women in fintech Archives

LendIt Fintech Launches Year-Long Mentor Program for NYC-Area Women

Mentor and Mentee applications for the 2020 cohort close on Feb 21st.

February 10, 2020 By Joy Schwartz Leave a Comment

This month LendIt Fintech in partnership with NYC Fintech Women launched its inaugural year-long Mentor Program for tri-state area women. The goal of the program is to support, encourage and advance aspiring women in fintech in their professional development.

Applications to join the 2020 cohort are now open. Apply at: www.lendit.com/usa/2020/women-in-fintech

Mentor requirements

Hold a senior position at a company that is part of the fintech ecosystem
Possess diverse work experience and a dynamic professional network
Commit to meeting at least three times with mentee, in-person (preferred) and/or via video chat during the 2020 calendar year
Reside in the NYC tri-state area
Women and men mentors welcome

Mentee requirements

Demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing the fintech industry
Commit to meeting at least three times with mentor, in person (preferred) and/or via video chat during the 2020 calendar year
Be a woman located in the NYC tri-state area

In addition to the NYC-area Women in Fintech Mentor Program, here are a few other ways we can work together to support the women in your fintech network:

Encourage the leading women in your business to apply to be a speaker at LendIt Fintech. The LendIt Fintech content team works hard to ensure a large proportion of women speakers, but we need your help. Of the more than 300 speaker applications submitted for LendIt Fintech USA 2020, so far only 20% have come from women.
Nominate the leading women in your business for the LendIt Fintech Industry Awards. In 2019, only 5 women were nominated for the category Executive of the Year Award.
Join us for the 3rd annual Women in Fintech Luncheon & Speed Networking on May 13th at LendIt Fintech USA 2020, sponsored by Deloitte. Additional details to be released soon.

Here at LendIt Fintech we are committed to supporting diversity in fintech and creating opportunities for our global community all year long. Plans are in the works to bring the Women in Fintech Mentor Program to other fintech centers soon. Contact LendIt if you’d like to help bring the Women in Fintech Mentor Program to your city.

Joy Schwartz is President of LendIt Fintech and Head of LendIt’s Global Women in Fintech Programs. She has been a member of LendIt’s leadership team since 2014 and is based in New York City.

LendIt Fintech Europe 2019 Conference Highlights

Wrap up of sixth annual LendIt Fintech Europe event that took place in London last week

October 1, 2019 By Peter Renton Leave a Comment

We have just wrapped up what I think has been the most successful European conference LendIt has ever had. We hosted LendIt Fintech Europe 2019 at the Business Design Centre again and the place was buzzing with people both days. We attracted a great mix of people, many of whom took advantage of the Brella app, where over 2,000 one on one meetings occurred.

For the second year in a row there were major developments in Brexit during the week of the conference. But I wouldn’t say Brexit dominated the conversations at all, people have become jaded with the entire thing and just want it over with. So, the talk was all centered around fintech, the maturation of the industry and what we can do to drive it forward.

I spent most of my time in the content, mainly the keynote room which converted into the Lending Innovations track in the afternoon. We recorded videos for every session in the keynote room and they are all available to watch now on the LendIt site. Here are some of my highlights from the event. [Read more…]

Women in Fintech Demolish Glass Ceiling

LendIt Fintech Woman of the Year 2019 award finalists target diversity, equality, education

April 2, 2019 By admin Leave a Comment

[Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Mark Lusky of Mark Lusky Communications, a writing and marketing communications firm, operating since 1982. He specializes in ghostwriting expert advice articles, blogposts and other bylined content for clients, along with writing e-books, whitepapers, case studies, websites, opinion pieces and other communiques—incorporating marketing skills and perspectives acquired as a regional marketing director for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He will be attending LendIt in San Francisco this April.]

LendIt Fintech’s Fintech Women of the Year 2019 award finalists champion the causes of diversity, equality and education—and shout it from the rooftops. In the process, they’re demolishing glass ceilings for women and other diversity-challenged groups.

They are dedicated to achieving gender, ethnic and racial equality. And they are educating a variety of audiences— including borrowers, investors and the Fintech industry—about ways to grow and thrive by becoming savvier and open to all people.

These finalists are changing not just their world—but the whole world.

Promote diversity, respect, collaboration
Valerie Kay, Chief Capital Officer at LendingClub, is responsible for overseeing LendingClub’s Investor Group. She addresses the need for diversity, inclusion, mutual respect and collaboration. She emphasizes the vital importance of diversity to drive better workplaces, happier customers and more profits.

[Read more…]