Congressman Flood Announces Flyover Fintech Panel on Payments Technology for Small Businesses and Startups
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA – U.S. Congressman Mike Flood announced today that Flyover Fintech will feature a panel on payments technology for small businesses and startups, bringing together industry leaders from Shopify, Mastercard, Visa, and Stripe to discuss how new payment tools are helping small businesses compete, cut costs, and access capital. The panel will take place at Flyover Fintech in Lincoln, Nebraska on August 4, 2026.
“Small businesses and startups are the engine of American innovation, and payments technology is one of the key tools helping them succeed,” said Congressman Mike Flood. “As new innovations make it easier for entrepreneurs to accept payments, manage cash flow, and access capital, they're leveling the playing field for the businesses driving growth in Nebraska and across the country. I'm looking forward to hosting voices from across the payments industry to talk about how these innovations are helping entrepreneurs compete and succeed.”
Jonathan Bydlak is Senior Lead, Government and Public Affairs at Shopify, the world's leading commerce platform powering 14% of all online commerce in the U.S. and millions of businesses around the world. Jonathan works to advocate for rules that make it easier for American entrepreneurs to start, grow and scale businesses across every state. He previously was the Director of the Governance program at the R Street Institute, where he also served as a senior fellow and oversaw a portfolio of scholars working on issues ranging from budgetary to electoral policy. Earlier, Jonathan was the president and founder of the Institute for Spending Reform, a non-profit organization that conducted research on fiscal policy.
Jimmy Chow is Director of Community Relations at Mastercard. In this capacity, he advances financial empowerment and equity by promoting financial literacy, providing resources, and improving access to electronic payment technologies through the Master Your Card community empowerment initiative. Through Master Your Card, Jimmy collaborates with local governments and community organizations to deliver tailored financial education programs. The initiative also supports small business owners in enhancing operational efficiency, leveraging technology, protecting against cybersecurity risks, and strengthening their digital footprint. Since joining Mastercard in 2016 as Manager of Global Talent Development, Jimmy has been responsible for designing and deploying learning opportunities for all employees and people managers.
Mike Nunes is Vice President and Head of Policy Advisory, Global Government Affairs at Visa. He leads a global team that analyzes emerging policy and regulatory developments and advises Visa on issues shaping the future of commerce and payments. His work focuses on a broad range of topics, including artificial intelligence, digital assets and stablecoins, cybersecurity, data governance, financial regulation, and emerging payment technologies. Working across policy, legal, product, and business teams, Mike helps translate complex regulatory developments into strategies that support innovation, economic growth, and secure digital commerce. Mike has played a leading role in Visa's engagement on emerging technologies, helping policymakers, industry stakeholders, and business leaders better understand the opportunities and challenges associated with AI, digital assets, and next-generation payment systems. Prior to joining Visa, Mike held leadership roles spanning corporate affairs, international business development, and trade policy at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the Telecommunications Industry Association, and the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Christopher Ortner is a senior business leader with over two decades of experience driving revenue growth, building high-performance teams, and scaling partnerships across the global payments ecosystem — from startups to Fortune 500s. At Stripe, Chris leads Go-To-Market for the Enterprise Portfolio, partnering with high-growth and established businesses across the Western U.S. Prior to Stripe, he spent 16 years at PayPal, where he led a $350M portfolio and scaled a customer success organization through a pivotal period of company growth. He began his career in business development at TSL International. Chris holds an MBA from Bellevue University, dual bachelor's degrees in Communication Studies and Psychology from the University of Nebraska, and a Six Sigma Green Belt from Villanova University. He has taught as an Adjunct Professor at Bellevue University's College of Business since 2009. A lifelong Nebraskan, Chris is based in Omaha.
Photos of the panelists can be found here.
Flyover Fintech conferences feature a wide variety of speakers, ranging from members of the House Financial Services Committee to leading voices in the fintech industry. Congressman Flood has previously announced that U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Michael Selig will address this year's conference. More speakers and panelists for Flyover Fintech 2026 will be announced in the coming days.
Registration for the conference is open at www.flyoverfintech.com. Additional details about the location and information about hotels and travel are also available there.
Questions about the conference can be directed to Will Coup at will.coup@mail.house.gov.