APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN
Applications for the SMU Cox FinTech Accelerator program are open October 6 through November 19, 2026.
SMU Fintech Challenge
WHERE FINANCIAL INNOVATION, TALENT AND INDUSTRY CONNECT
Get closer to the people, institutions, and opportunities that can move your company forward. The SMU Cox FinTech Accelerator brings 16 weeks of specialized mentorship, commercial engagement, and access to a highly selective cohort of fintech founders, with three Dallas, TX immersions, and access to the expertise of SMU Cox School of Business and Mass Challenge.
APPLICATIONS OPEN OCT 6–NOV 19, 2026!
THE SMU COX FINTECH ACCELERATOR: COMING IN OCTOBER
powered by MassChallenge
Through the SMU Cox FinTech Accelerator, SMU Cox and MassChallenge will bring complementary strengths together to help fintech founders move promising ideas forward. The program combines MassChallenge's global accelerator expertise and founder network with the business knowledge, entrepreneurial resources, and deep industry connections of SMU Cox—all within Dallas' dynamic and growing financial ecosystem.
Through the four-month hybrid program, a highly selective cohort of founders will connect with faculty, mentors, industry experts, corporations and investors who can challenge their thinking, sharpen their strategies and help open doors. With specialized mentorship, enterprise engagement and three immersive experiences in Dallas, TX, founders will gain more than access to a network—they’ll build the relationships, insights and market connections that can help turn innovation into impact.
Through the four-month hybrid program, a highly selective cohort of founders will connect with faculty, mentors, industry experts, corporations and investors who can challenge their thinking, sharpen their strategies and help open doors. With specialized mentorship, enterprise engagement and three immersive experiences in Dallas, TX, founders will gain more than access to a network—they’ll build the relationships, insights and market connections that can help turn innovation into impact.
And the Accelerator is the beginning of a bigger vision. It is the founding component of the planned SMU Fintech Coalition, which is expected to expand in future years to include the SMU Fintech Summit and SMU Pitchfest. Year 1 is focused solely on establishing the Accelerator as the platform’s proof point.
LEADERS ON LEADERSHIP: OCT 6th
Join MassChallenge CEO Cait Brumme at SMU Cox in Dallas, TX, for a special Leaders on Leadership Fireside Chat. Hear her leadership story and learn more about what's ahead for SMU Cox and MassChallenge. Register to reserve your spot for Tuesday, October 6th.
WHAT FOUNDERS GAIN
GREATER COMMERCIAL READINESS
FINTECH FOCUSED STRATEGIC RIGOR
A 16-week, five-module program covering market validation, regulatory alignment, business model, enterprise engagement, and capital strategy, built specifically for financial services with input from SMU Cox School of Business faculty.
GLOBAL EXPERTISE
ACCESS TO THE RIGHT NETWORK
Access to MassChallenge's global expert network, drawn from academia (including SMU Cox faculty), corporate financial services, founders, and investors, with more than 500 financial services SMEs supporting MassChallenge fintech programs to date.
CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT
PATHWAYS TO MARKET
Structured corporate and investor engagement — opportunities to test use cases, build relationships with financial institutions, and pursue pilot and commercial pathways.
SMU FINTECH SHOWCASE
VISIBILITY IN THE ECOSYSTEM
Visibility through the SMU FinTech Showcase — a culminating event connecting the cohort with investors, corporate leaders, and the broader ecosystem.
WHO SHOULD APPLY?
Startups building across the breadth of financial innovation are welcome to apply, including:
01
TRUST
Fraud & Cybersecurity / Compliance & Regulatory Technology / Insurance & Risk
The protective foundation: you can't move money, deploy AI, or scale a fintech product without them holding up underneath it.
02
INTELLIGENCE LAYER
AI in Financial Services / Wealthtech & Asset Management / Lending / Financial Inclusion
Areas where applying intelligence, whether AI-driven decisioning, portfolio tools, credit models, or access design, is what separates a fast, sharp offering from a slow one.
03
INFRASTRUCTURE
Banking Infrastructure / Payments / Digital Assets / Capital Markets / Embedded Finance
The rails: how money, data, and value actually move through the system.
04
OPEN TOPIC
Some of the strongest ideas don’t fit neatly into a predefined category. If what you’re building sits outside Trust, Intelligence Layer, or Infrastructure, there’s room for it here, whether it’s ahead of the category, too new to have a name yet, or simply its own thing.
BANKING INFRASTRUCTURE
Technology powering modern financial institutions.
payments
New ways to move, accept, and manage money.
WEALTHTECH & ASSET MANAGEMENT
Tools transforming how wealth is built and managed.
INSURANCE & RISK
Solutions reshaping protection and risk management.
COMPLIANCE & REGULATORY TECHNOLOGY
Technology making complex compliance easier to navigate.
FRAUD & CYBERSECURITY
Solutions protecting financial systems and their customers.
DIGITAL ASSETS
Infrastructure and applications for digital finance.
AI IN FINANCIAL SERVICES
AI transforming financial products, operations, and decisions.
EMBEDDED FINANCE
Financial services built into everyday platforms and experiences.
LENDING
New approaches to accessing and extending credit.
CAPITAL MARKETS
Technology modernizing how capital moves through markets.
FINANCIAL INCLUSION
Solutions expanding access to financial products and services.
WHO SHOULD APPLY?
Startups building across the breadth of financial innovation are welcome to apply, including:
01
Y'ALL STREET
Includes: Capital Markets / Embedded Finance
As capital markets move to Texas, so does the technology that powers them. The focus area is startups building for trading, options, equities, and market infrastructure: the companies Y'all Street and Wall Street will look to buy or partner with.
02
AI
Includes: AI in Financial Services / Wealthtech & Asset Management / Lending / Financial Inclusion
AI is the intelligence layer, but in finance it has to be deterministic. It earns its place only when it moves beyond pilots into real, measurable ROI, with the harnessing and controls that make its outputs exact and repeatable.
03
BLOCKCHAIN
Includes: Digital assets / banking infrastructure / payments
Blockchain, and stablecoins in particular, is the new infrastructure, replacing legacy rails with programmable, transparent, and resilient systems for moving money.
04
CYBERSECURITY
Includes: Fraud & Cybersecurity / Compliance & Regulatory Technology / Insurance & Risk
Cybersecurity is the foundation of trust. Quantum-era and AI-powered threats are advancing faster than legacy defenses can keep up, making this urgent now, not later.
04
OPEN TOPIC
Not every strong idea fits a category yet. This track is for founders building something that falls outside Y'all Street, AI, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity, whether it's a new business model, a category the market hasn't named yet, or an idea that spans more than one of the four.
BANKING INFRASTRUCTURE
Technology powering modern financial institutions.
payments
New ways to move, accept, and manage money.
WEALTHTECH & ASSET MANAGEMENT
Tools transforming how wealth is built and managed.
INSURANCE & RISK
Solutions reshaping protection and risk management.
COMPLIANCE & REGULATORY TECHNOLOGY
Technology making complex compliance easier to navigate.
FRAUD & CYBERSECURITY
Solutions protecting financial systems and their customers.
DIGITAL ASSETS
Infrastructure and applications for digital finance.
AI IN FINANCIAL SERVICES
AI transforming financial products, operations, and decisions.
EMBEDDED FINANCE
Financial services built into everyday platforms and experiences.
LENDING
New approaches to accessing and extending credit.
CAPITAL MARKETS
Technology modernizing how capital moves through markets.
FINANCIAL INCLUSION
Solutions expanding access to financial products and services.
WHY MASSCHALLENGE
MassChallenge is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with a sixteen-year track record of driving innovation globally. Across its portfolio, MassChallenge has supported more than 5,000 startups that have collectively raised $27.1 billion in funding, including 14 unicorns and 12 public companies.
220+
Fintech startups accelerated
$20.1M
Average funding raised by fintech alumni
5
Fintech unicorns
11,000+
Fintech applicants from around the world
500+
Financial services experts supporting MC fintech programs
~65%
Follow-on commercial collaboration rate from MassChallenge fintech challenge programs
The result is a network built not simply around starting companies, but around helping founders understand what it takes to move through complex markets.
YOUR PROGRAM JOURNEY
The SMU Cox FinTech Accelerator combines focused virtual programming with three in-person moments in Dallas, TX, giving founders time to learn, test, build relationships, put those insights to work, and come back ready for what’s next.
KICKOFF
DALLAS, TX
Meet your cohort, establish your goals, connect with mentors and experts, and begin putting your company through a fintech-specific lens.
BUILD & VALIDATE
VIRTUAL
Pressure-test your market, regulatory approach, business model, and commercial strategy with people who understand financial services.
MIDPOINT
DALLAS, TX
Bring what you’ve learned back to the room. Assess progress, deepen industry relationships, and focus the second half of the program around the opportunities that matter most.
ENGAGE & ADVANCE
VIRTUAL
Turn insight into action through enterprise engagement, commercial pathway development, capital strategy, and preparation for the program finale.
FINALE & SHOWCASE
DALLAS, TX
Bring the work together at the SMU Cox FinTech Accelerator Finale and Showcase, connecting with investors, corporate leaders, and the broader fintech ecosystem.
KEY DATES
|
OCT 6, 2026
Applications
Open |
OCT–NOV 2026
Virtual Info
Sessions |
NOV 19, 2026
Applications
Close |
DEC 2026–JAN 2027
Judging
|
FEB 2027*
Program
Kickoff |
APR 2027*
Program
Midpoint |
JUN 2027*
Program
Finale |
*In-person attendance is required.
IS YOUR STARTUP A GOOD FIT FOR THE PROGRAM?
Join a live virtual info session for applicant Q&A. Use the links below to register.
FEATURED EXPERTS
Dennis Cail
Zirtue
Co-Founder & CEO
Dennis Cail founded Zirtue, an app that takes the awkwardness out of lending money to friends and family. A Navy veteran and SMU Cox EMBA who spent years as a PwC managing director, he's since raised more than $4 million in seed funding for the Dallas fintech and earned a seat on the American National Bank of Texas board.
Cody Barbo
Trust & Will
Founder & CEO
Cody Barbo built the platform behind the first electronic will in U.S. history. Since founding Trust & Will in 2017, he's raised more than $83 million and partnered with UBS, Northwestern Mutual and Acorns to help over a million Americans start an estate plan.
Vijay Mehra
LenderBox
Founder & CEO
Vijay Mehra bootstrapped Rethink into a leading Salesforce-based platform before a private equity exit in 2021. He now moves between commercial real estate and early-stage investing, backing founders from pre-seed through Series C.
Clarisa Lindermeyer
Revere Capital
Chief Operating Officer
Before taking the COO seat at Revere Capital, Clarisa Lindenmeyer ran her own advisory firm, guiding high-growth companies through executive strategy and scaling operations. She spent more than 15 years working across both established enterprises and venture-backed fintech firms before founding her own practice.
Nicole Valentine
Milken Institute
FinTech Senior Director
A Wall Street M&A attorney turned fintech policymaker, Nicole Valentine now advises on digital asset regulation as FinTech Senior Director at the Milken Institute. In 2023, the CFTC appointed her to its Global Markets Advisory Committee Digital Assets Subcommittee.
Mike Massaro
Flywire
CEO
Mike Massaro has spent his career scaling payments businesses, from edocs' acquisition by Siebel Systems to Flywire, the fintech platform he's taken public on Nasdaq since 2021. Flywire now processes tens of billions of dollars a year for more than 5,000 clients in 220 countries.
Mohammed Dastigir
MassMutual
Head of FinTech & HealthTech Partnerships
Before moving into corporate innovation, Mohammed Dastigir spent years as a serial entrepreneur, building ventures across business strategy, product and operations. That founder's perspective now shapes his work leading FinTech and HealthTech partnerships at MassMutual.
APPLY TO BECOME AN EXPERT
Founders need people who have been there before. Join our expert network and put what you know to work for founders building what’s next in fintech.
FOUNDING PARTNERS, COMING THIS FALL
Founding partner relationships with leading North Texas-area financial institutions and organizations are currently being formalized. We’ll announce our founding partners as we approach the October application launch. Interested in partnering with the SMU Cox FinTech Accelerator? Contact us at spears@smu.edu
HOW TO APPLY
Already have a MassChallenge Startup Profile?
If you already have a MassChallenge Startup profile, simply login here, select your company, then select the SMU Cox FinTech Program.
New to MassChallenge?
Click here to first create your startup profile with MassChallenge, and then apply.
Need more info? Send an email to programs@masschallenge.org.
FAQs
SMU Cox School of Business sits at the intersection of business, innovation and growth in Dallas, Texas, one of the nation’s fastest-growing financial hubs. As financial institutions and investment continue to flow into the state and North Texas region, SMU Cox is positioned to be an indispensable partner to businesses in one of the nation’s most dynamic economies: developing exceptional business leaders and helping fuel the ideas and ventures shaping its future.
That commitment to entrepreneurship runs deep: Bloomberg Businessweek ranked the SMU Cox Full-Time MBA No. 10 in the U.S. for entrepreneurship in 2026; and the Cox School offers three specialized entrepreneurship institutes-the Hart Institute for Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship and William S. Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership-that connect research and education with venture development, commercialization and investment.
For fintech founders, that means access to more than a university. The partnership opens the door to entrepreneurial and financial expertise, emerging business leaders and relationships that can help turn innovation into impact.
The SMU Cox FinTech Accelerator is a highly selective, fintech-focused startup accelerator delivered in partnership between SMU Cox and MassChallenge. It is the founding component of the planned SMU Cox Fintech Coalition platform. Founders apply online and move through two rounds of review before the final cohort is selected.
No. The program is free for selected startups, and MassChallenge does not take equity. However, the startups are responsible for the cost of travel and related expenses, and consistent participation from a founder and/or senior executive is required.
It is a four-month hybrid program combining in-person engagement in Dallas with virtual mentor and expert access. The curriculum centers on three in-person intensives: a kickoff, a midpoint session, and a closing finale and showcase.
Selected startups join a 16-week, five-module curriculum covering market validation, regulatory and technical alignment, business model and commercial strategy, enterprise engagement, and capital strategy, supported by a matched mentor and expert network and structured corporate and investor engagement. The program culminates in the SMU Cox Fintech Accelerator Finale and Showcase.
Applications are open October 6 and close November 19th, 2026, with the inaugural cohort announced in early February of 2027 and the program running from mid-February through mid-June 2027. See Key Dates above.
The Accelerator is open to fintech startups at the pre-seed to Series A stage with early indicators of product-market fit, sourced from SMU, Dallas, and the broader global startup ecosystem. A minimum of three cohort seats are reserved each year for qualified SMU-affiliated ventures. At least one founding team member is expected to participate in curriculum delivery as well as travel to scheduled in-person activities in Dallas, TX.