Welcome to our special mini-series of Beyond The Capital recorded at Birmingham Tech Week 2024.

In this episode, Hilary Smyth-Allen explores the challenges and opportunities of AI adoption in the legal sector. She spoke to Emma Jackson, Head of Legal Technology & Data at Mills & Reeve; Vipul Ladwa, founder of legal tech company Casey; and Aisling O’Connell, Head of Innovation Policy at the Solicitors Regulations Authority.

They discuss:

• How the adoption of AI is both a significant challenge and opportunity for the legal sector
• How the need for clarity from regulators like the SRA is crucial for tech adoption
• How small solicitors’ firms face unique challenges in adopting technology
• Collaboration between law firms and tech vendors is essential for adoption
• Parallels between the growth trajectory of legal tech and fintech

Beyond The Capital is the podcast series that explores the professional services technology scene outside of London, brought to you by SuperTech. To find out more about SuperTech, click here. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our special mini-series of Beyond The Capital recorded at Birmingham Tech Week 2024.

In this episode, Hilary Smyth-Allen finds out more about the role of the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT). She speaks to its CEO Ezechi Britton. They discuss:

• CFIT’s role in driving financial innovation in the UK
• The importance of open finance 
• How the Digital Innovation and Smart Data Bill is a key step for financial innovation
• The growing momentum towards smart data and open finance

Beyond The Capital is the podcast series that explores the professional services technology scene outside of London, brought to you by SuperTech. To find out more about SuperTech, click here. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our special mini-series of Beyond The Capital recorded at Birmingham Tech Week 2024.

In this episode, we’re finding out about AI and real estate. 

Hilary Smyth-Allen speaks to Shakirah Akinwale, centre director of University College London’s Centre for Sustainability and RealTech Innovation, who is also a smart buildings technology consultant. She also speaks to Tom Shrive, the CPO Adiuvo and Chair of the RED Foundation AI committee.

They discuss:

• The benefits, challenges and risks of AI in real estate
• What can be achieved with using AI in urban planning
• The ideal scenario for smart buildings
• How these visions can be achieved safely

Beyond The Capital is the podcast series that explores the professional services technology scene outside of London, brought to you by SuperTech. To find out more about SuperTech, click here. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our special mini-series of Beyond The Capital recorded at Birmingham Tech Week 2024.

In this episode, Hilary Smyth-Allen finds out about the evolving landscape of the UK's fintech sector following the recent election of a Labour government. She spoke to Adam Jackson, Chief Strategy Officer at Innovate Finance. They discuss:

• How the new government’s current approach to fintech is characterised by continuity rather than seismic shifts
• The role of fintech in regional development
• The opportunities and challenges ahead
• How fintech is a priority sector under the government’s industrial strategy
• How smart data and open finance are key areas for future development

Beyond The Capital is the podcast series that explores the professional services technology scene outside of London, brought to you by SuperTech. To find out more about SuperTech, click here. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this series of Beyond The Capital from SuperTech, we're exploring the power of partnerships. Birmingham-based Fastcheck was set up by Amar Rana who was frustrated by the complicated nature of obtaining car finance. In this episode, Hilary speaks to Amar about:

• How a pain point for customers helped spark the idea for Fastcheck
• How a cold approach through LinkedIn was pivotal for the company
• How partnerships have helped Fastcheck scale and connect with key partners
• Plans for the next year, including scaling in the auto sector and expansion in other sectors

To find out more about Fastcheck click here.

To find out more about SuperTech WM click here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this series of Beyond The Capital, we’re exploring the power of partnerships.

Shame is a huge barrier to tackling problem debt. But the first thing anyone in debt is required to do is complete an income and expenditure form. To help those complete this form who can’t face speaking to a real person, a Midlands-based business has come up with a solution: an AI assistant to help with affordability assessments. 

In this episode, Hilary speaks with Rachel Curtis, CEO and co-founder of Inicio AI. They discuss:

• How the business started when the founder realised the need for a non-judgmental space for consumers to seek help with their debts.
• Inicio AI’s partnerships with benefits checkers, open banking partners, debt advice companies, and cybersecurity providers.
• The benefits of accelerator programs.
• How Inicio AI aims to scale its operations and expand into new use cases beyond debt management.

Please note, that this episode briefly mentions suicide. 

To find out more about Incio AI click here.

To find out more about SuperTech WM click here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this series, we’re exploring the power of partnerships.

A fintech that’s focused on credit unions and community banks says its whole business model is formed on partnerships. Incuto's ethos is tech for good. It helps enable people to access financial services that don’t always have traditional routes available to them. 

In this episode, Hilary speaks to Lauren Langton, Head of Advocacy at Incuto. They discuss:

• Incuto allows credit union members to join and apply for loans online.
• Partnerships with companies like TransUnion and ClearBank help Incuto expand its offering and reach more customers
• The significant need for their services, with millions in the UK being turned down for loans by traditional banks.

To learn more about SuperTech WM click here.

To learn more about Incuto click here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this series of Beyond The Capital, we’re exploring the power of partnerships. The number of Brits owning properties in Spain continues to rise according to recent data. But the process of holiday home ownership is complicated. One Birmingham-based business is working to address this. Bueno is a one-stop platform for property owners.

In this episode, Hilary speaks to Felix Hughes of Bueno. They discuss:

• Bueno's strategic partnerships with 'banking as a service' providers, payment enablers, insurance companies, and home security enablers to offer a comprehensive financial ecosystem
• The company has faced challenges in its first three years, including swapping out technology partners and navigating regulatory requirements
• What the future holds

To find out more about Bueno click here.

To find out more about SuperTech WM click here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this series of Beyond The Capital, we’re exploring the power of partnerships.

For this episode, we hear from a Birmingham-based start-up that’s leveraged different types of partnerships to help it grow. Lexverify is an AI-powered risk management assistant that helps identify legal and compliance risks in emails and other electronic communications.

Hilary is joined by Cristian Gherhes, the Founder and CEO of Lexverify. They spoke about:

• Early customers as partners
• The ethical issues of compliance tools and employees
• Investors and how their expertise it crucial to startups’ growth
• Raising seed funding of £900k 

To find out more about Lexverify click here.

To find out more about SuperTech WM click here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A West Midlands-based business aims to make owning a car much easier. In this episode of Beyond The Capital from SuperTech, Hilary speaks to Paul Jewell, the founder and CEO of CarCloud Community - an app that manages insurance, car finance, and key dates in one place.

In this series of the podcast, we're talking about the power of partnerships. CarCloud's partnership with Reach Plc has helped it connect with a large audience through Reach's local news apps. Through this partnership, CarCloud reached more than 100,000 users and now has nearly £2 billion worth of cars on the platform.

Hilary and Paul spoke about:

• How the partnership with Reach Plc helped CarCloud reach a larger audience to offer personalised news and car insurance options
• CarCloud's partnership with MoneySupermarket
• The company's plans to expand in Europe

To find out more about CarCloud click here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.