Two-day immersive experience: May 29 and 30
CHICAGO, May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — In a powerful collaboration aimed at bridging the gap in financial technology representation, The Business World in Chicago & Greenwood Project are excited to announce FinTech Fest. This two-day event will focus on empowering Black and Latino youth in Chicago South and West Sides, communities historically underrepresented in technology and finance.
World Business Chicago’s Workforce Development team and its ThinkChicago team are co-leading this collaboration with the Greenwood Project. “By focusing on our young Black and Latino residents, we are not only helping to foster much-needed diversity in FinTech, but we are also equipping scholars with the tools to innovate and lead,” said Tana FrancellnoDirector of Workforce Development at World Business Chicago.
Trenton DunnDirector of ThinkChicago, added: “This event showcases all levels of Fintech, from startups to large enterprises. During this two-day event, students will be able to map the evolution of the industry Chicago. FinTech Fest is the perfect complement to our portfolio of programs designed to promote student career awareness and help Chicago “Companies are tapping into diverse talent pools. We thank 1871 and all the participating companies who helped make this event possible.”
The initiative aims to break down barriers and drive generational change by exposing Black and Latino young adults, ages 18-24, to wealth-generating career paths through an intensive introduction to the financial technology industry.
By directly connecting Greenwood Project researchers, many of whom hail from Chicago’s South and West Sides, with eight leading FinTech companies, this event not only opens doors to new career paths, but also fosters the development of future FinTech leaders,” said Kwesi SmithCEO of Greenwood Project. “This initiative underscores our commitment to ensuring access to transformative opportunities in emerging financial services sectors.”
Program schedule:
Day 1: Wednesday, May 29, 2024
- 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: Visit to CME Group Global HeadquartersStudents will explore the world of futures and options trading and risk management with a tour of the CME Global Command Center, located in the historic trading floor space.
- 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.:Interactive session at 1871Chicago’s premier tech hub. Researchers will participate in a stimulating roundtable discussion over lunch, moderated by Project Greenwood CEO, Kwesi Smith. Panelists include Jesse Slovenec of BMODarius Grandberry of LeagueSwypeand Hanane Bouchareb of M1Finance.
Day 2: Thursday, May 30, 2024
- 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.:Researchers will visit and tour PEAK6. Here, they will learn about PEAK6’s evolution from a proprietary options trading firm to a multi-billion dollar enterprise with diverse business interests including FinTech and EdTech.
- 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.:Researchers will participate in a networking lunch with DRW and discover the innovative integration of trading and technology at DRW, a leading global trading firm processing over one million trades per day.
- 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.:Researchers will delve into the exciting world of cryptocurrency with CoinFlipa global digital currency platform company. With over 5,000 cryptocurrency kiosks around the world, CoinFlip offers customers simple and secure access to buy and sell digital currencies. Academics will meet Ben Weiss, Co-Founder and CEO, and Matthew Longcorporate recruiter.
“For the past three years, we have proudly partnered with World Business Chicago to help Chicago-area students access educational resources and career opportunities,” said Ben WeissCo-Founder and CEO of CoinFlip. “We are excited to be a part of FinTech Fest and to host students from The Greenwood Project as they explore career paths in the crypto-blockchain-web3 space. It is important that young people understand and are exposed to careers in fintech, including in the growing sector cryptocurrency industry.”
SOURCE World Business Chicago
