Irish fintech businesses get chance to take the next step

Dublin is hosting Accenture’s fourth FinTech Lab, after New York, London and Hong Kong, and this Friday is the closing date for applications.

Open to Irish businesses which are developing technologies for the financial services sector, the FinTech Innovation Lab is a 12-week mentoring programme that helps entrepreneurs accelerate product development and gain exposure to leading financial industry executives. The programme builds on the recent announcement by Accenture that it will establish a Centre for Innovation in Dublin.

Six finalists will be selected to participate in the lab, which begins in January 2016.

Sinéad Barry, programme lead for the Accenture FinTech Innovation Lab in Dublin, said the programme aimed to bring early-stage Irish fintech companies to the next level and, for those that are ready to scale and go global, connect them with leading financial services and technology companies internationally.

“We believe that the lab can act as catalyst to develop the wider financial services industry significantly in Ireland, in line with the national IFS2020 strategy,” she said.

Videobot chief executive Frédéric Herrera said taking part in the FinTech Innovation Lab last year was a hugely beneficial experience.

“Participating in the programme was a definite springboard to our development, and our profile has increased significantly as a result. We now have relationships with key companies, both here in Ireland and abroad, and have set up a part-time base in London,” he said.

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton said the fact that Dublin was hosting the world's fourth FinTech Lab, after New York, London and Hong Kong, was a great endorsement of the environment that exists here for start-up businesses.

At the end of the 12-week session, participants will be offered the chance to attend two investor day presentations, one in Dublin and one in London, where they will pitch their product to an audience of venture capitalists and financial industry executives.

On the subject of industry collaborating with tech start-ups, the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland (IAPI) is running a “meet the makers” event this week.

The event aims to give consumer-facing start-ups seeking to work with major brands direct access to key decision-makers from Ireland’s top advertising agencies.

Fifteen Irish tech start-ups have been selected to take part in the event, and each start-up will be given the opportunity to pitch their business face-to-face directly to the agency and brand.

Agencies will outline the key client challenges and how the business/technology might help solve them.