WMNfintech 2026 founders embark on a transformational journey across North America

BMO and 1871 are proud to introduce the 2026 WMNfintech cohort – a dynamic group of founders and startups selected for their bold ideas and potential to shape the future of fintech. 

An award-winning program created by BMO in collaboration with 1871, WMNfintech has become North America's largest alumni network of fintech founders who support the women fintech ecosystem. WMNfintech provides entrepreneurs with access to a robust support network to help them grow their businesses – and connects our teams to the newest technologies and products on the market.

Over the coming months, the 2026 cohort will embark on an immersive growth journey across key innovation hubs in North America: Toronto, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. 

Along the way, founders will engage with curated programming and connect with industry leaders and peers – all to support growth, accelerate innovation, and unlock new opportunities. 

First stop: Toronto 

This year started off with a high-impact immersion week introducing the 2026 cohort, building program awareness, and creating new connections.

Key moments for the founders included attending the kickoff of The51 Summit – one of BMO’s newest partnerships in Canada. Next, founders attended the BMO Payments & Treasury Services Town Hall, where they heard from program alumni.

Midweek, the program’s signature offering – The WMNfintech Showcase – gathered industry personnel, ecosystem partners and senior BMO leaders like Sharon Haward Laird, Susan White, Kevin Barnes, Amanda Custodio and Derek Vernon to network and hear the founder’s respective pitches. The week wrapped up with networking and industry engagement, followed by leadership-focused programming.   

“What stood out was the quality of the conversations – you could feel the energy in the room and see the discipline behind delivering solutions grounded in real client needs. In Private Wealth, we serve clients across generations, meaning clients with different expectations and ways of engaging. That pushes us to think differently about personalization and flexibility. Programs like this matter because they help bring forward these discussions, and with that comes new ideas to solve something real together.”   

– Kevin Barnes, Head, BMO Private Wealth 

From town hall spotlights to executive roundtables, the week sparked meaningful connections and exciting opportunities for WMNfintech founders – but this is only the beginning. Next stop: Chicago Tech Week, starting Tuesday, July 21, with the Chicago showcase on Thursday, July 23. 

Follow along as their journey unfolds. 

Chicago - Coming soon 
New York - Coming soon 
Los Angeles - Coming soon