Winner of the VLC/STARTUP Awards of the Science Park of the University of Valencia (PCUV), the company is focused on the development of customized projects of advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence for the tourism sector
Quique García and Francisco Vaquer, both graduates in Industrial Electronic Engineering, began a reflection process in 2021 that led to the creation of Deepsense, a company focused on advanced data analytics and AI applied to the tourism sector through customized projects. This innovative perspective allowed them to win one of the awards of the VLC Startup contest, something that has allowed them to grow in a space like the environment of the Science Park of the University of Valencia (PCUV).
In addition to this tandem of engineers, a mathematician and a doctor in advanced data analytics have recently joined the project, complementing the knowledge provided by the founders, who coincided as university students. Vaquer later worked as a data manager in a Valencian SME and studied a Master's degree in Big Data. García, who studied a Master's degree in Data Science at the UV, worked in Madrid, first in a consulting firm and then at Orange, developing advanced data analytics tasks. Their paths came together again in the Master in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Valencia.
With these bases, the project has been launched without "any kind of public or private funding, beyond the VLC Startup contest of the PCUV and the Santander bank, which has covered a small part of the investment in office and equipment that was made at the beginning of this year," says García, who acknowledges the team's caution when seeking external financing. "If the company was set up to make our own decisions, we want to continue to maintain that independence, even if we are somewhat slower in growth. Our model is not scalable at the present time either," says García, whose project prioritizes "laying the foundations, seeing needs that can become products and starting to develop a minimum viable product that can provide scalability in the medium or long term based on knowledge of the sector's needs and problems".
"If the company was set up to be able to make our own decisions, we want to continue to maintain that independence, even if we are a little slower in growth," Quique Garcia, CEO and co-founder of Deepsense
Interest of the tourism sector in data analysis
With tourism as a field of action, in a country that is an international benchmark in the sector where, however, it has not been until recent years that the foundations have been laid for technological development, led by the Valencian Community and destinations such as Valencia and Benidorm, the founders of Deepsense explain that "tourism generates an infinite amount of data that has not been exploited until now: airline data, reservations, sustainability, traceability of tourists, tourist visits or products, among others. By combining these data, a lot of value can be extracted to help companies improve their services or products and become more efficient," said García.
The progress that data processing means also translates into a problem when it comes to guaranteeing the protection and security of the information, according to Deepsense, whose team advocates the ethical, social, political and legal components of data processing.
"In the field of artificial intelligence, for example, the European Union regulates use cases, prohibiting those related to scoring people, surveillance or behavioral manipulation," recalls Garcia, who also refers to the recent debate around the implications of AI in terms of privacy and in the social and labor sphere. "It is an important step for citizens to become familiar with these technologies. If anything, the famous developments such as ChatGPT have allowed us to bring the debate and awareness of the use and limits of AI to all social layers," he stresses.
"Spain is one of the world leaders in the tourism sector and it has only been in recent years that the foundations for technological development have been laid, led by the Valencian Community and destinations such as Valencia and Benidorm", Quique García, CEO and co-founder of Deepsense
The regulation on AI should be aimed at applications and uses, and not so much in the regulation of research and development, share from this PCUV company. "I am not aware of a regulation that limits research, for example, in the field of nuclear sciences, but in the use and applications of these, for example, the use of nuclear weapons. I think we should take the same path with AI: regulate its use, not research," says García, one of the founders of Deepsense.
Recognition and future
Since its beginnings, this Valencian company has obtained several awards and recognitions that have served them, as they value, as a "showcase at the national level", which has allowed them at the same time a better positioning and differentiation in favor of impact and visibility. "The awards endorse our work, and it is essential in such early stages, where the important thing is the speed with which you iterate, innovate and reap results," García acknowledges.
In addition to the VLC/STARTUP Awards of the PCUV, Deepsense has received other recent awards for its participation in the project together with VISIT VALÈNCIA, "First study of tourist card uses and buyer behavior," which won the Digital Tourist award from the Spanish technology companies' association AMETIC, in the category Data Management in DTIs, an initiative that has also been recognized at the AMETIC Artificial Intelligence Summit 2023 event, which is supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation through the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, in the category "Social&Public AI". Both awards have valued the implementation of advanced data analytics and AI methods to analyze the use of the Valencia Tourist Card and to monitor and investigate the needs of each tourist with the aim of acquiring greater knowledge and personalizing the tourist offer in the city.
Regarding the future, García stresses that the company's main focus lies in "consolidating sustained growth" at a time when the company is in a phase of validation of the business model. "If we are able to finish establishing ourselves in the sector and maintain the recurrence of clients this year, our objective will be more than achieved. From then on, the goal is to continue growing and to continue having fun with what we do every day," García concludes.