What I Learned at Plug and Play's Open Valley Accelerator in Andorra
Doshi was recently selected to join Plug and Play's Open Valley accelerator programme in Andorra, working directly with Creand, a leading financial institution.
Doshi was recently selected to join Plug and Play's Open Valley accelerator programme in Andorra, working directly with Creand (Crèdit Andorrà) — one of the principality's leading financial institutions. Here's what stood out.
The Programme
Open Valley is Plug and Play's accelerator designed to connect startups with financial institutions in Andorra. For Doshi, it meant direct access to senior stakeholders at Creand — from the Head of Marketing and Head of IT through to the innovation and digital banking teams. That kind of access from day one is rare, and it set the tone for the entire week.
It was great to meet Santiago de Larrea Teruel, Director of Innovation, and Ana Valcarce Nogueiras, who were both instrumental in making the programme productive from the start.
Why Creand Is Interesting
Creand sits at an interesting intersection. They're a well-established institution serving a unique market — Andorra's banking sector operates across multiple languages, serves a highly international client base, and is navigating the same digital transformation challenges facing banks worldwide. The energy from their team was genuine. They see the value in engagement-led approaches and are eager to move quickly.
The Startup Cohort
The calibre of startups in the programme was impressive. Build38, a Series A mobile security company founded by Pedro Hernández and Joaquín Fernández, brought deep expertise in app protection — a space every bank is thinking about. Novem, an Oslo-based data visualisation platform led by Sondov Engen and Martin Feigum Johansen, stood out for their sharp approach to making complex data accessible. Both teams, like Doshi, are using Plug and Play as a launchpad to expand internationally. The diversity of the group made for great conversations — and a few potential partnerships worth exploring.
Key Takeaways
Stakeholder buy-in matters more than pitch decks. Having the right people in the room — heads of marketing, IT, innovation, and digital banking — meant conversations moved from "what do you do?" to "how do we integrate?" in a single day.
Banks want autonomy in their content workflows. A recurring theme was the desire for systems that can generate and manage content with human oversight rather than human effort. Banks want to monitor and approve, not build from scratch every time.
Wealth advisory is a growing digital frontier. There's clear appetite for better tooling around wealth visibility — understanding client intent earlier, surfacing signals for advisors, and serving the silver generation digitally without excluding them.
Accelerators are about relationships, not just product. The most valuable moments weren't in the formal sessions. They were in the side conversations, the impromptu coffees, and the connections that will turn into calls next month.
Looking Ahead
We're continuing our work with Creand over the coming weeks, with deeper dives into their marketing workflows and technical integration. The foundation built during Open Valley gives us a strong starting point — and a reminder that the best partnerships start with genuine excitement on both sides.