RankMiner, a St. Petersburg, Florida-based startup with a Milwaukee presence, has taken third place in the BMO Harris/1871 Innovation Program targeted to Chicago and Wisconsin financial technology startups.
RankMiner is a SaaS platform that identifies customer opportunities and reviews employees by using artificial intelligence during call center conversations. For example, RankMiner can help companies find customers at risk and those with a tendency to buy, or identify employees that help or hurt the business. RankMiner is also a graduate of Milwaukee- and Madison-based startup accelerator gener8tor’s 2018 Madison cohort. Its business development manager, Zach Maassen, is based in Milwaukee.
Chicago-based financial services compliance platform provider Ascent Technologies Inc. came in first place, and Chicago-based mortgage finance solutions provider Safe Rate Mortgage was second. Also participating in the four-company cohort was Chicago-based Rapunzl, a free mobile app that gamifies the stock market and engages students in financial education.
BMO originally targeted six to eight startups for the program. This was the second cohort of the three-month startup mentorship program, in which BMO experts provided guidance on scaling a solution, preparing for enterprise partnerships and improving value proposition. Three winners were ultimately selected to split $50,000, as well as working space in 1871, a Chicago co-working space. They will work with BMO to pilot their technologies with the bank.
RankMiner received $10,000 for third place, while Ascent received $25,000 and Safe Rate received $15,000.
gener8tor and Oshkosh-based entrepreneurship organization Kinnektor provided support for the program.
“This partnership with 1871, Kinnektor and gener8tor allowed us to learn from the startups, deepen our involvement in local communities, guide and mentor the teams, and most importantly, provides us with the opportunity to innovate for our customers,” said Ben Schack, head of U.S. digital partnerships at BMO Partners. “We’re thrilled to conclude another successful journey with a talented group of startups who impressed us with their level of engagement, commitment to learning and ability to apply learnings to move their businesses forward.”
“It’s an honor to partner once again with BMO Harris Bank to cultivate, drive and expand innovation in our community,” said Betsy Ziegler, chief executive officer of 1871. “We’re proud of this year’s winners, and also of all of the accomplished entrepreneurs who participated in the program. Their efforts, combined with the wealth of support and expertise at BMO Harris Bank, reinforce the fact that startups and major corporations both stand to benefit when they work together. We are excited to continue to work with BMO on this program for many years to come.”
