Open Tech Calendar

Interested in Finance? Interested in Tech? Then come to our finance-hackathon!

The finance industry cannot resist the rapid, technology-driven changes that have turned other industries upside-down and inside out. New digital players are springing up and promising to change the way we as customers live our lives and do business. Every area of financial services is being disrupted.

Following the success of our last event, we're organising another finance-themed hackathon where you’ll be fed, watered, (hugged, if absolutely necessary), and sheltered from the elements, while you pitch your ideas, attract skilled team-mates, design your product, build a working prototype and present to a select panel of judges.

Our event is aimed at those who enjoy designing or building software products, making sense of and manipulating data, or have ideas that they'd like to pitch that are aimed at improving a financial service.
It will be intense (there might be tears) but it will be fun. There will be friends to be made and hopefully more cool prizes to be won.

Intellectual Property:
Any designs created, code written, products built, presentations, marketing material etc created during the hackathon will belong to creators of the codes/designs/content .
Any tools or data sets supplied by sponsor/partner companies, will belong to those companies.
Teams that wish to continue working with specific data sets/tools supplied will be responsible for negotiating with the relevant organisation after the hackathon.
Sponsors/partners interested in code/designs/content created during the hackathon will be responsible for negotiating with the creators.
This paragraph is not exhaustive but it serves to highlight our position on the subject as organisers of this event.

What sort of ideas should be pitched / fit within the theme?
There are two main areas that we will encourage participants to consider during the weekend: products to improve financial inclusion; and designing financial products for millenials. However, you may work on any idea so long as it is finance-related and you are part of a team with at least 3 people. Additionally there may be challenges supplied by companies that you are welcome to tackle if you prefer.

Financial inclusion

Last year, a World Bank report had the number of ‘unbanked’ adults in the world at 2 billion! That’s two billion who are underserved or excluded by the existing financial services infrastructure. These people may not have access to bank accounts, be able to apply for loans, or have the financial literacy or tools required to adequately manage personal finances.

With so many left marginalised from access to financial services, tech companies have seen an opportunity to take the lead and disrupt the finance sector by designing and delivering services in a smarter and more inclusive way.

For example, companies like Aire are looking at new ways to establish credit histories - necessary for those who are new to a country and don’t have appropriate credit scores and struggle to access basic services. Companies like Prodigy Finance and CommonBond are making it easier for international students to access loans to pay for further studies like MBAs by considering future earning potential in the decision making process.

Sending money back home to family in other countries has typically been a time-consuming, inconvenient and expensive process. Some of the lowest earners are losing chunks of their income just by moving it around. New companies are making it easier for people to send money abroad to families and friends without having to go to a branch, and at a fraction of the cost.

These are just some examples of areas where companies are using technology to make financial services more inclusive. Can you identify a trend at the grassroots level and then use technology to amplify and accelerate it?

------
Designing finance products for millennials

Apparently most millennials would rather see their dentist than deal with their banks! All four of the big banks are in the top 10 least loved brands by millennials. Furthermore, 73% of millennials would be more excited about a new offering in financial services from a tech company like Apple or Google than from their own banks.

So what exactly is it that millennials want in a financial partner? What should finance products aimed at millennials look like? Facebook mined conversations from its millennial users and came up with some insights about how millennials relate to financial services, what they want from banking providers and where the industry could have the most impact.

Millennials’ financial priorities are reducing debt and saving for the future. They want financial partners to understand them. They want to be recognised and rewarded for their loyalty (who doesn’t?!). And they want transparency/honesty. Products for millennials should be easy to use and convenient. Banks should take a mobile centric approach.

The size of the opportunity here is huge. There is yet to be a Google or Facebook in the financial sector. App-only, challenger bank Mondo is an example of a fin-tech startup that is aspiring to be just that.

Take a look at the full Facebook report to help get some ideas on the sorts of product ideas you could pitch or help build during the next Edinburgh finance-themed hackathon.

SCHEDULE:
Fri 1st April at 6.15pm – overnight? (tbc)
6.15pm: Drinks, food, chat with fellow participants, organisers, mentors and sponsors; ask questions, think about pitches
7.00pm: Key speaker and sponsors address audience; APIs are presented and challenges are proposed
8.00pm: Short break
8.15pm: Attendees pitch ideas
8.45pm: Teams form
9.00pm: Teams submit their Group names, and roles for each team member
9.15pm: Teams brainstorm and do prep for the next day
Sat 2nd April at 9am – overnight? (tbc)
9am: Breakfast; and teams present their plans to the event organisers and mentors
10am: Teams work on their designs/prototypes/marketing
10am-12noon: Mentors available for any advice
1pm: Light lunch served
2pm: Teams get back to work; mentors are available for any questions/advice
4pm: Teams provide status update to organisers and mentors
6pm: Dinner served and then teams continue working
Venue closing time TBC
Sun 3rd April at 9am – 7pm
9.00am: Breakfast; and teams provide status update to organisers
12noon: Lunch, and dress rehearsal for presentations
4.00pm: Teams present to judges: consisting of 5min presentations and 5mins of Q&A
5.00pm: Judges deliberate; refreshments are served
5.30pm: Judges’ verdict; any prizes are awarded;
6.00pm: Closing speeches
6.15pm: Networking drinks

Email bela@infinitekind.com if you have any questions.

http://infinitekind.com/finance-hackathon-edinburgh-april-2016

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-edinburgh-finance-themed-tech-hackathon-april-2016-tickets-21234279301

Interested in Finance? Interested in Tech?

The finance industry may have been resistant to the rapid, technology-driven changes that have turned other industries upside-down and inside out, but it can’t afford to be that anymore. Every area of financial services is being disrupted by new players in the digital space and this could change the way that we, as customers, live our lives and do business.

Following the success of our last event, we're organising another hack weekend! Come along to our finance-themed hackathon where you’ll be fed, watered, (hugged, if absolutely necessary), and sheltered from the elements, while you pitch your ideas, attract skilled team-mates, design your product, build a working prototype and present to a select panel of judges.

Our event aims to have the right mix of software developers, designers, data lovers and daring-doers (hustlers fueled with wild passion and sheer determination). This hackathon will suit those who enjoy designing or building software products, making sense of and manipulating data, and using business savvy.

It will be intense (there might be tears) but it will be fun. There will be friends to be made and prizes to be won. And who knows, perhaps there will be the birth of the next billion-dollar (sorry, pound) startup to come out of Scotland!

What sort of ideas should be pitched / fit within the FinTech theme?

Product ideas could cover the following areas plus much more:

Financial inclusion: products for with the unbanked
Online rewards: make these relevant and simplify signups
Financial education/literacy: tool to enhance knowledge and skills
Personal finance: tools to make financial mgnt easier
Hyperlocal transactions: helping small businesses and retailers improve digital payments
Cyber-security
Blockchain
Alternative lending
Plus lots more


What changes would you like to see in the finance industry? Can you think of processes that could be made more efficient, secure, transparent and inexpensive? These links offer information about how tech is changing financial services and may help you come up with ideas that you’d like to work on or pitch at the event.

Disrupting traditional finance: https://mathewsvincent.wordpress.com/2015/11/09/fintech-disrupting-traditional-financial-services/
What do the 17 hottest financial tech companies in Britain do? http://uk.businessinsider.com/17-hottest-fintech-companies-in-britain-2015-6
More examples of companies that are helping to reshape the finance industry: http://www.fintechinnovators.com/
“‘the biggest areas of FinTech investment for top VCs since 2007 are the following: payments, personal finance management, lending, and bitcoin.” http://uk.businessinsider.com/these-2-simple-slides-show-just-how-hot-fintech-is-right-now-2015-5
Slides from a recent financial technology conference in Scotland: http://www.slideshare.net/RayBugg/fintech-2015-edinburgh
What do the 25 top financial tech companies in the world do? http://raconteur.net/technology/25-fintech-companies-set-for-stardom
Disrupting finance industry using blockchain tech: http://www.economistinsights.com/technology-innovation/analysis/money-no-middleman/tab/1
Why you should care about blockchain: http://recode.net/2015/07/05/forget-bitcoin-what-is-the-blockchain-and-why-should-you-care/
Why should you as a designer/developer/marketer participate?

To make the world a more efficient, easy and exciting place to navigate. FinTech could change the way we live our lives and do business. Other reasons to participate are:

To use the skills that you don’t get to show off at your current day job
To meet potential hirers
To meet more of your peers: meet like-minded friends and professional acquaintances
To gain startup experience
To add a new project to your portfolio
To win a cool prize and recognition for your effort
To meet your future co-founders for the billion pound startup you may wind up creating
To surprise yourself at how much you can achieve in 48hours!


The web page for the April 2016 event with details of prizes etc will be published soon. The schedule will be similar to the previous event: http://infinitekind.com/fintech-hackathon-nov-2015

Email bela@infinitekind.com if you have any questions.

Fri 1st Apr 2016 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Sun 3rd Apr 2016 7:30pm (Europe/London)

Sun 21st Feb 2016 7:30pm (Europe/London)

Interested in Finance? Interested in Tech?

The finance industry may have been resistant to the rapid, technology-driven changes that have turned other industries upside-down and inside out, but it can’t afford to be that anymore. Every area of financial services is being disrupted by new players in the digital space and this could change the way that we, as customers, live our lives and do business.

Following the success of our last event, we're organising another hack weekend! Come along to our finance-themed hackathon where you’ll be fed, watered, (hugged, if absolutely necessary), and sheltered from the elements, while you pitch your ideas, attract skilled team-mates, design your product, build a working prototype and present to a select panel of judges.

Our event aims to have the right mix of software developers, designers, data lovers and daring-doers (hustlers fueled with wild passion and sheer determination). This hackathon will suit those who enjoy designing or building software products, making sense of and manipulating data, and using business savvy.

It will be intense (there might be tears) but it will be fun. There will be friends to be made and prizes to be won. And who knows, perhaps there will be the birth of the next billion-dollar (sorry, pound) startup to come out of Scotland!

What sort of ideas should be pitched / fit within the FinTech theme?

Product ideas could cover the following areas plus much more:

Financial inclusion: products for with the unbanked
Online rewards: make these relevant and simplify signups
Financial education/literacy: tool to enhance knowledge and skills
Personal finance: tools to make financial mgnt easier
Hyperlocal transactions: helping small businesses and retailers improve digital payments
Cyber-security
Blockchain
Alternative lending
Plus lots more


What changes would you like to see in the finance industry? Can you think of processes that could be made more efficient, secure, transparent and inexpensive? These links offer information about how tech is changing financial services and may help you come up with ideas that you’d like to work on or pitch at the event.

Disrupting traditional finance: https://mathewsvincent.wordpress.com/2015/11/09/fintech-disrupting-traditional-financial-services/
What do the 17 hottest financial tech companies in Britain do? http://uk.businessinsider.com/17-hottest-fintech-companies-in-britain-2015-6
More examples of companies that are helping to reshape the finance industry: http://www.fintechinnovators.com/
“‘the biggest areas of FinTech investment for top VCs since 2007 are the following: payments, personal finance management, lending, and bitcoin.” http://uk.businessinsider.com/these-2-simple-slides-show-just-how-hot-fintech-is-right-now-2015-5
Slides from a recent financial technology conference in Scotland: http://www.slideshare.net/RayBugg/fintech-2015-edinburgh
What do the 25 top financial tech companies in the world do? http://raconteur.net/technology/25-fintech-companies-set-for-stardom
Disrupting finance industry using blockchain tech: http://www.economistinsights.com/technology-innovation/analysis/money-no-middleman/tab/1
Why you should care about blockchain: http://recode.net/2015/07/05/forget-bitcoin-what-is-the-blockchain-and-why-should-you-care/
Why should you as a designer/developer/marketer participate?

To make the world a more efficient, easy and exciting place to navigate. FinTech could change the way we live our lives and do business. Other reasons to participate are:

To use the skills that you don’t get to show off at your current day job
To meet potential hirers
To meet more of your peers: meet like-minded friends and professional acquaintances
To gain startup experience
To add a new project to your portfolio
To win a cool prize and recognition for your effort
To meet your future co-founders for the billion pound startup you may wind up creating
To surprise yourself at how much you can achieve in 48hours!


The web page for the Feb16 event with details of prizes etc will be published soon. The schedule will be similar to the previous event: http://infinitekind.com/fintech-hackathon-nov-2015

Email bela@infinitekind.com if you have any questions.

TIK's Finance-themed Tech Hackathon

<p>Interested in Finance? &nbsp;Interested in Tech? &nbsp;</p>
<p>The finance industry may have been resistant to the rapid, technology-driven changes that have turned other industries upside-down and inside out, but it can’t afford to be that anymore. Every area of financial services is being disrupted by new players in the digital space and this could change the way that we, as customers, live our lives and do business.</p>
<p>Following the success of our <a href="http://infinitekind.com/fintech-hackathon-nov-2015" rel="nofollow">last event</a>, we're organising another hack weekend! &nbsp;Come along to our finance-themed hackathon where you’ll be fed, watered, (hugged, if absolutely necessary), and sheltered from the elements, while you pitch your ideas, attract skilled team-mates, design your product, build a working prototype and present to a select panel of judges.</p>
<p><span>Our event aims to have the right mix of software developers, designers, data lovers and daring-doers (hustlers fueled with wild passion and sheer determination). &nbsp;This hackathon will suit those who enjoy designing or building software products, making sense of and manipulating data, and using business savvy.</span></p>
<p><span>It will be intense (there might be tears) but it will be fun. &nbsp;</span>There will be friends to be made and prizes to be won.&nbsp;And who knows, perhaps there will be the birth of the next billion-dollar (sorry, pound) startup to come out of Scotland! &nbsp;</p>
<p>What sort of ideas should be pitched / fit within the FinTech theme?</p>
<p>Product ideas could cover&nbsp;the following areas plus much more:</p>
<ul>
<li>Financial inclusion: products for with the unbanked</li>
<li>Online rewards: make these relevant and simplify signups</li>
<li>Financial education/literacy: tool to enhance knowledge and skills</li>
<li>Personal finance: tools to make financial mgnt easier</li>
<li>Hyperlocal transactions: helping small businesses and retailers improve digital payments</li>
<li>Cyber-security</li>
<li>Blockchain</li>
<li>Alternative lending</li>
<li>Plus lots more</li>
</ul>
<p><br></p>
<p><span><span>What changes would you like to see in the finance industry? &nbsp;Can you think of processes that could be made more efficient, secure, transparent and inexpensive?&nbsp;</span>These links offer information about how tech is changing financial services and may help you come up with ideas that you’d like to work on or pitch at the event.</span></p>
<ol>
<li><span>Disrupting traditional finance:&nbsp;</span><a href="https://mathewsvincent.wordpress.com/2015/11/09/fintech-disrupting-traditional-financial-services/" rel="nofollow"><span>https://mathewsvincent.wordpress.com/2015/11/09/fintech-disrupting-traditional-financial-services/</span></a></li>
<li><span>What do the 17 hottest financial tech companies in Britain do?&nbsp;</span><a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/17-hottest-fintech-companies-in-britain-2015-6" rel="nofollow"><span>http://uk.businessinsider.com/17-hottest-fintech-companies-in-britain-2015-6</span></a></li>
<li><span>More examples of companies that are helping to reshape the finance industry:&nbsp;</span><span><a href="http://www.fintechinnovators.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.fintechinnovators.com/</a></span></li>
<li><span>“‘the biggest areas of FinTech investment for top VCs since 2007 are the following: payments, personal finance management, lending, and bitcoin.”&nbsp;</span><span><a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/these-2-simple-slides-show-just-how-hot-fintech-is-right-now-2015-5" rel="nofollow">http://uk.businessinsider.com/these-2-simple-slides-show-just-how-hot-fintech-is-right-now-2015-5</a></span></li>
<li><span>Slides from a recent financial technology conference in Scotland:&nbsp;</span><span><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/RayBugg/fintech-2015-edinburgh" rel="nofollow">http://www.slideshare.net/RayBugg/fintech-2015-edinburgh</a></span></li>
<li><span>What do the 25 top financial tech companies in the world do?&nbsp;</span><span><a href="http://raconteur.net/technology/25-fintech-companies-set-for-stardom" rel="nofollow">http://raconteur.net/technology/25-fintech-companies-set-for-stardom</a></span></li>
<li><span>Disrupting finance industry using blockchain tech:&nbsp;</span><span><a href="http://www.economistinsights.com/technology-innovation/analysis/money-no-middleman/tab/1" rel="nofollow">http://www.economistinsights.com/technology-innovation/analysis/money-no-middleman/tab/1</a></span></li>
<li><span>Why you should care about blockchain:&nbsp;</span><a href="http://recode.net/2015/07/05/forget-bitcoin-what-is-the-blockchain-and-why-should-you-care/" rel="nofollow"><span>http://recode.net/2015/07/05/forget-bitcoin-what-is-the-blockchain-and-why-should-you-care/</span></a></li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Why should you as a designer/developer/marketer participate?</strong></p>
<p><span>To make the world a more efficient, easy and exciting place to navigate. &nbsp;FinTech could change the way we live our lives and do business. &nbsp;Other reasons to participate are:</span></p>
<ul>
<li>To use the skills that you don’t get to show off at your current day job</li>
<li>To meet potential hirers</li>
<li>To meet more of your peers: meet like-minded friends and professional acquaintances</li>
<li>To gain startup experience</li>
<li>To add a new project to your portfolio</li>
<li>To win a cool prize and recognition for your effort</li>
<li>To meet your future co-founders for the billion pound startup you may wind up creating</li>
<li>To surprise yourself at how much you can achieve in 48hours!</li>
</ul>
<p><br></p>
<p>The web page for the Feb16 event with details of prizes etc will be published soon. &nbsp;The schedule will be similar to the previous event:&nbsp;<span>http://infinitekind.com/fintech-hackathon-nov-2015</span></p>
<p>Email bela@infinitekind.com if you have any questions.</p>

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tiks-finance-themed-tech-hackathon-feb-2016-tickets-20012168936

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tiks-finance-themed-tech-hackathon-feb-2016-tickets-20012168936

Fri 19th Feb 2016 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Sun 21st Feb 2016 6:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes