Note from the Publisher:  As part of FintekNews' commitment to our industry at large, we want to make sure we are supporting the "up and comers" (a/k/a accelerators and incubators) within our space.  St. Louis is not typically a city you would place high on the list of fintech centers.  NYC and Silicon Valley would come to mind first, but in fact they have a very innovative incubator there - SixThirty - which has even hosted an international hackathon and blockchain forum in the past.  So check them out if you or a firm you know of is looking for this type of venture arrangement. 

SixThirty, a St. Louis-based business development accelerator and venture fund that invests in late seed-stage financial technology (FinTech) startups, is accepting applications for its spring 2017 cohort.

SixThirty invests in FinTech startups with working products and focuses on business development and revenue acceleration.  Selected companies will receive up to a $100,000 investment in exchange for a negotiated percentage of equity. The companies selected to take part in the accelerator program participate in a 14-week program that provides hands-on training, mentoring, and networking opportunities with leaders from the top financial services companies in the country. As Congresswoman Ann Wagner, member of the House Financial Services Committee, put it, “SixThirty is helping startups receive the investments, training, and networking needed for success. A great group!” Programming for the cohort will be held in T-REX located in downtown St. Louis.

Earlier this year, SixThirty and St. Louis were recognized by Village Capital, in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Sorenson Impact Center and the Rise of the Rest initiative, as a pioneering FinTech startup community. This isn’t the first such validation for SixThirty and the St. Louis region as a FinTech hub. National publications and blogs have also recognized SixThirty as a leading FinTech accelerator.

“Increasingly, FinTech startups are collaborating with the financial services industry” said Atul Kamra, Managing Partner of SixThirty. “In 2013, SixThirty was built on this premise. We make this possible by connecting FinTech startups to the breadth and depth of financial services in the region, their buying power, and mentorship capacity,” added Kamra. He went on to explain, “through participation in the SixThirty program, FinTech startups work alongside leaders from SixThirty partners, including UMB, RGA, Edward Jones, StateFarm, and Twain Financial Partners.” To conclude, Kamra said “we are the third ‘coast’ for FinTech innovation, where FinTech startups come for customer revenue.”

Since its launch in August 2013, SixThirty has invested in 22 FinTech companies which have gone on to raise more than $85 million in capital. Applications will be accepted through the first week of January. Interested FinTech companies can contact Joel Brightfield, Principal, SixThirty, at or 314-749-7373.