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Councilbox, the first platform to allow virtual meetings with legal support
- The platform offers two types of service: one focused on virtual meetings and the other on citizen services.
- Councilbox guarantees legal backing through end-to-end process management and fully secure blockchain-based data storage with no installation required
Madrid, October 21, 2021 – The social-distancing and lockdown measures adopted to combat COVID-19 have boosted remote meetings, also affecting citizen attention, both in private companies and in the Public Administration. However, certain processes require legal support and the most popular videoconferencing solutions cannot guarantee that.
Councilbox, a Galician firm specialized in legal technology, offers a solution to this need. It thus becomes the first Spanish platform for companies to hold this type of online meetings with full legal backing.
“Councilbox is the ideal tool to comply with legal regulations, as it allows the traceability of decision making and the generation of evidence,” explains its CEO, Javier Polo. In this regard, the company offers two types of services: meetings and citizen services. In addition, thanks to its technological capacity, it is capable of carrying out customized projects for large clients.
Virtual meetings
The meetings may be of shareholders or neighborhood communities, assemblies, corporate committees, or plenary meetings of public bodies, among others, guaranteeing their total legality. Councilbox makes it possible to form quorums from any location and to participate remotely, also promoting a healthy work-life balance.
The main difference between Councilbox and a meeting or assembly held on any other virtual platform is that it has legal backing without the need for a notary. This means that, if someone challenges a meeting, the platform is able to demonstrate what happened, from the initial announcement to the closing of the minutes, and without the possibility of the video being manipulated or the identity of the participants being supplanted. Legal security in all processes is achieved thanks to the storage of data with blockchain technology.
In addition, Councilbox allows you to manage the whole meeting in one single session from beginning to end – practical, simple, and convenient. “The holding of corporate meetings entails complex operational, bureaucratic and legal burdens that overloads the administrative team with work. Councilbox does not require any prior installation, so it does not imply any additional work for the organization. It saves up to 80% of the time spent preparing and holding meetings and minimizes possible errors, thanks to the simplification of the convening and holding processes,” adds CEO Javier Polo. Productivity and profitability are thus increased, and the monitoring and control by the manager is made much easier.
OVAC (Virtual Citizen Service Office)
On the other hand, and thanks to OVAC, public administrations can provide citizen services in a virtual and 100% traceable way. It is as personal and secure as doing it in person, but with the convenience of doing it from anywhere with a device connected to the Internet. So much so that institutions such as the Spanish Ministry of Justice rely on this tool, which can also be applied to banking, police or health care services, among others.
Through OVAC, it is possible to carry out the usual procedures of a citizen service office and receive remote assistance. OVAC manages the entire process, from booking an appointment to sending information or signing documents. This solution offers numerous advantages, such as the recording of evidence of the procedure and the information provided, and the traceability of the process that does not exist in the on-site service. Another benefit is the reduction of management costs for the Public Administration. It also avoids the need for citizens to travel, especially those who live far from the administration or who do not have time to travel there.
As with the meetings solution, the security of the process performed with OVAC is also supported by blockchain technology, which stores electronic evidence, legal documents and data of all actions performed.
Legal support for all types of organizations
With all this, Councilbox provides legal signature and custody to all processes and meetings of a company or institution, increasing not only legal support, but also corporate transparency.
Both the meetings solution and OVAC offer maximum versatility as they are valid for any type of organization and they can be configured to comply with legislations and adapt to any legal need of the entity.
Proof of this is that the company held more than 600 remote meetings in 2020 with more than 120,000 votes cast, a trend that continues in 2021 with more than 450 meetings and 80,000 votes during the first half of the year. Our clients include companies and institutions such as Acciona, Codere, Cuatrecasas, Solaria, EiDF Solar, Meliá Hoteles, Booking.com, Banca March, Abanca, Sacyr, Citrix, the Spanish Olympic Committee and the Mutualidad de la Abogacía.
About Councilbox
Councilbox is a legaltech startup founded in 2015 in Vigo (Galicia) by Agustín Tourón and Víctor López. The firm is focused on offering comprehensive solutions to enable remote meeting processes that require legal validity, such as corporate meetings, plenary sessions, board meetings, management committees, etc. Councilbox has also recently developed an IT solution for remote citizen services (mainly procedures and paperwork) for public administrations.
Ever since the launch of its first product in 2016, Councilbox has benefited from the investment of Peak Thomas in its seed capital and from the support of startup incubators such as Cuatrecasas Acelera, Telefónica Open Future or Microsoft for Startups in developing its products and progressively growing its turnover. 2020 was a turning point for the company due to the increase in demand for telematics meeting solutions from companies and institutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the first six months of 2021, Councilbox welcomed new investors (Wayra/Telefónica, Abanca and Adara Ventures) in view of accelerating its growth, becoming the leader in the Spanish legaltech sector, and taking the first steps along its path to going international.
More information: https://www.councilbox.com/
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