Curql Accelerate · Powered by gener8tor
Fintech for credit unions, accelerated.
12 weeks. Five fintech companies per cohort. A non-dilutive grant to cover travel, plus three weeks on-site at Curql credit unions across the country, where you'll demo, get feedback, and put real time in with the people who run digital banking, lending, payments, and risk.
Receipts · Across 4 cohorts, 20 fintech companies
50
Customer relationships across credit unions, post-program
28
Pilots run with credit unions, post-program
9
Investments from credit union LPs into alumni
$63.2M
Raised by alumni post-program
81
Jobs created by alumni companies
Why this program exists
Selling into credit unions is hard. We help.
Long procurement cycles, gatekept executives, and a 5,000-institution market that doesn't return cold emails. Curql Accelerate is the version of an accelerator built for that reality, with the network you'd otherwise spend years assembling.
01
Three weeks on-site at Curql credit unions.
You'll demo. You'll pitch. You'll also get hours of working time and direct feedback from the people who run digital banking, lending, payments, and risk. Each cohort visits a different set of Curql credit unions across the country.
02
You keep your equity.
Curql Accelerate is a non-dilutive program. The grant covers your on-site travel; you do not give up equity to participate. The value is in the access, the relationships, and the hours you get with credit union decision-makers.
03
A direct line into 160+ credit unions.
Curql is a collective of 160+ credit unions jointly investing in fintech. That network pays attention to each cohort. Across the program so far, that's translated into 50 customer relationships, 28 pilots, and 9 LP investments into alumni.
The numbers
Four cohorts. Receipts.
20 fintech companies. Three exits. Here's what the cohorts have built across the credit union ecosystem and beyond.
Relationship
Curql LPs
Outside LPs
Customers Active commercial agreements
25
25
Pilots Live or completed
18
10
Investments Direct LP investment into alumni
9
0
Total relationships
52
35
Beyond the credit union side
Cohort companies have also raised real capital and built real teams since the program.
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Raised post-program External capital after the cohort$63.2M
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Jobs created Headcount added at alumni companies81
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Liquidity events Peacefully, Penny, Coverbase3
On-site
Inside a week at a Curql credit union.
Demos, feedback, and hours of working time with the people who run digital banking, lending, payments, risk, and more. Three weeks of this per cohort, at different Curql credit unions across the country.
The 12 weeks
What the program actually looks like.
Hybrid. Most weeks are virtual. Three are spent on-site at different Curql credit unions across the country. You're one of five companies, not one of fifty, which is why the introductions actually warm up.
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12wk
Bi-weekly 1:1 coaching
Mentorship from the gener8tor and Curql teams, structured around your specific milestones rather than a generic curriculum.
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3
Weeklong on-sites at Curql credit unions
Different credit unions each cohort. Demo sessions, feedback rounds, and working time with executives, product teams, and decision-makers.
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100+
Curated introductions
Mentors, fintech-focused investors, and credit union leaders. Targeted to your stage and what you actually need next, not a generic intro list.
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$1M+
Deals and perks
Vendor credits and discounts including IBM Cloud, Rackspace, AWS, PayPal, Zendesk, HubSpot, and Microsoft.
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1
Showcase
Pitch to a curated audience of mentors, investors, credit union executives, and the broader Curql network at program close.
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5
Companies per cohort
Five, not fifty. The full Curql and gener8tor team focuses on a small group, which is what makes the rest of this work.
Alumni
Twenty companies. Four cohorts.
Three exits and 50+ active credit union customer relationships. Here's the full alumni list.
Cohort Two
Cohort Three
The team
People you'll actually work with.
Curql Accelerate runs in partnership with gener8tor, a nationally ranked accelerator. Office hours are open if you want to ask questions before you apply.
In partnership with
Rowan Hume
Managing Director, Curql Accelerate
Rowan leads Curql Accelerate as Fintech Chair and Managing Director, working directly with each cohort across the 12-week program. He runs founder-side coaching, the credit union on-site weeks, and investor introductions.
Precious Drew
Senior Managing Director, gener8tor
Precious oversees gener8tor's investment accelerators, including Curql Accelerate. She brings program design, founder coaching, and investor relations across multiple national accelerator cohorts each year.
Process
From application to showcase.
Rolling applications until the cohort fills. Five companies are selected per cohort. The team helps each accepted company become a CUSO if it isn't one already.
1
Apply
Short application. Any fintech or banking company building for credit unions is welcome to apply.
2
Get selected
Five companies per cohort. The selection is rigorous because the support is concentrated.
3
Run the program
12 weeks. Most weeks virtual, three on-site at Curql credit unions. Hybrid format.
4
Showcase & beyond
Pitch the cohort. Then keep drawing on the gener8tor and Curql alumni networks.
January 2027 cohort
Ready to be one of five?
If you're building B2B fintech for credit unions and you want a real shot at distribution, this is the one. Five companies. Twelve weeks. Three on-site weeks with Curql credit unions.
Apply now
