
By: Lexie Newhouse
On May 7, 2018, FinTech South hosted the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) FinTech Innovation Award Challenge at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
This elite startup competition selects early-stage FinTech companies from the Innovation Award’s Education and Mentoring program, a program that provides educational sessions, mentoring from industry veterans, and access to a network of industry leaders.
From the eight to 10 startups accepted into the program, only four finalists are selected to present their ideas at the TAG FinTech Innovation Award Challenge at FinTech South. TAG FinTech is the southeast’s largest event dedicated to financial innovation. The winner receives a $50,000 cash award and a year-long membership to the ATDC Accelerate program.
The finalists were DataSeers, Medxoom, Qoins, and Wela. Christian Zimmerman, co-founder and CEO of Qoins, a Georgia State alumnus, took home first place for the challenge and the $50,000 check award.
Zimmerman graduated from the J. Mack Robinson College of business with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Managerial Sciences in 2015. He designed Qoins as an app to assist users with paying off student loan and credit card debt. Inspired by his experiences as a Robinson student and being emerged in Atlanta’s startup ecosystem, he found himself working for Shift Gig and Hire Wire to then eventually creating his own company.
In addition to this recent TAG FinTech Innovation Award, Qoins has been recognized with the Technology Association of Georgia Upstart Award and was even endorsed by Clark Howard, a popular consumer expert and host of a nationally syndicated talk show. Congratulations again to Christian Zimmerman and Qoins for representing Georgia State as such an accomplished alumnus!
Visit Georgia State’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute to learn more about Zimmerman and other entrepreneurial alumni here: eni.gsu.edu