MasterCard is to use artificial intelligence technology from Rainbird - a startup identified by its Start Path accelerator programme.
Based in Norwich, Rainbird was selected to be a part of MasterCard’s most recent Start Path Global class in November last year.
MasterCard says Rainbird’s software will capture knowledge and customer conversations from across its entire sales function and encode it into software that learns with time and experience. By sharing this disparate data across the enterprise, the card scheme says its agents will better equipped to manage leads and close deals with prospects.
“There was a time when lines were clearly drawn between startups and established companies,” says Stephane Wyper, global lead, MasterCard Start Path. “Now, early-stage companies are partnering with large financial institutions, retailers, or digital players to build the future of commerce together. "
The Start Path team has also just begun working with dopay, a UK-based company that enables employers to pay wages electronically to employees with no bank accounts; and Universal Basket, also based in the UK, a universal shopping cart that allows consumers to buy items from multiple retailers but pay via a single checkout.
The programme, which has so far mentored 60 startups since 2014, is currently accepting applications for its next startup class.