CBA of Georgia Invests in BankTech Ventures Technology Investment Fund

Partnership with CBA of Illinois also enables member banks to invest in community bank-friendly fintechs.

ATLANTA (April 15, 2025) -- The Community Bankers Association of Georgia (CBA of Georgia) announced that the board of directors approved a strategic investment in BankTech Ventures’ Fund 2 (BTV 2). The investment was made possible by a special purpose vehicle or SPV created by the Community Bankers Association of Illinois, which enables Georgia community banks to invest as little as $50,000 in the fund.

In addition to potentially earning a financial return on the success of the fintechs, community banks may benefit from connecting with emerging technology companies that have been thoroughly vetted by experts in community bank technology and investing. 

“You can consider this fund as R&D for community banks,” said Heath Fountain, President and CEO of Colony Bank in Fitzgerald and CBA of Georgia board member. “BankTech Ventures performs a deeper level of analysis, on a large scale. Finding the tech companies, evaluating the choices, doing due diligence, and selecting potential winners has a cost, takes time, and requires the right skills, which most community banks do not possess in abundance. Investing in the fund potentially gives community bankers preferred access to pre-screened and vetted companies with a large level of industry support. That was our experience with BTV 1 and why I support CBA’s investment in BTV 2 via the Community BankTech Special Purpose Vehicle.”

Creation of BankTech Ventures was in response to the enormous success of ICBA’s ThinkTECH Accelerator, which in seven years has graduated more than 60 fintechs from its community bank focused boot camp. Graduate fintechs emerge polished, proven, and ready to serve community banks.

“We (ICBA) began the ThinkTECH Accelerator to bring fintechs and community bankers together,” said Charles Potts, ICBA EVP and Chief Innovation Officer. “It’s worked phenomenally well with thousands of bankers meeting these early- to mid-stage fintechs. It became obvious to everyone that they would also want to invest in these companies in addition to doing business with them. BankTech Ventures was created to provide that opportunity.” 

 “By investing in BTV 2, CBA of Georgia is showing its support for technology companies that can potentially provide great benefit to community banks in Georgia and throughout the country,” stated John McNair, President and CEO of CBA of Georgia. “Moreover, CBA will gain further access to technology innovations and will incorporate what we learn into our professional development curriculum and services offerings.”

The first closing on BTV 2 and SPV 2 are scheduled for April 15, 2025. The final close is scheduled for June 30, 2025.

For more information about BankTech Ventures, please contact Carey Ranson, Managing Director, at carey@banktechventures.com or call 310-699-8107.

For more information about CBA of Georgia or the SPV, please contact John McNair at john@cbaofga.com or at 770-541-4490.

BankTech Ventures Press Release