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Finovate Alumni News-- January 9, 2013

  • Gartner highlights Comarch Commission & Incentive in recent report.
  • FIS announces expanded relationship with Modern Woodmen Bank.
  • TomTom uses Keynote DeviceAnywhere for real-time performance monitoring in Paris.
  • The New York Times features Simple's approach to customer service.
  • Check Point Software Technologies introduces new ZoneAlarm 2013 security product line, integrates Facebook Privacy Scan.
  • MyBankTracker looks at Movenbank's new site layout. Come see Movenbank's live demo at FinovateEurope Feb 12 and 13.
  • Daily Tekk interviews Brendon McQueen, CEO of Tuition.io.
  • eToro launches new version of its WebTrader platform.
  • Dwolla introduces new look, allows users to apply for higher transaction limits.
  • Cardlytics opens office in San Fran, appoints new SVP of Marketing. Come see Cardlytics demo at FinovateEurope next month.
  • CNBC interviews Barry Silbert, SecondMarket CEO, to understand why entreprenuers avoid IPOs.
  • Bank Systems & Technology considers how NICE's newest solution uses voice recognition to prevent fraud. Come see NICE demo its new tech live at FinovateEurope in London February 12 and 13.
  • Biometric Update highlights a year of new customers and pilot projects from VoiceTrust.
  • TechCrunch features a video interview with Betterment CEO and founder, Jon Stein.
  • Experian announces deal to provide address and mortality screening services to Guardian Financial Services.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.
Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgHere is a list of all the funding Finovate alumni received over the course of 2012.  

After an impressive 2011, where more than $423 million was raised, 2012 was even better, with more than $450 raised.

A few stand-out metrics for the year:

  • A total of 44 companies received funding, some more than once in 2012
  • Combined, more than $450 million was raised
  • The best quarter for raising capital was the first quarter when more than $150 was raised
  • The biggest funding month this year was March, with more than $68 million raised by three companies
Here is a month-by-month breakdown of funding received.

January -- $25 million raised by 3 companies
Currensee: $2 million -- blog post
Finsphere: $11.3 million -- blog post
HelloWallet: $12 million -- blog post

February -- $57 million raised by 5 companies
Capital Access Network: $30 million -- blog post
Dwolla: $5 million -- blog post
Jemstep: $6 million -- blog post
Kabbage: undisclosed -- blog post
Xero: $16.6 million -- blog post

March -- $68 million raised by 3 companies
Boku: $35 million -- blog post
eToro: $15 million -- blog post
ThreatMetrix: $18 million -- blog post

April -- $2.5 million raised by 1 company
miiCard: $2.5 million -- blog post

May -- $55.5 million raised by 5 companies
Kony: $15 million - blog post
Pindrop Security: $1 million -- blog post
SecureKey: $30 million -- blog post
SoMoLend: $1.17 million -- blog post
Yodlee: $8.3 million -- blog post

June -- More than $62 million raised by 8 companies
Affinity Solutions: $14.5 million -- blog post
Arroweye Solutions: $3 million -- blog post
Cartera Commerce: $12.2 million -- blog post
Credit Sesame: $12 million -- blog post
Doughmain: undisclosed -- blog post
Lending Club: $15 million -- blog post
Nutmeg: $5.3 million -- blog post
Planwise: $200,000 -- blog post

July -- $6 million raised by 2 companies
Continuity Control: $1 million -- press release
SaveUp: $5 million -- blog post

August -- More than $49 million raised by 6 companies*
DemystData: undisclosed -- blog post
FutureAdvisor: $5 million -- blog post
FreeMonee: $34 million -- blog post
The Currency Cloud: $3.1 million -- blog post
CashStar: $5 million -- blog post
Continuity Control: $2.25 million -- blog post

September -- More than $59 million raised by 5 companies
Banno: $2 million -- press release
Betterment: $10 million -- press release
Edo Interactive: $15 million -- press release
Fuze Network: $2.5 million -- press release
Kabbage: $30 million -- blog post

October -- $37 million raised by 2 companies
The Currency Cloud: $1.9 million -- blog post
Braintree: $35 million -- blog post

November -- More than $23 raised by 4 companies
ActivePath: $10 million -- blog post
Jingit: $7 million -- blog post
Bazaarvoice: $6.7 million -- blog post
Xero: $49 million -- blog post

December -- More than $16 million raised by 4 companies
Waspit: $3 million -- blog post
Controlabill: $570,000 (A$600,000) -- blog post
Zopa: undisclosed -- blog post
ShopKeep POS: $10 million - blog post
Clover Networks: $3.3 million - blog post

*In addition to the companies listed for August, On Deck Capital raised $100 million in credit facility commitments.

Note: Funding that companies received before they demonstrated at Finovate was not counted. Questions? Comments? E-mail us at Julie@Finovate.com or David@Finovate.com.
  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgAmerican Banker features Banno CEO Wade Arnold, calling him a "coder in the cornfields."
  • American Banker names PayPal and Wonga 2 of 8 non-banks to watch in 2013.
  • Mint.com encourages users to add goals by holding $500 sweepstakes.
  • Deccan Herlad examines Yodlee's plan to move into India.
  • Forbes considers the best job titles of 2012: Min Xuan Lee, PlayMoolah's Princess of Possibility named #1.
  • MoneyDesktop to power Cubus Solutions' online banking services.
  • Geezeo to power Wings Financial PFM.
  • Billion Success blog interviews David Barrett, Expensify CEO.
  • OneDayGlobal blog profiles Entrepreneurial Finance Lab.
  • Silicon Prairie reports: Dwolla-powered Koala Pay aims to help merchants, customers connect.
  • Andera adds Gesa CU & Central Star CU for online account opening, loan applications.
  • Marketing Technology Blog highlights Flint Mobile and its camera-based payment processing system.
  • Ixaris completes move to new offices in San Gwann.
  • TSYS announces ProPay acquisition now complete.
  • Experian is offering a searchable consumer credit database.
  • Locaid Technologies wins FastPitch competition at Locations & Beyond Summit 2012.
  • Billhighway provides mobile donation services for Make A Difference animal rescue event.
  • Huffington Post features WattzOn among its best apps for tracking home energy use.
  • The Tennessean takes a look at the rebranding of Portfolio Football as Sports Lever.
  • LifeHacker quotes SmartCredit.com president of consumer education on credit and credit scores.
  • Betterment and PageOnce earn spots in TechCrunch's feature: "7 Apps That Will Keep Your New Year's Resolutions Alive".
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Alumni News-- December 17, 2012

  • FiservThumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpg launches mobile app for UChoose Rewards.
  • Affinity Solutions brings "Big Data" capability to card-linked offers.
  • StockTwits launches a new app for HootSuite.
  • Business Insider looks at Expensify's team building trip overseas.
  • HelloWallet launches financial wellness workforce assessment for employers.
  • Des Moines Register considers Giftly's remote gift card giving app.
  • American Banker reports Lawrence Summers, formerly one of President Obama's top economic advisors, joins Lending Club's board of directors.
  • Tyfone is expanding into Latin America through a deal with Protege Sistemas of Brazil.
  • Gesa Credit Union chooses Andera's oFlows platform.
  • Reuters recommends visiting Betterment, Personal Capital, and LearnVest for year-end money advice.
  • Bill.com launches new application platform powered by open APIs for third-party developers to integrate native apps with Bill.com's software.
  • New miiCard DirectID Check allows SMBs & professionals to perform bank-level ID proofing online.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.
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  • Payelp Global partners with SafetyPay to expand online payment options for merchants and customers worldwide.
  • Enloop releases the next generation of its business planning app to help entrepreneurs plan businesses.
  • Social Money announces launch of new product, CorePro, with a new partner, The Bancorp.
  • Tradeshift announces partnership with Verbella CMG, an SAP Content mgmt. solutions provider.
  • Anton Commissaris, a founding exec of Mint.com, joins Credit Sesame as COO.
  • Betterment enhances advice for life goals.
  • Capital Access Network names advisory board to guide launch and growth of latest offering to small businesses, CapTap.
  • CNBC reports CashStar, WEX partner to provide eGift card services.
  • New partnership with Klarna helps 3dcart reach European customers.
  • Compass Plus earns high ranking in annual PayX report.
  • AdExchanger interviews Bazaarvoice Media GM Barkow.
  • Team Bronson Moneymakers reviews Jingit.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.
  • Interactive Investor purchases DCisions, closes InvestorBee service.
Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpg
  • Finextra reports Rabobank Australia and NZ selects ThreatMetrix to secure online channels.
  • InComm & SkyMall Ventures partner to launch electronic gift card program.
  • Opus Research report recognises ValidSoft as leader in voice biometrics.
  • AloStar Bank of Commerce chooses Andera's oFlows for online account opening.
  • TIO adds mobile bill pay app to its suite of services for El Paso Electric.
  • Radian Mortgage Insurance now available through Mortgagebot's loan origination system.
  • E-invoicing Platform features AcceptEmail.
  • Xconomy examines how Giftly will disrupt traditional gift card market.
  • Luup signs partnership with Arab Link, provider of money transfer and exchange services in Abu Dhabi.
  • Crunched lists On Deck in top 25 startups to work for.
  • TechCrunch reports Holvi Plans To Disrupt Traditional Bank Accounts With Simple But Powerful Services.
  • Citi Innovation Lab and SapientNitro honored at National Infocomm Awards in Singapore for next-generation banking experience.
  • ActivePath merges with PowerInbox.
  • Experian expands debt-collection product suite with TrueTrace.
  • DeviceFidelity launches moneto prepaid MasterCard.
  • BlinkMobile announces five more councils to adopt BlinkForms.
  • Klarna earns 2012 Entrepreneur of the Year award from European Tech Tour Association.
  • Money Smart Life reviews Betterment and Kapitall.
  • American Banker reports Betterment deepens finance advice features.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.
  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgBill Dwight, CEO of FamZoo, interviewed by Unlock Your Wealth Radio.
  • TechCrunch reports BillGuard Teams Up With Lemon's Mobile Wallet, Will Alert Users To Fraudulent Charges.
  • MyBankTracker reviews Betterment's gift registry feature.
  • Tech in Asia describes why Striata caught its eye at FinovateAsia.
  • Personal Loan Finder looks at SocietyOne.
  • BetaKit reports ShopKeep adds employee time tracking feature to iPad POS system.
  • SecureKey launches Online Authentication Service for Government of Canada.
  • TechCrunch reports Lending Club Surpasses $1B In Personal Loans, Hits Profitability.
  • PaySimple Launches ReceivablesPro Turnkey Private-Label Solution.
  • Campaign Asia reports London-based Innovation Agency launches in Singapore.
  • At FinovateAsia, Barclays announces the launch of PFM powered by Strands.
  • SG Entrepreneurs covers Perfectsen's launch of The Hook at FinovateAsia.
  • Des Moines Register covers Dwolla's MassPay.
  • e27 lists 3 finance startups that caught their eye at FinovateAsia 2012.
  • Pando Daily reports Bazaarvoice replaces its CEO and acquires Longboard Media.
  • Finextra reports Authentify opens Japanese subsidiary.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Alumni Bring in Funding

Over the past month, we've had four Finovate alums receive funding. Here they are in alphabetical order:

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for BannoLogo3.jpg

Banno
Funding: $2 million
Investors: Iowa Economic Development Authority's Innovation Acceleration Fund and private sector loan 
Funding total: $2.5 million
Funding purpose: Hire talent, upgrade data center infrastructure
Headquarters: Cedar Falls, IA
Founded: 2008
FinovateFall 2012 demo video

Thumbnail image for BettermentLogo8.25.jpg
Investors: Menlo Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Anthemis Group
Funding total: $13 million
Funding purpose: Improve the mobile experience, add better options for short term goals, and create new ways to encourage people to make the most of their money
Headquarters: NYC, New York
Founded: 2008

Thumbnail image for edoInteractiveLogo.jpg
Investors: VantagePoint Capital Partners, Baird Venture Partners, and other existing investors
Funding total: $54 million
Funding purpose: Expand reach of local offers technology
Headquarters: Nashville, TN
Founded: 2007

Thumbnail image for Fuze_Network1Logo.jpg
Investors: Ribbit Capital, Matrix Partners
Funding total: $5 million
Headquarters: Salt Lake City, UT
Founded: 2009
  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgTagit wins coveted Emerging Enterprise Award 2012.
  • BlogTalkRadio talks to Kathryn Petralia, COO & Co-founder of Kabbage.
  • Offermatic alters business model, no longer pursuing card-linked offers.
  • Chicago Tribune looks at Future Advisor and Betterment as two inexpensive investing platforms.
  • BBC news reports Zopa has lent more than £200m since it started in 2005.
  • Credit Sesame Scores $12 Million in Series C Funding.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.
  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgTechCrunch hosts Jon Stein, Betterment CEO, to talk about the future of investing.
  • Backbase signs Higher One, a leading financial services provider for colleges & universities.
  • Bank Technology News reports Yodlee opens a workshop to boost startups.
  • TechCrunch reports SigFig launches.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.
Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpg
  • Bazaarvoice appoints Kelly Connery as GM of brands in North America & Matthew Schatz as GM of retail & emerging markets.
  • SoMoLend wins first place prize in the University of Dayton's 2011-12 Business Plan Competition. See it demo live at FinovateSpring.
  • Bank Technology News reports Intuit Buys M-Payments Co. AisleBuyer.
  • Over 100 institutional partners offer Currensee Trade Leaders Investment program to investors.
  • Expensify Lite iPhone app is now Expensify.
  • Mashable features Personal Capital. Come see its live demo at FinovateSpring.
  • Equifax launches ID protection & credit monitoring product for the family.
  • Ping Identity partners with Macnica Networks.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.
  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgFamZoo lists the cost of the 6 partnership options for financial institutions.
  • Dough Roller lists Betterment as 1 of 5 ways to automate your finances.
  • Social Lending Network reports Lending Club and Prosper collectively issue over $50 mil in loans.
  • Q2ebanking names David Peterson EVP, customer experience and innovation.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Thumbnail image for BOSBadge.jpg

We recently looked back at Finovate's Best of Show Awards archives and wanted to share the list of the 41 award-winning companies.

Here's the Best of Show history that stretches back to 2007, the inception of Finovate:


Finovate2007.jpg

Held October 2, 2007


Mint: Online PFM for individuals

Mortgagebot's Mortgage Marvel: Mortgage marketplace

Prosper: P2P lending network


FinovateStartup.jpg

Held April 29, 2008


First ROI (now BancVue): Develops products and services for community financial institutions

Jwaala: Provides software solutions to help financial institutions compete

Zecco: Online stock and options trading

Zopa: P2P lending network


Finovate2008.jpg

Held October 14, 2008

CheckFree: Online banking platform 

Credit Karma: Provides a free and easy way for consumers to understand, monitor and monetize their credit profile

Mint: Online PFM for individuals

Neosaej's MoneyAisle: Platform where banks compete in live auctions for an individual consumer's business 


FinovateStartup091.jpg

Held April 28, 2009


BillShrink (now Truaxis): Provides a free cost-savings tool that saves consumers money on everyday bills

Prosper: P2P lending platform

Silver Tail Systems: Predictive analytics to prevent fraud abuse

SimpliFi: A web service that allows anyone to create and update their own financial plan


Finovate2009.jpg

Held September 29, 2009


BancVue's Kasasa: national checking/ savings account brand for community financial institutions

Credit.com: Provides free interactive tools, education, and unbiased comparisons of quality financial products and services

Digital Insight from Intuit: Provides on-demand banking services to help financial institutions serve clients

Silver Tail Systems: Provides online fraud detection platform 

Yodlee: Provides personalized financial solutions to financial institutions


FinovateSpring2010.jpg


Held May 11, 2010

Bobber Interactive: Money management platform for youth

Expensify: Online and mobile expense report platform

oFlows (Purchased by Andera in 2011): Multichannel paperless solutions for account openings

Wikinvest: A platform for investors to share trading tips


Thumbnail image for FinovateFall2010.jpg


Held October 4-5, 2010


Betterment: Investment account for savings management 

BillShrink (now Truaxis): Loyalty rewards provider

Bundle: Provides socially informed money management for individuals

Dynamics: Produces and manufactures intelligent powered cards

oFlows (Purchased by Andera in 2011): Multichannel paperless solutions for account openings

PayNearMe: Cash transaction network for the underbanked

SecureKey: Token-based authentication technology


FinovateEurope2011.jpg


Held February 1, 2011

eToro: Social investment network

Finantix: Provides sales and advice solutions for financial services 

Liqpay: Payments platform

Meniga: Online PFM for financial institutions


FinovateSpring2011.jpg


Held May 10-11, 2011

BancVue: Develops products and services for community financial institutions

BankOns: Mobile app offering consumers real-time savings at local merchants

Dwolla: Online, mobile, and social peer-to-peer payment platform

oFlows (Purchased by Andera in 2011): Multichannel paperless solutions for account openings

Mitek Systems: Provides apps for smartphones that allow users to deposit checks and pay bills via their devices' cameras

PayNearMe: Cash transaction network for the underbanked

Wikinvest: A platform for investors to share trading tips


Thumbnail image for FinovateFall2011.jpg

Held September 20-21, 2011



BillGuard: People-powered antivirus for bills

Dynamics:  produces and manufactures intelligent powered cards

eToro: Social investment network

FamZoo: Online "virtual family Bank"

FeeFighters: Platform that simplifies the process of choosing a merchant account provider

LearnVest: Online PFM for women

Offermatic: Targeted online offers provider

oFlows (Purchased by Andera in 2011): Multichannel paperless solutions for account openings

Personal Capital: Online financial advisor helping people manage their investments


Thumbnail image for FinovateEurope2012Logo.jpg

Held February 2, 2011


Cardlytics: Transaction-based rewards

Dynamics: produces and manufactures intelligent powered cards

eToro: Social investment network

Nutmeg: Online investment manager that democratizes saving and investing
  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgLodo chosen by 120 banks and CUs.
  • Betterment lowers fees, introduces new features.
  • WorldPay offers BOKU as mobile payment method to its merchant network.
  • Insurance Journal features Mitek's Mobile Photo Quoting app for insurance.
  • Credit Sesame launches mortgage comparison tool.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You
can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.
Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpg
  • WorkLight launches special program for enterprise mobile and ISV developers.
  • TRUSTe certifies miiCard's website to display the TRUSTe Web Privacy Seal.
  • Clifford Change law firm deploys Check Point software for a network security solution.
  • Bill.com helps banks offer business customers a more powerful payment, invoicing, and cash management platform.
  • SC Magazine considers ValidSoft's view of voice biometrics. Come see ValidSoft at FinovateEurope Feb. 7.
  • Huffington Post recommends Mint.com, HelloWallet, Credit Karma, TradeKing, ReadyForZero, & Betterment for college students.
  • Q2ebanking selects Matt Flake as new CEO.
  • Doxo looks back at 2011 achievements.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.
  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgApparel Retailer Aeropostale selects CashStar to provide e-gift cards.
  • CU Insight reports that Geezeo partners with IBT, a financial services innovator.
  • Dynamics' Chip And Choice Technology wins 2011 CARTES Best in Show Award.
  • NY Daily News recommends LearnVest and DoughMain as resources for financial education.
  • Lendio inspires future entrepreneurs with $2,500 scholarship.
  • Arroweye approved to digitally produce Discover Cards.
  • ABA Banking Journal describes mobile banking, citing Celent's report, "Innovations in Mobile at Finovate."
  • Affinion Group to distribute Finsphere's Mobile Transaction Monitoring service.
  • Betterment CEO Jon Stein interviews with top investment bloggers.
  • Centuryware discusses SecondMarket's success.
  • Wonga CEO named Entrepreneur of the Year by European Tech Tour Association.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.
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  • BillGuard CEO, Yaron Samid, shares lessons learned as a startup entrepreneur.
  • Expensify listed as 1 of 7 software makers to bring integrated, cheaper add-ons to Google Apps.
  • The Globe and Mail lists Wikinvest as a tool to help ordinary investors dig through the data.
  • Investors.com explains the benefits of using Yodlee to track your finances.
  • Fast Company examines Betterment and BillGuard's  #occupywallstreet event.
  • Dwolla alters its registration process into a more pleasant experience.
  • VentureBeat explains how Prosper is helping to support the #occupywallstreet protesters.
  • peerTransfer partners with 30 new universities.
  • Bill.com receives "Awesome Add-On" award.
  • Social Lending Network provides details on Prosper's recent round of funding.
  • Balance Financial launches professional platform.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.
Each month we survey the Web-traffic performance of Finovate alums using data from Web-analytics company Compete. 

Out of 268 alumni, 80 had more than 10,000 unique U.S. visitors in September 2011 and are included in the tables below. Of those, 33 (41%) had more visitors in September than August. Year-over-year, 42 (52%) had traffic increases.

Private Companies

  • Seeking Alpha and Cortera had the highest traffic in September with 2.1 and 2.0 million unique visitors, respectively. Cortera also had the highest increase in number of unique year-over-year visits with over 1.5 more visits in 2011 than in 2010.
  • Kabbage had the highest percentage growth year-over-year, up 280x.
  • Weemba saw the highest monthly growth percentage with more than 7.5 times the number of unique visitors in September compared to August.
  • SmartCredit.com had the highest increase in number of unique year-over-year visitors, growing by 126,000.
PrivateWebTrafficSeptember2.jpg
Source: Compete.com retrieved the week of October 26, 2011

1) The previous month recorded was August 2011
2) Sears Credit Score is powered by CreditKarma.com
3) Truaxis was formerly BillShrink
4) Kasasa is powered by BancVue

Public companies

  • CheckFree had the highest percentage growth year-over-year, with over 7 times the number of visitors this year than last year.
  • Intuit had a notable increase in number of unique, year-over-year visitors, increasing by 300,000 visits.
  • Check Point had the highest month-over-month percent growth, with 41% more visitors in September than in August.
PublicWebTrafficSeptember2.jpgSource: Compete.com retrieved the week of October 26, 2011

1) The previous month recorded was July 2011.
_______________________________________________________
Notes:
1. We reviewed 268 Finovate alumni. Only those with at least 10,000 unique visitors in July are listed. 
3. NM = not measurable
4. t= tie
5. Compete estimates online visitors based on the activity of a panel of more than 2 million U.S. Internet users. It is only an estimate of traffic and may undercount at-work usage.
Each month we survey the Web-traffic performance of Finovate alums using data from Web-analytics company Compete

Out of 268 alumni, 75 had more than 10,000 unique U.S. visitors in August 2011 and are included in the tables below. Of those, 41 (55%) had more visitors in August than July. Year-over-year, 45 (60%) had traffic increases.

Private Companies

  • Seeking Alpha -- the most-trafficked in August with 2.5 million unique visitors -- also had the highest increase in number of unique month-over-month visits with 300,000 more visits in August than in July.
  • Budgettracker.com saw the highest monthly growth percentage with more than 6.5 times the number of unique visitors in August compared to July.
  • Betterment had the highest percentage growth year-over-year, up 88x.
  • Cortera had the highest number of unique year-over-year visitors, growing by 1.5 million. 
August2011PrivateWebTraffic4.jpg
Source: Compete.com retrieved week of October 3, 2011
1) The previous month recorded was July 2011
2) Truaxis was formerly BillShrink
4) Kasasa is powered by BancVue
5) Checkingfinder.com is powered by BancVue

Public Companies

  • Fiserv had the highest month-over-month percent growth, with 50% more visitors.
  • CheckFree had the highest percentage growth year-over-year, with over 5 times the number of visitors.
  • S1 also had a high percentage growth year-over-year, doubling its visitors.
August2011PublicWebTraffic5.jpg
Source: Compete.com retrieved the week of October 3, 2011
1) The previous month recorded was July 2011.
_______________________________________________________
Notes:
1. We reviewed 268 Finovate alumni. Only those with at least 10,000 unique visitors in July are listed. 
3. NM = Not measurable
4. t= Tie
5. Compete estimates online visitors based on the activity of a panel of more than 2 million U.S. Internet users. It is only an estimate of traffic and may undercount at-work usage.
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  • FreeMoneyWisdom blog interviews Jon Stein, Betterment CEO.
  • Silicon India Startup blog lists Expensify as a good app for busy CEOs.
  • National Review Online holds BankSimple up to Richard Bronson's new ethics initiative.
  • Bremer Bank to add CheckFree RXP from Fiserv.
  • Yaron Samid of BillGuard & Jon Stein of Betterment to show how their products help solve #occupywallstreet issues.
  • Check out Finovate Alumni Website Traffic in August.
  • mFoundry & SecondMarket Hit Deloitte's 2011 Technology Fast 500 list.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.
  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgTSYS signs payments agreement with Imperial Bank.
  • The Baltimore Sun mentions BillFloat & Prosper.com as two companies that are assisting cash-strapped consumers.
  • LearnVest launches LV Mom's Newsletter & 2 new products: Baby On Board Bootcamp & LV Discussions.
  • Weemba gives small businesses simple, direct pipeline for raising financing pre-holiday season.
  • Morningstar recommends CheckFree to help control your bills by setting up automatic payments.
  • Continuity Control buys Compliance Services Group of Iowa & Kirschler Peterson & Associates of Atlanta.
  • Crain's New York Business.com mentions BillGuard, BankSimple, Betterment, SecondMarket, On Deck Captial & Plastyc.
  • Jemstep launches out of beta to offer custom investment advice & guidance.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.
Thumbnail image for BettermentLogo8.25.jpg
Next, Betterment shared Multiple Goals, a feature that helps consumers make smart decisions:

"Betterment is committed to helping consumers make the right investing decisions to meet their financial goals. Our new goal based tool enables users to make smart, goal-based investment decisions. In keeping with Betterment's easy and intuitive user experience, we've created a simple three step process that empowers users to invest towards specific goals.

Step 1 - A user identifies their goal (i.e. retirement, buy a house, vacation, etc.), when they want to reach this goal, and how much they will contribute towards this goal.
Step 2 - User selects short term risk tolerance for this particular goal, based on Betterment's projections of likely return, potential upside and downside.
Step 3 - User selects long term risk tolerance for this particular goal, based on Betterment's projections.

After completing these three steps, the user receives a recommended portfolio allocation, and, can set their portfolio for this goal with just one click. Reaching future goals through investing is now faster and simpler than ever before!"

Product Launched: September 2011

HQ Location: New York, NY 
Company Founded: August 2008 

Presenting Jon Stein (Founder & CEO) & Anthony Schrauth (SVP Product)

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Each month we survey the Web-traffic performance of Finovate alums using data from Web-analytics company Compete

Out of 255 alumni, 59 (23%) had more than 10,000 unique U.S. visitors in July 2011 (see tables below). Of those, 19 (32%) had more visitors than in the previous month and 25 (42%) were flat. Year-over-year, 26 (44%) had an increase, 10 (17%) were flat, and 23 (39%) were down. 

Private Companies
Notable successes:
  • Seeking Alpha had the most traffic in July with more than 2 million unique visitors.
  • eToro saw the highest monthly growth percentage with 3 times the number of unique visitors in July compared to June.
  • Bundle had the highest increase in number of unique month-over-month visits, with 450,000 more visitors in July than in June.
  • eRollover had the highest percent year-over-year traffic increase, with 260,000 more visitors from last July. 
JulyWebTrafficPrivate6.jpg
Source: Compete.com retrieved week of August 15, 2011
1. The previous month recorded was May 2011
2. Sears Credit Score is powered by CreditKarma.com
3. Kasasa is powered by BancVue

Public Companies
Notable successes:
  • PayPal had the highest number of U.S. visitors in July, with more than 30 million visitors.
  • Jack Henry & Associates saw the highest monthly growth with twice as many visitors in July than June.
  • Wipro Technologies had the highest year-over-year growth, with 3 times as many visitors this year compared to last year.
  • FIS Global and Online Resources also doubled their traffic compared to last year. 

JulyWebTrafficPublic4.jpg
Source: Compete.com retrieved the week of August 15, 2011
1. The previous month recorded was May 2011.
_______________________________________________________
Notes:
1. We reviewed 255 Finovate alumni. Only those with at least 10,000 unique visitors in July are listed. 
3. NM = Not measurable
4. Compete estimates online visitors based on the activity of a panel of more than 2 million U.S. Internet users. It is only an estimate of traffic and may undercount at-work usage.

BettermentLogo8.25.jpg
Investment platform Betterment recently expanded portfolio options for users to include international investments. The New York Times blog, Bucks, reports:

"As of last month, Betterment's portfolio includes international exposure through the addition of two new exchange-traded funds: Vanguard Europe Pacific and Vanguard Emerging Markets."

New users will have immediate access to this while existing users will transition into the new options throughout the course of the next few months.

To learn more about Betterment, check out its FinovateFall 2010 demo.

FInFallLogo.jpgMore than 60 leading fintech innovators, both startups and established companies, are gearing up to present at the biggest Finovate ever, Sep. 20/21 in NYC.

Each company provided a sneak peek of what they'll be demoing on stage next month. Below is the first installment of these teasers. We'll have more next week. 

Don't miss your chance to see the live demo from each company and meet the execs responsible. Get your FinovateFall ticket here

_____________________________

backbase.jpg
Backbase is launching "Retail Bank of the Future," representing the e-banking engagement experience of tomorrow. It embodies the newest User Experience (UX) patterns based on input gathered from customer research, industry thought leaders and UX specialists.

Innovation type: Mobile UI, online UI


BalanceFinancial.png
Personal finance is a chore and not too high on any To-Do list. Life is busy and finance stresses people out. 

At Balance, we manage your personal financial chores for you. We combine professional service (your own bookkeeper!) with all of your financial accounts and bills in one place for a fully managed experience that is personalized for you.

At Finovate we will show how you can now connect your financial accounts to Balance and power our newest expense tracking, budgeting and custom reporting tools. Also, look for a demo of our photo bill pay app and some other surprises!

Innovation type: Banking, payments, PFM


Betterment.png
Saving for a house? And retirement? And that dream vacation? No problem with Betterment.com! We've created the simplest, fastest, and most efficient way for consumers to invest for their goals and the future.

Innovation type: Banking, investing, PFM


BillShrink.jpg
Banks need to re-define the relationship they have with consumers if they want to succeed in today's market. StatementRewards has introduced an effective way for financial institutions to inexpensively reward their consumers for banking with them, which in turn increases loyalty and customer satisfaction. 

At Finovate, BillShrink announces a new innovation that harnesses the intelligence of aggregated transactional data and applies it to customers' social networking and purchase management activities. By utilizing advanced analytics to present the most personalized offers and other services to customers, StatementRewards gives financial institutions a unique, competitive edge.

Innovation type: Cards, PFM, rewards


cbanc.gif
Want to see the definitive search engine for tackling today's banking issues? cbanc Network has created a revolutionary online collaborative platform for financial institutions to share best practices. This secure online community contains the largest repository of peer-authored, board-approved, exam-tested content anywhere. Here, banking professionals trade real, practical work -- including policies, procedures, agreements, vendor reviews and more from every department of a bank or credit union. 

This network
  1. Motivates people to share their best work 
  2. Uses points as currency to incentivize users 
  3. Helps FIs prepare for exams
  4. Protects users around legal and competitive concerns of sharing

Innovation type: Back office, online UI, security


Crealogix.jpg
The technology of the CLX.SentinelDisplay, a Class 4 reader with a hardened browser, hardened middleware, an integrated smart card and a high-resolution display,  ensures extremely high, comprehensive security in e-banking applications. 

Along with the reader's extremely secure customer authentication and transaction signing mechanisms, the advanced concepts for application authentication and pro-active security updates is unique. The hardened browser (CLX.SecureBrowser) onboard the reader ensures full confidentiality of customer data - a security aspect that is often entirely ignored.

Innovation type: Identity, payments, security


DeMyst.png
DeMystData's new web-based modeling platform helps lenders grow thin file portfolios without increasing their risk level. With minimal inputs, our tool leverages the vast amounts of data accumulated online, applies advanced statistical techniques, and configures a bespoke predictive API that captures additional customer information without adding underwriting complexity.  

The DeMystData platform has application in variety of commercial environments including credit issuance, risk assessment, segment identification, and offer customization.

Innovation type: Identity, lending, marketing


FamZoo5.jpg
Credit unions, banks, financial advisors, financial institutions: How are you delivering youth financial education to your client families? How are you connecting with your next generation client? How are you fulfilling Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) responsibilities for financial literacy programs that progress in complexity as students get older? 

You've tried online content and even interactive online games, but the results are disappointing. Neither can hold a child's attention for long or keep them coming back over the years. We have a better way. It's no game. It's real experience. It works. We can't wait to show you at FinovateFall 2011.

Innovation type: Online UI, PFM


Fuze_Network.jpg
Fuze Network provides innovative ways for financial companies and their customers to work together. Learn how we help billers to build brand loyalty, aid in collection efforts, reduce fees, boost your customer service efforts and help to eliminate misdirected funds.

With Fuze at your back we can help to boost your store traffic, drive sales, increase revenues and simplify the hassle of payment processing all while creating a better customer service experience.

Fuze helps connect customers with the closest payment locations, online bill payments, simple cash payment solutions, and easy utility bill payment all while saving them fees and the hassle and stress of paying bills.

Innovation type: Back office, cards, payments


LighterCapital.png
Ready to have your financial mind blown away? Lighter Capital is combining light-hearted irreverence PLUS a light-weight and flexible funding structure PLUS a social-based investment decision analysis to make it easier, faster and more fun for small businesses to access capital than ever before! Get ready!

Innovation type: Investing, lending, small business


Micronotes (2).jpg
KulaX is a cross-sell engine that enables financial institutions to leverage their online banking platform to generate more leads faster without interfering with core banking functions. 

Online banking customers are targeted with the "next best product" where they are invited, at logout, to engage in an automated one-on-one microinterview with their financial institution about their financial products needs and preferences. Upon interview completion, customers are presented with special offers for the FI's products and services that have been tailored based on interview responses; requested offers are emailed to customers.

Innovation type: Marketing, rewards


modoPayments.jpg
Modo converts redemptions to payments, and makes payments mobile.  Our demo will show how easy it is to onboard consumers and merchants, as well as the simplicity of paying with modo.  

And of course, most importantly, why you should GET modo and PAY with modo, in the first place: MORE!

Innovation type: Mobile, payments, rewards


MOOTWIN.jpg
When your brand is in the palm of your customer's hand: make the most of mobile technology. Mootwin helps your business enhance the mobile customer experience, re-enforce loyalty, and accelerate revenue growth.

Innovation type: Communications, marketing, mobile


ACIWorldwide.jpg
MShift and ACI Worldwide formed an alliance in 2010 to offer mobile delivery of ACI Enterprise Banker, the industry leading business banking solution.  

They are now partnering to create a ground-breaking mobile business banking native application for the tablet. The application is focused on robust and graphically rich presentations of financial data as well operational tasks like ACH, wire release and bill payment, all with access from anywhere at anytime.

Innovation type: Banking, mobile, payments


MyCyberTwin.jpg
MyCyberTwin will demo its Artificial Intelligence solutions, called virtual agents, and give a detailed explanation about how current leading financial institutions are using the technology today and will use the technology in the future.

It is a powerful demo to show an audience how a computer thinks and answers questions in real-time, helping customers get the answers they need while helping companies garner the intelligence of the customers visiting their websites. This demo will also showcase an emotionally responsive AI virtual agent able to capture emotion including smiling, frowning, and expressing gratitude.

Innovation type: Communications, marketing, sales


oFlows.png
The oFlows paperless loan and deposit originations system has expanded beyond financial institutions.  Because oFlows has seamlessly integrated credit, fraud and payment systems, now anyone can use oFlows for just about any transaction.

Think of the last time you were handed a clipboard with a paper form on it. Next time it might be a tablet computer running oFlows.

Innovation type: Banking, lending, mobile


Planwise(mifii) (1).png
Consumers have plans, life plans, and want to understand how those plans affect their finances in the future, so they can make better decisions.

Planwise is launching tools that will help any consumer, from the teen buying a laptop, the 20-something buying a car, the couple buying their first home to the astute property investor, to better understand how their decisions today might look in the future financially.

The consumer can then connect with the lender or adviser of choice to quote, get advice or apply.

Innovation type: Lending, marketing, PFM


Plastyc2.jpg
Putting money aside for a rainy day is easier said than done. Many Americans do not have any money saved for emergencies. 

Plastyc aims to change this by introducing automated savings built into prepaid card accounts. Setting aside a few dollars every day, week or month will be just a single click away. Money accumulated in the savings purse of the card account will reward savers with cash at unprecedented rates.

Innovation type: Banking, cards, online UI


ReadyForZero.png
ReadyForZero is an online program for the 77% of American families who are paying down debt. For individuals and families, ReadyForZero facilitates the management and reduction of debt. 

For financial institutions, the program is a low-touch and consumer-friendly alternative that reduces net credit loss and improves customer retention.

Innovation type: Online UI, payments, PFM


Rebirth_Financial.jpg
Rebirth Financial, noted by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco as a company to "change the US finance system," is shaking up the small business lending game again! 

In February, Rebirth launched the nation's first peer-to-business lending platform. Shortly after, Rebirth uniquely integrated SBA and CRA lending into the P2B mix. 

Now, Rebirth is introducing the JAS Rating System! It's a system that will redefine the way we analyze small business and a must-see for financial institutions lending to small businesses and companies wondering whether they should extend credit to a new client. It's just another game changer from Rebirth Financial.

Innovation type: Back office, lending, small business


T8Webware.png
T8 Webware is bringing native mobile services to the masses by giving consumers real-time access to their financial purchase capabilities. Grip, a financial decision-making tool supports consumers' daily needs, empowering them to understand their money flow simply and without clutter. 

Grip enables financial institutions to provide convenient information on the go; addressing consumers' mobile needs through a highly secured mobile and tablet app. With no reliance on core integration, financial institutions can offer Grip almost immediately and without any upfront fees. It can be deployed in three weeks and costs 99 cents each month for customers who use the app.

Innovation type: Communications, mobile, PFM


Trasecq.jpg
The Transecq solution, powered by ENTERSECT ITA, has revolutionized two-factor authentications by utilizing the power of the end user's mobile device, fully encrypting the device and creating a multi-factor authentication tool. 

Strong 2-Factor authentication delivered ubiquitously across the globe puts the power of approval in the appropriate hands.Thus providing protection and security way beyond passwords and account challenges.

Transecq is the industry leading innovator and developer of mobile security solutions for the financial services market.  All the services leverage the security of Digital Fingerprint technology which uniquely ties a user and his/her mobile phone to an encryption key.

Innovation type: Communications, identity, security


weemba.jpg
Weemba revolutionizes the way borrowers and lenders find each other and interact in a social-network-like online format. Borrowers create a profile and post a loan project under a nickname. 

Profiles may include everything from the Borrower's income and education level (individuals) to their number of employees and annual sales (businesses). Lenders search projects by credit score, amount needed, purpose and more. 

When a Lender finds an interesting project, the Lender then may ask the Borrower for access to their real identity. If the Borrower grants access to the Lender, all further contact and any negotiations take place outside Weemba.

Innovation type: Lending, marketing


yodlee.jpg
At FinovateFall 2011, Yodlee will demonstrate customization without effort. The company has developed a way for banks to automatically tailor a consumer's initial experience with personal financial management.

Or, as the company likes to say:

    Online banking can be such a chore
    Checking balances is often a bore
    With new customization
    You'll cause a sensation
    Yodlee FinApps offers MUCH more

    All new at Finovate
    Banking that will motivate
    Inspire and personalize
    You'll see how to stylize
    Your customers will tell you you're so GREAT

Each month we survey the Web-traffic performance of our alums, using data from Web-analytics company Compete to review the sites they operate. 

Out of 255 alumni, 62 (24%) had more than 10,000 unique U.S. visitors in May 2011 (see tables below). Of the 62 reviewed, 25 (40%) had fewer visitors than in the previous month and 28 (45%) saw a decline year-over-year.

Private Companies
The 44 private companies are as follows:

Notable successes:

  • Cortera saw the highest number of unique U.S. visitors in May, with almost 2 million hits.
  • HelloWallet experienced the greatest month-over-month growth, with more than four times as many visitors.
  • Betterment saw its traffic increase an impressive 38 times from May of last year.

Private Finovate Alumni With More Than 10,000 Unique Visitors in May 2011

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Source: Compete.com retrieved June 29, 2011

Public Companies
The 18 public companies are as follows:

Notable successes:

  • PayPal experienced the highest number of U.S. visitors in May, with over 32 million visitors.
  • TransUnion Interactive saw the highest month-over-month growth with more than two times the number of visitors in May than in April.
  • Sybase 365 experienced the highest year-over-year growth, with its traffic up almost 80% from last year.

Public Finovate Alumni With More Than 10,000 Unique Visitors in May 2011 

May2011PublicWebTraffic.jpg

Source: Compete.com retrieved June 29, 2011

_____________________________________________________________________________

Notes:

1. We reviewed 255 unique sites. Data was unavailable or irrelevant for 201 sites because: 

  • They had been acquired.
  • They were no longer available online.
  • They were not covered by Compete for various reasons (including some that were not U.S. domestic companies).
  • The number of unique visits was too small to be considered accurate.
  • They were subdomains of larger websites.

2. Numbers have been rounded to three significant digits.

3. The charts include companies that did not have measurable traffic in May 2011, indicated by "N/A."

4. Compete draws its information from the online activity of a panel of more than 2 million U.S. Internet users. It is only an estimate of traffic, and may undercount at-work usage.

Finovate_Alumni_news.jpg
Betterment
Medill Reports discussed the benefits of Betterment and Currensee, claiming that the social networking craze changes the way some people invest. Link

BrightScope
BrightScope announced the top 10 treasury inflation protected securities funds in America's 401ks. Link

ChargeSmart
ChargeSmart.jpg
Fox News' Studio 10 reviewed ChargeSmart, PlasticJungle, and Bills.com and found a number of money saving tools and ideas. Link

Check Point Software Technologies
Check Point Software Technologies won The Ten Best Web Support Sites of 2011 Award from The Association of Support Professionals for its exceptional web support design, implementation, and customer experience. Link

ClairMail
ClairMail announced record customer expansion with a 300% year-over-year growth in users. Link

Corduro
Corduro.jpg
The New York Times reported that Corduro's cloud platform challenges PayPal and Square's mobile payment services. Link

Credit Sesame
The Wisdom Journal depicted Credit Sesame's services as more than just credit scores. Link

Currensee
See Betterment above.

doxo
  • doxo explained how to use its online filing cabinet and "due date" alerts to help organize GroupOn, Living Social, and other daily deals. Link
  • TheFinancialBrand.com discussed Oregon Federal Credit Union's use of doxo and discussed other usage ideas such as uploading a scan of your passport prior to travelling. Link
Dwolla 
  • Credit Union Times listed Dwolla as a contender in the P2P payment space. Link
  • Dwolla rallied community efforts to gather donations for the tornado-stricken town of Joplin by selling its t-shirts and accepting donations. Link
  • Omaha World-Herald covered Dwolla's arrival into Nebraska. Link
Enloop
Enloop.jpg
  • About.com highlighted Enloop's business plan creation service. Link
  • Forbes blog discussed "How Not to Fail" by using Enloop to assess the potential success of a business plan. Link
Geezeo
Call Federal Credit Union, based in Richmond, VA, selected Geezeo for its PFM solution. Link

Guardian Analytics
Guardian Analytics positioned by Gartner in the "Visionary" quadrant for web fraud detection. Link

HelloWallet
HelloWallet.jpg
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom urged residents to improve their money management by using HelloWallet. For every five subscriptions purchased, HelloWallet will give away one subscription to a family in need. Link

Hidden Levers
Financial Advisor Blog discussed using Hidden Levers to build better portfolios, highlighting risk management and accuracy of the service. Link

Lending Club
  • Lending Club exceeded a quarter million dollars in cumulative loans and is offering cash bonuses. Link
  • Wall Street Journal blog discussed growth of P2P Lending sites Prosper and Lending Club. Link
Lendio
Lendio.jpg
Lendio raised $2 million in debt financing. Link

PayNearMe
PayNearMe founder Danny Shader, in an interview with Vator News, revealed the service is used beyond the unbanked population, including teens who prefer to pay with cash and consumers who would like to keep their online transactions private. Link

Prosper
See Lending Club above.

RobotDough
RobotDough.jpg
Dow Jones Financial reports that a UCLA professor backed RobotDough. Link

SecondMarket
The Washington Business Journal discussed SecondMarket's recent popularity. Link

Sybase
Sybase.jpg
Sybase launched the M-Commerce Guide, a publication for examining global market opportunities for mobile network operators, advisors, and FIs. Link

TradeKing
TradeKing CIO Dan Raju discussed security issues that may arise with the NYSE cloud community, citing its security. Link

Tyfone
Tyfone contracted with Star One Credit Union to use its NFC technology. Link

UBank
UBank.jpg
CEO of UBank examined security concerns and competitors during an interview with ZDNet. Link

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Aptys Solutions
Aptys Solutions signed with Banker's Bank, a top check depositor with the Federal Reserve Link

Backbase
Backbase to host webinar on how to use social media in financial services Link

Betterment

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Betterment.jpg
  • Betterment announced a growth of over $10M under management and over 4000 customers in first year Link
  • Betterment celebrated its first birthday Link

Bill.com
Bill.com is working to improve its mobile offering for small and midsized businesses Link

Boku
Mobile Entertainment explained how Boku will revolutionize pay-by-mobile for digital goods Link

Capital Access Network
CNBC explained how Capital Access Network solves the need to use financial creativity Link

Credit Karma
WiseBread Blog interviewed Credit Karma CEO Link

doxo

doxo.jpg
  • doxo's first fan video was posted online Link
  • Oregon employees were the first to give its members doxo's online file cabinet Link
  • TechFlash highlighted the benefits of using doxo to achieve paperless business Link
  • 2Minute Finance interviewed doxo at FinovateSpring Link

Dwolla

  • Dwolla was listed by inc Tech as one of three startups you must know from Big Omaha Link
  • Credit Union Times listed Dwolla as a new P2P service rivaling 'bank giants' Link

edo Interactive
MyBankTracker interviewed edo Interactive COO about its Prewards service Link

Expensify
Slate explained how Expensify will help the 'frequent flier' Link

Kabbage.jpg

Kabbage
Technorati described how Kabbage works with eBay Link

Lending Club

  • Mint.com's blog covered what you need to know about Lending Club Link
  • San Francisco Business Times commented on Lending Club's strong backing from both investors and lenders Link
  • San Francisco Times reported that Lending Club stated it is not planning to go public for several years Link

LendingKarma
Entrepreneur featured LendingKarma as a good tool to use when borrowing money from family or friends Link

Lendio
San Francisco Chronicle reported that Lendio offers funding opportunities for new grads Link

Lodo Software
Lodo Software was described as a startup providing jobs in the "Silicon Prairie" region, a.k.a. Omaha Link

lodo.jpg

Monitise
Monitise released a report predicting that the majority of consumers will use mobile money services within the next three years Link

Mortgagebot
Mortgagebot reached 1000 clients, one of its goals from the beginning Link

PayDivvy
2MinuteFinanced interviewed PayDivvy about its services Link

paydivvy.jpg

PayNearMe
BillShrink examined PayNearMe's cash payment service Link

peerTransfer
Mass High Tech interviewed Iker Marcaide from peerTransfer about becoming an entrepreneur Link

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ProfitStars
ProfitStars announced a new version of Margin Maximizer that's now available as a hosted solution Link

Robot Dough
2MiniuteFinance toured RobotDough's demo during interview at Finovate Spring Link

SecondMarket

  • Wall Street Journal stated that SecondMarket helped fuel the tech boom Link
  • CNBC interviewed SecondMarket for an explanation of the change in trading numbers Link and LinkThumbnail image for smartypig.jpg

Smarty Pig
Smarty Pig launched new sharing features, including activity sharing and goal sharing Link

Striata
Striata will host a June 2 webinar for implementing successful ebilling strategies Link

ThreatMetrix
San Francisco Chronicle covered ThreatMetrix's research around mobile transaction activity Link

TILE Financial
TILE Financial released a Financial Identity Profile to strengthen the connection between advisors and under-30 consumers Link

tradeking.jpg

TradeKing
TradeKing divulged the lineup of its free webinars in June Link

Tyfone
Tyfone won 2010 Asia Pacific Smart Card Association Award for its NFC innovation and implementation Link

Wikinvest
Dow Jones Advisor highlighted Wikinvest as a way to analyze portfolios Link

Wonga

  • Wonga won 2011 Red Herring Top 100 Europe Award for exceptional accomplishments Link
  • Wonga won the Media Momentum Awards, a coveted award for digital media companies in Europe Link
  • Wonga's Errol Damelin discussed consumer-centric credit Link

Xero

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  • Diversity Limited commented on Xero's move to the US markets Link
  • Xero and Keebo teamed up to help you manage and process receipts Link
  • New Zealand Herald commented on Xero's surging revenue Link

Zecco

  • The Wall Street Journal reviewed Zecco's new Facebook app Link
  • Zecco launched an app for stock trades & viewing realtime market data on Facebook Link

Zopa
Zopa shows how it helps consumers protect against inflation Link

To follow Finovate alumni news in real time, follow us on Twitter here

Bill.com and Doxo recognized as "AlwaysOn OnDemand 100 Top Private Company." http://bit.ly/finovate329114 http://bit.ly/finovate329115

Bling Nation launches Social Connect platform. The platform allows Bling users to connect online with social rewards features from their favorite merchants. http://bit.ly/finovate328113

Bobber Interactive garners $1.1 million Series A funding round. This funding round was led by PEAK6 Investments. http://bit.ly/finovate41113

Capital Access expands remittance program to include Puerto Rico and 21 more countries. The Capital Access platform is designed for "daily" remittances and revenue-sharing programs.  http://bit.ly/finovate329111

COCC selects mFoundry as mobile banking partners. The company has selected mFoundry's mobile INSIGHT product for multi-mode mobile banking services. http://bit.ly/finovate328114

Mint.com launches "Quest for Money" online game. The game is intended for middle school students and is available to play online. http://bit.ly/finovate411111

Morningstar to provide mutual fund Platform to eRollover. eRollover users will have access to Morningstar's historical information and comparison tools for mutual funds. http://bit.ly/finovate329113


Silver Tail Systems wins Emergent Technology Award. The award, given by the Merchant Risk Council, is rewarding the company's innovative security systems. http://mwne.ws/finovate328112

Sybase argues NFC is "way overhyped." In VentureBeat Sybase President Marty Beard argues that it isn't proven that NFC really is better than the other technologies available. http://bit.ly/finovate41112

Xero launches integrated payroll solution. http://bit.ly/finovate329112 
To see our alumni news feed in real time, visit us on Twitter

Bank of Internet will use Intuit's FinanceWorks. http://mwne.ws/finovate2241

Betterment reduces fees on retirement accounts. http://bit.ly/finovate224114

Service enhancements at Bill.com. Clone invoices ease automated payments. http://bit.ly/finovate224112

eToro completes $8.3 million funding round led by Spark Capital. eToro has 1.5 million users in 130 countries worldwide. http://bit.ly/f1G99d

eToro launches new user tools, and deposit bonuses. New eToro users can get a bonus of up to $500 to try Forex trading. http://bit.ly/finovate34112

eWise is moving to Denver. The company processes electronic payments and is moving to attract employees. http://bit.ly/finovate22311

Fiserv acquires M-Com to enhance mobile banking and payments capabilities. http://bit.ly/finovate34117

Kiboo got a makeover. The new interface focuses on usability and design. http://bit.ly/finovate34111

Lending Club exceeds $200 million in cumulative peer-to-peer  loans. The combined Lending Club and Prosper volume is now approaching the half-billion dollar mark. http://bit.ly/finovate34118

Lodo Software signs thirty more banks for its OurCashFlow PFM platform. http://bit.ly/finovate34113

MiiCard featured as Microsoft's Startup of the Day. http://bit.ly/finovate224113


Striata adds Iconix Truemark sender recognition technology to electronic communications. The system adds branded visual identity to help identify genuine emails from financial institutions. http://bit.ly/finovate34116

To see Finovate alumni company news in real-time, follow our feed on Twitter here.

Betterment and Mint.com partner for "set it and forget it" investment accounts. The accounts have no minimum balance. http://bit.ly/finovate210111

Bling Nation rolls out the "fan connect" platform in Chicago. The Chicago rollout is part of a broader national rollout to come. http://bit.ly/finovate210112

Cardlytics and NetSpend partner to bring reward offers to the underbanked. The partnership will create opportunities for targeted offers to reach users of prepaid debit cards. http://bit.ly/finovate28112

Cardlytics wins Red Herring Global 100 winner. -- Cardlytics is a pioneer in in-statement merchant-funded rewards. http://bit.ly/finovate27114

CashEdge and NYCE join forces to provide person to person payment technology. Popmoney will now be available to 3,000 NYCE financial institution clients. http://bit.ly/finovate211112

ClairMail announced that revenue tripled in 2010. The company attributes the growth to the launch of their mobile connectivity architecture in early 2010. http://mwne.ws/finovate28115

DebtGoal launches OWEing.com. The new site acts as the flagship domain and provides a tools and content supporting debt reduction. http://bit.ly/finovate131112

eRollover launches Advisor Center. Ask retirement questions online in the new Advisor Center. http://bit.ly/finovate124112

Fiserv and WorkLight partner to make mobile application deployment and development faster. http://bit.ly/finovate125111

Frost and Sullivan names mFoundry "Entrepreneurial Company of the Year" in the mobile banking category. http://bit.ly/finovate121114

Guardian Analytics announces 150%  growth. The company attributes the rapid growth to the success of its FraudMap technology. http://bit.ly/finovate210113

Jack Henry's ProfitStars.com launches new services to help small businesses accept online payments. http://bit.ly/finovate211111

Lending Club increased the maximum loan amount from $25,000 to $35,000. http://bit.ly/finovate27113

mFoundry launches standalone mobile deposit solution that can be implemented at a financial institution within 30 days. http://bit.ly/finovate28114

Intuit's Mint and TurboTax team up to make taxes easier. http://bit.ly/finovate121111

Mozo launches Money Q & A portal where users can ask questions or answer questions posed by others. http://bit.ly/finovate211113

On Deck Capital secures $15 million Series-C funding. The funding round was led by SAP Ventures. http://bit.ly/finovate131111

Plastyc closes $2 million strategic investment from Core Innovation Capital. Core Innovation Capital is the investment partner for the Center for Financial Services Innovation. http://bit.ly/finovate28111http://www.silvertailsystems.com/

Silver Tail Systems announces the addition of a user-specific monitoring system. http://bit.ly/finovate124111

SmartyPig.com adds sixty new online retailer cash-back partners, and six more gift card partners. Expedia, Hotels.com, Cabela's and Babies R Us are included in this latest offering. http://bit.ly/finovate131113

SmartyPig's cash rewards card wins Paybefore award twice. http://bit.ly/finovate12112

The Receivables Exchange partners with Biz2Credit, an online loan-matching portal. http://bit.ly/finovate125113
PopMoney (from CashEdge) wins award for excellence in Web design from the Interactive Media Council. http://bit.ly/finovate11301

Speculation from MarketWatch: Could ClairMail be headed for an IPO? http://bit.ly/finovate11306

ClairMail and Cardlytics partner to provide transaction marketing opportunities. http://bit.ly/finovate1281 

Expensify continues to grow its currency support base -- Expensify is now supporting 159 currencies. http://bit.ly/finovate1232

Robert Scoble uses Expensify for expense reports. http://scoble.it/finovate11305

FIS launches innovative new mobile banking product. -- Users can establish mobile account management with their debit card, no online banking signup needed. http://bit.ly/finovate1291

GoalMine hosting cash contest via Facebook to spread the word. http://bit.ly/finovate1292

This week's Jem 5 at Jemstep explores diversified fixed income funds. http://bit.ly/finovate1294

Generations FCU goes live with Jwaala's "Better Online Banking." http://bit.ly/finovate1237

Just for fun: Kasasa releases banks' playlists. See this week's from Jeff Davis Bank. http://bit.ly/finovate1236

Lending Club enjoyed a flurry of news coverage. Read the summaries  here: http://bit.ly/finovate1224 

Lending Club mentioned in PBS nightly business report. http://to.pbs.org/finovate1297

Mint.com now available in Canada. http://tcrn.ch/finovate1234

Congratulations to Mint founder, Aaron Patzer; winner of a TechFellow Award for General Management. http://tcrn.ch/finovate1296

Monitise to bring mobile payments to Nigeria. http://bit.ly/finovate1231

Mozo powering new "Compare, Ditch and Switch" campaign to allow Australians to shop around for better banking services.  http://bit.ly/finovate1283

Just in time for the Holidays, PopMoney gift cards at www.giftcardmall.com

The new SmartyPig rewards MasterCard provides up to 10% cash back at select retailers. http://bit.ly/finovate11303

Tyfone receives additional patent for electronic wallet technology. http://bit.ly/finovate11304

Wikinvest is even more mobile with Blackberry and Android Apps. http://bit.ly/finovate1235

Y Combinator and Yodlee cooperate to provide financial data services to startups. 
FinovateFall_wdate_web.gif

We're pleased to announce that the demo videos from FinovateFall 2010 are now available for free download (or immediate consumption) from the Finovate archives.

This fall's NYC conference showcased 56 handpicked companies doing 7-minute demonstrations (no slides allowed) of their latest technology innovations to a sold-out audience of 650 financial & banking executives, venture capitalists, press, analysts and entrepreneurs.

Check out these cutting-edge ideas in financial, banking, payments, mobile, lending, investing and security technologies today for inspiration and your next edge on the competition! 

(P.S. If you're interested in joining us at the next Finovate event, tickets are now on sale for FinovateEurope (Feb, 1, 2011 in London). It is going to be an amazing showcase of European and global fintech innovation!)

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Eric Mattson is CEO of Online Financial Innovations, the parent company of NetBanker, Online Banking Report and the Finovate Conference Series. He can be reached at eric@netbanker.com.

image[6][1]It was an incredible two days in NYC (Oct. 4&5) as we witnessed 56 new products, services, and features debut on the big stage. Of 56 live demos, there were a few slow connections, an occasional timeout, a missed download or two, and a few lost seconds waiting for mobile screens to refresh, but only one that we had to completely restart. So, overall it went very smoothly.

And the packed house had a great time, found a number of things they could take back to their own companies, and made some great connections (at least that's what they told me anyway).

At the end of each day, attendees voted on three "Best of Show" demos from the 28 just seen. Then, at the end of the conference, we ranked all 56 companies based on this audience vote (see notes). The top seven were named Best of Show.

Every company that presented was named Best of Show by some portion of the audience. But the ones that ended on top are as follows (in alphabetic order):

Betterment    BillShrink  Bundle Dynamics 
    oFlows          PayNearMe   SecureKey

Congratulations! And thanks to everyone that presented, sponsored, attended and followed the #finovate tweets. If I ever recover, I look forward to writing more about where this is all headed.

------------------------------

Notes on methodology:
1. Only audience members not associated with demoing companies were eligible to vote. Finovate employees did not vote.  
2. Because a different number of ballots was cast each day, we ranked the demos based on the percentage of ballots voting for each presenter. 
3. The exact written instructions given attendees:
"Please rate (the companies) on the basis of demo quality and potential impact of the innovation they demoed. PLEASE CIRCLE ONLY THREE"

Alumni News -- Week of August 30, 2010

Here are the news updates for the week of August 30, 2010. To view in real-time, follow us here.

BancVue is acquiring a large credit card portfolio from the FDIC. http://bit.ly/finovate933

BancVue was #117 on the Inc. Magazine list of 500 fastest-growing private companies. See the report here: http://bit.ly/finovate8312

Betterment speeds deposit and withdrawal times. Transfers between Betterment and bank accounts are now accomplished within the standard ACH window (2-3 days). http://bit.ly/finovate923  

Bank of the West Selects ClairMail as mobile banking partner. Bank of the West has assets of $61 million and is the California-based subsidiary of BNP Paribas.  http://bit.ly/finovate8301

Former SEC commissioner Roel Campos joins Gratio Capital as an advisor. Gratio Capital launched its service GoalMine service at FinovateSpring 2010. http://bit.ly/finovate921

Kasasa joins with celebrities such as Zach Efron and Dakota Fanning for "Stand Up To Cancer." Watch for the TV ads and telethon featuring Kasasa Giving. http://bit.ly/finovate8315

Kashoo is hiring! See tips on how to get hired and what to expect (including work from home flexibility) here: http://bit.ly/finovate924

SafetyPay releases white paper entitled "Banking on Online Banking." The report highlights the importance of monetizing online banking. http://bit.ly/finovate8314

SapientNitro and Geezeo argue the merits of "engagement banking" in a unique interactive report authored by Bank2.0 author Brett King. http://bit.ly/finovate932

SecondMarket honored as a "technology pioneer" by the World Economic Forum. http://bit.ly/finovate922

SecondMarket was #270 on Inc. Magazine's list of 500 fastest-growing private companies. http://bit.ly/finovate8313 

WorkLight announces support for Blackberry. Version 3.3.1 is available as a free download from the WorkLight developer zone. http://bit.ly/finovate08311

ZimpleMoney releases white paper "Lending With A Purpose." http://bit.ly/finovate931
FinovateFall_wdate_web.gif

We're very excited to reveal the 56 cutting-edge companies that have been selected to demo their latest technology innovations on October 4 and 5 in New York City at FinovateFall.

Over the show's two days, attendees will get to watch the future of fintech and banktech unfold on stage via fast-paced demos (28 each day) from these innovators. And then have a chance to interact with top executives from each of the demo companies during intimate networking sessions.

Without further delay, here's the list of companies we're excited to showcase:


If you're interested in attending the conference, registering now will save you $100 on your ticket via the early-bird discount and reserve your spot (space is limited and we're expecting to sell out). We'll see you in New York!


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Eric Mattson is CEO of Online Financial Innovations, the parent company of NetBanker, Online Banking Report and the Finovate Conference Series. He can be reached at eric@netbanker.com.

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