Fintech Innovation Hub on the University of Delaware’s Science Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) campus. 

The CAFE cohort’s pitches demonstrated creative, impactful technology solutions addressing financial challenges faced by low- to moderate-income people and communities. The event concluded with a networking session to foster connections and promote future collaboration.

Thank you to everyone who attended our fall Demo Day to support our founders and companies. Your incredible support made the day a tremendous success!

Our accelerator focuses on providing connections, coaching, and community. Participants engage in an 8-week hybrid program that included in-person opportunities and virtual sessions. The program offers a diverse lineup of speakers and mentors, creating a dynamic learning experience. Industry experts share their specialized knowledge in a variety of areas, equipping our fintech companies with valuable guidance to succeed. Sessions from the fall program included:

• Selling to Regulated Financial Institutions with Nirbhay Kumar
• Building Partnerships w/ Institutions with Jamie Scott Berniker
• Regulatory Compliance with Wolf & Company, P.C.
• Generative AI for Growth with Bob Mitton 
• Financial Forecasting with Jeff Mitchell and Kevin Cunningham 
• Cybersecurity with Jake Blacksten
• Data Management with Dee Ridgeway & Stephen Hoops
• Business Growth Sessions with Small Business Development Center
• AI for Fintech with Dr. Harry Wang
• Opportunity Zones Advantages with Brad Molotsky

Founders benefited from impactful mentor-led sessions and coaching during the program including:

• A keynote on “Beyond Good”, by Theo Lau, discussing responsible innovation and social impact in fintech.
• Business lessons for fintech with Mark Ferguson of Innervation Finance, covering practical strategies and best practices.
• A session on People, Process, Platform, and Purpose with Ila Eckhoff, on building effective teams and fostering sustainable growth.

Our founders also had the opportunity to engage with Financial Institutions and Bank Associations including the American Bankers Association (ABA), Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), Bank of New York Mellon, Delaware Bankers Association (DBA), Wells Fargo, and Mission Driven Bank Fund & Calvert Impact. These institutions guided our participants as they navigated complex regulations, offered strategic partnerships, and provided critical feedback on business models. 

By connecting with venture capital firms Resilience VC, Chartline VC (Discover Fund), Laconia VC, and Cohen Circle and bank and credit union investor groups JAM FINTOP, Bank Tech Ventures, and Curql cohort gained access to opportunities for growth and funding, while also refining strategies for future success. The American Fintech Council (AFC) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) also ensured our cohort’s solutions aligned with both industry standards and regulatory expectations.

 In addition to virtual sessions, our companies participated in in-person opportunities such as the American Fintech Council Policy Summit, Revtech Lab’s Venture135 Conference, and the American Bankers Association Policy Summit. We hosted the CAFE’s Launch Days and Demo Days in Newark, DE at the Fintech Innovation Hub.

To our sponsors: Your support has been instrumental in creating this opportunity for fintech innovators to grow and succeed. Your generosity and commitment to fostering innovation have been driving forces in advancing our mission. Thank you to our key sponsor, Best Egg and our other distinguished sponsors, American Bankers Association, Cohen Circle, deBanked, Delaware Prosperity Partnership, Delaware Technology Park, Discover Financial Services, Siegfried Advisory, and Wolf & Company!

We are grateful to all the industry experts, mentors, banks, financial institutions and other organizations who generously shared their time, insights, and expertise with our cohort throughout the program. Your guidance has been invaluable in shaping the journey of our participants and would not have been the same without your contributions. 

We also want to acknowledge the dedication and hard work of our program participants over the past 8 weeks. Your passion, perseverance, and creativity have been truly inspiring, and we can’t wait to see the impact you will have in advancing financial inclusion and innovation! 

Applications for CAFE’s Spring 2025 Accelerator will open in early 2025 with an expected launch in April 2025.

It is an equity-free program for growing technology startup companies with products in-market to advance financial wellness for LMI people. CAFE is designed to support and scale “real world” innovations by nurturing revolutionary businesses through connections, coaching and community.

If you are a startup founder that is interested in learning more, follow us on Linkedin and visit our Apply page.