Disrupt — The FinTech Initiative | Who We Are

4 min readSep 9, 2020

Northeastern University and the D’Amore-McKim School of Business (DMSB) will be one of the premier academic institutions for access to talent, project-based solutions, expertise, and training in current and emerging financial technologies. Bridging the gap between the business and tech side of things at Northeastern University is Disrupt — The FinTech Initiative. We work closely with established financial services companies, early-stage Fintech ventures, industry experts, NU alumni, and engaged members of our communities to further our shared vision.

Disrupt is a student-led organization that aims to create a community which drives education, advancement, and engagement in FinTech for Northeastern and the greater FinTech community.

“I feel very lucky to be part of such an important initiative. Disrupt is serving as a central location for people across the Northeastern and broad finance community to come together to share information, build cutting-edge skills, and understand emerging technology.” Alex Mirran, Northeastern Class of 2018, Co-Founder of Thali Software & Northeastern University FinTech Initiative.

Disrupt has evolved and progressed tremendously ever since we first started in February 2019. In the beginning, as we first established our club as the FinTech community, we started with only having 300 we reached out to, and that has grown exponentially as we now have reached at least 750 students on campus. Alongside our growth, throughout the time we have also increased the quantity and quality of our workshops and programs. In the past, our top three highlights include our kickoff event that featured the leaders of FinTech in the Boston FinTech community, our Python Bootcamp Series led by the Founder and CEO of Elsen, and our fireside chat with the CEO of Liberty Mutual. This semester, not only have we seen more engagement and advancement in our programs, but we have also set our foot ground to hosting four virtual coffee chats that ranges from having young alumni to the CEO of Vesta and Founder of MasterCard, and Instagram live sessions with other student organizations.

“ It is truly inspirational to be a part of such a driven team looking to make a real impact on campus. The future of finance is FinTech which has been disrupting traditional financial services as we know it making it more inclusive as it catalyzes social and economic progress.” Mohamed Bennis, President of Disrupt-The FinTech

The Fintech Initiative is interdisciplinary, including students from D’Amore McKim and Khoury College of Computer Sciences, and welcoming students from the College of Engineering, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, and College of Arts, Media and Design. It will achieve its goals through Curricular Programs, as well as Non-Curricular Initiatives.

Disrupt is working on all fronts to serve its FinTech community and our expectations for the near future are high. The team that is filled with dedicated and passionate individuals has been working hard to source new inspirational speakers to host enlightening FinTech discussions in the near future, stay tuned for that! In addition, Disrupt is launching a new bootcamp-style FinTech Innovation Program in September to further drive innovation in FinTech on campus. It is an 8-week long program where students will be challenged to create new innovative FinTech ideas that aim to disrupt the traditional financial service industry. Students will be formed into groups and attend a series of weekly workshops that will not only enhance their technical skills but their entrepreneurial business skills. Amongst other things, Disrupt will also continue to expand its Mentorship Program on campus called Disrupters; it includes two main tracks : Navigating Northeastern & Navigating the Workforce as it aims to help incomers get comfortable at Northeastern and also provide mentorship for upperclassmen looking to tap into the FinTech workforce post-graduation.

The future is bright for Disrupt and the FinTech community on campus. The team has been working tirelessly over the summer in preparation for what is to come for the Fall 2020 semester. It is evident that things will look different due to the new virtual format. However, our priority is our team’s safety and health. Thus, Disrupt will take all required provisions as we continue to grow and foster our FinTech community on campus safely. It is without a doubt that Fall 2020 will be filled with exciting opportunities for everyone passionate about FinTech, so buckle up everyone, you’re in for a heck of a ride!

Disrupt — The FinTech Initiative | Who We Are

Written by Disrupt - The FinTech Initiative