HHL's Entrepreneurship Conference on FinTech

[HHL gGmbH - 10.04.2015] 250 participants from more than 20 nations will discuss new business models in the field of financial technology ("FinTech") and the future of the financial industry at the Accelerate@HHL 2015 Entrepreneurship Conference in Leipzig today and tomorrow (April 10/11, 2015). 25 speakers and more than 20 sponsors are supporting the international conference organized by students of HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management for the benefit of students, founders and other interested parties.

According to Maximilian Mayer, a HHL student and organizer, the conference aims "to get young people into the topics of entrepreneurship and innovations while establishing strong networks." Additionally, enterprises such as Axel Springer, Commerzbank, Hitfox/FinLeap, Mister Spex and Rheingau Founders will present themselves at the Career Fair.

"FinTech is going to radically change our lives"

When opening the conference, Nasir Zubairi, who is considered to be one of the most influential innovators in the field of financial technology, said, "FinTech will radically change our lives in the next five to ten years." Zubairi, who works as a partner at FinLeap, a FinTech business founder of Hitfox Group, does not fear that classic bank branches might become extinct in the future. However, he believes that the interaction with the customer will undergo some fundamental changes. FinTech developments will be a great help in this context. They can succeed if they no longer act as mere service providers but as enablers of banking transactions without friction within the respective process chains. It is typical for FinTech companies to offer specialized services and not all financial services at once. According to Mr. Zubairi, they stand out from traditional providers thanks to their highly customer-oriented focus.

During the first discussion round on FinTech, innovators Philipp Petrescu (Lendico), Maximilian Tayenthal (Number26), Robert Henker (cashboard) and Mark Henkel (Paymill) presented their FinTech business models. Despite the regulatory complexity of this business field, company founders see many opportunities in connection with FinTech. Maximilian Tayenthal, who wishes to offer "Europe's most modern checking account" through his company number26, said, "The financial industry today offers excellent conditions for change."

The 5th Leipzig Entrepreneurship Lecture, which takes place this afternoon, is also part of the Accelerate@HHL Conference. Prof. Dr. Andreas Kuckertz, Professor for Entrepreneurship at the University of Hohenheim, will talk about the movement of capital in the venture capital industry.

An Elevator Pitch competition will take place during tomorrow's conference day. The best start-up idea will be awarded a monetary prize of EUR 1,000. A high-caliber panel with Jörg Howein (Manager zeb & BankigHub) and Rodrigo Martinez (Point Nine Capital), amongst others, as judges will take an interactive vote on the best business plan. The competition is generously supported by the Association of Friends of HHL, focusing particularly on promoting entrepreneurship at the first business school established in Germany.

In addition to Nasir Zubairi and Prof. Dr. Andreas Kuckertz, other influential managers from the financial industry and representatives from various FinTech start-ups , including Harald Eisenach (Head of Region East & Member of the Management Committee of Deutsche Bank), Philipp Petrescu (Co-Founder and CEO of Lendico), Christian Miele (Head of Business Development of Kreditech) and Maximilian Thayenthal (CFO and Co-Founder of number26), will give presentations at the Accelerate@HHL Conference 2015 in Leipzig.

Supporters of the Accelerate@HHL Entrepreneurship Conference 2015 include premium sponsors zeb/rolfes.schierenbeck.associates and FinLeap as well as sponsors Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, Rheingau Founders, Finanzcheck.de and Möller-Bornemann.

Further information: http://www.accelerate-entrepreneurship.com

HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management as a hotbed for entrepreneurs

With over 150 start-ups established by HHL alumni over the past 17 years, Germany's top address for young managers has also developed into an incubator for company creation. The founders' entrepreneurial commitment has created more than 2,500 jobs already, over 1,100 of which are located in the Leipzig region alone. In 2013 and 2014, HHL reached one of three first places for the best entrepreneurial universities in Germany in the Start-Up Radar ranking published by Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft (Founders' Association of German Science) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BWMi). According to the Financial Times, HHL ranks first in Germany and fifth globally for its entrepreneurship focus within the M.Sc. and EMBA programs. http://www.hhl.de/EntrepreneurialGraduateSchool