Simpletech triumphs at the FEBRABAN TECH 2024 Fintech ARENA championship

In a year marked by innovation and digital transformation, in Simpletech We achieved a significant milestone by winning the prestigious championship Fintech Pitch at the event FEBRABAN TECH 2024 which took place in June in Sao Paulo, BrazilThis recognition not only strengthens our position in the technology market, but also underlines the impact of our platform. WittySuite in the financial industry, and above all it gives us a boost on our path to expansion into the Brazilian market, which we started at the beginning of 2022. 

José Luis Horta, Chief Innovation Officer of Simpletech

About FEBRABAN TECH 2024: A benchmark event in Fintech 

FEBRABAN TECH is the most important event for technology and innovation in the financial sector in Brazil and one of the most influential in Latin America. This year, its 34th edition brought together the brightest minds and the most promising startups in the fintech field, under the central theme “Responsible travel in the new AI economy” and brought to this edition the concern of banks about how the entire economy and, mainly, the financial sector, are preparing to responsibly use new resources and advances in artificial intelligence. 

The Fintech Pitch Championship: Rigorous judging and selection of winners 

The competition was attended by 35 startups who competed in the Fintech Lounge, of which only 12 managed to qualify for the grand final of the pitching championship. 

Participating companies: 

Useful Bank | Belo | Beyond Software | Certdox | E-Fluxus | ESG Green | Finne | Flourish Fi | Fluid API | Fourbank | Go Blockchain | Initiator | Investplay | Inspections | Judith | Kobana | Leverpro | Localize | Logcomex | Loopipay | Notolytix | Oiti | Oneblinc | Pagsmile | Peak Invest | Quantum | Regulatory More | RM2 | Roit | Simpletech | Smartbrain | Toku | Up Bandages | X one Cloud | Vaas 

Online Evaluation Stage 

The competition began with a rigorous online judging stage, where a panel of expert judges reviewed each project based on criteria of originality, market impact and effective use of technology. The judges for this stage included:  

Alessandra Martins, Partner of Machado Meyer Lawyers 

Anne Caroline Arantes, Executive Manager of New Digital Capabilities at Caixa 

Boanerges Freire, CEO and founder of Boanerges & Co. 

Carla Sarkis, Director of Strategic Operations of the Bank of Brazil 

Danielle Teixeira, Head of Open Innovation at Fenasbac 

Diego Perez, president of ABFintechs 

Edson Santos, partner and founder of Colink Business Consulting 

Emerson M. Tanaka, Head of Innovation and Digital Products at Toyota Bank of Brazil 

Fabiana Loureiro, Cloud Sales , Data & AI in Microsoft 

Ingrid Barth, president of Abstartups and COO of Linker 

Jihane Halabi, partner of Halabi Lawyers 

Jose Calasans, Products of Itau Unibanco 

Julio Ramos, Head of Innovation at Visa 

Juliana Sarilio, Corporate Manager of BB Venture Capital 

Luis Gustavo Nugnes, New Platforms and Innovation in Tecban 

Mareska Tiveron, partner of Banking and Fintechs at Viseu Lawyers 

Marcio Soares, Senior Vice President of Mastercard 

Nathalia Britto, Open Innovation and Corporate Venture Capital Manager at Santander Brazil 

Rafael Ribeiro , CEO of Dealist 

Rodrigo Placido, Director of Innovation at Stefanini 

Face-to-face stage 

The selected companies advanced to the in-person evaluation stage, where the finalist projects were presented to a high-level panel of judges. The following participated in this phase: 

  • Certdox
  • ESGreen
  • Flourish FI
  • Fluid
  • Loopy
  • Oiti
  • Peak Invest
  • RM2 Intelligence Partners
  • ROIT
  • Simpletech
  • UP Bandages
  • Vaas

A committee of eight judges reviewed the companies on five criteria: customer orientation; technological innovation; viability and scalability of the business model; capacity for integration and formation of strategic alliances; originality and surprise factor. 

The juries at this stage were as follows: 

Carolina Morandini, leader of Open Innovation & Ventures Latam Accenture

Phillipe Lustman, business development executive at IBM 

Flavia Carvalho, senior leader Brazil, in IBM Build Lab 

Flavia Fernandes, CX Superintendent at Daycoval Bank 

Fred Pompeu, associate partner in BTG Pactual 

Juliana Lima, innovation manager at BV Bank 

Renata Petrovic, superintendent of Inovabra Bradesco 

Renato Valente, general partner of Iporanga Ventures 

Simpletech and Flourish, winners of the competition

Among the finalist startups, Simpletech and Flourish Fi stood out, being the two winners of the championship. 

Simpletech and WittySuite: Innovation that makes the difference 

Founded in Uruguay in 2011, Simpletech has grown exponentially, with more than 200 clients in 18 countries. Our platform, WittySuite, is a clear example of how technology can transform customer experience (CX) in the financial sector. 

Jose Luis Horta, CIO of Simpletech, highlighted to Brazilian media the capacity of WittySuite to carry out financial operations directly from WhatsApp, an application with More than 197 million users in BrazilAccording to José, “WittySuite is one of the most flexible and powerful tools for building CX tailored to the needs of companies, offering seamless integration between AI and human agents.” 

The platform stands out for its focus on security, incorporating advanced technologies such as voice biometrics and facial biometrics for identity authentication. These features allow for a smooth and safe experience for users, eliminating friction and guaranteeing the protection in critical transactions, like the payments via WhatsApp and access to sensitive customer information. 

Simpletech's growth and projection in Brazil 

The Brazilian market, with its vast adoption of WhatsApp, represents a unique opportunity for Simpletech. “We are starting our journey in Brazil, a market with very interesting potential,” said José. This award not only gives us visibility in the sector, but also opens doors to new strategic alliances with banks and large technology companies. 

Conclusion: A bright future for Simpletech 

Recognition in FEBRABAN TECH 2024 It is just the beginning of a new stage of growth for Simpletech in Brazil. With WittySuiteWe are ready to revolutionize the customer experience in the financial sector, integrating security and simplicity into every interaction.