The biggest surprise in our look at first-quarter funding is that the $677 million amassed by 29 Finovate alums was more than 20% of the $3.2 billion invested in the entire worldwide fintech sector.
The $677 million raised was $85 million (+14%) above the same quarter a year ago, and more than triple the first quarter of 2013.
Q1 2015 was also $133 million above the $544 million mark set in the fourth quarter of 2014.
It will be worth watching to see if this record-setting first quarter for Finovate alum fundraising will be a sign of more great things to come for capital-raising in 2015.
Top 10 Overall Investments
- Xero: $111 million in February
- Coinbase: $75 million in January
- Betterment: $60 million in February
- TransferWise: $58 million in January
- App Annie: $55 million in January
- Ayasdi: $55 million in March
- Motif Investing: $40 million in January
- Ripple Labs: $30 million in January
- Bill.com: $50 million in February
- Pindrop Security: $35 in February
Previous Quarterly Comparisons
- Q1 2015: More than $676 million raised by 29 alums
- Q4 2014: More than $544 million raised by 25 alums
- Q1 2014: More than $600 million raised by 8 alums
- Q1 2013: More than $155 million raised by 14 alums
January: More than $275 million raised by 14 alums
- App Annie: $55 million – post
- BlueVine: $18.5 million – post
- Bolstr: $1.7 million – post
- Coinbase: $75 million – post
- Global Debt Registry: $7 million – post
- Kofax: $1.9 million – post
- LendingRobot: $3 million – post
- Motif Investing: $40 million – post
- PeerTransfer: $22 million – post
- Ripple Labs: $30 million – post
- Spreedly: $150,000 – post
- Taulia: $15 million – post
- TransferWise: $58 million – post
- True Link: $3.4 million – post
February: More than $264 million raised by 8 alums
- AdviceGames: $570,000 – post
- Betterment: $60 million – post
- Bill.com: $50 million – post
- Finsphere: $1.8 million – post
- Micronotes: $910,000 – post
- Pindrop Security: $35 million – post
- SimplyTapp: $2.5 million – post
- Xero: $111 million – post
March: More than $136 million raised by 7 alums
- Advanced Merchant Payments: undisclosed – post
- Aire: $1.1 million – post
- Ayasdi: $55 million – post
- Coverhound: $14 million – post
- Lendio: $20.5 million – post
- Linkable Networks: $11.7 million – post
- Q2 Holdings: $34.6 million – post
If you are an alum that raised money in the first quarter of 2015, and do not see your company listed, please drop us a note at research@finovate.com. We would love to share the good news! Funding received prior to becoming an alum not included.
Here is a list of all the funding Finovate alumni received over the course of 2012. 
