Accend (YC S23)

Accend (YC S23)

Financial Services

Improve Ops Efficiency & Quality + Excel in Compliance with Accend

About us

Accend helps Fintech & Banks' Compliance/Ops teams to accelerate Business Onboarding and KYB reviews

Industry
Financial Services
Company size
2-10 employees
Headquarters
San Francisco Bay Area
Type
Privately Held
Founded
2023

Locations

Employees at Accend (YC S23)

Updates

  • The gloves are coming off in 2025... 🥊 👀

    View profile for Pranjal Daga, graphic

    Cofounder, Accend (YC S23) | ex-Brex

    If 2024 was fintech’s year to play nice and fit in, 2025 will be when the gloves come off. The strongest models, platforms, and players will vie for top spots and make themselves known. It’s going to be messy, thrilling, and I honestly can’t wait! Here are my predictions for what is to come: 💥 The Banks vs. Fintechs Battle: We’ve been seeing banks quietly partnering with fintechs and everyone’s been playing nice. But that moment of quiet harmony is over. Partnerships will give way to competition. Traditional banks embracing digital evolution will acquire weaker fintechs, while top-tier fintechs with war chests of VC money will “bankify” themselves — pursuing direct charters, launching insurance products, and challenging the old guard head-on. ⚙️ Embedded Finance Everywhere: We’re approaching “Peak Embedded Finance.” Soon, your accounting software will offer instant loans, and your project management tool will front your invoices. Customers may push back, leading to a much-needed consolidation of offerings. ⚡ Real-Time Payments Go Mainstream: RTP rails will finally dominate B2B payments, speeding up commerce and liquidity flows. This will be a game-changer for SMEs — faster cash flow means stronger growth and stability. However, banks that haven’t adapted their risk models to instant transactions may find themselves in a tough spot. At Accend (YC S23), we’re not just riding these waves — we’re making them! In 2025, we’re doubling down on our AI-powered onboarding and underwriting capabilities that have already revolutionized business lending. Faster, highly accurate credit and onboarding decisions, alongside quicker approvals and fully compliant, regulator-ready narratives. We’re excited to share more soon. Stay tuned … 2025 is going to be HUGE.

  • Skepticism → Confidence. Every. Single. Time. 💪

    View profile for Pranjal Daga, graphic

    Cofounder, Accend (YC S23) | ex-Brex

    🤔 "Is your AI even accurate?" I hear this question ALL the time from prospects who are understandably skeptical about the use of AI in risk-based decision making. And you know what? Their doubts are totally valid. Here's how I break through that skepticism: 💡 Real-World Proof Matters: our clients have seen mind-blowing improvements - like reducing manual errors by over 90%. Numbers talk louder than promises. 🔍 Transparency is Key: Accend is not a mysterious "black box." Our system provides a crystal-clear audit trail for EVERY decision. Want to verify? We give our clients the tools to dig deep. 🧩 Custom-Designed Solutions: Accend isn't about one-size-fits-all. We configure our platform to match YOUR specific policies and workflows. Your business, your rules. 👥 Human Oversight, Powered by AI: yes, our AI does the heavy lifting. But here's the critical part - every single case gets reviewed by our experienced operations team. Our output is fast AND accurate. By the end of our conversation, prospects realize Accend (YC S23) isn't just about AI-powered technology - it's about building trust and supercharging their operations. Skepticism → Confidence. Every. Single. Time. 💪

  • We truly love what we do and the partners we get to work with 🥰 Reach out to us to learn more!

    View profile for Pranjal Daga, graphic

    Cofounder, Accend (YC S23) | ex-Brex

    One of my favorite customers isn’t just a “customer”… They’re a true partner - always pushing me to rethink the boundaries of what I do. I met their VP at Money2020 in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. He said something that stuck with me: “We don’t just want to speed things up. We want to fundamentally rethink everything.” That mindset is everything. While others patch old systems, they were ready to rebuild and knew sticking to old ways was holding them back. Together, we used Accend (YC S23)'s AI tech to simplify workflows and uncover insights they didn't know they needed. It's rare to find partners willing to tear down what works to build something better. When you do, it’s impossible not to level up 💪

  • Most fintechs are fighting sophisticated fraud with limited historical context 🤕 One way to help? Better data sharing across the industry.

    View profile for Pranjal Daga, graphic

    Cofounder, Accend (YC S23) | ex-Brex

    Everyone talks about fintech's "fraud problem." Here's what they miss: traditional banks have 30+ years of transaction data. They know what normal looks like. Most fintechs don’t. They're working with 2-3 years of data. Often as someone's secondary account. With high-risk populations like migrants or gig workers. And banks don't share their fraud data. But fintechs are innovating around this constraint: - Real-time behavioral analysis during onboarding - Smart friction (Revolut making high-risk users watch scam videos) - Advanced device fingerprinting - ML models optimized for limited but rich data The "fraud problem" isn't about capability. It's about fighting sophisticated fraud with limited historical context. Want better fraud prevention across finance? Start with better data sharing.

  • At Accend, we believe security shouldn’t be a barrier to a great user experience but a part of it. Our co-founder, Pranjal shared some powerful thoughts on how fintech and digital banks can blend security with UX to create more engaging and trustworthy platforms. Imagine a future where security feels invisible because it’s so seamlessly woven into the user experience. That’s the direction we’re passionate about. Check out Pranjal’s original post for some inspiring examples from companies like Netflix and Spotify that have mastered this balance. We’d love to hear your thoughts on how digital banks can follow suit!

    View profile for Pranjal Daga, graphic

    Cofounder, Accend (YC S23) | ex-Brex

    If you’re a fintech or digital bank thinking about security - fraud algorithms and compliance aren’t your only levers. But most fintechs treat security like it's separate from the user experience. Good UX might be your best defense against security threats. It doesn't have to be that way. Look at Netflix. Their "continue watching" feature is great for users. It also flags account sharing. Or take Spotify's collaborative playlists. They boost engagement and build trust networks at the same time. I’d love to see more creative ways for digital banking to follow suit and blend security with user experience. What if payment limits changed based on how you normally use the app? What if we used social proof to build trust, not just boring verification docs? What if security features actually made the product more fun to use? Here's my prediction: The most secure digital bank won't JUST have a great compliance team. It'll be the one that makes security feel invisible through brilliant design. Any one see any examples of this happening IRL?

  • It’s clear that with growing concerns around data privacy, banks and fintechs that align their marketing and security efforts can build stronger customer and regulatory trust. The competitive edge lies in demonstrating responsible data management. #Fintech #DataSecurity #Marketing #BrandTrust #Accend

    View profile for Pranjal Daga, graphic

    Cofounder, Accend (YC S23) | ex-Brex

    If you’re a bank or fintech looking to build brand trust, you should be looking at how your marketing and data security teams are interacting. At first sight, both teams seem to want the opposite. Marketing wants to use insights from customer data for targeted campaigns, and security wants to protect that data. But with all the compliance failures happening recently, customers are becoming more sensitive to data privacy issues. This is where the marketing-security partnership can become a differentiator. Companies that can demonstrate they have strong security advantages are likely to gain the competitive edge. This builds consumer trust. It also positions you as a leader in responsible data management, which builds regulator trust. The first step: getting your CMO and CISO to work together 🤝

  • "Banks are facing a critical decision: invest in robust compliance solutions and fully commit to the space... Or risk exiting the business entirely."

    View profile for Pranjal Daga, graphic

    Cofounder, Accend (YC S23) | ex-Brex

    There’s a big conflict happening in embedded finance right now. Fintechs are partnering with smaller sponsor banks to provide services. While these embedded finance partnerships drive a lot of revenue and deposits, they come with a price tag. 💸 - 75% of sponsor banks report compliance violation losses of $100k+ ❗- 80% of sponsor banks report managing and meeting compliance requirements is hard 😣 - 20% of sponsor banks cite reputational damage as a detrimental outcome of compliance failures 🤖 - And, my favorite stat, 94% are investing in new compliance tech. As the embedded finance ecosystem matures, banks are facing a critical decision: invest in robust compliance solutions and fully commit to the space... Or risk exiting the business entirely.

  • Accend (YC S23) reposted this

    View profile for Pranjal Daga, graphic

    Cofounder, Accend (YC S23) | ex-Brex

    🗞️ — McKinsey & Company released a great report this year on how GenAI will change financial services. ”In the next five years, generative AI could fundamentally change financial institutions’ risk management by automating, accelerating, and enhancing everything from compliance to climate risk control.” We couldn’t agree more. Here are some emerging applications we’re seeing of GenAI in risk and compliance: -Consolidating customer information to inform risk decisions - Drafting customer due diligence and enhanced due diligence reports - Update customer risk ratings based on changes in attributes and so much more. Compliance operations are changing forever. In McKinsey’s words: “we expect GenAI to empower banks’ entire risk and compliance functions in the future."

    • No alternative text description for this image
  • Accend (YC S23) reposted this

    View profile for Pranjal Daga, graphic

    Cofounder, Accend (YC S23) | ex-Brex

    The winners in compliance are those who understand that AI doesn't automate compliance itself... It automates compliance workflows. Compliance requires human expertise, judgment, and strategic decision-making. These can't and shouldn't be fully automated. But AI excels at streamlining operations —the repetitive processes and text-heavy tasks that consume so much of a compliance professional's time. By automating these workflows, AI becomes a powerful tool that amplifies human expertise rather than replacing it. It frees up time for compliance teams to focus on what they do best: strategic thinking, complex problem-solving, and relationship building. The most successful organizations aren't seeking AI to "handle compliance." Instead, they're leveraging AI to enhance specific workflows. This is what we’re building at Accend (YC S23). If your team is overloaded with compliance work, let’s chat!

  • Banks and fintech platforms have different risk appetites, different SOPs, and different protocols for different product lines. No AI compliance tool can be a one-size-fits-all solution... until now. We’ve developed a customized Industry Risk Model that’s trained on each company’s unique enhanced due diligence requirements. And we have the numbers to back it up. Our model shows a superior performance with a 97% risk accuracy rating. Plus, Accend’s AI can: - Identify risk in hidden business models like MLM and affiliate marketing schemes - Incorporate specific instructions for higher risk or prohibited industries

    • No alternative text description for this image

Similar pages

Browse jobs

Funding