Back in January I received an email from Dara Albright, the founder of NowStreet Media, and a well-known conference organizer. She thought it was time for a conference focused on p2p lending. This was quite serendipitous because one of my goals in 2013 was to put on some kind of conference. So we joined forces.
Today, we are both delighted to announce that the LendIt Conference is now open for registrations. It will be on June 20th at the Convene Innovation Center in New York City. Before I go any further I imagine you have a couple of questions. Like what is this conference about exactly and who is it for?
There is a full preliminary agenda on the website. While p2p lending will be a large part of the conference our focus is going to be broader than that. Of course I still believe that p2p lending is a fantastic investment opportunity but I am not blind to other types of alternative online investments. One that I am becoming increasingly enamored with is small business lending, something that has been around for centuries, but that has only recently migrated online. Student loans are also an interesting investment with a total market size far exceeding credit card debt.
So, the focus will be on investing, more specifically online lending be it to consumers, small business or students. For the first time we are bringing together the leaders in online lending for a one day conference.
Learn How Online Lending Will Replace the Banking System
While we are still working on the final speaker lineup I can tell you this. The morning keynote will be given by Renaud Laplanche, CEO of Lending Club, where he will reveal how he believes online lending will eventually replace the banking system. Other confirmed speakers are Ron Suber, Head of Institutional Sales at Prosper, Candace Klein, CEO of SoMoLend, Matt Symons, CEO of SocietyOne in Australia, Samir Desai, CEO of Funding Circle in the UK, David Klein, CEO of CommonBond and many more.
I am not going to lie to you. If you are just looking for the latest ideas on filtering loans at Lending Club or Prosper then this conference is probably not for you. But if you want to meet the leaders of this industry and learn the trends that are shaping its future then there is no better place to be on June 20th than in New York City.
Special Discount for Lend Academy Readers
The retail price to attend this one day conference is $495. However, if you act fast and are one of the first 50 people to register than the price is only $295. But if you are a Lend Academy reader you get a special discount. Just enter the code LENDACADEMYDISC into the promotion code field on the EventBrite registration page and you will receive a 25% discount.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has helped us on our journey so far. You have helped name the conference, choose the logo and now you can participate. I hope to see you at LendIt on June 20th.
Here is our official press release that just went out this morning.
The notion that banks will be replaced by online lending is not only intiguing but a certainty. Witness the cannabolization of “bricks-n-sticks” small dollar loan lenders by the payday loan internet lenders as but one example. Exciting times… Jer Trihouse
That’s interesting that you feel it is a certainty. BTW, I heard sometime back that some banks were getting involved in offering a type of short term loan that was targeted at payday type customers, charged much less interest than payday outfits…………..& yet of course still much higher interest than traditional loans or credit cards. Are you familiar with what type of inroads (if any) they’ve made with this?
Sure! Several banks including Wells Fargo and UBS offer payday loan products now. See: http://paydayloanindustryblog.com/fdic-looks-at-bank-payday-loan-styled-products/
Banks Offer PDL’s
Jer Trihouse
Thanks!
Getting into student loans would be dangerous and could damage the reputation of P2P lending in general. There is already a trillion dollar bubble waiting to burst, and that’s with many students having had access to low-interest loans.
The student loan space is not really true p2p lending – these companies raise money from investors and pool this money before lending it out to students. Regardless, I disagree that investing in student loans is dangerous. The online platforms lending to students are only taking the top 1-2% of the student loan market right now, so the risk of defaults is much lower than the overall student loan population.
Yes, but we’re talking about a revolutionary expansion of p2p lending and the replacement of banks, which would have to involve a wider pool of students.
Peter,
Will this event be recorded for playback or streamed online for those of us with scheduling conflicts?
Chris, The event will definitely be recorded and available for purchased to people who cannot attend. We are also hoping to have free live streaming available on the day of the conference. Will let everybody know when we have confirmed details.