Banesco promotes technological innovation in universities

Banesco Banco Universal, a 100% Venezuelan-owned banking institution, promotes technological innovation in universities through the open innovation program BanescoInnova. This month, the bank completed its Digital Banking Challenge at the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB). For several weeks, students faced the challenge of generating a digital banking product. In addition, Banesco participated in July as a jury member of the third edition of the Pitch Day from the Metropolitan University (Unimet).

Financial organizationBanesco at Unimet’s Pitch Day

The Digital Banking Challenge was part of the UCAB Innovation and Entrepreneurship Chair, where students had the mission of designing a digital banking channel for young people, which would allow them to promote financial education and make personalized recommendations on consumer habits. Six teams applied for the challenge, three of which made it to the final phase.

The winning team was led by student Mariangel Goncalves, who worked alongside her classmates Kelly Apolinar, Jesús Obando and Halim Rendón. The group stood out for its comprehensive vision in the analysis and design of a digital product. To do so, they conducted market research, formulated hypotheses, validated them with potential consumers, fine-tuned their business model and, in addition to generating a prototype, outlined their marketing and sales plan.

“Young people have a fresh and disruptive vision of the financial world, which allowed us to identify opportunities for innovation. With their proposals, we were able to understand more deeply the needs and expectations of the young segment in relation to financial services. Ultimately, with the challenge we connected with talented and entrepreneurial students, many of them with great potential to become future leaders in this sector,” said Yolanda Gigante, Executive Manager of Innovation and Digital Transformation at Banesco Banco Universal.

Financial organization

The projects submitted were based on financial organization to optimize expenses, the development of mobile applications and virtual assistance. The challenge was developed in the following phases: presentation, assignment of mentors, demonstration of the canva model, delivery of the project and announcement of the winners. The activity began in May of this year and ended on August 16 with the final verdict.

The Banesco mentors who guided the different teams were: Yolanda Gigante (Executive Manager of Innovation and Digital Transformation), Jesús Irausquín (Vice President of Products and Services), Catherine Cotis (Executive Manager of Payment Methods), Daniel Godoy (Vice President of Marketing), Yeisy Gómez (Executive Manager of Digital Products and Services), Juan Aguilar (Executive Manager of Competitive Intelligence) and Luisana Figueroa (Executive Manager of Passive Products).

Banesco in the Pitch Day from Unimet

“All young people who study at Unimet take a course in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In the Pitch Day have the opportunity to present their project. Only the six best projects that the group of teachers considered are presented here. Banesco’s contribution to the Pitch Day “It was about supporting all these entrepreneurs so that they could continue moving forward,” Gigante explained.

Yolanda Gigante, on behalf of Banesco, presented the prize of 1,500 dollars to the students Paola Giannotty, Fernando González and Sophia Zorrilla after winning the Pitch Day with the project Remember Me. This contribution will allow the team to continue developing their idea. It is an application that helps people with Alzheimer’s, through therapies and cognitive activities, to slow down the patient’s mental deterioration.

For her final reflection on the process, Yolanda Gigante concluded: “Without a doubt, these types of initiatives are essential for Banesco to lead in an increasingly digital and demanding environment. By working together with universities, we can build an innovation ecosystem that benefits both the educational institution and the financial sector.”

DolarToday in Venezuela: Price of the dollar this Monday, August 26, 2024