Fintech innovators in spotlight at ‘fast-paced’ catwalk pitching event

Financial services consultancy The Lang Cat says it is “pretty allergic to dull conferences”.

Mark Polson, chief executive and founder of The Lang Cat, which is based in Edinburgh. Picture: Rich Dyson

A plea has gone out to Scottish firms developing tech for financial advisers to get involved with a “fast-paced catwalk event” due to take place this summer.

Edinburgh-based financial services consultancy The Lang Cat will choose five of the top submissions as finalists to pitch what they have built to an audience of around 150 advice professionals, senior financial industry figures, media and a panel of fintech - financial technology - experts. Entries for potential pitches close on April 23 while the AdviceTech Catwalk event is set to take place on June 20 in Wapping, east London. Finalists will be coached through the pitch process to get “catwalk ready” as well as benefiting from exposure to advisers, providers and potential investors.

AdviceTech Catwalk is focused on “up-and-coming technology that advice professionals might be using in the next few years”, Lang Cat said. There is no fee for applying and finalists will not be asked for any money to participate at any time, it added.

Mark Polson, chief executive and founder of The Lang Cat, said: “Fintech has become such a vibrant area that we thought it would be fun to create a specialised event where interesting people building interesting technology for financial advisers and planners get to show off to interested people.

“The AdviceTech Catwalk is built so everyone wins. Finalists get to show their wares without having to pay to do so, and get some free pitching and presentation training into the bargain. Advisers who come along get to see the technologies they may well be using in a year or two or three. And the industry and potential investors get a sneak peek too.

“The Lang Cat is pretty allergic to dull conferences, so this will be a fast-paced show in an awesome venue that isn’t your usual financial industry corporate fare - we want this to be fun for attendees but also for those pitching.”

The Edinburgh consultancy works with financial advisers and providers, “helping them develop new propositions, turn marketing strategy into action and articulate their services in such a way that people without financial services degrees have a hope of understanding them”.