Fintech college being built by Chinese mogul Bruno Wu in Hartford

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• A Chinese billionaire named Bruno Wu is building out a
  nearly $300 million crypto innovation hub in an unlikely place
  — Hartford, Connecticut. 
• Part of the plan includes a fintech college, according
  to documents reviewed by Business Insider. 

Bruno Wu
Seven Stars
Cloud

A little-known Chinese financial technology company is making a
big splash in Connecticut’s state capital with a plan for a
nearly $300 million crypto innovation hub. 

Seven Stars Cloud, a company led by China-born
media-mogul-turned-tech-entrepreneur billionaire Bruno Wu,
announced plans in July to build out what is being dubbed Fintech
Valley, a hub for the firm and others to collaborate on robotics,
machine-learning, and crypto-related initiatives, in Hartford,
Connecticut. 

It’s also looking to launch a fintech college at the Hartford
campus, according to documents obtained by Business
Insider. 

To that end, SSC is looking to seek out partnerships with nearby
colleges to create an accredited entity specializing in fintech.
It would offer courses in artificial intelligence and blockchain,
according to documents. 

Wu said he selected Hartford as the location for his new venture
because of its proximity to top colleges. Yale University is in
nearby New Haven, and other local colleges include the University
of Connecticut, University of Hartford, and University of New
Haven.

The move points to a spike in demand for talent with backgrounds
in financial technology skills. 

Elsewhere,
Fordham University in New York launched a fintech secondary
concentration for its business students. New York University
also offers a number of fintech courses, including one in
cryptocurrencies and blockchain. 

The number of blockchain or cryptocurrency job postings on
LinkedIn increased
at least four-fold in 2017.

Still such talent is in short supply, according to Miha Grcar,
the head of business development for Bitstamp, a crypto exchange.
He said the talent shortage is a bigger headache than bitcoin’s
volatility.

“Globally, the pool of talent — people with experience in
blockchain and distributed-ledger technology — is somewhat
limited,” Grcar said. “This is a big challenge.”

As for SSC, the firm secured $23 million from Changan
Investment Group, as well as a $10 million loan from the
Connecticut state government. 

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