OTP Group, a top tier player of the financial industry in Central and Eastern Europe, continuously seeks international partnerships with later-stage startups with validated products and scaleups, from all over the world, with a chance to build goal-oriented, business-focused, and mutually beneficial collaborations.
Take this unique opportunity to refine your product, grow your business, and expand your networks through projects conducted in one of the 12 countries where the OTP Banking Group is present and via our prestigious corporate partner network!
Besides continuously accepting applications for potential partnerships, we will also post periodic, thematic programs, called Challenges with shorter and more flexible timelines and milestones. A Challenge is a periodical event that is built around a specific business unit or challenge that will take around a few months. Currently, there is no Challenge posted. Please check back again later for a thematic partnership opportunity or submit your application outside of a specific event below!
The startup partnership opportunities are brought to you by OTP LAB, OTP Bank’s innovation hub.
Who are we looking for?
Startups and scaleups, which meet the following criteria:- Company is managed by at least two full-time founders, covering both business and tech competences. We especially encourage women-led companies and startups with gender-diverse founding teams to apply.
- There is some novel and scalable technology or an innovative business model behind the product.
- The product is market ready, validated at least through pilots (even better if you already have live users and/or corporate partners).
- There is a founder, a C or VP level executive who will devote the necessary time, energy, and attention needed for driving the partnership with OTP.
How to apply?
- Are you ready to set your business in fast-forward mode? Hit the “Apply now” button below and complete our application form.
How to prepare for the application?
- We will ask general questions about your team, business, solution and market viability, so that we can make a more informed decision when discovering potential collaboration opportunities within OTP Group.
- Please make sure to prepare contact information, pitch deck, basic information about financials and market data.
What happens after submitting your application?
- Upon receiving your application, our program team will review your submission based on the following factors: team, product/technology, market opportunity and traction, business model, fit with OTP Bank’s strategy and target markets. We evaluate the applications on a rolling basis to find the most suitable solution and business need fit and forward them to relevant departments of the OTP Group. As the evaluation takes place on a rolling basis, please note that no specific timeline is applicable for feedback.
Benefits
Results-oriented pilots based on real business needs
Business-relevant Proof-of-Concept or pilot projects with one of the banks belonging to OTP Group, collaborating directly with renowned OTP experts
Dedicated support from piloting to live collaboration
Connection with the right stakeholders and key decision makers within OTP Group, dedicated resources to support the live rollout in case of a successful pilot
Business development acceleration & potential customer base
Opportunity to forge new partnerships within OTP Group and get access to up to 19+ million customers in the CEE region
Customized mentorship
Business insights and guidance from dedicated mentors and key decision makers at OTP Group with market-specific expertise in 11 CEE markets
Investor relations & international networking
Introductions to PortfoLion, OTP’s VC and PE arm, to angel investors and access to an extensive pool of renowned mentors, leading corporate partners and our proven alumni companies.
No cost, no equity
There are no application or participation fees, we take no equity, we do not lock you in
Track record
We are proud to foster innovation for our colleagues in 12 countries.
1590+
Startups evaluated for collaboration
150+
Participating OTP business units
56+
Completed pilots
>45%
Ratio of post-pilot collaborations
Partners
Our partners offer special deals, workshops, office hours, and the chance to get fast-track access to their acceleration programs.
Marek Sykora
Account Executive of deskbird
“Participating in the 2022 Startup Booster Program has been extremely rewarding for deskbird. I want to highlight the professional, supportive, and friendly approach we have all received since day 1.”
Achille Traore
CEO of White Label Loyalty
"Participating in the OTP Startup Programme has been a great experience. The concept is well defined in order to help OTP brands test new innovations (without some of the usual red tape the industry has) as well as give startups a foot in the door for collaboration with a major bank. The programme itself is all-round extremely well managed and run by great people. I can only recommend taking part."
Darren Douglas
CEO of RegSearch
"The goal of our pilot was to implement a regulations management system that reduces the publishing time of regulations and improves the management of regulations (e.g. analysis, communication). I would like to shine the light on the brilliant team that worked with us from OTP Bank Romania. They understood their problems of regulatory compliance and knew the solution that they needed and that is why they scouted us. They always had the big picture in their mind for a solution not just for their team but for the whole of OTP group. It was a true pleasure to participate in this Startup Booster Program, the OTP LAB team really looked after us and we would highly recommend it to all start-ups and scaleups. "
Georgi Demirev
CEO of Appraiser.ai
"The OTP Startup Partner Program totally re-imagines the way in which startups and banks can cooperate. During the program we were provided with a fast track way to showcase our solutions with clearly defined time frames and success criteria. Along the way we received all the support we needed from the program team and the startup mentors, and we really felt like the whole organization was on board. Apart from the immediate pilot, the type of exposure that the program provides is truly unprecedented, as it spans across all banks from OTP Group."
Siniša Slijepčević
CEO of Cantab PI
"The OTP Startup Partner Program is a huge win-win for both a startup and OTP: The startup gets deep and precise feedback in multiple iterations, and likely a new customer. OTP is leveraging startups in an effective way to rapidly absorb innovations, annihilate internal red tape and foster entrepreneurial, „can-do“ culture. An impressive achievement!"
Dr. Tina Ruseva
CEO of Mentessa
"The OTP Startup Partner Program has been essential in understanding the unique ecosytem of OTP Bank, connecting us with champions from within the organisation, and providing all resources necessary for the first step into a successful collaboration. I strongly recommend it to all startups."
Cosmin Cosma
Co-Founder & CEO of Finqware
"As a fintech, you need to break the vicious circle: the banks don't work with you because you have no experience with other banks and you don't have previous experience with the banks because they don't trust you without a previous validation. OTP Partner Startup Program is the perfect solution to make a PoC with a bank that appreciates innovation and invests resources implementing it. For us it was instrumental in our journey to success.”
Shane Lynn
CEO of Edgetier
"The OTP startup program is unique in the European Startup ecosystem in that startups can get direct and quick access to decision makers in a global company almost immediately. The combination of OTP's appetite for innovation and the results-driven approach of their Innovation Lab allows companies to move fast and show value during the program, with great commercial opportunities to follow both in Hungary and in subsidiary banks."
György Szilágyi
Co-founder & CPO of Tresorit
”The OTP Startup Program is an extraordinary opportunity for any B2B startup, who wants to expand in financial services. The program gave us a good chance to acquire deeper knowledge on banking sector, an opportunity to manage a pilot program in a multinational giant and also to learn from peer startups. I am proud of being part of it, congrats for the organizers for the extremely professional execution and fingers crossed for the next-gen startups!”
Gábor Zsirka
Senior Product and BusDev Manager of Bluecode
”Framed by the fantastic organisation by the OTP Innovation Lab team we benefited from relevant expert mentorship and the fast-tracked and direct access to senior level decision-makers - not only for Hungary but also for the subsidiaries. If your main targets are banks and you have CEE ambitions, this is the right program to go for.”
Rosali Steenkamer
CCO of AdviceRobo
“The program was not just an external project but really integrated within the bank and besides workshops and networking we could do business with OTP within 3 months.”
Gábor Fodor-Papp
Co-founder of Family Finances
“OTP Bank was clear about its business objectives and the program was dedicated to foster bank-fintech partnerships. OTP LAB provided access to the right stakeholders at the right time.”
Contact
You can find the program team here:
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Do you have any questions?
Check out our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.
If you can’t find the right answers there, feel free to drop us a line on otplab@otpbank.hu.