Chicago’s Developing FinTech Industry
The Chicago area has a number of significant advantages in becoming a top national center for fintech entrepreneurship. Ranked as one of the top five global fintech hubs by knowledgeable industry observers, its established companies and start-ups in this segment are driving the strongest local job growth of any industry segment over the last year. Yet efforts to establish a local fintech hub have stalled and venture investment has lagged compared to competitive areas, leading some to question long term prospects.
This month will feature several leading industry activists who can go beyond the headlines to speak with authority on innovation in this space and its evolving course. You can learn from them how the distinct interests and talents in this segment of a diversity of businesses can be mobilized to direct socially transformative technologies.
Presentation with opening reception: December 11, 2017, 6:15-9:00 P.M.
Sponsor: Chicago Booth Entrepreneurial Roundtable, West Suburban Chapter
Location: National Louis University, 850 Warrenville Road, Lisle, IL
Moderator: Greg Gocek
Speakers:
Rick Burgess, Founder and CEO, Connect Lending www.connectlending.com
Rick has developed his alternative lending platform using proprietary software to match business owners with alternative and traditional funding sources. Prior to his current venture, he was a commodity trader and hedge fund manager and a business development executive for Symmetric Financial. He earned his BA from Westminster College.
Rochelle Nawrocki Gorey, Co-founder and CEO. SpringFour, Inc. www.springfour.cc
Rochelle has built a leading consumer finance online intermediary designed to bring sustained resource stability to the financially distressed and underbanked communities. She was a policy analyst for PolicyLab Consulting Group and directed housing initiatives for Neighborhood Housing Service of Chicago and the National Training and Information Center. She earned her BA from Michigan State U and MUPP from U Illinois-Chicago.
Jason Henrichs, Co-founder and Chairman, FinTEx http://www.fintex.org/
Jason, as the managing director of FinTech Forge which serves a business catalyst for financial institutions and emerging firms, also instigates collaboration between leading organizations within FinTech and FinServ to position Chicago as a leading industry cluster. He supports similar innovation in New York, Boston, and London and has been an investor/advisor to multiple start-ups and a senior executive at PerkStreet Financial, Acceleration Partners, and Rock Maple Ventures. Jason has a BA from Harvard U and a BS from the US Military Academy at West Point.