After we began Fintech Nexus in 2013 (often called LendIt again then) we didn’t have grand plans. The thought was merely to assemble the mind belief within the newly-emerging on-line lending business so we might be taught from one another, community, and do enterprise. We figured we’d work on a small occasion just a few months a 12 months and work on our different companies the remainder of the 12 months.
It wasn’t lengthy earlier than the neighborhood began rallying to our facet, and our occasions had been full of hundreds 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 world wide, gathering tens of hundreds of pros to advance the fintech business via high-value content material and interactions.
Alongside the way in which, some exterior challenges, together with the pandemic, prompted us to tackle extra financing — each debt and fairness — after which in 2023 we suffered from the fintech downturn and had a financially very disappointing end result to our massive USA occasion. This led to the sale of our occasions enterprise final June.
For the previous 12 months, we have now been targeted on our digital media enterprise, which started in earnest throughout the pandemic. We wished to see if we might make it a sustainable enterprise with out the occasions enterprise to help it. Sadly, we have now not been in a position to make this enterprise worthwhile.
You might 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 tough resolution to shut the enterprise down and file for chapter.
Whereas that is definitely not a cheerful end result, we have now had a unbelievable trip and I do know it has been probably the most stimulating and satisfying decade of my profession by far.
So, quite than dwell on the loss, we need to share among the highlights from our journey.
Here’s a farewell video, my companion and co-founder, Bo Brustkern and I recorded not too long ago.
The Fintech Nexus retrospective
2013: A brand new occasion referred to as LendIt, targeted on on-line lending, in New York Metropolis was launched with 350 individuals.
2014: Moved the occasion to San Francisco the place we hosted virtually 1,000 individuals. Launched the primary UK occasion with 500 individuals.
2015: Again to New York with Larry Summers because the big-name keynote: 2,500 individuals. Launched in China.
2016: The San Francisco occasion had 3,600 individuals and was our final U.S. occasion in a lodge. Launched the day by day e-newsletter.
2017: Moved to the Javits Middle in New York Metropolis with 5,000 individuals. Launched the LendIt Trade 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 12 months 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 can be our final. We offered 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 speak with individuals who mentioned they first met at LendIt they usually have a thriving partnership. I’ve heard that story a whole bunch of occasions over the previous decade.
We couldn’t have achieved every part we did with out the help of the fintech neighborhood. We’ve got taken this significantly from day one.
I want to thank the tens of hundreds of people that have attended our occasions, each in-person and digital, through the years, together with the hundreds of audio system. Your learnings and new enterprise connections helped drive the business ahead.
I already miss the thrill of strolling on stage on the opening morning of an occasion, filled with adrenaline.
The podcast will proceed
My favourite a part of what I do proper now’s 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 house on its personal web site, and it’ll proceed to look in your podcast feed as standard.
The Web site
The web site will even stay on-line for no 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 hundreds of fintech fans. However the day by day e-newsletter that we have now produced since 2016 will finish with at this time’s subject.
The Webinars
There will probably be no extra Fintech Nexus webinars, though our YouTube channel ought to proceed to stay on for a few years with hundreds of hours of nice content material.
The subsequent chapter
What occurs now? Nicely, a chapter trustee will probably be taking on and seeking to promote our belongings.
The Fintech Nexus staff are all free brokers now.
I’ve began to tackle a few new fintech tasks. Within the coming months, you will notice me at a handful of occasions (I really like a great fintech convention). After a few summer season journeys, I’ll have the bandwidth to tackle extra tasks.
If you’re involved in reaching out to me or others on the Fintech Nexus staff, we will be reached right here:
The fintech business will proceed to thrive
We want to assume we have now performed a significant position in establishing a thriving fintech business. For us, this has at all times been a labor of affection. The fintech area is doing such fascinating and necessary work, and it has been the chance of a lifetime to be close to the middle of all of it.
We’ve got matured as an business and collectively we are actually a driving pressure in monetary companies. Let’s all proceed the nice battle.
