Money 20/20 - ‘FinTech’s Biggest Conversation’
EdenBase look back at Amsterdam; a glance forward to Vegas 2022.
‘We felt like we had been given permission to be as bold and pioneering as we could be, with an emphasis on sustainability and inclusiveness running throughout.’
- Eric Van Der Kleij, 2022
When Eric arrived to speak at Fintech’s biggest conversation on 7 – 9 June 2022 in Amsterdam, he felt a ‘buzz’ that had not been there before.
Covid-19 had stifled the vigour and excitement that used to be felt on the Fintech scene. Amsterdam seemed to be the start of a new era - where talent and expert knowledge came together in a mutually supportive way.
The future looks promising, and the investors EdenBase met at Fintech’s premier convention could see this too.
Being the first major industry gathering since the lockdown, it was clear why this was the most anticipated show of the year for everyone.
What is Money 20/20?
Money20/20 was founded in 2012 by Payments and Fintech veterans from Google, TSYS and Citi. They broke the stereotypes anchored in snoozefest business conferences, and designed an unparalleled experience built for the industry, by the industry where C-level executives, renowned speakers, innovators and disruptors from across the world drive change in the future of money.
Eric spoke on two panels across the event:
Panel 1: ‘Who’s supporting the start-ups?’
Maria (Brewer) Palma - General Partner at Kindred Capital VC
Fredrik Ulvenholm - CEO at Vilja Solutions AB
Elin Bäcklund - CEO at ArK
This panel focused on the organisations supporting start-ups, the opportunities for
early-stage companies and more.
They discussed the key issues that new fintech companies face when starting up, how various organisations are helping to support them and looked at where opportunities for engagement and support were currently available.
Panel 2: Female founders panel
Peggy Van de Plassche - Managing Partner of Roar Growth
Sujata Rastogi - Director, Financial Services at NayaOne
Chi Achebe - Product & Partner Go-To-Market at YouTube | Early Stage Investor
The women’s panel shared insights and tips on how they achieved the success they have, who they learnt from, what goals they set and what challenges the Fintech industry poses for female founders.
Speaking afterwards Eric said “Being part of the discussion at an event in which all the biggest names are gathered is an incredible experience and offers huge potential for big decisions to be made. With hundreds of investors, new talent and media present, there is no limit for what connections and innovations could be made at these international tech conferences.”
What does Money 20/20 mean to EdenBase?
Money 20/20 is the place where the industry moves forward. Having all of the leading tech giants and startups together in one convention enables incredible new connections and progress to be made in the space of just 3 days.
EdenBase believe that it is critical to remind everybody in our community that they have to be responsible for the impact they have through their product, decisions, and investments. What Eric witnessed at the conference has given EdenBase a renewed sense of excitement about the opportunities that are being created for our organisation in this sector..
Big names, huge influences
Eric really enjoyed catching up with some of the rockstars of the Fintech space, who reflect our ethos and demonstrate in their own way the innovative potential out there.
A huge shoutout to Laurent Nizri, Alex Fazel, Brad Goodall, Ronen Assia, Nektarios Liolios, Alessandro E. Hatami, Amy French, Emma Mills, Parker Crockford, Marshall Hayner, Anne Boden, Ricky Knox, Tim Peake, Alain Robert and many more.
Eric and Emma Mills at Money 20/20. Emma is a member of MastercardNews.
Eric with Laurent Nizri, Alex Fazel, Brad Goodfall and Ronen Assia.
Eric’s reflections:
Eric Van der Kleij, 2022
‘The Money2020 conference showed me just how many potential partners were out there who shared our vision, and what incredible projects smart investors and startups were working on.
It was an honour speaking on the startup and women’s panel, and it drove home the fact that new tech stems from individuals with a vision and a desire to do something useful or good in the world.
It’s heartening and reassuring to know that these are the kinds of people we could be working with, and I’m excited to embark on our next steps and working with the talent out there to support them on their journey.’
Vegas 2022 - October 23 - 26, 2022
Having seen so much potential in Amsterdam, our team can’t wait to see what Money2020 Vegas will bring. Our ecosystem, hub and community is ready to play its part. As diverse as our EdenBase ecosystem already is, we recognise that it is all about sustainable supergrowth and pioneering discussion in this industry. Just like in mountain climbing, we have a long way to go to reach the summit, and we can do that better working as a team working together.
About EdenBase
We are an ecosystem, hub and community. Our environment and our members are everything, and who does not want to be in Eden. But we realise this is just the start. We all have mountains to climb. Our aims are:
To challenge new tech projects to strive for responsible growth every day and in every way.
Not simply to fund upcoming tech, but to use our expertise to help them grow and working with them to create sustainable change.
We’re raring to join Money2020 Las Vegas and we can’t wait to see what new talent we can work with and develop: bring on 2022!