In an interview with Startupport.de, Dr Diana Schönenberger, founder of BonusBot, explains how the start-up uses optical character recognition (OCR) and speech recognition technologies to help simplify bureaucratic processes in the German social security system. The founding and development of BonusBot was significantly supported by Leuphana University as well as the Startup Port and its HOLII programme.
Where did the inspiration for BonusBot come from and how did you recognise the need?
“The founding of BonusBot was inspired by personal strokes of fate and my involvement in social welfare, where I became aware of the need for digitalisation in the social sector. This start-up aims to counter the increasing shortage of skilled labour in social work and social pedagogy, which is being exacerbated by demographic change and social challenges such as migration and the Covid crisis. Women, who are predominantly employed in this sector and often work without sufficient digital support, are particularly affected.
Through my technology-oriented background, I recognised a unique opportunity to address challenges in social work and social pedagogy with IT solutions to improve access to and effectiveness of social services: My academic career at Leuphana University and in London – business psychology, innovation management and technology policy – combined with practical experience in the social sector, formed the basis for the development of BonusBot.”
What does the BonusBot solution look like? What is the innovation?
“BonusBot aims to offer people in need quick and uncomplicated access to social services. Our system bridges the knowledge gaps in counselling and offers security in quality by supporting professionals in the application process, freeing up valuable time for the really important aspects of social work: social workers choose their job to help people, not to fill out paperwork. In reality, filling out forms and calculating the best funding options for people seeking advice is a time-consuming and unpopular part of the job. BonusBot speeds up and professionalises funding advice – for professionals, but also for career changers. BonusBot simply shows clients what they are entitled to and helps them to apply immediately.
Innovation is not just a new algorithm that didn’t exist before. It’s about bringing a product or service into the world that is new in this combination and has a big change, a big benefit for our society. Ideas that can lead to economic, entrepreneurial success when realised on the market are more than just technical progress.
The Online Access Act will enable applications to be submitted online via a portal network in future. Every authority at federal or state level is going online in order to be present and accessible. This is generally great. We are now looking at digitalisation from the perspective of ordinary citizens: the algorithms behind BonusBot focus on the specific situation of applicants and their families, facilitate the optimal selection of benefits and automate the complete application, document selection and management for subsequent applications, e.g. for further approval or the new living situation. We put people at the centre, not applications.”
How did you find your team and what are the development steps of BonusBot?
“I got to know my start-up team at Diakonie: all of my employees have a disability, a migration background or were already retired. They each have a story, their own experiences and know what we are all about.
We are building BonusBot step by step and are also customising the software for different customers. Initially, we are targeting BonusBot Pro at professional users from advice centres, schools, universities, carers and integration officers, etc. We simplify counselling work by calculating and filling out forms.
After this development step, we will actively expand the 4U app and then also launch OCR in several languages. We use technology according to the needs of our customers. This also applies to artificial intelligence: we were already working with it before the hype surrounding AI, but we didn’t integrate it into the current version, only into the 4U app – as an option for customers.
I believe that the core of a successful market launch and progress is not that we immediately put everything that is technically possible into BonusBot, but that we solve a real social problem – a problem of bureaucracy and injustice. To do this, we don’t need everything that is humanly possible, but a safe, well-tested technology that is fed with all the knowledge that we have from our many years of experience and research, but also from network partners, pilot customers and mentors.”
What exactly did the start-up support from Leuphana or Startup Port look like?
“From the idea at Diakonie to the business model, the HOLII programme from Startup Port helped us above all through the resulting exchange with others – the networking and also the mentoring at Leuphana by Carsten Wille from Startup Port, Prof. Paul Drews and especially by our HOLII mentor Mr Krause from Sparkasse Lüneburg was extremely helpful.”
How did Startup Port’s HOLII programme help turn BonusBot from an idea into reality?
“After participating in the HOLII programme, we received a start-up grant and the support from Leuphana University and Startup Port continued after the programme to realise our business plan. As the first in my family to graduate from high school and coming from a working-class background, it was particularly important for me to build a strong network to gain access to valuable advice and experience from areas that were previously foreign to me.”
How did the collaboration with experts and mentors as part of the HOLII programme influence the development and direction of BonusBot?
“When we decided to launch a Pro version on the market first and then gradually move into the 4U area and later into other sectors, we received a lot of encouragement from the programme’s experts. This has encouraged us. When you have limited resources, you can’t develop everything at the same time. But an app for everyone is my vision and motivation.”
What are the future plans for BonusBot and are there already plans to expand the services or scale the project?
“We have registered the brand and secured all possible EU-wide domains. It’s clear that in the future we will not only enter the business-to-consumer market, but also the GovTech sector – where we already have enquiries from customers – and also directly into areas that are relevant for older people – there are around 17 million senior citizens in Germany, and the trend is rising. We are constantly expanding our calculations and currently reach 20 to 25 per cent of the German population with the types of applications we cover by supporting social institutions. In view of the ongoing shortage of skilled labour and the large number of people who need support, our start-up has a significant task ahead of it.”
