The Spotcap Fintech Fellowship program is now open for applications until August 15, 2019. The program seeks to help talented individuals pursue studies in Fintech. The Fellowship offers an £8k award to one postgraduate student studying a fintech related course at a UK university. This is the 3rd year that Spotcap has sponsored this program.
Niels Turfboer, Managing Director of Spotcap, noted that the Fintech industry is worth £7 billion in the UK but there is a significant skills gap as emerging innovators need qualified individuals to work at these Fintech firms.
“The Fintech Fellowship aims to support industry efforts to plug this gap by raising awareness of the issue and encouraging other stakeholders in the industry to get involved and to help attract the right talent,” said Turfboer.
Charlotte Crosswell, CEO of Innovate Finance, added that Fintech is one of the UK’s fast-growing industries:
” … we hold a strong competitive advantage [in Fintech]. Success is however heavily dependent on talent, which is in short supply both domestically and globally. It is vital that we ensure we are inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators, and equipping them with the skills they will need to succeed.”
Previous Fellowship Winners
Previous winners of the Fintech Fellowship include Mohammed Hussan, who – after his successful completion of an MSc in Computer Science at Imperial College London – co-founded Tru-Source, which automates blockchain oracle development. He comments: “The Fellowship helped improve my network and opened up opportunities to work with knowledgeable and talented people in the space.”
Sophie Peacock, last year’s winner, is currently completing a at University College London. “The Fintech Fellowship enabled me to do a MSc in Machine Learning and to gain the technical skills and knowledge necessary for a career in fintech. I would strongly encourage anyone studying a fintech related masters course to apply!”
The 2019 Judging Panel
- Greg Michel, Head of Sectors (Fintech, Cybersecurity and Applied AI) at Tech Nation
- Julian Wells, Director at Fintech North & Whitecap Consulting
- Emily Nicolle, Technology Editor at City AM
- Sarah Kocianski, Head Of Research at 11:FS
- Ina Yulo, Global Head of Fintech & Financial Services at BrightTALK
- Niels Turfboer, Managing Director at Spotcap