Apply: New York

Applications for the FinTech Innovation Lab New York are now open until Nov. 25th.

Learn more about 2027 program requirements below and apply through our portal.

Apply Today

Who Should Apply

  • Early- and growth-stage technology companies with innovative financial and insurance solutions.
  • Growth-stage enterprise solution companies interested in servicing financial services and insurance clients.
  • Companies interested in collaborating with the Lab’s financial institutions as a partner.
  • Growth-stage AI guardrails and governance companies interested in our new Pilot Track, which pairs you with financial institutions to develop POCs.

There is no fee to apply. Participation in the Lab is non-dilutive — no equity or investment is required.

Requirements

  • Companies with a solution that can be tested and deployed.
  • Proven track record of successfully integrating with customers.
  • If selected, core members of the company must participate in New York City during working hours for the 3 months of the program (March – June).

Areas of Interest

Based on feedback from senior executives at participating financial institutions, this year’s Lab is searching for promising early- and growth-stage companies developing solutions in 10 major areas: 

  • AI Governance and Guardrails tools that govern and secure AI agents in production, embedding compliance, oversight, and control mechanisms across enterprise deployments;
  • Enterprise AI Operating Layer tools that connect AI models, data, and enterprise systems, bridging technical infrastructure with the business teams that use it;
  • Digital Asset tools that support operations spanning blockchain infrastructure, custody and wallet solutions, stablecoin issuance, tokenized deposits, and cross-border settlement rails;
  • Token and Cost Optimization tools that help organizations optimize the cost and efficiency of AI at scale while demonstrating return on investment;
  • Agentic Commerce tools that enable autonomous agents to transact and deliver financial services on behalf of consumers and businesses across partner ecosystems;
  • Cyber and Data Security tools that protect enterprise AI and data environments from modern and emerging threats, including access controls, application security, and post-quantum readiness;
  • Risk Management and Fraud Detection tools that support financial institutions in managing risk and fraud across operations, from detection and prevention to compliance oversight and third-party risk management;
  • Context and Knowledge Capture tools that prepare enterprise data and institutional knowledge for AI use, including document ingestion, knowledge graphs, process discovery, and data traceability;
  • Client Engagement and Personalization tools that deliver personalized, AI-powered client experiences, spanning portfolio analytics, embedded banking, payments modernization, credit solutions, and advisor enablement;
  • AI-Augmented Software Delivery tools that support engineering teams as agents take on more of the build, covering evaluation and testing frameworks, release safety, delivery coordination, and legacy modernization.

While the above list reflects our partners’ stated priorities, if you are developing a new solution that is not on this list but relevant for financial services—and cutting edge—we welcome you to apply as well.

Introducing our new Pilot Track

We’re launching a new track for growth-stage companies in the AI Guardrails and Governance space, designed to help companies work directly with our Financial Institution partners to explore and develop proofs of concept (POCs)—structured, limited-scope engagements that test how a solution can address a specific business need in a real-world financial institution environment.

Companies on the Pilot Track will participate in the same mentorship program as our broader cohort, while also working with Accenture’s Innovation Garage to identify and pursue POC opportunities with participating Financial Institutions. Insights and results from these POCs will be shared across the FinTech Innovation Lab’s network of program mentors.

Who we’re looking for in the Pilot Track:

  • AI Guardrails and Governance Focus: Companies developing solutions in security and risk and any related technologies that help Financial Institutions safely adopt and manage AI.
  • Growth-stage companies: Companies with a proven, production-ready product, existing deployments, and the enterprise-grade security, compliance, and technical capabilities required to work with Financial Institutions.
  • Pilot ready: Companies addressing a specific, high-value Financial Institution use case and prepared to work with our partners on a structured POC.

Frequently Asked Questions

The FinTech Innovation Lab New York focuses on early and growth-stage companies with at least a beta technology/product, especially those which will benefit from the senior access and relationships at the Lab’s 40+ participating financial institutions. We are also interested in growth stage companies that have a product being deployed outside financial services that are interested in entering the financial services vertical.

Yes. We typically look for companies from pre-seed through Series B. If you've raised, please include details on past rounds in your application.

You don't need to be based in New York. The program is hybrid, but at least one member of your core team is required to attend all in-person events throughout the 12-week program. Travel costs are not reimbursed.

Yes, you can still apply. However, you must have eligibility to work in the United States and/or obtain visas on your own. The FinTech Innovation Lab will not sponsor visas.

There is no fee to apply.

Yes, but you must disclose your affiliation on your application form.

Please note this concern in the “additional information” section at the end of the application along with the name of the firm with which there is a potential conflict. That firm(s) will not have access to your application during the initial review process. However, they will have access to the elevator pitch and basic corporate info (i.e. company name, address, contact).

All applicants will be notified of their application status by email in mid-January. Finalists will then be invited to two in-person events at our New York City office: Shark Tank Day on February 2, where companies pitch to a live panel of judges, and the Finalist Demo Fair on February 4. The 2027 cohort will be announced in late February.

Each company in the Lab is paired with three to six financial institutions, matched to the priorities our partners set at the start of each cycle. At every institution, you'll have an executive sponsor (e.g. CIO, CTO, SVP) and a chaperone (e.g. VP or Executive Director) who provides day-to-day mentorship. Your contacts may sit in business, product, innovation, ventures, or vertical-specific teams, and introductions across the wider firm are facilitated as needed. There will also be networking opportunities to connect with other financial institutions outside of official pairings.

The Lab is a mentorship program, and we don't guarantee commercial outcomes. That said, relationships formed here regularly lead to pilots. Across a typical cohort of roughly 10 companies, we typically see 20-40 proofs of concept begin during or shortly after the program. Paid contracts usually follow on a longer timeline.