A partnership between the two will relaunch the Curinos FinTech Incubator, offering mentorship, resources and networking opportunities for burgeoning fintech companies, according to a news release this week. The incubator first ran from 2018 to 2023 and involved nonprofit credit union BECU, rather than an educational partner like UW.
The new partnership leverages CoMotion Labs, an innovation hub at UW providing startups with the necessary tools and connections to develop ideas without the upfront costs. CoMotion incubator programs provide a variety of resources, including lab equipment, prototyping support, workshops and business coaching, for startups in four key industries: life sciences, hardware, technology and climate-specific technology.
“This collaboration is in perfect alignment with our mission to support innovators of all stripes by providing them with the resources, expertise and connections they most need to succeed,” François Baneyx, director of CoMotion, said in a public statement.
Startups in the Curinos FinTech Incubator will pay a monthly membership fee, between $115 and $275, for access to tools like a database of mentors, a resource manual, a members’ messaging channel, a desk and use of the printer.
In addition to UW resources, the news release said members of the relaunched incubator program will benefit from Curinos’ expertise in data and software development, as well as their connections to banking industry leaders. Curinos works with more than 1,500 financial institutions worldwide, using banking data to offer insights and analysis through artificial intelligence, machine learning and human experts. The incubator offers members licensing opportunities for Curinos data assets, as well.
“Speed to market is everything — startups thrive when they can build, test and scale rapidly,” Lisa Brown, chief product officer at Curinos, said in a public statement. “The relaunch of the FinTech Incubator provides expertise and strategic support, removing hurdles to execution and enabling bold ideas to quickly become reality.”
According to the news release, the incubator will focus on a few niches within the fintech industry including predictive decision-making, AI automation and customer experience personalization. The program is now accepting applications and officially begins July 1.
