Finalists Selected for the 2019 TAG FinTech South Innovation Challenge

ATLANTA, March 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- FinTech South, the Southeast's largest event dedicated to financial innovation, announces 12 startups selected for the TAG FinTech Innovation Challenge's 2019 class. The companies will participate in the four-week Innovation Challenge's Education and Mentoring program, which aims to accelerate early stage fintech companies in the region through instruction, mentoring and an introduction to Georgia's fintech ecosystem. At the conclusion of the program, three startups will be selected to present on FinTech South's main stage on April 23 for a chance to win the largest fintech prize package in the country of $50,000.

In its fifth year, the Innovation Challenge's Education and Mentoring program brings startups and industry veterans together to bolster Georgia's fintech ecosystem and showcase them at FinTech South. At the conclusion of the program, the companies will present to a panel of expert judges, competing for one of three spots to present at the region's premier fintech event. Conference attendees will vote for the most impressive startup through the FinTech South mobile app.

Applications were submitted by companies across the region. The 12 finalists include:

• Arcanum (Athens, GA) – secure password management with innovative interface that helps financial organizations, banks and online merchants.
• Agora Services (Atlanta/New York) – cloud-enabled service that helps community, credit unions and regional banks ramp up their digital experience.
• CapWay (Atlanta, GA) – online banking and financial literacy app that aims to help the unbanked and underbanked.
• IvyLender (Atlanta, GA) – small business lending platform and marketplace that matches applicants and lenders.
• Yellow Card Financial (Atlanta, GA) – alleviates high processing fees associated with cryptocurrency, providing those receiving money with faster access to funds through a gift card or voucher.
• MaxRewards (Atlanta, GA) – mobile app that helps users maximize credit card reward opportunities.
• Stackfolio (Atlanta, GA) – online marketplace for loan trading, offering a completely digital transaction process that does not require human brokers.
• Ternio (Atlanta, GA) – offers BlockCard™, a cryptocurrency debit card, allowing card holders to spend their cryptocurrencies anywhere major credit cards are accepted.
• WorldWatch Plus (Atlanta, GA) – provides a secure and easily-integrated KYC/CDD compliance solution that reduces fraud and reputation risks while lowering operational costs.
• QwikCheck (Atlanta, GA) – cloud-based self-checkout system to improve customers' retail experience and customer loyalty.
• Birch Global (Atlanta, GA) – product Dinote helps accredited and institutional investors lend money to digitally native businesses looking for financing to accelerate economic growth.
• Esgro (Atlanta, GA) – offers escrow of payments in a mobile app for gig economy workers, helping to protect payment from cancellation.

"We are incredibly impressed by the caliber of the companies that applied for the Innovation Challenge this year," says Tommy Marshall, head of the FinTech South Innovation Challenge. "This year's selected participants showcase the remarkable innovation and talent in the space, and we are excited to see them learn and grow through the 4-week program."

FinTech South, hosted by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), is taking place April 22 – 23, 2019 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. The two-day conference will join the industry in an exchange of insights, innovations and trends fueling tomorrow's financial tech industry. The Innovation Award Challenge is held annually as part of the conference, and is open to early stage companies based in Georgia. The finalists will participate in educational sessions including, Pitch Deck Do's and Don'ts, Raising Capital and Legal and Compliance.

"We are incredibly excited to host what has become the biggest fintech event in the Southeast and one of the largest in the country," said Larry K. Williams, President and CEO of TAG. "Georgia sits as a global hub for fintech and our FinTech South event showcases the incredible growth, world-class innovation and leadership that has given our state a critical mass of fintech development that is leading the way internationally in a vital sector transforming business, consumer experience and our economy."

For more information on FinTech South, visit www.fintechsouth.com.  

About The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG)
TAG is the leading technology industry association in the state, serving more than 30,000 members through regional chapters in Metro Atlanta, Athens, Augusta, Columbus, Macon/Middle Georgia, and Savannah. TAG's mission is to educate, promote, influence and unite Georgia's technology community to foster an innovative and connected marketplace that fuels and enhances a tech-based economy.

Additionally, the TAG Education Collaborative (TAG's charitable arm) focuses on helping science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives thrive.

For more information visit the TAG website at www.tagonline.org or TAG's community website at http://www.hubga.com. To learn about the TAG-Ed Collaborative visit http://www.tagedonline.org/.

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SOURCE Technology Association of Georgia

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