TECOUS, the UAB start-up that transforms legal texts into clear and accessible information
The startup, created by UAB's alumni, has developed a legal technology solution that helps organisations communicate terms and conditions, privacy policies and other legal documents more clearly.
In the digital world, we often accept terms and conditions without reading them. Long documents, complicated legal language and structures that are hard to understand make it difficult to know what you are agreeing to. To make this legal information easier to understand, TECOUS has developed a platform that transforms complex legal documents into clearer, more visual and accessible content.
The solution developed by this start-up from the Autonomous University of Barcelona organises the information into different levels of readability and combines simple language, summaries, icons and visual aids. This helps users to find the most important parts of a document quickly, while still being able to see the complete legal text.
From legal texts to easy-to-use digital experiences
TECOUS's methodology combines legal expertise, technology, legal design and accessibility criteria. Its system identifies the key elements of documents and presents them in an easy-to-navigate interface that makes it simple to understand the rights, obligations and conditions that apply.
"The most common lie on the internet is when people click 'I have read and accept the terms and conditions' without having read them. We want people to think about whether they want to do it or not," says Francesc Serras, who started TECOUS with someone else.
It's not just digital platforms that make legal information difficult to understand. It also affects privacy policies, regulations, how businesses talk to people, how much money businesses can give to other businesses, and other documents that say how people can work with businesses and institutions.
TECOUS's technology is aimed at organisations that manage legal or administrative documentation, particularly in areas such as e-commerce. Using it means that this content can be presented in more accessible formats and makes it easier to understand.
A history linked to innovation and the UAB
TECOUS is made up of a team of people from different backgrounds, including law, technology, communications and engineering. One of the people who started the company studied at UAB, and the company has worked with the university even more since it started Emprèn UAB, a service to help people at the university to set up their own businesses.
The company was one of the winning projects at the seventh iFest, the entrepreneurship and innovation programme promoted by the Government of Catalonia. This recognition allowed it to take part in an international accelerator programme in Lisbon. It has also been part of the AI Accelerator, the Catalan programme that helps companies using artificial intelligence.
In 2026, TECOUS worked with the Government of Catalonia to make legal communications clearer and easier to understand, while keeping the legal information the same. The company has also taken part in the Cruïlla (AI) regulatory learning sandbox, coordinated by the UAB-Cruïlla Chair. There, it has worked with the Catalan Data Protection Authority on a proposal to explain, in a more understandable way, what data is collected and how it is used in artificial intelligence-based experiences. Earlier this year, TECOUS took part in 4YFN at the UAB stand. There, it showed off its technology and used it to make the conference regulations easier to understand and use.