Spotcap’s Fintech Scholarship highlights the need for talent within the fintech industry and inspires the next generation

Spotcap today announced Vishal Uppal as the winner ofthe Fintech Scholarship 2017. The first of its kind in Australia, the scholarship awards one aspiring graduate with an interest in fintech $10,000 towards the cost of their tuition.

With the number of fintechs operating in Australia increasing by almost 500 percent (from 2014-2017)¹, fintech is considered one of Australia’s fastest growing industries. As a leader in this industry, Spotcap recognises its responsibility to foster the next generation of home-grown talent to enable the industry to evolve.

A current Finance and Computer Science student at the University of Sydney, and a previous student at the University of California, Vishal is committed to utilising this opportunity to develop his expertise, and shares Spotcap’s mission to address the talent shortage within the fintech industry.

“I believe the most important challenge fintech will face is a social one,” said Vishal Uppal, winner of the 2017 Spotcap Fintech Fellowship. “My aim is to build solutions that address these issues by embracing design philosophy with the next wave of advancements in cognitive technology.”

Attracting suitable or qualified talent is one of the top challenges Australian fintechs face, with 52 percent of fintech leaders agreeing there is a lack of experienced start-up and fintech talent in Australia² .

The scholarship program aims to promote awareness of fintech among students, and to encourage young Australians to value the influence of technology in remodelling the future of the financial services industry.

“We need to ensure that fintech has a healthy talent pipeline here in Australia,” said Lachlan Heussler, Managing Director of Spotcap Australia and New Zealand. “Vishal’s dedication to his studies and passion for the intersection of technology and finance, make him the perfect recipient of this scholarship. He embodies the confidence, skills and talent that the industry needs to grow, we are proud to support him.”

Spotcap will continue to raise awareness of fintech and the opportunities it presents for both individuals and communities and will open its 2018 Fintech Scholarship later in the year.