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DCU FinTech Innovation Center Press Kit

If you have any specific press inquiries, please email press@dcufintech.org

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About the Center

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The DCU FinTech Innovation Center⁠ (”the Center”), based in Boston, MA, is the leading nonprofit, zero-fee/zero-equity sponsor of fintech startups in New England and bridges the gap between cutting-edge financial technology startups and financial institutions. With a focus on helping startups gain initial customer traction, the Center provides proof-of-concept fintech startups with one year of free mentorship, community, workspace, and access to an extensive fintech-centric network.

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Mission

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The Center’s mission is to advance the growth of fintech startups, financial institutions, and the Boston fintech ecosystem by connecting progressive enterprises with fintech’s most promising new entrepreneurs.

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Fast Stats

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80+ startups accepted <10% acceptance rate Members and alum: 400+ Enterprise Customers $500m+ raised (funding and on platforms) 2 CUSOs $1B+ in enterprise value created

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Applicant Criteria

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Industry Focus: FinTech, including BankTech, PropTech and RegTech Product Stage: POC to initial production Market Focus: Consumer & Enterprise Customers: ~0 Team size: < ~5 Funding: < ~$2M

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Core Sectors

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Banking Financial Wellness Embedded Fintech Lending Payments Advanced Technologies in FinTech - AI, ML, Distributed Ledger Technologies, Digital Currencies

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Candidates

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Ideal candidates for membership are fintech startups in the proof-of-concept (POC) to early production stage with a team of 2-5 people. Qualifying startups must have less than ~$1.5M in funding at the time of acceptance and be developing a financial technology product or selling into the financial services market. Startups must be developing a digital product rather than providing services (RIAs, consulting services, development services, etc.). Startups must also have a US market focus and be located in the US or Canada.

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Cohorts

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The Center accepts two cohorts per year. Cohorts typically start in January and July and applications are due in the Spring or Fall. *Cohort start dates are in flux during COVID-19. Please reach out to applications@dcufintech.org⁠ to learn more.

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For success stories on our members, please email press@dcufintech.org⁠ ⁠

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Benefits of the Center

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Members receive numerous benefits when accepted into the Centers program. The Center provides: Member Programming & Community: Tailored programming that supports the growth of fintech startups from POC through production and assists with enterprise readiness and pilot success - this includes onboarding, knowledge series, office hours, round-tables, pitch preparation, and other Center led events Access to leading mentors, knowledge experts, customers, fintech founders, and service providers A fintech family to call on for support, introductions, and guidance Member of New England’s largest community of fintech startups DCU/Credit Union/Banking/Financial Institutions: One-on-one time with DCU Executives, including office hours Connections to other leaders and resources at DCU and other innovative financial institutions Access to the Center’s network of partners and affiliates Streamlined pilots, where applicable Connections to a national consortium of credit unions Resources and know-how that startups will need to sell into target financial institutions General: Free office space for 1 year in Downtown Boston Secure 24/7 office access in 24/7 doorman building Meeting room usage, event room usage, shared kitchen, and more Access to Workbar’s other 15 co working spaces Partnership Perks: Web hosting credits for Google Cloud Platform & Amazon Web Services 90% off HubSpot for Startups 6 months of discounted Plaid access (aggregate value of up to $21,000) and more

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Management Bio

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Headshots of executive leadership can be found here⁠ . Vasilios Roussos, Managing Director, DCU FinTech Innovation Center ⁠Linkedin Profile⁠ ⁠ Short Bio Vasilios is the Managing Director of the DCU FinTech Innovation Center, a non-profit accelerator that supports the growth of pre-revenue fintech startups. Vasilios has a background in entrepreneurship, venture capital, partnerships, innovation, and product development. He has an MBA from Cornell University and a BA from Brandeis University and is a proud Boston native. Long Bio Vasilios focuses on the nexus point of product innovation, partnerships, and entrepreneurship. He is the Managing Director of the DCU FinTech Innovation Center, a non-profit fintech accelerator that houses the largest community of fintech startups in New England. The Center is sponsored by Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU). Through the Center, Vasilios is helping advance the development of startups, the state of innovation in the credit union and banking industries, and the Boston FinTech ecosystem. Previously, Vasilios founded an omnichannel tech company and led its acquisition. He also has deep prior experience in venture capital, product development, and investment research at Village Ventures, Dell EMC, and Cambridge Associates. He graduated with Honors from Brandeis University and has an MBA from Cornell University with a concentration in venture capital and operations. Vasilios is a proud Boston native.

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About DCU

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Digital Federal Credit Union, better known as DCU, is a not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by and operated for its members. DCU was chartered in October of 1979. Since then, DCU has been chosen as the credit union for more than 700 companies and organizations. DCU serves more than 850,000 members and their families in all 50 states. With headquarters in Marlborough, Massachusetts, DCU is the largest credit union headquartered in New England as measured by assets and is among the top 20 nationwide.

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Why did DCU start the Center?

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The Center empowers DCU to further give back to the community and promote local entrepreneurship. In return, The Center offers DCU’s executive leadership team the opportunity to gain valuable insights into how pioneering minds are embracing new technologies, trends and rethinking solutions to help drive the financial services industry forward. To learn more about DCU’s role in the community, click here⁠ , and for more on why it started the Center click here.⁠ ⁠

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DCU Innovation Leadership

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Executive Nancy D’Amico, SVP Technology and Innovation, DCU ⁠Linkedin profile⁠ ⁠ Bio Executive Leader of major business transformations focused on optimizing technology delivery and organizational teamwork. Adept at understanding current business challenges and providing solutions that drive business success through information and technology innovations. Recognized for ability to gain the confidence of executive peers and lead technology teams to achieve new levels of accomplishment. Awarded 2015 Georgia CIO of the Year for demonstrating innovation and excellence in technology leadership. More than 30 years of experience including technology team leadership, strategic business planning, digital transformation, change leadership, agile application development and support, systems engineering, security and compliance, data management, business intelligence, quality assurance, program/portfolio management, business analysis, negotiation, software supplier management, data center operations, end user computing and communications technology functions. Specialize in developing business driven technology strategies with detailed technology roadmaps that guide transitions, enhance operational efficiencies and maximize team member contributions. Active in the Atlanta community serving on the Advisory Board for Georgia CIO Leadership Association, on the Board of Directors for Kettering executive network as Membership Chair, and repeat volunteer for PATHBUILDERS Achieva mentoring program. Contributing author in two books, “Climb: Leading Women in Technology Share Their Journeys to Success,” published by Women In Technology, Inc. and “Data Center Insights: A Compilation of Leadership Thoughts, Views and Observations,” published by Executive Alliance. Positively impacted the fleet management industry as a Founding member of Women in Fleet Management, a group that encourages personal and professional career fulfillment through mentoring, fleet expertise sharing, business community involvement and networking.