Montreal-based Holt FinTech Accelerator has revealed the startups part of its 2020 cohort. The third in its history, the accelerator pivoted this year to find solutions that can help solve challenges faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are also proud that four of eight companies in this cohort include women as part of the core leadership team.”
The accelerator focused on four FinTech verticals for its cohort: cybersecurity, InsurTech, proptech, and trade finance. The eight selected companies were chosen from a pool of 700 applications from 87 countries, with selections made following an online consultation earlier this year by 125 of Holt’s advisors. The 2020 cohort begins July 27, and will be online-only due to the pandemic.
“In response to the impacts of COVID-19, we felt that adoption of FinTech solutions needed to accelerate more than ever and adjusted our focus accordingly,” said Jan Christopher Arp, founding managing partner at Holt Accelerator.
“We are also proud that four of eight companies in this cohort include women as part of the core leadership team either in co-founder [or] C-level executive roles,” said Elisabeth Laett, who was tapped to serve as co-managing partner at Holt earlier in March. “This is a real sign of progress, as the industry average is just 13 percent when it comes to funding for women-led businesses in FinTech. I’m pleased to be able to help Holt invest in women at 4X the standard rate.”
Founded in 2018, Holt tracks over 10,000 early-stage FinTech startups globally, soliciting those that present the best match with its advisor network. A total of two Canadian companies were selected for this year’s cohort. The 2020 Holt cohort includes:
Talem Health Analytics (Canada)
Sydney, Nova Scotia-based Talem Health Analytics offers a predictive AI injury causation tool that examines car crash data for severity, diagnosis confirmation, occupant motion, and recovery trajectory. The service helps insurers streamline recovery and cut down on billions in fraud each year.
Ownest Financial (Canada)
Founded in Calgary, Ownest Financial has partnered with 125 Canadian lenders to make shopping for a mortgage, car financing, or other loans as easy as ordering dinner. Ownest says its clients need 70 percent less paperwork while partners gain transparency and cut out 90 percent of their internal processing time.
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Agryo (Brazil)
Agryo is an agtech startup that connects lenders to farmers by combining data and AI modelling to bring better financial services to millions of underserved farming families globally. Its risk intelligence tools provide analysis before, during, and after any transaction related to crop contracts dating back 20 years.
Fidectus (Switzerland)
Switzerland-founded Fidectus allows energy traders to automate and accelerate the settlement process in cross-company workflows.
Naoris (United Kingdom)
Based in London, England, Naoris helps financial service companies future proof their systems and data. Naoris says its platform is able to detect any security breach within seconds, which can take competitors as long as 4 months to accomplish.
Relativity6 (United States)
Boston-based Relativity6 helps insurers identify and retain profitable customers through data analysis. Founded at MIT, the company says its AI platform can predict future customer behaviour and maximize lifetime value.
Sentro (New Zealand)
Sentro helps group insurers grow their business efficiently by connecting their customers, partners, and systems. Part of the Microsoft for Startups program, Sentro helps its clients give group customers customized products and services. One of its co-founders, Hans Frauenlob, is a Canadian expat living in New Zealand.
SolidBlock (Israel)
SolidBlock offers blockchain-based solutions for the real estate industry, including tokenization of assets, smart contracts with built-in regulation and legal structuring, and a tradable asset infrastructure.
Image courtesy Holt FinTech Accelerator.