Profile: Nate Sowder

Meet Nate Sowder,
Ecosystem Innovation Manager
at Fifth Third Bank

Name: Nate Sowder

Job: Ecosystem Innovation Manager, Fifth Third Bank

City: Cincinnati, Ohio

Hometown: Dayton

Q: Tell us about yourself and your role at Fifth Third Bank.

I position the bank as a collaborative leader by engaging with startups, big-cos and universities to achieve advancement in innovation, attracting and growing talent, and supporting a thriving ecosystem. I contribute to Cintrifuse in Cincinnati as an Executive in Residence. Together, we (Fifth Third) created FinTech Frontier as a collaborative effort to support fintech companies in their needs to find talent, raise capital, and create partnerships.

Q: What’s the most exciting thing going on in banking or fintech right now?

The factors contributing to change in the macro environment are moving so quickly that it’s causing large institutions to see the need to focus on the health of their products. I think this will continue to set the stage for how big companies feel the need to work with young companies that have their foundation set to move them forward while being scaled up quickly. 

Q: What is it about fintech that drew you into this career?

I was drawn to capital markets in general. The market’s job is to make sense of things, and I like that pragmatic approach. Combining that with a background in UX and building product, I see fintech as an enabler for businesses to focus on what they do well.

Q: How can Ohio be a leader when it comes to financial and banking innovation?

I think it’s important for us to continuously be hyper focused on needs customers have for financial products. Ecosystems are messy, but when they work together across a state like Ohio we can draw a lot of continuity to support innovation whether it’s series led capital, pilot programs geared toward specific industry, or investing in talent retention.

Q: What do you do for fun when you’re not working?

When I’m not on one of the amazing bike paths crisscrossing our state, I’m watching or attending soccer games to root for my favorite teams. Living in Dayton and working in Cincinnati opens the door to so many awesome restaurants. My family and I meet at new ones all the time to cut down the commute!

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Learn more about Nate’s work by connecting with him on LinkedIn.