Initiative highlights need for talent and encourages the industry to raise awareness of career opportunities in fintech
Spotcap today announced Mohammed Hussan as the winner of its Fintech Fellowship 2017. The first of its kind in the UK, the Fellowship awards one aspiring masters or MBA student with an £8k stipend towards their studies.
The fintech sector is one of the UK’s fastest growing sectors, adding more than £6.6 billion to the economy and attracting more than £500 million of investment. Its continued success is closely connected to access to talent, in the short- as well as long-term.
A recent graduate from Durham University with a First-Class honours degree in Electronic Engineering, Mohammed will use the Fellowship to support his MSc in Computer Science at Imperial College London, commencing this October. At Imperial, he will continue to pursue his interest in the intersection of finance and technology, which he has begun to explore through work experiences at innovation labs and traditional financial institutions.
Commenting on the win, Mohammed Hussan said, “Seeing positive collaboration between groups of talented entrepreneurs and established financial institutions really inspired me to apply. I have an interest in fintech’s transformative potential for individuals and communities. I believe it is a game-changer.”
Helping fill the talent gap
The need for talent has been highlighted by a recent census of UK fintech firms by EY and Innovate Finance, which identified access to talent, particularly coding and software development, as one of the biggest issues that need to be addressed for continued growth.
“We congratulate Mohammed on his achievements so far and are proud to support him,” said Niels Turfboer, Managing Director Spotcap UK. “By providing support at a pivotal moment in his professional journey, we hope to help encourage him and other talented young people to consider a career in fintech.”
Forty-two universities backed the initiative, sharing information about the fellowship with their incoming classes. Based on the interest and uptake in the UK, the initiative has also been launched in the Netherlands and Australia.
Spotcap will reopen the UK fellowship for a new pool of applicants in April 2018. For more details, visit our dedicated site: https://www.spotcap.co.uk/fintech-fellowship/.
About Spotcap
Spotcap provides flexible and accessible small business financing, allowing entrepreneurs to focus on what matters–their business. We developed our credit risk algorithm in-house and lend from our own balance-sheet.
Headquartered in Berlin Germany, Spotcap launched in Spain in September 2014 before expanding to the Netherlands and Australia in 2015, the UK in 2016 and New Zealand in 2017. The company is led by Founder and CEO Jens Woloszczak and Niels Turfboer, who is the Managing Director of Benelux and UK.
The growing team currently consists of more than 120 employees. Spotcap is backed by investors including Rocket Internet, Finstar Financial Group, Access Industries, Holtzbrinck Ventures, Kreos Capital and Heartland Bank.
Read more about Spotcap: https://www.spotcap.co.uk/
Note to Editors
Multimedia assets can be downloaded here:
Spotcap Fintech Fellowship Infographic: Here
Fellowship program data and insights: Here
What Spotcap applicants say about Fintech: Here
Fintech: Growth, Investment and the Future: Here
Mohammed Hussan photo: Here
Spotcap Logo: Here
Press Contact
Helen Zarchan
Senior Communications Manager Spotcap UK
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 020 3440 4615
Mob: +44 7947 647492
Originally published September 26 2017 , updated February 24 2020
