The Silicon Valley of the South…..

Now that’s a phrase never heard before. But it has a delightful ring to it, don’t you think?

This week, Little Rock was host to the second annual VenCent Fintech Summit and the inVeritas team enjoyed spending time with some of the brightest and most creative minds in the world.  Entrepreneurs who have identified a problem, envisioned a way to solve said problem, inspired other like-minded and driven colleagues to work alongside them, and have the guts to work really hard to make that vision a reality.

As the Venture Center Executive Director, Arthur Orduna, opened the summit, we were already impressed with the sights, sounds and easy-going hum of attendees chattering together about all things fintech and AI.  Governor Sanders welcomed the crowd and how excited she was to share our extraordinary Arkansas with visitors from across the country and around the world.

The companies represented at this year’s VenCent Summit included Arkansas’ very own, BOND.AI winners of multiple fintech awards since 2017 and featured on CNN Money, Bloomberg, and VentureBeat.  Founded by Rajesh Chokhani, BOND.AI is a first of its kind network of financial institutions, powered by their trademarked Empathy Engine.  ats-kind network of financial institutions and employers for

Omri Yacubovich, CEO of Lama and Ben Fried, Head of Partnerships, specialize in helping small businesses access lending opportunities and get access to bank rated credit, won the coveted Finny Award at the summit, following Omri’s 7-minute pitch to the audience.

Other examples of this year’s fintech innovation included ID Partner, a trusted, user-controlled, marketplace for reusable digital identity and AZIMUTH GRC, a regulatory technology company that has revolutionized regulatory compliance.

Not only was it exciting to hear from these global cutting-edge financial technology start-ups, but it was a joy to share our piece of Arkansas with them.  We had the opportunity to feature Little Rock and all that she has to offer including our new Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts.  As we walked through the impressive gallery with our new friends from Ireland, Israel, London, and California we delighted in hearing them “ooh and aah” at the masterpieces of Degas, O’Keefe, Renoir, Lichtenstein, Elaine de Kooning, Carroll Cloare, Diego Rivera, Thomas Hart Benton and Monet.

Now, if we can encourage investors to support these incredible start-ups, Arkansas could very well become the Silicon Valley of the South.