Niovant is building an AI operating system that helps financial institutions, particularly in the third sector, eliminate routine work at scale. Our platform ingests data from enterprise systems and uses semi-autonomous AI agents to handle previously time-consuming manual tasks. By turning information into action, we enable organisations to focus on higher-value activities like customer engagement and strategic thinking.
Our current focus is on credit unions, where we’ve observed employees spending significant time on manual data maintenance and correction. Our solution adapts to each organisation’s unique goals, regulations, and customer needs while orchestrating AI automations safely and effectively. This approach helps financial institutions achieve more output with their existing workforce by freeing up time previously spent on low-value data tasks.
As AI capabilities advance, we see a fundamental shift away from static, one-size-fits-all software toward outcome-oriented AI services. Our platform positions Scottish financial institutions at the forefront of this transformation, helping them harness AI to enhance productivity while maintaining their commitment to customer service and community values.
Niovant emerged from the intersection of academic research and practical observation of AI’s impact on financial services. During my MSc in Applied Economics at Strathclyde University in 2023-24, I conducted extensive research analysing over 75,000 occupation-task pairs to understand AI’s potential for both automation and augmentation across the UK economy. This research, which became www.futuretasks.app, revealed the stark impacts that AI will have on the UK labour market.
However, the theoretical framework took on new urgency when I began working directly with credit unions. I observed first-hand how small teams were spending much of their time manually maintaining, distributing, and correcting data – constraining their bandwidth for value-added activities like member engagement and strategic planning. This wasn’t just an efficiency problem; it was preventing these vital community institutions from achieving the economies of scale needed to compete with larger banks.
This realisation led to Niovant’s founding thesis: semi-autonomous AI agents could fundamentally elevate productivity by eliminating routine work at scale, giving organisations back time for higher-value tasks. Rather than replacing workers, our goal was to build an operating system that would help financial institutions, particularly in the third sector, orchestrate AI automations while adapting to their unique goals, regulations, and customer needs.
We began piloting our platform NIOPULSE.AI with Scotwest Credit Union, and are focussed on developing AI workflows that can handle routine data tasks while maintaining the human oversight essential for financial services. Meanwhile, we have trained over 300 credit union staff and volunteers across Scotland on practical AI implementation.
Our progress has been recognised through acceptance into Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub and selection for Techscaler’s San Francisco program. These opportunities have helped us refine our vision of turning information into action – using AI to handle routine work at scale while empowering staff to focus on high-GVA (Gross Value Added) tasks such as customer engagement, creative thinking, and team collaboration.
Looking ahead, we see a tectonic shift away from static, one-size-fits-all software towards AI-driven, outcome-oriented services. We’re positioning Niovant to be at the forefront of this transformation, helping financial institutions harness AI to achieve more with their existing workforce while maintaining their commitment to community values.
Lewis O’Neill
I’m an economist and AI researcher turned founder, working at the intersection of technology and social impact. After studying at the University of Glasgow and completing research on financial crises at the Bank of England, I became fascinated by how AI could transform the way organisations operate. This led me to dive deep into studying AI’s labour market impacts during my MSc at Strathclyde University, which led to me building www.futuretasks.app
Currently, I lead Niovant, where we’re helping credit unions and community financial institutions harness AI to compete with larger banks. Working with over 300 staff across Scotland, I’ve seen firsthand how thoughtful AI implementation can level the playing field for smaller organisations while enhancing employee satisfaction. As a member of Strathclyde’s Generative AI Working Group and through my work at the Fraser of Allander Institute, I’m have also been actively involved in shaping policies that ensure AI benefits society as a whole.
