A fintech startup from Leicester has been named one of 20 finalists in Tech Nation’s Rising Stars competition

Inicio is a platform that uses natural language to help someone who falls into debt.

The company was first shortlisted as one of 33 regional winners and now it’s been named amongst the top 20.

The startup will now go on to participate in a showcase of the top 10 National Winners in March.

Tech Nation said:

“These remarkable companies representing the brightest of UK tech have demonstrated incredible potential to scale in the year to come. Having impressed expert judges based across the country at multiple stages of the competition, they have progressed from City Winners, to Regional Winners, to Finalists after emerging victorious in a hotly-contested Rising Stars Semi-Final.”

Some notable key trends amongst the 2023 cohort show that 1 in 3 companies are using AI technology in their product and service development. When looking at sectors, healthtech, cleantech and marketing tech came second as  top areas of focus for this year’s Regional Winners. Additionally, 45% of companies include at least one female founder and almost 20% include a founder from an ethnic minority.