EMERGE 2026 kicks off tomorrow in Santa Clara, and if you’re picturing another snooze-fest conference with endless PowerPoints and sad coffee, think again. Eltropy just dropped details on two programs designed to turn attendees into participants—and maybe even competitors.
Running April 21-24, the event features over 400 community financial institution and fintech leaders gathering for the Customer Story Sprints (back by popular demand after a killer debut last year) and the brand-new Fintech Innovation Showcase. Both programs ditch the traditional conference script in favor of something more interesting: real people presenting real work, with real stakes.
Customer Story Sprints: Where Credit Union Practitioners Become Storytellers
Here’s the premise: credit union practitioners get 20 minutes on stage to walk their peers through an actual challenge they faced, how they tackled it using Eltropy’s platform, and what results they pulled off. The audience votes on the most compelling story, and the winner gets to direct a cash prize to a charity of their choice. Recognition meets purpose—not a bad combo.
Last year’s winner, Royce Ngiam from First City Credit Union, set a high bar. During the Los Angeles wildfires, First City leveraged Eltropy’s texting capabilities to maintain essential services and check on every single employee. They kept members in the loop, staff supported, and the community connected during a legitimate crisis. That’s the kind of story that makes a room go quiet.
This year’s lineup includes four finalists who made the cut based on platform creativity, measurable impact, and straight-up resilience. Sean Manion (VP of Lending at APL Federal Credit Union), Jenifer Piper (VP of Member Service & Sales at P1FCU), Jeremy Preimesberger (VP of Marketing at Cabrillo Credit Union), and Clarissa Rice (Branch Operations Manager at Natco Credit Union) will each take their shot. Sundeep Kapur, Founder of Digital Credence, kicks things off before the presentations begin.
Fintech Innovation Showcase: Demo Day Meets Strategic Opportunity
New to EMERGE this year, the Fintech Innovation Showcase puts fintech companies on stage to demo their solutions live in front of credit union decision-makers. The audience watches, evaluates, and votes on what they think matters most.
The prize? The winning fintech gets to build their solution directly on the Eltropy Agentic AI Platform—which means instant access to an ecosystem serving more than 750 credit unions nationwide. Not exactly small potatoes.
All participating fintechs also land a spot in the EMERGE Innovation Directory, get booth space in the on-site marketplace, and gain direct face time with credit union executives actively hunting for solutions. It’s part pitch competition, part networking goldmine.
The Showcase also reflects something bigger happening at EMERGE. As Eltropy’s Agentic AI Platform opens up new automation possibilities for credit union workflows, the conference has evolved into a natural meeting ground for fintechs looking to connect with institutions ready to actually implement their tech.
Why These Programs Matter
“The Customer Story Sprints and the Fintech Showcase put the people doing the actual work front and center,” said Ashish Garg, Co-Founder and CEO of Eltropy. “Credit union leaders presenting their real results, fintech companies showing what they’ve built on the Eltropy Agentic AI Platform—that’s where the most useful conversations at EMERGE tend to start, and where a lot of partnerships take shape.”
Translation: less talking at people, more learning from them. Both programs prioritize practitioners over presenters, results over theory, and real-world application over hypothetical case studies.
EMERGE 2026 runs April 21-24 in Santa Clara, California. For details, head to eltropy.com/emerge-2026.