After we began Fintech Nexus in 2013 (often called LendIt again then) we didn’t have grand plans. The concept was merely to assemble the mind belief within the newly-emerging on-line lending trade so we might be taught from one another, community, and do enterprise. We figured we’d work on a small occasion a number of months a yr and work on our different companies the remainder of the yr.
It wasn’t lengthy earlier than the neighborhood began rallying to our aspect, and our occasions had been crammed with 1000’s of individuals. We took on the US, UK and Europe, then China and Latin America. This enterprise proved to be an extremely satisfying and fascinating journey. Between 2013 and 2023, we executed 31 large-scale occasions all over the world, gathering tens of 1000’s of pros to advance the fintech trade via high-value content material and interactions.
Alongside the way in which, some exterior challenges, together with the pandemic, precipitated us to tackle further financing — each debt and fairness — after which in 2023 we suffered from the fintech downturn and had a financially very disappointing consequence to our huge USA occasion. This led to the sale of our occasions enterprise final June.
For the previous yr, we have now been centered on our digital media enterprise, which started in earnest in the course of the pandemic. We needed to see if we might make it a sustainable enterprise with out the occasions enterprise to assist it. Sadly, we have now not been in a position to make this enterprise worthwhile.
You’ll have seen the for-sale announcement we posted again in April. Even when we couldn’t create a sustainable digital media enterprise, we thought any person else would possibly need to take over. That didn’t pan out both, and so we have now made the troublesome resolution to shut the enterprise down and file for chapter.
Whereas that is definitely not a contented consequence, we have now had a improbable trip and I do know it has been probably the most stimulating and pleasurable decade of my profession by far.
So, slightly than dwell on the loss, we need to share a number of the highlights from our journey.
Here’s a farewell video, my accomplice and co-founder, Bo Brustkern and I recorded just lately.
The Fintech Nexus retrospective
2013: A brand new occasion referred to as LendIt, centered on on-line lending, in New York Metropolis was launched with 350 folks.
2014: Moved the occasion to San Francisco the place we hosted virtually 1,000 folks. Launched the primary UK occasion with 500 folks.
2015: Again to New York with Larry Summers because the big-name keynote: 2,500 folks. Launched in China.
2016: The San Francisco occasion had 3,600 folks and was our final U.S. occasion in a lodge. Launched the day by day publication.
2017: Moved to the Javits Middle in New York Metropolis with 5,000 folks. Launched the LendIt Business Awards.
2018: San Francisco on the Moscone Middle with Michael Lewis because the keynote speaker. Moved past lending to different areas of fintech.
2019: Again to Moscone Middle in San Francisco. Canceled the China occasion, began LatAm occasion in Miami.
2020: Pandemic. Yikes! Needed to cancel the Javits Middle occasion. Held USA, UK and LatAm occasions just about.
2021: One other yr of digital occasions however in December we had a hybrid in-person/digital occasion for LatAm in Miami.
2022: Again to in-person occasions! So thrilling to be again in New York, London and Miami. Rebranded to Fintech Nexus.
2023: The eleventh annual Fintech Nexus USA occasion in New York Metropolis could be our final. We bought the occasions enterprise to Fintech Meetup.
2024: Fintech Nexus shuts down after an 11-year run.
It has been a privilege to be on the helm of LendIt / Fintech Nexus. So many unimaginable highlights as we glance again. However what was at all times most gratifying was after I would discuss with individuals who mentioned they first met at LendIt they usually have a thriving partnership. I’ve heard that story a whole bunch of instances over the previous decade.
We couldn’t have achieved every little thing we did with out the assist of the fintech neighborhood. We now have taken this severely from day one.
I wish to thank the tens of 1000’s of people that have attended our occasions, each in-person and digital, over time, together with the 1000’s of audio system. Your learnings and new enterprise connections helped drive the trade ahead.
I already miss the thrill of strolling on stage on the opening morning of an occasion, stuffed with adrenaline.
The podcast will proceed
My favourite a part of what I do proper now could be producing my podcast, Fintech One-on-One. The podcast predates Fintech Nexus and can proceed as regular, with a brand new episode popping out each Thursday afternoon. I’m about to cross episode 500, and I intend to maintain doing this for the foreseeable future. The podcast now has a brand new dwelling on its personal web site, and it’ll proceed to look in your podcast feed as regular.
The Web site
The web site can even stay on-line for not less than the following few months, topic to the judgment of the Chapter 7 Chapter Trustee. We all know it’s a nice useful resource for tens of 1000’s of fintech lovers. However the day by day publication that we have now produced since 2016 will finish with at present’s difficulty.
The Webinars
There will likely be no extra Fintech Nexus webinars, though our YouTube channel ought to proceed to stay on for a few years with 1000’s of hours of nice content material.
The subsequent chapter
What occurs now? Nicely, a chapter trustee will likely be taking on and trying to promote our property.
The Fintech Nexus workforce are all free brokers now.
I’ve began to tackle a few new fintech tasks. Within the coming months, you will note me at a handful of occasions (I like a superb fintech convention). After a few summer season journeys, I’ll have the bandwidth to tackle extra tasks.
In case you are fascinated by reaching out to me or others on the Fintech Nexus workforce, we could be reached right here:
The fintech trade will proceed to thrive
We wish to assume we have now performed a significant position in establishing a thriving fintech trade. For us, this has at all times been a labor of affection. The fintech area is doing such fascinating and vital work, and it has been the chance of a lifetime to be close to the middle of all of it.
We now have matured as an trade and collectively we at the moment are a driving power in monetary companies. Let’s all proceed the great combat.
