.jpeg)
Councilbox is a Galician startup that offers remote meetings and citizen services with legal backing, and was invested in by Wayra, Telefónica's open innovation hub. This contract is part of a €315 million investment in the digital transformation of the justice system in Spain. EVID, the Ministry of Justice's Digital Immediacy Virtual Desktop, represents a saving of one million kilometers and 30,000 hours of citizen travel.
In line with the 2030 Agenda, the Ministry of Justice has today signed a contract to develop the Digital Immediacy Virtual Desk with Telefónica and Councilbox, a Galician startup invested in by Wayra, Telefónica's open innovation hub, which offers remote meetings and citizen services with legal backing.
This is proof of how the digitalization process of institutions is becoming increasingly agile, incorporating tools that allow different types of procedures to be carried out electronically.
“The signing of this agreement is part of the €315 million investment aimed at ensuring that the digital transformation of justice in Spain continues to be a reality in all jurisdictions,” stated Javier Hernández Díez, Deputy Director General of Development and Implementation of Digital Services at the Ministry of Justice.
Through EVID, the Ministry of Justice offers virtual services to citizens, allowing administrative procedures that previously had to be carried out in person to be carried out electronically in an easy, secure, and legal way. This allows citizens to request appointments, submit and sign documents, and receive personalized service remotely. The entire process is stored on blockchain, a technology that guarantees data security and provides legal backing. Among the procedures EVID allows are obtaining criminal record certificates, certificates of sexual orientation, and certificates of last will and testament. Furthermore, users can complete these procedures from the comfort of their home or any other location, saving one million kilometers and 30,000 hours of travel time. The benefit is also environmental, with an estimated reduction of 300 tons of CO2 per year. The implementation of Councilbox is simple from the very beginning and requires no extra investment in infrastructure, networks, additional software, or security. For citizens, the only requirement is an internet-connected device. “This tool was specially developed for the Ministry of Justice to support its digital transformation process by addressing its specific technological and legal needs,” explained Agustín Cárdenas, Director of Business Transformation at Telefónica Empresas. The platform, with all its features and advantages, can be adapted for other public administrations. “Councilbox adapts to the requirements of each case, such as cloud environment security certification or tool integration. In this way, we adjust to the specific demands of each institution to provide convenient, secure, and legally sound virtual citizen services,” explained Javier Polo, CEO of Councilbox. The agreement comes after Wayra invested in Councilbox, participating in its Series A funding round along with Adara and Abanca. Marta Antunez, director of Wayra Barcelona, emphasizes the importance of supporting startups that can help digitize businesses and the public administration, such as Councilbox: “Wayra’s goal is to connect startups with disruptive technologies like blockchain with Telefónica, so they can provide innovative solutions to large clients and enable them to offer better service to their users. This success story with the Ministry of Justice is a clear example of this.”
About Council Box Councilbox was launched in 2015 as a startup in Vigo (Galicia) within the legal technology sector by Agustín Tourón and Víctor López. The firm focuses on offering comprehensive solutions to enable the remote holding of meetings requiring legal validity, such as corporate meetings, plenary sessions, board meetings, management committees, etc. It has also recently developed an IT solution for remote citizen services (mainly procedures and administrative tasks) provided by public administrations. Since the launch of its first product in 2016, Councilbox has received seed funding from Peak Thomas and support from startup accelerators such as Cuatrecasas Acelera, Telefónica Open Future, and Microsoft for Startups for product development and the gradual increase of its revenue. Last year, 2020, marked a turning point for the company due to the increased demand for solutions for organizing online meetings from businesses and institutions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first half of 2021, Councilbox brought on new partners (Wayra/Telefónica, Abanca, and Adara Ventures) to accelerate its growth, become the leading firm in Spain within the legaltech segment, and embark on the first phase of the company's internationalization.