Tina Giorgio: Whether I’m working with banking professionals or with entrepreneurs in the fintech space, I have one key piece of advice: I ask, “What is your why?” and encourage them to focus on that response. Because, when they home in on that, everything else falls into place.

ICBA's Kevin Tweddle talks remote document collection with ThinkTECH Accelerator finalist Botdoc. Marty Sellars of FNBC Bank and Stephen Wooters with Fairfield County Bank discuss the importance of keeping customer information secure.

ICBA Bancard's Tina Giorgio profiles ThinkTECH Accelerator finalist MK Decision and its online loan origination system, creating a more seamless user experience. Community banker Stephen Wooters of Fairfield County Bank also lends his perspective.

ICBA Bancard's Tina Giorgio profiles ThinkTECH Accelerator finalist Invest Sou Sou and its social banking account offering to help address the nation's savings gap. Community bankers Stephen Wooters and Brian Otteman also lend their perspectives.

ICBA's Kevin Tweddle talks cyber solutions with ThinkTECH Accelerator finalist Adlumin. Brian Otteman of High Plains Bank in Flager, Colo., offers observations on fintech finalists' efforts to create right-sized solutions for community bankers.

Tina Giorgio: There are many factors involved in creating a successful real-time payment system and one of those factors is education. This month I have invited Steve Ledford from The Clearing House to share some information about real-time payments and to provide an FAQ about the RTP® network. Steve is the senior vice president of products and strategy at The Clearing House.

ICBA is proud to announce a new partnership with the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that has been building relationships and improving how Congress functions since 1977.

Meeting The Venture Center team and our 10 finalists inspired me, and I am confident that all community bankers stand to benefit from this ICBA investment in the future. It’s a real gamechanger for our industry.