ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator Showcase Returns to GSBC, Connecting Fintechs with Future Community Leaders

Washington, D.C. (July 8, 2025) —The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) announced its upcoming ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program showcase will once again take place at the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado (GSBC). The event, set for July 17, marks the culmination of the latest Accelerator program (AP9), a 10-week collaborative experience designed to foster fintech-community bank partnerships that advance community bank innovation.

Students will engage in open dialogue with presenting fintechs and hear from ICBA’s innovation leaders—including Executive Vice President Charles Potts and Senior Vice President Wayne Miller—on the evolving fintech landscape and what it means for community banking.

“Returning to GSBC gives us another chance to connect fintech innovators directly with the next generation of community bank leaders,” said Potts. “This showcase isn’t just about ideas—it’s about building real partnerships that move innovation from theory to practice in community banking.”

Covering a broad range of key areas for today’s community bankers and their customers, including SMB lending and credit analysis, Earned Wage Access (EWA), AI operational solutions, real-time risk/ fraud platform, threat intelligence, and Ai powered predictive analytics, presenting companies will highlight their solutions to support a bank’s strategic technology vision. Companies include:

• Beta Financial Services – Offering BetaScore, an AI-powered credit scoring platform designed for community banks to make faster, more accurate data-driven SMB lending decisions.

• Clockout – A white-labeled EWA infrastructure provider for community banks to offer on-demand pay through their digital banking apps.

• DeepSee – Offers a flexible AI operating system that integrates with bank systems to streamline operations across the front, middle, and back office.

• Overwatch Data – An AI-powered threat intelligence platform designed to extract personalized insights from the open, social, deep and dark web and deliver actionable insights for financial institutions.

• Sardine – An AI-driven risk platform helping banks, fintechs and retailers prevent fraud, detect money laundering and improve credit decisioning.

• Vertice AI – A provider of AI-powered predictive analytics helping community financial institutions drive customer growth and optimize marketing strategies.

Hosted each July at the University of Colorado Boulder, GSBC’s 25-month program delivers a relevant and challenging curriculum that deepens students' understanding of community banking through applied coursework and intersession research projects, offering an in-depth view of the innovative technologies and strategies that are defining the community banking landscape. In addition, GSBC’s “Bolder Banking” campaign aimed at developing bold leaders for the community banking industry includes a state-of-the-art peer group program and micro-credential offerings on leadership and affordable housing, among other forward-focused initiatives.

“We’re proud to host the ICBA ThinkTECH Showcase as part of our mission to prepare bold, future-ready community bank leaders,” said Michael Stevens, GSBC president and CEO. “Our students get a front-row seat to emerging technology—and the opportunity to connect directly with the innovators helping to drive the future of bank-enabled technology.”

“The Accelerator Showcase is where ideas meet execution,” added Miller. “It’s a hands-on opportunity for community bankers to see how emerging technologies can be applied to their daily operations—and to shape the tools that will help them compete and thrive.”

To register for the in-person event or to stream it live, please visit ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator Program 9 Showcase. For more information about the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program, or to apply or nominate a fintech for future cohorts, visit www.icba.org/accelerator.

About ICBA
The Independent Community Bankers of America® has one mission: to create and promote an environment where community banks flourish. We power the potential of the nation’s community banks through effective advocacy, education, and innovation.

As local and trusted sources of credit, America’s community banks leverage their relationship-based business model and innovative offerings to channel deposits into the neighborhoods they serve, creating jobs, fostering economic prosperity, and fueling their customers’ financial goals and dreams. For more information, visit ICBA’s website at icba.org.

About Graduate School of Banking at Colorado (GSBC)
The Graduate School of Banking at Colorado is America’s Premier Community Banking School, providing banking professionals with programming to prepare the next generation of community bank leaders for success. Our programs include the Annual School Session, and the one-of-a-kind Executive Development Institute, a program designed to address succession issues by developing the next generation of executives at community banks. For more information, visit www.gsbcolorado.org.