The Venture Center’s globally recognized fintech accelerator programs named finalist for Best Fintech Accelerator/Incubator award at world’s premier fintech conference.
“We’ve had tremendous success cultivating community bank-fintech partnerships that marry high-tech, high-touch solutions to eliminate market-entry barriers and address community bank business needs. The second ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator marks the next phase in community banking’s innovation journey and positions our industry as leaders in fintech. We are excited to continue breaking through conventional banking limitations.” - Kevin Tweddle, ICBA Services Network Chief Operating Officer
A program by The Venture Center
Entrepreneurs – Come and share your ideas about what’s working and what’s not, so we can help drive positive policy change for entrepreneurs and small business investors.
Lift The Rock is produced by The Venture Center to bring entrepreneurs and business leaders together for conversation around economic development and entrepreneurship. At this month's Lift the Rock, Brent Birch will share the latest big news about the Tech Park! Then, Adrienne Baker, Chief Operating Officer for Wright Lindsey Jennings and Brandon Middleton, IP attorney at Wright Lindsey Jennings will share about the most important aspects of the Entrepreneurial Toolbox.
Being an entrepreneur is stressful. Customers, employees, investors, board members, not to mention family members...all have expectations of you. How you deal with that stress will likely influence your company's success. In this one-hour workshop, we'll talk about how to be more mindful in our decision-making, communication, and relationship to the world around us. We'll engage in a short mindfulness practice, as well as talk about the challenges we face confronting our constant thinking minds.
Today’s the deadline to register for Jolt and qualify for a free t-shirt! Register at www.venturecenter.co/jolt.
Join us for a highly anticipated Fireside Chat with Scott Ford, Co-Founder and CEO of Westrock, and hear the story of how Westrock Coffee became a major player in the competitive global coffee industry.
The Venture Center today released their September and October events schedule featuring extensive programming for entrepreneurs and businesses. Community programs scheduled for early fall feature a highly anticipated Fireside Chat with Westrock CEO Scott Ford on October 16, 2019. Other programs include two Lift the Rock lunches, three Workshop events, and the 2019 JOLT Cyber challenge.
All startups need one thing above all - interaction (and opportunities) with customers. The reality is that startups need many things, but customer engagement is king when building a new technology solution. This is why entrepreneurship is hard...because you have to deliver on multiple things simultaneously – capital, customers, product, new hires, partnerships, and the list goes on and on.
As The Venture Center prepares for the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator 2.0, we’re looking back at the men and women who made the first ThinkTECH Accelerator so successful. Har Rai Khalsa, CEO & Founder of MK Decision, is one of those entrepreneurs who made the most of the experience, and MK Decision continues to find success in the market.
When I came to Little Rock to join The Venture Center team over two years ago, I knew I was walking into a unique opportunity. I’d always known that Little Rock was the birthplace of fintech since Systematics (now known as fintech giant Fidelity National Information Systems, or FIS) was founded here in 1968. What I didn’t know was the depths to which the Little Rock community would reach to catapult Little Rock into a globally recognized hub for fintech innovation.
The Venture Center today announced its annual JOLT Cyber Challenge, a hands-on job training cyber competition held during Techtober, Arkansas’ annual season of tech celebration. The event will be held at the Walton School of Business, 119 Main Street in Little Rock from October 11 – 13, 2019. Last year’s event drew over 100 competitors and gamemasters, and this year’s event is expected to garner over 130 participants. A maximum of 40 teams may register, and those who register by September 27 will receive a free JOLT t-shirt.
The Venture Center has been selected as a finalist in the Best Fintech Accelerator/Incubator category of the first annual Finovate Awards. Known across the globe as the pinnacle of fintech innovation, Finovate brings together thousands of fintech influencers, investors and financial services executives in order to showcase emerging industry solutions.
The Venture Center and the Little Rock Regional Chamber today announced Spark!, a pre-accelerator program offering free office space in The Venture Center. Spark! is taking applications from central Arkansas small businesses until September 4, 2019.
The Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) today announced plans for a second ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator in partnership with The Venture Center and the State of Arkansas. The Little Rock, Ark. based program will accept applications from early-stage and startup fintech hopefuls from Aug. 12 to Sept. 30.
There isn’t any more personal than our personal health and our personal finances. I’ve spent the majority of my career helping people with both, making hard conversations more approachable and taking the stigma out of asking for help. It’s through this process that I discovered my passion for helping others by building a relationship based on trust and support.
While hackers target all financiers, local and community banks are becoming more frequent marks…and email attacks are a weapon of choice. The truth is cyber bank theft is a daily occurrence, and the rate of breaches at financial services institutions (FSIs) has tripled in the past five years. According to a recent study by Accenture, a bank encounters about 85 cyber attacks each year.
