Synechron, a N.Y-based global consulting and technology services provider, has added another financial innovation lab on its map in Charlotte.
The tech firm has nine “FinLabs” around the world including its recent expansion to New York and Charlotte. Synechron FinLabs are designed to promote digital innovation in the financial technology world.
According to a press release, Charlotte’s rich financial community is what sparked Synechron’s interest to establish a FinLab here. The FinLab is located in Synechron’s Charlotte office in the Hearst Tower.
Synechron has around 500 employees in Charlotte. It ranked five out the largest IT firms in the area by the Charlotte Business Journal in 2016.
David Horton, head of innovation for Synechron, shared some insight with the CBJon their newest FinLab in Charlotte:
Why did Synechron choose to expand a FinLab to Charlotte?
Synechron already sees a lot of growth potential and innovation in the local area and through the existing Charlotte office. The growing tech scene in Charlotte has been recognized, and we are happy to build on that momentum to play a role in fostering the innovators, and the innovations, of the future in Charlotte. Our FinLab concept has been hugely successful internationally and with Charlotte being a key hub within the U.S. banking industry, we thought that this investment would go a long way to offering our innovation pedigree to financial institutions looking for digital transformation partners.
How does Synechron plan to engage with the Charlotte startup community?
Synechron is committed to delivering and fostering innovation in the area. We want to collaborate with the local startup and fintech community, and plan to host events to get this community together in our office, including our InSync client conferences to share knowledge and collaborate on the latest developments across different areas such as AI, Blockchain, and more, roundtables, participating in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, and providing opportunities for local talent as well as FinTech players at banks looking to embrace these strategies. The Charlotte FinLab facility is a significant investment in bringing innovation to the local financial sector and we often incubate, partner and demonstrate several fintech and startup solutions as part of our innovation lab tours. We also regularly sponsor and organize hackathons to drive ideation and assist in identifying talented individuals.
How will this impact the technology scene in Charlotte?
The FinLabs create a collaborative, immersive, hands-on way to fully experience emerging technologies and use-cases ranging from artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain, to augmented reality (AR) and Chatbots. The Labs aim to foster creative thinking and a place to explore for future innovation in fintech. A space like this in the Charlotte tech scene will help further drive education and innovation of digital technologies in the Charlotte tech scene. Given the historical success we have seen in similar launches globally, we fully expect other technology firms to follow in our footsteps and begin launching innovation labs in Charlotte.
