Data, AI, and Real Innovation in Financial Services
In a standout episode of FinTech Focus TV, Toby welcomes Olly Downs, Chief Technology and AI Officer at Curinos, for a compelling and insightful discussion that explores the role of AI in banking, the importance of scaled data, the significance of real innovation, and the launch of Curinos’ global FinTech incubator. With a background that includes nine startups, a career that spans three of the four major waves of artificial intelligence, and a keen understanding of both the technical and strategic side of business, Olly offers a rare and valuable perspective on the future of FinTech.
For anyone working in financial services, technology, or FinTech recruitment, this conversation offers a vital look at how the industry is shifting—and what kinds of talent, thinking, and collaboration are needed to stay ahead.
Harnessing the Power of AI in Financial Services
Artificial intelligence has reached an inflection point in the world of banking. While AI has existed for decades, its adoption within financial services is now accelerating rapidly—driven by the demand for more efficient operations, enhanced customer experience, and better decision-making. But as Olly explains in his conversation with Toby, successful implementation of AI in banking depends on far more than simply plugging in a model or using a buzzword.
Olly, who published his first academic paper on generative AI in 1999, has lived through multiple evolutionary stages of AI. In his view, the latest iteration—driven by machine learning and data science—has brought AI out of the lab and into practical business environments. However, banking presents a unique challenge: the need for accuracy, trust, compliance, and explainability.
The real challenge, as Olly puts it, is identifying the correct “human-machine boundary”—the point at which human expertise meets algorithmic intelligence. In the heavily regulated world of financial services, this boundary becomes crucial. AI systems must support people, not replace them. And in order to support them well, those systems must deliver insights that are clear, auditable, and aligned with business goals.
This distinction is vital for financial institutions investing in AI talent. It’s not just about data scientists. There’s a growing need for product managers, compliance experts, and commercial leaders who understand how to integrate AI capabilities into financial workflows responsibly and effectively. That’s where the FinTech recruitment market becomes more important than ever—and where Harrington Starr plays a key role in helping businesses hire for the future.
Curinos and the Power of Scaled Data
A major theme throughout the episode is the role that data plays in empowering AI—and why not all data is created equal. Curinos stands out for its access to vast, clean, and relevant industry data that covers North America and the UK. The organisation has visibility into over $7 trillion in deposit data, $3 trillion in mortgage originations, and $9 billion in marketing spend. This dataset allows Curinos to provide tools and insights that are uniquely representative of real-world financial behaviour.
Olly explains that Curinos doesn’t just collect data for the sake of it. The organisation builds tools that help banks and other financial institutions make comparative decisions—whether that’s optimising deposit pricing, understanding loan performance, or driving more effective marketing campaigns. With over 1,200 financial institutions on its client roster, including 85 of the top 100 banks across North America and the UK, Curinos has unmatched industry coverage.
What’s most impressive is how Curinos translates complex analytics into actionable insights. Using generative AI, the company can convert raw data and pricing models into clear narratives that resonate with senior stakeholders. It’s a solution that bridges the gap between analytical teams and commercial decision-makers—something many financial services companies struggle with.
For the FinTech and banking recruitment markets, this highlights the increasing demand for professionals who can “translate” between data and business. Roles that combine technical understanding with stakeholder engagement—such as AI product leads, strategic data analysts, and cross-functional product managers—are becoming central to the future of financial services.
Launching a Global FinTech Incubator
One of the most exciting parts of the episode is the announcement of the Curinos FinTech Incubator, launched in partnership with the University of Washington’s CoMotion Labs. Although based in Seattle, the incubator has a global scope and is open to participation from startups around the world.
Why would a successful, scaled data company like Curinos choose to launch an incubator? The answer is simple: innovation cannot be done in isolation. As Olly puts it, “Even with all the resources and data we have, we can’t possibly innovate across every opportunity space ourselves.” By opening their data and platform to startups, Curinos hopes to ignite a wave of new solutions—some of which will be AI-driven, others which may not—but all grounded in real industry needs.
The incubator offers startups a powerful advantage. They get access to Curinos’ extensive datasets, a licensing model for product development, technical and business mentorship, and direct links into a market of over 1,200 financial institutions. It’s not just a platform for innovation—it’s a launchpad for growth.
From a FinTech recruitment perspective, this initiative is significant. As new companies emerge from the incubator, they’ll need to scale rapidly—bringing in engineers, data scientists, commercial leads, and customer success professionals. For early-stage firms, hiring the right people at the right time can be make-or-break. That’s where Harrington Starr’s deep knowledge of the FinTech sector, and ability to identify top talent, becomes essential.
From Startup Founder to Enterprise Leader
Olly’s personal story brings a unique perspective to the conversation. Having founded nine startups, his most recent company, Amplero, was acquired by Curinos in 2023. Rather than exit the sector, Olly chose to stay on—taking on the role of Chief Technology and AI Officer.
As Toby notes, the title itself reflects the growing maturity of AI in financial services. It’s no longer a specialist domain sitting under a CIO or CTO. It’s now a core pillar of how businesses are run and scaled. For Olly, moving from startup founder to enterprise leader has brought new challenges—but also new opportunities to apply his experience at scale.
What’s particularly powerful is how Olly sees innovation not as something confined to startups, but as something that can happen anywhere. He talks about the internal hackathons that Curinos runs, and how employees from all parts of the business—from QA to operations—contribute ideas for how to improve the company’s products and processes. For Olly, innovation is about inclusion. It’s about giving people across the business the opportunity to shape the future.
This philosophy resonates strongly in recruitment. Forward-thinking financial services companies are increasingly looking for talent that can bring fresh ideas—regardless of seniority or background. That means hiring not only for experience but for mindset. It also means creating inclusive environments where different perspectives can thrive. At Harrington Starr, we’re passionate about helping businesses build those kinds of teams.
What the Incubator Offers to FinTech Startups
Toby and Olly also discuss the practicalities of the Curinos FinTech incubator—who it’s for, what it offers, and how to get involved. The programme is targeted at early-stage companies from pre-seed through to Series B. At the earlier stages, startups can benefit from access to data and mentorship for product discovery and validation. Later on, they can leverage Curinos’ market presence to drive go-to-market traction and revenue.
Olly is keen to emphasise that startups don’t need to be polished or “perfect” to apply. In fact, the incubator is looking for teams who are honest about their gaps—and who can clearly articulate how Curinos’ assets can help them close those gaps. It’s a partnership, not a pitch competition.
Applications for the incubator’s first cohort close at the end of April, with selections being made in May and the programme launching in July. Startups interested in applying can visit the Curinos website for more information.
The Future of AI in Banking
Looking to the future, Olly sees enormous potential for AI to transform banking in practical ways. One major area is customer service. He envisions AI-driven systems that reduce friction, provide faster answers, and enable customers to get factual information in a conversational and intuitive format.
Another area is decision-making. By democratising access to data and insights, banks can move beyond siloed teams and enable better strategic choices across the business. Whether it’s pricing, marketing, or customer engagement, having the right signals at the right time can dramatically improve performance.
Of course, all of this depends on trust in the data and the AI systems built around it. As Olly puts it, “If you have bad data, the experience—whether it’s AI or not—will be bad.” That’s why Curinos continues to invest heavily in the integrity of its datasets and the transparency of its models.
The Intersection of Human and Machine
Perhaps the most important takeaway from this episode is the reminder that technology doesn’t replace people—it enhances them. Olly and Toby discuss how the best AI systems are designed to support human decision-making, not automate it blindly. Whether it’s summarising analytics, suggesting marketing approaches, or highlighting compliance issues, the goal is to help people do their jobs better.
This is something that resonates across all areas of the FinTech talent market. Businesses today are not just hiring for technical expertise. They’re looking for people who understand how to apply that expertise in complex, real-world environments. They want teams that are diverse, adaptable, and capable of working across boundaries.
Real Innovation Starts with Collaboration
This episode of FinTech Focus TV is a powerful reminder that real innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens when people, data, and ideas come together in the right way. Whether it’s a startup building its first product, a bank transforming its operations, or a company like Curinos launching a global incubator—progress depends on collaboration.
At Harrington Starr, we’re proud to support this ecosystem. As a specialist FinTech staffing business, we help companies of all sizes find the talent they need to grow, innovate, and lead. Whether you’re hiring your first AI engineer, scaling a commercial team, or looking for executive leadership, we can help you find the right people to shape the future.
