While watching a soccer match, two friends The proposal of Alkanza is that its technology had an epiphany, an a-ha moment, a window may reach social media and banking data of its unto possibility money is, or is no longer be, at clients, or the clients of their partners, to analyze this time regarding money in the future. This and predict user’s needs. conversation among soccer supporters gave rise to Alkanza, a service provider of robo-advisory Alkanza gives clients with 5 million pesos or ALKANZA for investment and savings. Its particularity is less the possibility to invest, because Alkanza the use of AI to identify and analyze their users makes the transactions more profitable for the www.alkanza.la and give them customized recommendations partner financial institution. according with their financial needs, creating unique portfolios. Alkanza is another example of how cooperation between startups and banks may revolution an Andrés Villaquirán, a Colombian that studied entire industry. Alkanza needed help with its in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology customer acquisition. In turn, it would take years and Stanford, founded Alkanza after hearing for many banking institutions ‒although they may his friend Juan Becerra’s uncertainty, who did eventually develop their own app‒ to display a not know how the company he had hired was similar product and it would imply significant handling his 401(K) retirement fund in the United capital investments. Therefore, collaborating States. Andrés saw an opportunity and decided with Alkanza is a convenient option for many to use his machine-learning experience to found financial institutions: the financial institutions a company and an app customizing and simpli- provide the customer acquisition and Alkanza, fying its clients’ investments. the disruptive technology. Beginning was not easy: Andrés tried to com- This is a good example of how startups and banks mence in the United States and Mexico, but the benefit from collaborating: both have certain opportunity blossomed in Brazil with a broker strengths and weaknesses that may be cured part of XP financial group, named Rico. With this by the other. Alkanza shows how the financial new success, Alkanza grew and gained clients industry is evolving with AI to design agile and such as Bancolombia, Sura Asset Management, customized products allowing apps sensitive to XP financial group in Brazil, as well as the largest the clients’ precise needs. The future is robotic. financial institution in South Africa. Nowadays, it is present in five continents and, with more than one trillion dollars: the AI allows the Alkanza model to enter rapidly new international markets, adapting to changes in the laws, and economic and political models. A TWO-WAY PATH 82