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Your Blueprint for Success: A Guide to Boston Fintech Week

16th Sep 2026 • Industry

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Boston Fintech Week, hosted by Fintech Sandbox, brings together students, founders, and financial services professionals to exchange ideas and build connections. This year's theme, "Fintech That Thinks," looks at how AI is being built into financial services and the shift from whether companies should use it to how they can use it responsibly and at scale.

For the students and young professionals joining us, Mass Fintech Hub's programming is a chance to share your perspective, hear from people working across fintech, and explore topics that match your interests.

How you plan for the week helps shape what you get out of it. Here's how to plan your time, take part in the conversations, and stay connected after the week ends.

Start with what you want to get out of the week

Before building your schedule, think about what you’d like to learn and who you want to meet. You may want to explore a career path or hear how companies are using AI and connect with someone at an organization that interests you. Pick a few goals to help guide your choices

From there, review the agenda for sessions that align with those interests. If there’s a speaker you’d love to meet or a topic you want to discuss more, leave time between sessions to continue a conversation or introduce yourself.

Build your schedule around Mass Fintech Hub’s events

Connecting students with people working across fintech is at the heart of what we do. Sears Merritt, Head of Enterprise Technology & Experience (CIO) at MassMutual and co-chair of Mass Fintech Hub, sees developing and retaining talent as critical to Massachusetts’ continuing leadership in innovation. 

“Since its launch, MFTH has made talent development a core focus — working closely with academic and industry partners to build pathways that connect education, entrepreneurship, and opportunity,” Merritt says.

Our Boston Fintech Week events are built to do exactly that. Here’s what’s on the schedule:

What do you want from the companies that handle your money? This session brings banks and fintechs together with students and young professionals to discuss the next generation’s expectations around trust, fees, AI, and data. 

Tip: Stay for the networking reception to continue the conversation.

Early-stage fintech startups will present their companies to accredited investors, then open up for one-on-one conversations and networking.

Tip: If you’re interested in the startup side of fintech, this is a chance to see how founders frame the problems they’re solving and how potential investors evaluate them.

Meet recruiters and fintech professionals, and take part in short workshops to hear how people at different stages of their careers got started. Their experiences can help you think through your next steps.

Tip: Come prepared with questions about the roles, skills, and paths in fintech and financial services that interest you.

Western New England University, one of our academic institution members, sees what that connection can open up for its students. 

“Through partnerships with organizations like Mass Fintech Hub, universities can bring students, faculty and researchers together with industry leaders, creating valuable opportunities to engage with new ideas, explore career possibilities and contribute to building a stronger fintech ecosystem,” said Charles Mutigwe, Associate Professor of Business Analytics at Western New England University.

Make the most of your conversations

Some of the most valuable parts of Boston Fintech Week happen between sessions.

Before the event, look up a few people you’d like to meet and send a LinkedIn request to introduce yourself. Have a brief introduction ready that covers who you are and what you’re interested in to help break the ice and get conversations flowing.

During sessions, ask questions that build on what a speaker said or the work they do. Afterward, note who you met and what you spoke about while it’s still fresh, along with any next steps, to follow up with a personal message later. <

Those follow-ups are often where the real connections start.

For one young professional, staying involved with the MFTH community turned an early connection into an ongoing mentorship.

“It’s so helpful having a mentor who has operated at an executive level and can give you insight you may not have as someone just starting out,” says Bernice Tsewole, a finance and technology professional. “One of the great things relationships can provide you with is perspective.”

Stay connected after the week ends

Boston Fintech Week is just a starting point. Keep up the connections you make as your interests and career develop. Revisit your notes and follow up with the people you met to continue building new relationships.

“Most of your networking should be with your peers, because right now, you’re all at the same level,” says Tsewole. “In 20, 30, 40 years, we’re the people who are going to be running businesses and banks. Having a wide and warm network is incredibly important, because the older you get, a lot of opportunities come from your network.”

Those ongoing connections are central to Mass Fintech Hub’s work. Julieann Thurlow, President & CEO of Reading Cooperative Bank and co-chair of Mass Fintech Hub, points to collaboration between established companies, startups, academic institutions, and government as one of Massachusetts’ strengths. She also recognizes that entrepreneurs can hit gaps in support as they progress.

“Stakeholders see an important role for the MFTH in serving as the connective tissue—bridging those gaps and helping sustain momentum as the ecosystem grows,” Thurlow says.

Staying involved offers opportunities to build relationships as your interests and career develop. We’re here to help you stay part of the community.

For the full lineup and more details on Mass Fintech Hub’s Boston Fintech Week programming, click here.