Museum analytics startup Dexibit wins top prize in Fintech Innovation Challenge

Dexibit has come out on top at the Fintech Innovation Challenge, walking away with a $5000 cash prize and business mentoring opportunities.

Dexibit is a startup that provides analytics for museums, or 'musedata'. The company, along with other finalists, had just six minutes to pitch to a 300-strong audience, followed by four minutes of questions from an expert panel and then final voting from the crowd.

The panel featured Mark Rushworth (Paymark CEO), Cecilia Tarrant (ArcAngels chair) and Stefan Korn (Creative HQ CEO).

Dexibit CEO Angie Judge used the six-minute pitch time to explain how old-fashioned and manual clicker counters limit information that museum decision makers can use. Dexibit's modern approach detects visitors using mobile device signals located throughout the museum. This in combination with online traffic, social media and other data, provides a better picture and more depth about museum visitors.

"We believe the pathway to success for kiwi innovation begins with global domination of a niche market. "Our job is to arm our cultural institutions with insight, so they can make the best decisions possible," Judge says.

Starting out in the Auckland Art Gallery, Dexibit has built a reputation worldwide, including in North America. However when the company tried to covertly film federal security guards who were using clicker counters in Washington DC, it landed them in what Judge called 'a bit of hot water'.

That hasn't stopped the company, as its use of transactional and financial data, as well as innovational use of data feeds, has helped the company analyse 'millions' of visitor experience worldwide.

"We were very impressed with the quality of entrants in our inaugural Fintech Innovation Challenge and the energy of the finalists 'Dragon's Den' style pitches was outstanding.  The delegation chose Dexibit as the winner and were no doubt impressed with Angie's pitch, focus and the global potential of Dexibit's business intelligence offering", says Steve Wiggins, Payments NZ chief executive.

The Fintech Innovation Challenge, sponsored by Payments NZ, comprised New Zealand's top new fintech companies, who pitched their ideas in front of a crowd of experts from the financial sector.