In a powerful collaboration aimed at bridging the gap in financial technology representation, World Business Chicago & Greenwood Project are excited to announce FinTech Fest. This two-day event will focus on empowering Black and Latino youth from Chicago’s 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 Greenwood Project. “By focusing on our young Black and Latino residents, we are not only helping to foster much-needed diversity in FinTech but also equipping the scholars with the tools to innovate and lead,” says Tana Francellno, director of Workforce Development at World Business Chicago.

Trenton Dunn, director of ThinkChicago, adds , “This event showcases all levels of Fintech, from startups to large corporations. During the two-day event, students will be able to map the evolution of the industry in Chicago. FinTech Fest is the perfect addition to our portfolio of programs designed to promote career awareness for students and help Chicago companies source diverse pipelines of talent. We thank 1871 and all the participating companies who helped make this event possible.”

The initiative is designed to break down barriers and foster generational change by exposing Black and Latino young adults, aged 18 to 24, to wealth-building career pathways through an intensive introduction to the financial technology sector.

By directly connecting Greenwood Project scholars, many from Chicago’s South and West sides, with eight leading FinTech firms, this event not only opens doors to new career paths but also nurtures the development of future leaders in FinTech,” says Kwesi Smith, CEO Greenwood Project. “This initiative underscores our commitment to ensure access to transformative opportunities in emerging, financial services fields.”

“For the last three years, we’ve proudly partnered with World Business Chicago to help connect Chicagoland students with educational resources and career opportunities,” says Ben Weiss, co-founder and CEO at CoinFlip. “We’re thrilled to be a part of FinTech Fest and host students from Greenwood Project as they explore career pathways in the crypto-blockchain-web3 space. It’s important that young people understand and have exposure to careers in fintech, including the fast-growing cryptocurrency industry.”