BBVA AI Factory | Looking for startups to help optimise customer’s financial health

BBVA AI Factory is participating in the first edition of SofIA, the University of Navarra's (UNAV) startup acceleration program. This collaboration explores proposals from tech companies focused on autonomous finance to help customers make sensible financial decisions.

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The aim of the SofIA programme, developed by the UNAV’s Institute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DATAI), is to connect BBVA AI Factory, Seguros Axa, Laboratorios Cinfa and Carrefour with leading startups that propose solutions based on artificial intelligence to respond to a business challenge posed by each. The participating startups will defend their proposals in a pitch to be held on June 27. Once the winners have been chosen, they will have six months to develop their solutions. Those wishing to participate can register with the following link.

Representatives of the companies participating in the SofIA programme: from left to right, Julio Sánchez, Head of Innovation at Laboratorios Cinfa; David Villarino, Director of Data at Carrefour; Nieves Malagón, Director of Axa Opensurance; Ivan Cordón, Director of Innovation at DATAI University of Navarra; Clara Jiménez, Director of Innovation at Accenture and Jesús Renero, Head of the Data Science discipline at BBVA AI Factory.

BBVA AI Factory, the development centre in which the bank transforms the financial industry with artificial intelligence and data solutions, has proposed a challenge focused on automating the finances of individuals and companies. The aim is to explore artificial intelligence-based solutions that provide customers with the necessary tools to self-manage their finances in a personalised way, simplifying processes and saving time. The type of suggestions based on ‘autonomous finance’ range from automatically creating accounts where money can be segregated, to making it easier for them to know when to save or invest.

“We want to thoroughly understand the processes that help manage the customer’s finances, and to apply these to their day-to-day,” explains Francisco Maturana, CEO of BBVA AI Factory. “In other words, how we can help them, analytically or with data, to achieve their financial health goals. For this reason, the value proposition of the startups we are looking for must be focused on technology”.

Startups wishing to participate have one month until June 27, when the pitch will take place, to prepare their proposed solutions to the challenges posed. These challenges will also include preventing damages in companies, improving the consumer shopping experience and making pharmaceutical production more efficient based on market demand.

From that moment on, the selected companies will have six months to develop the solutions, during which time they will be advised by UNAV, which will provide them with the appropriate management and training. Accenture, Amazon Web Services and Tableau, partner companies of the SofIA programme, will provide the necessary technological resources.

“SofIA will allow us to get feedback,” says Maturana. “It is a good opportunity to meet startups that will provide us with their vision on how to improve the personalisation of the customer experience with banking services.