Independent Banker - February 2020 - 32

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community banks. Driven by members' feedback,
we identify early stage fi ntechs working on solutions
for these challenges and choose up to 10 of
the best.
ICBA's program had tremendous success
in year one. Adlumin, a leading security and
compliance automation platform built exclusively
for fi nancial institutions, is now an ICBA
preferred service provider. And MK Decision
serves as a digital loan origination provider for
ICBA Bancard customers.
I expect this year's program to be even more
successful. We had more than 190 potential
candidates and conducted 80-plus interviews
during the selection process. All of the major regulatory
agencies and top core processors will be
participating in the process. And we expect 40
community banks to provide feedback to the fi ntechs
through March.
This year's participants (see page 10 for a list of
Innovation Station
By Kevin Tweddle, ICBA
ICBA's
ThinkTECH
Accelerator 2.0
CBA's ThinkTECH Accelerator 2.0 program
is under way, and this year's fi ntech cohort
brings even more potential for transformative
technology that elevates the customer experience
and serves as a point of diff erentiation for
community banks. We've devoted additional time
to the selection process and have a larger, more
diverse pool of candidates, which bodes well for
the program's continued success.
Unlike many of the other accelerator programs
out there, ICBA's program is mission-based. Our
No. 1 goal is to talk with our bankers, identify
their top priorities and determine how technology
can help solve real-world problems for
32 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q February 2020
I
Kevin Tweddle
(kevin.tweddle@
icba.org) is
senior executive
vice president of
community bank
solutions
fi nalists) are working in the areas of:
Q Data analytics, especially actionable technologies
that can help banks make faster and better
decisions.
Q Financial management. We are looking for
a guided fi nancial experience that will improve
how customers interact with their bank.
Q Digital lending opportunities, such as mortgage
lending. We would like to create a more
competitive space in this arena for our community
banks.
Q Marketing. Everything is moving to digital.
We are looking for ways fi ntechs can help banks
with customer acquisition and retention and the
transition from paper to digital media.
Q Fraud and cybersecurity. These areas are a
top priority, and, given continued infrastructure
movement into the cloud, we will always have
one or two candidates addressing these issues.
During this 12-week program, ThinkTECH
Accelerator 2.0 participants will work closely
with a variety of subject matter experts, including
community bankers, regulatory agencies, core
processing companies and ICBA's own experts.
They will learn about the needs of community
banks and how best to meet them. In the hightech,
high-touch world of community banking,
accelerator participants have an opportunity to
make an important contribution to the industry.
Independent Banker - February 2020

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