Congratulations to the 2020 Fintech Draft Winners!

Get drafted at FFCON20: Apply for the inaugural Fintech Draft

Inspired by sports league drafts, the inaugural FFCON20 annual Fintech Draft is designed to identify and feature emerging and high growth fintech startups and scaleups. Qualifying Fintech Draft participants will be profiled online and reviewed by expert fintech scouts, and will compete in one of two (2) Fintech Draft competitions.  Draft finalists compete at FFCON20 DIGITAL: RISE between Jul 9 – Aug 27, 2020 for exposure and prizes including promotion to investors, media, prospective buyers and partners.  In addition to complimentary registration for all Draft finalists, top discounts for additional tickets and partner incentives, pitching and demo winners are eligible to win a 1 year industry partnership with NCFA and partner perks.

Pitching Competition

for early stage fintech companies who are seeking funding to either launch or grow their business

Product Demo Competition

for fintechs that want to increase company profile while showcasing the latest and greatest product developments

How does the Fintech Draft work?

l

Application

Companies participate in one of the two (2) Fintech Draft competitions.

Apply to compete and feature your company in the draft, which is filled on a first come first serve basis (limited spots).

Online Profiles

Shortlisted applicants will be featured on the Shortlisted Draft Companies page and event promotions prior to the conference. 

R

Online Voting and Evaluations

Scouts and the crowd will vote online for their favourite fintech companies to participate in the pitch competition, or demo competition. 

Drafted Finalists

The top online draft profiles will be selected as Draft Finalists and invited to compete live at FFCON20. Drafted companies must be available in person to participate at the digital conference taking place ONLINE between Jul 9 – Aug 27, 2020.

 

l

Application

Companies participate in one of two (2) Fintech Draft competitions.

Apply to compete and feature your company in the draft, which is filled on a first come first serve basis (limited spots).

Online Profiles

Shortlisted applicants will be featured on the Shortlisted Draft Companies page and event promotions prior to the conference. 

R

Online Voting and Evaluations

Scouts and the crowd will vote online for their favourite fintech companies to participate in the pitch or demo competition.

 

Drafted Finalists

The top online draft profiles will be selected as Draft Finalists and invited to compete at FFCON20. Drafted companies must be available in person to participate at the conference taking place digitally between Jul 9 – Aug 27, 2020.

Timeline

Open Now

Applications for the Fintech Draft are filled on a first-come first-serve basis, so apply early!

Ongoing

Shortlisted companies are featured and online voting begins

August 20

Drafted Finalists are announced August 20

FFCON20 Week 8: Aug 27

Pitching and Demo Presentations (crowd and judge voting) Aug 27

Why you should participate

Exposure

All Shortlisted companies will receive a dedicated profile page on the Fintech Draft section of the website

Even more exposure

Draft Finalists will be profiled in the post-conference digital magazine, podcast, and media interviews

Curated introductions

AlAll Shortlisted companies will be reviewed by Scouts and receive introductions

 

Experience

Gain invaluable pitching / demo experience while receiving feedback from investors & industry experts

Connections

Personal networking opportunities with a wide range of investors, partners and customer prospects

Prizes!

Exclusive FFCON20 partner prizes and discounts

Bragging rights

That’s right, you don’t just get an award for winning, you get to tell everyone about it!

Exposure

All Shortlisted companies will receive a dedicated profile page on the Fintech Draft section of the website

Even more exposure

Draft Finalists will be profiled in the post-conference digital magazine, podcast, and media interviews

Curated introductions

All Shortlisted companies will be reviewed by Scouts and receive introductions

Experience

Gain invaluable pitching / showcase experience while receiving feedback from industry experts

Connections

Personal networking opportunities with a wide range of investors, partners and customer prospects

Prizes!

Exclusive FFCON20 partner prizes

Bragging rights

That’s right, you don’t just get an award for winning, you get to tell everyone about it!

Eligibility and Criteria

  • Open to Canadian AND international companies in the fintech sector, either B2B or B2C (examples include online lending, blockchain, banking services, insurtech, etc)
  • Companies actively seeking funding or crowdfunding campaigns are also encouraged to apply to the Product Demo Competition
  • Evidence of innovative business model, leadership team with strong backgrounds in their respective fields, clear product-market fit and evidence of traction through demonstrated milestones
  • Only one application per company

Are you ready to rumble?

Apply early to improve your chance of being showcased online

Are you ready to rumble?

Apply early to improve your chance of being showcased online

Interested in joining a judging panel?

We are always looking for qualified investors, serial entrepreneurs and professional mentors to join our judging panel at FFCON20! Sample past judges have included organizations such as OMERS Ventures, iNovia Capital, MaRS IAF, BDC, Thinking Capital, Extreme Venture Partners, Brightspark Ventures, Whitecap Venture Partners, YEDInstitute, IncMind, York Angels and more. Please email us at info@ncfacanada.org to express your interest.

 

FAQ
hidden
Eligibility and Requirements

Is the Fintech Draft only open to fintech companies?

Companies qualifying for the Fintech Draft should provide some sort of financial service, serve the industry, and/or help manage consumers’ money. Examples include payment companies, enterprise or B2B solutions, cryptocurrency, blockchain, lending, wealth management, trading, budgeting and banking apps and others.

Non-fintech companies that are actively seeking funding and/or crowdfunding are eligible for the Product Demo Competition (technology companies only).

 

Apply today to increase your chances of becoming a Shortlisted company

A limited number of Canadian and international companies will be shortlisted and featured, with the top companies selected as Draft Finalists. 

Companies are selected on a rolling basis, so get your application in early!

 

Competition Details

What is the difference between the Pitching and Product Demo competitions?

The main difference between the competitions is the stage of your company, and what your current growth goals are. 

  • Pitching Competition: for early stage fintech startups who are actively seeking funding, customers or partners to grow their business. Typically smaller companies who have recently launched or are about to launch their product. 
  • Product Demo Competition for early or growth stage fintech startups / scaleups that want to increase company profile by showcasing a product development. Format is a use case or user journey highlighting specific product features instead of a pitch.

 

When do I find out if I am selected as a Finalist?

All shortlisted companies will be contacted on a rolling basis, however, the Drafted Finalists will be announced in late June. After you apply, there is a review period during which our Scouts (investors, industry professionals and startup advisors) may reach out to you for more information and clarifying questions.

 

How many presenters can there be from each company?

Up to 2 team members can pitch or demo.

Each demo comes with 1 complimentary ticket to FFCON20  is included per company. Tickets for additional team members are available at special 50% discount.

 

What is the format of the pitch or demo?

Brief pitch or demo (strictly enforced) followed by Q&A and evaluations. 

Other

If my company is selected, are travel and/or accommodation costs included?

Due to Coronavirus, FFCON20 is now DIGITAL eliminating the need for travel and accommodation expenses!

 

What is online voting and evaluations? 

Shortlisted Top Picks receive a featured profile page on the FFCON20 website, which includes a voting feature for the Scouts and the crowd to select which companies they want to see pitch or demo. Crowd votes account for a small part of the Draft Finalist selection. 

Evaluations and company analyses are conducted by Scouts (fintech professionals and investor experts), which will contribute to selecting the Draft Finalists.

 

For any other questions, please contact info@ncfacanada.org 

Select Past Pitching Companies