Bankruptcy Prediction with Explainable Artificial Intelligence for Early-Stage Business Models

Bankruptcy is a significant risk for start-up companies, but with the help of cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology, we can now predict bankruptcy with detailed explanations. In this paper, we implemented the Category Boosting algorithm following data cleaning and editing using OpenRefine. We further explained our model using the Shapash library, incorporating domain knowledge. By leveraging the 5C's credit domain knowledge, financial analysts in banks or investors can utilize the detailed results provided by our model to enhance their decision-making processes, even without extensive knowledge about AI. This empowers investors to identify potential bankruptcy risks in their business models, enabling them to make necessary improvements or reconsider their ventures before proceeding. As a result, our model serves as a "glass-box" model, allowing end-users to understand which specific financial indicators contribute to the prediction of bankruptcy. This transparency enhances trust and provides valuable insights for decision-makers in mitigating bankruptcy risks.