Last month was the annual FinovateSpring conference, and as always, it did not disappoint. This conference is said to be “the future of Fintech events” and has been described as “the best Fintech show of the year.” This year, FinovateSpring took place at Marriott Marquis in San Francisco on May 23-25 where 1,300+ attendees were able to engage with impressive demos, insightful keynote speakers and expert panels. This event was a great opportunity for professionals in the Fintech industry to see the newest, most innovative technology, meet new people and discover new organizations.  I had the privilege to participate in the first FinovateSpring in 2008 and have been fortunate enough to attend every event since. Attending for 16 years in a row, including the virtual events during the pandemic, has given me many valuable opportunities to learn more about this constantly evolving industry.  

It's been 45 years since my dad founded William Mills Agency, and 10 years since he passed from ALS.

William Mills, Jr., or more commonly known as Bill,  was the best father anyone could have. I had the opportunity to be his son, but also someone that worked for, and with, almost every single workday at the agency for more than 29 years. He was not only my father, but also my mentor, role model and great friend. 

Folks, I have been pleased to see that in the last few years, Finovate has grown to boast one of the largest international presences of any fintech event.  At FinovateSpring 2019 last month, there was an unprecedented emphasis on small business, artificial intelligence and mortgage solutions.  While at the show, I had the opportunity to interview Karen Gordon Mills, Senior Fellow at Harvard Business School and former Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration; Ronak Pakzad, founder of GoodWealth; Steven Ramirez, CEO of Beyond the Arc;and Rick Winslow, Chief Experience Officer of Kabbage. 

CEO William Mills is on the scene at FinovateEurope interviewing experts in all areas of fintech, from open banking to the evolving payments landscape for FinovateTV. We will be adding the interview videos as they become available, so be sure to check back! 

After almost 35 years’ experience working in financial technology, I’ve been blessed to be part of radical transformations in our industry. It wasn’t that long ago that “mobile banking” was the business of transforming recreational vehicles into mobile bank branches.