Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JUNE 16, 2025 19 Join Donny Marshall & Friends Donny Marshall Charity Classic, Lake of Isles, Aug. 10-11th. Limited foursomes available. To learn more scan code or visit jay@elkinsonsloves.com Join some of the biggest and tallest names in sport as the 21st Century Tolland Fund continues to help give young athletes with disabilities the chance they deserve. Event includes: • Opening Night VIP Welcome Reception • On-course Highland Park Market Grill • Waypoint Spirits, Lawson's Finest and Molson Coors spirit zones • A1 Toyota and Harley-Davidson Hole in One Challenges • Post golf celebrity reception, Joshua Worldwide Transit Celebrity Auction and Awards Dinner AUG. 10-11, 2025 Design | Print | Mail MARKETING PARTNERS: PREMIER: DIAMOND: be someday. "If community and business leaders put a priority on this industry because of its high-paying jobs and impact on the financial services economy, it can be cultivated," he said. Notably, the National Fintech Organi- zation recently launched an academic council that aims to increase aware- ness of fintech-specific education and create a network of schools that share ideas. UConn is among 10 universities — including Duke, Wake Forest and Iowa — that are inaugural members of the academic council. UConn has also teamed up with the city of Stamford to compete for a share of a $100 million state Innovation Clusters Program fund that aims to grow new technological industries and jobs in Connecticut. As part of the effort, Stamford, which is competing with Hartford and New Haven for funding, has proposed launching an AI Innovation Institute that would be a destination for startup acceleration, workforce training and technology programming centered around the fintech, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity industries. UConn would launch the institute with a supercomputing platform and faculty director. Stamford's plan also envisions approximately 800,000 square feet of residential and commer- cial real estate development. Kagan said she thinks it's fair to say that Stamford is becoming a national fintech hub, "but I would also suggest that it is truly a global hub, given the number of international companies with a base here." Talent build-up UConn launched a master's degree in financial technology at its Stamford campus in 2022, due to the city's strength in financial services, said Laurissa Berk, director of global and experiential education for the UConn School of Business' STEM programs. "Stamford has a lot of hedge funds and banks, as does Fairfield County and New York, which is 45 minutes away," she said. "It absolutely makes sense." The program works with Stamford fintech companies to create academic projects for students and give pupils opportunities to meet industry execu- tives, Berk said. It also introduces them to fintech companies in New York. "It's not just faculty advising and updating the curriculum," she said. "It's people working in industry, at these banks, at these fintechs saying, 'here's what we're actually doing in industry.'" The program has graduated about 60 students so far and received about 130 applications for the fall 2025 semester as of mid-May, said John Wilson, academic director of the fintech program, which is also offered at UConn's Hartford campus. Wilson said Stamford's fintech industry has great growth potential because the city is already a hub for financial services, has the right talent and is close to New York City. "I think at some point, the right people are going to come together at the right time, in the right place, and then you're going to see Stamford explode," he said. He said Tomo left Stamford for New York because the state needs to provide a more attractive business environment, instead of just enticing companies with monetary incentives. "I'd rather have a company that says we are looking to partner with all the people, the state, the commu- nity, other companies, academia — and we want to grow here," he said. UConn's launch of a fintech program should further draw and develop the right financial tech- nology talent to Stamford and other parts of the state, said John Borderaux, president and CEO of New Haven-based AdvanceCT, the state's nonprofit business recruitment arm. "The talent pool for financial services and fintech in and around Stamford is amazing," he said. "If you look at it, you are able to draw from New York City, right all the way up into Connecticut. … Five or 10 years from now, I think that you will have an even more vibrant ecosystem." Gov. Lamont welcomes Banking Circle US CEO Kjeld Olson and his staff to their new Stamford office, at 750 Washington Blvd. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Laurissa Berk John Wilson

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