We Didn't Start The Fire
A sneak peek into what the Empire team has been up to this summer.
Thanks for coming back to the Empire Startups newsletter, where we’re bridging the gap between FinTech founders, investors, employees, & enthusiasts.
New here? Subscribe to get our newsletter sent straight to your inbox.
Hi there,
Some could argue it’s always an interesting time for FinTech, but the past few years in particular have been quite the spectacle:
Hype cycles, B2B,
In-flate-d economy,
Bubbles, BaaS, em-bed-ded
Valuations never end…
🎵We didn’t start the fire 🎵
(Okay, so maybe my office jams coincided with the drafting of this newsletter…)
As these topics and conversations have taken our FinTech world by storm, Empire has continued to be at the epicenter of it all – sharing our latest takes, and continuing to bring individuals together to build relationships on what’s timely, and why.
Today, we’ve grown to become the largest community of FinTech entrepreneurs, investors, employees and enthusiasts.
(For the hundreds of you who have been following what we’ve been up to since the early days, thank you for your continued support! ❤️)
While a lot continues to change, our mission remains the same. Which is why I’m using today’s newsletter to dive into a bit more onto what our team has been working on behind-the-scenes this summer:
📣 We’re thrilled to officially announce that NY FinTech Week 2024 will be happening April 8-12th, with the Empire FinTech Conference taking place on Wednesday, April 10th.
NY FinTech Week is a series of conferences, workshops, hackathons, meetups and parties, catered for attendees both near and far to spend the week in NYC and hear the best and brightest across various verticals of FinTech.
Our cornerstone event, the Empire FinTech Conference, is an one-day event filled with masterclasses, keynote sessions, panel discussions, and networking opportunities all showcasing the latest in FinTech.
Here's a sneak peek into what you can expect:
We’re embarking on a new journey this year as our conference will be happening Pier Sixty. This venue boasts floor-to-ceiling windows on the waterfront, offering picturesque views and ample natural light, amongst many other exciting opportunities.
Empire will be 5 amazing opportunities to get involved throughout the week. From our large-scale opening boat party (⛴😎) to our intimate roundtable discussions, there are ample ways to be part of all the action.
Speaking of events, last year, we saw 40+ community-led events across the city, and we’re looking forward to seeing even more opportunities unfold this year. A reminder that anyone is welcome (and encouraged) to host something throughout the week. Whether it be a happy hour, breakfast, workout class, dinner party… The opportunities are endless.
At Empire, we want nothing more than to use our platform to facilitate connection, collaboration, and ultimately a step-function in FinTech innovation.
So please, consider this your formal invitation to join us this coming April in New York. More information will continue to be shared throughout the next few months.
Cheers,
Jon
(P.S. - Three decades have passed since Billy Joel sang the original, but Fall Out Boy released their 2023 cover of ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ earlier this summer. Which version is making your office jams playlist?)
🏙 Empire Startups x NYC Tech Week
Empire Startups is thrilled to be hosting two events during NYC Tech Week, happening October 16th-22nd, 2023.
It’s time for the investors to be in the hot seat. Join Empire Startups for a private, investor breakfast and “reverse pitch” event.
While it’s standard to have startups pitch to investors, we’re turning the tables and having investors take the stage and pitch their VC to the startups.
The last few years have seen rapid growth in FinTech, and with that growth has come a new set of challenges. How can financial institutions and FinTechs work together to create solutions that will benefit everyone? What is the future of FinTech? How do we get there?
We’re bringing together thought leaders from around the world to tackle big issues and foster collaboration between Financial Institutions and FinTechs.
🎟 Featured FinTech Events
ATLANTA
NEW YORK
SF & SILICON VALLEY
OTHER CITIES
TORONTO
VIRTUAL
🗞🎧 The latest news in FinTech.
Reads
💳 Ramp raises $300 mln at lowered valuation of $5.8 bln | Yahoo Finance
Valuations of financial technology startups have been hit as interest rates remain high and investors fret over a looming economic slowdown, leading to a shift away from cash-burning firms and toward those with greater focus on profitability.
✂ Checkout.com cuts ties with Binance | TechCrunch
Checkout had concerns over Binance’s issues it alleged the company has with anti-money laundering, sanctions and compliance controls.
🧭 Credit Unions Can Be the Online ‘Influencers’ Guiding Younger Consumers to Financial Wellness | PYMNTS
Many younger CU members are struggling with credit — specifically, juggling and satisfying the monthly obligations that come with traditional credit card payments or buy now, pay later (BNPL) plans.
😅 How do we fend off another banking crisis? | Axios
FDIC's chairman, Martin Gruenberg, laid out in a major speech the changes he wants to make to prevent such failures from happening again.
👀 Adyen saw $20 billion wiped off its value in a single day. Here’s what’s going on. | CNBC
The company’s shares plummeted 39% on Thursday, erasing 18 billion euros ($20 billion) from Adyen’s market capitalization, as investors dumped the stock after the firm reported its slowest revenue growth on record.
💸 Money in the Age of Tech | Rise Insights Report (download)
This edition of Rise Insights is about the evolution of money and how changes in its physical forms and uses (paper versus digital) will reshape the ways in which we do business.
Key topics include:
The evolution of cashless societies
Where we are and where we’re going with stablecoins
The global push for central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)
A new and exciting marketplace reimagined with Web3 and the metaverse
Listens
🏦 BNC: Apple is Too Popular, Credit Card Balances Spike, Make CDs Sexy Again | Fintech Takes
It’s time for another episode of Bank Nerd Corner with America’s favorite banking and fintech editor, Kiah Haslett, and there’s only been one bank failure since she Alex last talked!
This episode, they’re discussing Apple’s latest savings product and the company’s complete disinterest in playing the deposit gathering game the way that the big banks do.
Then, what’s causing credit card balances to spike? Is it the weird ripples in the economy, or do consumers simply feel overly confident they can pay off their balances? Could it be a sign that consumer financial health is deteriorating?
🗣 Eric Satz, Founder and CEO of Alto – Expanding access to alternative investments | Wharton Fintech Podcast
Nate Gee hosts Eric Satz, Founder and CEO of Alto, a self-directed IRA custodian that facilitates individuals’ tax-advantaged investments in alternative asset classes. With the goal of “alternatives for all,” Alto aims to be the world’s premier alternative assets marketplace.
In this episode, they discuss:
- Eric’s career journey and how Alto came about
- Why alternative investments as a means of diversification, and why now
- Alto’s growth in a space of increasing competition
- Alto’s capabilities with crypto
- Expanding access to alternatives
- Eric’s advice and insights from years as a founder, operator, and investor
- And much more!
🚀 Featured FinTech Funding
PRE-SEED
Finofo, $1.3M (Accounting/Finance, Calgary)
SEED
Venteur, $7.6M (InsurTech, Berkeley)
SERIES C
BitGo, $100M (IBlockchain/Crypto, Palo Alto)
SERIES D
Teamshares, $124M (Capital Markets, Brooklyn)
💼 Featured FinTech Jobs
New York
People Operations Manager, Yieldstreet
Director of Implementations, Alloy Online
Technical Solution Architect, Addepar
Data Manager, T-REX
Remote
Midwest, Regional Director - Senior Vice President, iCapital Network
Disclosure Coordinator, Maxwell Financial
Engineering Manager - Application Data & Data Platform - Remote, Sana Benefits
Engineering Manager - Foundational Services Team, Snapsheet
San Francisco
Senior Manager, People Technology, Ripple
Lifecycle Marketing Manager, Carta
Web Manager, Chime
Lead UX Designer, VP, OpenInvest