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LendIt Europe, Europe’s largest international fintech and lending conference, and Start-up bootcamp FinTech, the leading global FinTech accelerator, have today announced the judging panel for the second annual PitchIt Europe competition.
Representatives from Venture Capitalists: Seedcamp, Blenheim Chalcot, CommerzVentures, and Balderton Capital will form the judging panel of experienced VCs from and around Europe.
Collectively, these four firms are some of the most active investors in the European fintech category and have played key roles in the success of several of the largest fintech successes in Europe.
They will be looking for innovative fintech companies including those focused on lending, payments, wealth management, insurtech, artificial intelligence, blockchain, digital identity and biometrics, regtech, fintech infrastructure, mortgage technology, real estate tech, digital banking, trading and capital markets, or any other category that represents innovation taking place in financial services.
The judges confirmed for the start-up competition this year are:
- Reshma Sohoni, Partner and co-founder of Seedcamp
- Seedcamp is Europe’s seed fund, investing early in world-class founders attacking large, global markets and solving real problems using technology. Since launch a decade ago, Seedcamp has invested in 250 start-ups and has helped companies go on to raise over $650M in follow-on funding.
- Dan Cobley, Managing Partner, Fintech at Blenheim Chalcot
- Dan, previous MD of Google UK, has returned to his original passion of working with startup companies. Dan has been a speaker at the TED Conference, has appeared as a technology expert on BBC’s Tomorrow’s World, and is a trustee of the Technology Trust.
- Patrick Meisberger, Managing Director of CommerzVentures
- Patrick has decades of experience in fintech and M&A roles across various companies in Europe. His company, CommerzVentures, recently helped iwoca, one of the fastest growing SME lending platforms in Europe, to secure a $20m Series B equity financing round.
- Rob Moffat, Partner at Balderton Capital
- Rob started his career with five years in strategy consulting with Bain, before moving to Google, and then into Balderton Capital. Rob’s focus sector is fintech, in particular insurance and retail financial services. He has worked across businesses from Citymapper to Nutmeg.
Additionally, mentors are confirmed from the following firms:
| O Kreos Capital | O Growth Unlocked |
| O Seedrs | O Startupbootcamp Fintech & Insurtech |
| O Target Global VC | O Polymath Consulting |
| O Opus Una Financial Services Consulting | O Capco |
| O Thiel Capital | O Index Ventures |
PitchIt, in partnership with Startupbootcamp FinTech, has been designed to help boost the profile of ‘the next big thing’ from the fintech startup scene across Europe.
Last year’s finalists spanned a broad spectrum of fintech; from alternative credit scoring companies to alternative lending platforms.
The forthcoming LendIt event 2017 takes place on the 9 and 10 of October, at The Intercontinental London – The O2. In order to apply for a slot at the PitchIt event, startups can apply here.
Jason Jones, Co-Founder & CEO of LendIt Conference said: “The judges for this year’s PitchIt competition offer a fantastic range of knowledge, skills and experience. The high caliber of judges we’ve had over the years is a testament to how the competition has evolved, and it’s inspiring to see another strong panel taking to the stage for the competition. I’m confident that their diverse professional backgrounds will see one of the most exciting PitchIt competitions yet.”
Dan Cobley, Managing Partner, Fintech at Blenheim Chalcot said: “Blenheim Chalcot have a firm focus in helping startups get their business idea off the ground, not just through funding – but through a hands on mentoring approach. The new wave of innovation which we’re seeing at events like LendIt is a great opportunity for us to see which businesses are breaking into the market, and how we can work with them to help them grow.”
Reshma Sohoni, Partner and co-founder of Seedcamp said: “To see businesses not only from the UK, but from right across Europe, is what makes this event such a huge draw for Seedcamp. We’re hoping that the combination of energetic and passionate startups taking part, and the success we’ve had with investing in breakout fintech businesses such as TransferWise and Revolut, will help us find the ‘next big thing’ in the industry.”
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