Reprint：https://www.db.com

Fintech Europe is an innovation platform in the heart of Frankfurt’s financial district, where several banks and companies cooperate with start-ups. Deutsche Bank is a founding partner of this platform together with Plug and Play and TechQuartier, both of which offer and host the programme.

Plug and Play from Silicon Valley offers companies access to innovative start-ups worldwide and across industries. Since 2010 business partners have been an integral part of Plug and Play’s innovation platform to foster collaboration between start-ups and corporates.

TechQuartier in Frankfurt offers young companies space for creative cooperation with corporates. Large banks, leading financial service providers, economic and financial institutions and fintech companies come together, network and form a community of forward-looking experts.

We look for innovation together with start-ups

Fintech Europe offers companies access to a global network of hand-picked start-ups with innovative solutions, new business models and new technologies. The open innovation platform enables synergies with other active players in the financial industry and partner companies to be better utilised.

Inspiration from a start-up mentality

Fintech Europe puts us in contact with start-ups. Together, we select the potential start-up for our business. We work closely together with the teams and let the start-up spirit inspire us. Our aim is to implement innovative and suitable solutions for our clients together with the start-ups.

What does the Fintech Europe programme look like?

Deutsche Bank’s goal in working with Fintech Europe is to develop ideas for the banking business of the future and beyond traditional financial services, too. Together with start-ups, we come up with ideas, test them and develop products and services for Deutsche Bank’s clients. We either make an investment in the start-up, enter into a cooperation with them or we look for new ideas.

Our experts first examine the start-ups’ current business models “review” and think about how these can serve as a basis for Deutsche Bank’s new solutions. Immediately afterwards, we begin the search for young companies “scouting”. The next step involves selecting suitable start-ups after a detailed presentation of the business model in a small group “deep dive”. Afterwards we decide whether to launch a joint pilot project lasting three months, for example, in order to move the idea forward. This twelve-week programme takes place twice a year.

On “selection day”, all of start-ups chosen present their ideas to a selected audience of cooperation partners and experts. The highlight is then “expo day”, where the young companies present the pilot projects to a broad Deutsche Bank audience as well as to other banks, companies and investors.