Driving innovation with AI? Join FinQuest 2025

The time has arrived

On 25.11 watch Innovation Day 2025 live, follow interesting talks and presentations, and find out who the winners of the competition are.

Watch the livestream View the event programme

Powering the future of finance, together

Accelerate your growth

Boost your commercial development through synergies, industry visibility, and access to a wider network.

Refine your solution

Get expert feedback from esteemed professionals and improve your business model.

Connect with key players

Meet experienced mentors, get in touch with investors and VCs, and join partner networks.

Win cash prizes and more

Be in the running for cash prizes up to €15,000, the chance to work with us and access to tools and services.

Thematic areas
Selection criteria
Prizes

5 AI-focused thematic areas

You may participate in FinQuest 2025 with AI-driven products centred on:

AI solutions for banking innovation – Personalised banking experience, process automation, risk management, investment and wealth management, AI-driven analytics and decision support, cybersecurity, identity protection, etc.
Family ecosystem – A holistic approach to family banking needs, including AI-driven financial planning, family financial education and next-generation onboarding, smart family banking hub, etc.
Travel – Smart travel assistant, predictive budgeting tool, travel concierge, etc.
Smart living financial tools – Helping people manage their financials, expense reduction and management, spending insights and rewards engine, financial obligations planning
Employee training – Role playing, adaptive learning platform, etc.

Which solutions qualify

To stand a chance to have your solution qualify in the competition, make sure it:

Is highly innovative.
Is relevant to the thematic areas of the competition.
Addresses a real need of the financial sector or would appeal to a substantial number of customers.
Can feasibly be applied in practice, in line with the current laws and regulations.

Which are the prizes

If your solution is among those qualified, you will have the chance to be in the running for 1 of the 3 competition prizes.

1st prize – €15,000 cash prize and the opportunity to work with us on implementing a pilot project.

2nd prize – €10,000 cash prize offered by IBM.

3rd prize – Microsoft startup award pack including:

$1,000 in Azure credits, or up to $5,000 for legally incorporated startups.
1 free technical and business growth consultation from Microsoft, redeemable within 6 months from the award date.
Nomination for an exception-based entry in the invite-only Microsoft for Startups programme for investor-backed start-ups, offering up to $150,000 in Azure credits and additional benefits.

Participation in the programme is subject to eligibility and Microsoft’s approval.

Additionally, all 3 winners will have access to consulting services for 3 weeks, offered by EPAM.

1. Send the application

31.07 – 01.10

Fill in the application form with the details of your proposal and send it on time, to enter the competition.

Once we receive it, we’ll send you a confirmation email.

The deadline for applications has expired.

2. Find out if you’ve qualified

06.10

Wait 15 days for the evaluation committee to evaluate all candidates and choose the top ones.

If necessary, we may call you for a follow-up pitch before the finalists are announced. Be on alert.

If your proposal qualifies, we’ll notify you by email or over the phone.

3. Refine your solution (accelerator)

07.10 – 24.11

If your proposal does qualify, you’ll have 1,5 month to enhance your product and business model. This time is known as the accelerator.

You’ll have the chance to participate in thematic workshops, one-on-one mentoring sessions, and curated business development meetings that will help you better adapt and finetune your proposal.

4. Make your pitch

25.11

The time has arrived! You’ll come to the Innovation Day in Athens to pitch your proposal, i.e. to present your innovative solution to the evaluation committee and be in the running to win cash prizes up to €15,000 and the chance to work with us.

Once the pitches are over, we’ll announce the FinQuest 2025 winners.

Looking for tips for the perfect pitch?

Find out what you need to look out for when pitching your solutions to impress us.

What to do
What not to do

Support your claims – Whatever you say needs to be backed by data, such as statistics, costs, etc.
Tell a story – Explain the problem your idea solves, how it solves it and what’s the added value, to get the audience engaged with your line of thought.
Know your audience – Find out what the people you’ll be addressing expect, what they need and what they’re interested in.
Find the mistakes – Make sure you’ve identified any potential shortfalls with your solution and how you’ll be addressing them.

Don’t read off the slides – The visual material is supposed to accompany your speech, not the other way round.
Don’t underestimate the competition – The deeper you know your market the better for you.
Avoid exaggerations – Don’t oversell your idea and don’t stretch the truth; you’re still at the very start.
Avoid babbling – Say what’s important in a few seconds and don’t waste any time stating the obvious.

Any questions?

Find the answers you need about your participation in FinQuest 2025.

Are there any fees for submitting a proposal?

No. Submitting an application to participate in the competition and having the proposals evaluated are completely free of charge.

Are there any restrictions as to the technology I can use?

Yes, your solution must be ΑΙ based.

In which language is the competition held?

In English, as the competition is international. Your application must also be in English.

I have more than one proposals. Can I present them all?

No. Choose the one you believe is the best and the most suited to Alpha Bank, and enter the competition with that one. Keep the rest for next time.

Will I retain the intellectual property rights of the idea I’ll present?

Yes. You’ll continue to hold all intellectual property rights or any other rights related to your idea. If third parties hold any rights whatsoever, they’ll also retain them.

Which criteria must my startup meet to take part in the Microsoft for Startups programme?

Baseline eligibility criteria (must meet all)

These are the minimum requirements every startup must fulfil to be considered for the Microsoft for Startups program. The startups must:

Not have previously received Azure credits through the programme.
Not be currently affiliated with an investor in the Microsoft for Startups Investor Network (unless applying through investor referral).
Be building a product or service that aligns with Microsoft’s cloud ecosystem (typically on Azure).
Be legally incorporated and have a valid business registration.

Strategic nomination criteria (must meet at least 5)

The startups nominated through the Strategic Startup Nomination Process must meet all baseline criteria plus at least 5 of the following:

The founder has had a previous exit.
Have a technical co-founder or CTO.
Operate as a B2B SaaS company.
Their core product leverages AI/ML technologies.
Are backed by a VC, accelerator, incubator or angel investor.
Are at MVP stage or beyond.
Demonstrate strong cloud usage.
A member of the founding team belongs to a group of historically underrepresented individuals in tech startups.

Driving innovation with AI? FinQuest 2025

The time has arrived

Powering the future of finance, together

Discover FinQuest 2025

Thematic areas

Selection criteria

Prizes