Innovators
To promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the derivatives industry, FIA has created a fintech showcase - the Innovators Pavilion - at its annual Futures and Options Expo to highlight the latest advances in financial technology.
Each year FIA provides a unique opportunity for a select group of fintech startups to showcase their solutions for the derivatives industry. As the leading trade association for the listed and cleared derivatives markets, FIA has worked for decades to promote advances in the trading and clearing of derivatives, and the annual Innovators Pavilion has become a core element of FIA's commitment to accelerate the adoption of fintech solutions in these markets.
Since 2015, more than 150 startups have participated in FIA's Innovators Pavilion, demonstrating exciting new applications for emerging technologies and connecting with key players in the derivatives community. This annual showcase has become one of the most popular features of FIA's Futures and Options Expo, the industry's largest and most comprehensive conference and trade show.
Expo took place on 2-3 October 2023 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk. The fintech startups selected for the Innovators Pavilion pitched their solutions directly to all Expo attendees, including senior executives from exchanges, clearinghouses, banks, brokers and trading firms. After the competition, the judges selected ClearDox as the FIA Innovator of the Year 2023. In addition, CodeComplete AI was named the runner-up, and Cumulus9 won the People’s Choice Award.
2023 Innovators
2023 Pitch Competition Judges
- Lindsay Chock, Global Head of ETD Electronic and FX Algo Execution, UBS
- Jodie Gunzberg, Vice President, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Cboe Global Markets
- Joseph Logozzo, Director, Prime Client Experience, Barclays
- Tom Schuhmann, Strategy & Corporate Development, Two Sigma
- Kim Trautmann, Head of DRW Venture Capital, DRW Holdings
Previous Years
2022 Innovators
Ten fintech startups were featured in the Innovators Pavilion at Expo 2022. BeZero Carbon has been named the FIA Innovator of the Year. In addition, Clouty was named the runner-up, and Kemet Trading won the People’s Choice Award. Each startup participated in the Innovator Pitch Competition with judges drawn from Barclays, FIS, Goldman Sachs, LayerOne Financial, and Two Sigma Securities.
2021 Innovators
Eight fintech startups were featured in the Innovators Pavilion at Expo 2021. The winners were Stable as the FIA Innovator of the Year, X-Margin as runner-up, and Databento as the People’s Choice Award winner. Each startup in the Innovators Pavilion delivered a short presentation to Expo attendees, followed by a Q&A session with judges drawn from leading firms in the industry.
2020 Innovators
Nine fintech startups were featured in the virtual Innovators Pavilion at the Expo-V 2020. FIA named Riskfuel as the 2020 FIA Innovator of the Year, Options AI as runner-up and Wematch as the winner of the inaugural People’s Choice Award. Each startup in the Innovators Pavilion delivered a short presentation followed by a Q&A session with judges drawn from Citadel Securities, DRW Venture Capital, Goldman Sachs, Nasdaq and UBS.
2019 Innovators
Twenty fintech startups were featured in the Innovators Pavilion at Expo 2019. Five of these firms participated in the Meet the Innovators pitch competition. The judges then selected data science startup Hivemind as the FIA Innovator of the Year. In addition to the title, Hivemind receives more than $20,000 in cash and other resources from FIA.
2018 Innovators
Fifteen fintech startups were featured in the Innovators Pavilion at Expo 2018. Five of these firms participated in the Meet the Innovators pitch competition. The judges then selected FreightWaves as the FIA Innovator of the Year. In addition to the title, Freightwaves receives more than $20,000 in cash and other resources from FIA.
2017 Innovators
Nineteen fintech startups were featured in the Innovators Pavilion at Expo 2017. Selected companies displayed their products and services in a TechPod on the Expo show floor. TellusLabs won the “Meet the Innovators” competition during Expo 2017, receiving more than $20,000 in cash and other resources.
2016 Innovators
The 18 companies chosen for the Expo 2016 Innovators Pavilion were selected by a committee of industry experts comprised of executives from venture capital firms that focus on fintech as well as executives from FIA member firms with experience in evaluating technology. The featured companies were showcased at the 32nd Annual FIA Futures and Options Expo. Five of the companies were selected for a pitch competition before a panel of judges at the Expo, and Money.Net was chosen for a prize worth more than $20,000 in cash and other resources.
2015 Innovators
The 20 companies selected as FIA Innovators for 2015 typify a wave of financial technology innovation. Some draw on the science of artificial intelligence to improve trade processing, automate trading strategies, or identify rogue traders. Some are developing new ways for buyers and sellers to interact. Others apply big data solutions to help brokers and trading firms manage data more efficiently. And others borrow concepts from the consumer technology world to provide new tools for traders and IT professionals.
Innovator Market Map
