Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Insurtech Innovator CoverHound Fetches $58 Million in New Funding.
  • Bill.com Partners with American Express to Offer New AP Solution, Vendor Pay.

Around the web

  • Revolut and WeWork team up to provide three months of “hot desk space” to Revolut for Business customers.
  • PXP Financial, borne of the merger of PXP and Kalixa, announces its public launch.
  • U.K.-based cloud accounting firm FreeAgent to offer direct data feeds to banks via the Open Banking framework.
  • bpm’online forges partnership with Meritus Business Solutions.
  • Optimove unveils iGaming Pulse, a benchmark solution to enable gaming operators to test the performance of their platforms against industry performance metrics.
  • Onfido appoints former Head of Computer Vision for Robotics at Amazon, Mohan Mahadevan as its new VP of Research.
  • Switch reports that its CardSavr service boosts credit card usage immediately at activation.
  • Enveil announces technology partnership and integration with advanced data security solution and services provider Thales.
  • CuneXus partners with outdoor recreational vehicle buying network, Rollick, to streamline the financing process for RV shoppers.

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.

Highlights of This Year’s Inc. 5000

Highlights of This Year’s Inc. 5000

Inc. has once again released its lists of the fastest-growing 5,000 private companies in the U.S. and Europe this week. A total of 13 Finovate alums made the U.S. list and 14 earned spots on the Europe list. To qualify*, companies were required to be privately-owned and independent.

Inc. 5,000 U.S.

The 5,000 companies on this year’s list collectively generated more than $206 billion in revenue. Here are the 13 Finovate alums that made the cut this year:

SeedInvest

  • Rank: 117
  • 2017 revenue: $4.7 million
  • 3-year growth: 33.8x
  • Founded: 2013
  • Employees: 30
  • Ranked number 4 in top financial services companies

SeedInvest demoed at FinovateSpring 2013.

Cardflight

  • Rank: 139
  • 2017 revenue: $5.1 million
  • 3-year growth: 29x
  • Founded: 2009
  • Employees: 192
  • Ranked number 5 in top financial services companies

CardFlight demoed at FinovateSpring 2013.

Alkami technology

  • Rank: 284
  • 2017 revenue: $26.8 million
  • 3-year growth: 17x
  • Founded: 2009
  • Employees: 299
  • Ranked number 10 in top Dallas companies

Alkami debuted under the name iThryv at FinovateSpring 2009.

Passport

  • Rank: 389
  • 2017 revenue: $12.3 million
  • 3-year growth: 12.6x
  • Founded: 2010
  • Employees: 96
  • Ranked number 4 in top Charlotte companies

Passport demoed at FinovateEurope 2016.

Emailage

  • Rank: 625
  • 2017 revenue: $16.6 million
  • 3-year growth: 8x
  • Founded: 2012
  • Employees: 79
  • Ranked number 6 in top security companies

Emailage demoed at FinovateSpring 2015.

Lighter Capital

  • Rank: 776
  • 2017 revenue: $11.9 million
  • 3-year growth: 6.5x
  • Founded: 2010
  • Employees: 39
  • Ranked number 11 in top Seattle companies

Lighter Capital demoed at FinovateFall 2013.

Tango Card

  • Rank: 912
  • 2017 revenue: $17 million
  • 3-year growth: 5.4x
  • Founded: 2009
  • Employees: 80
  • Ranked number 14 in top Seattle companies

Tango Card demoed at FinovateFall 2016.

WealthForge

  • Rank: 932
  • 2017 revenue: $8.9 million
  • 3-year growth: 5.3x
  • Founded: 2009
  • Employees: 29
  • Ranked number 6 in top Richmond, VA companies

WealthForge demoed at FinovateSpring 2016.

Unison

  • Rank: 1048
  • 2017 revenue: $2.3 million
  • 3-year growth: 4.7x
  • Founded: 2014
  • Employees: 10
  • Ranked number 4 in top Detroit companies

Unison demoed at FinovateFall 2017.

Acuity Systems

  • Rank: 1107
  • 2017 revenue: $12.6 million
  • 3-year growth: 4.5x
  • Founded: 2010
  • Employees: 26

Acuity Systems demoed at FinovateEurope 2013.

defi SOLUTIONS

  • Rank: 1176
  • 2017 revenue: $14.6 million
  • 3-year growth: 4.1x
  • Founded: 2012
  • Employees: 80

defi SOLUTIONS demoed at FinovateSpring 2014.

Interactions

  • Rank: 1550
  • 2017 revenue: $92.9 million
  • 3-year growth: 3x
  • Founded: 2004
  • Employees: 413

Interactions demoed at FinovateSpring 2014.

Cardlytics

  • Rank: 2886
  • 2017 revenue: $130.4 million
  • 3-year growth: 1.4x
  • Founded: 2008
  • Employees: 342

Cardlytics demoed at FinovateFall 2014. The company went public early this year.

Inc. 5,000 Europe

This is the fourth year in a row Inc. has ranked European countries. The rankings are based on three-year revenue growth. Here are the 14 Finovate alums that earned a spot on the list, including SumUp, which took the number one slot:

SumUp

  • Rank: 1
  • 2016 revenue: $63.7 million (€56 million)
  • 3-year growth: 143.7x
  • Founded 2011
  • Employees: 500

SumUp demoed at FinovateEurope 2013.

VATBox 

  • Rank: 91
  • 2016 revenue: $6.9 million (€6.1 million)
  • 3-year growth: 25x
  • Founded 2012
  • Employees: 140

VATBox demoed at FinovateEurope 2015.

Kantox 

  • Rank: 390
  • 2016 revenue: $4.9 million (€4.3 million)
  • 3-year growth: 12x
  • Founded 2011
  • Employees: 73

Kantox demoed at FinovateEurope 2013

HelpMyCash

  • Rank: 699
  • 2016 revenue: $2.96 million (€2.6 million)
  • 3-year growth: 8.3x
  • Founded 2007
  • Employees: 16

HelpMyCash demoed at FinovateEurope 2011.

Featurespace 

  • Rank: 901
  • 2016 revenue: $3.41 million (€3 million)
  • 3-year growth: 7x
  • Founded 2005
  • Employees: 62

Featurespace demoed at FinovateFall 2016.

Kalixa Payments 

  • Rank: 918
  • 2016 revenue: $42.3 million (€37.2 million)
  • 3-year growth: 7x
  • Founded 2008
  • Employees: 112

Kalixa demoed at FinovateEurope 2013.

Zopa

  • Rank: 1314
  • 2016 revenue: $46.3 million (€40.7 million)
  • 3-year growth: 5.4x
  • Founded 2004
  • Employees: 188

Zopa demoed at FinovateSpring 2008.

Feedzai

  • Rank: 1330
  • 2016 revenue: $13.8 million (€12.1 million)
  • 3-year growth: 5.4x
  • Founded 2008
  • Employees: 68

Feedzai demoed at FinovateEurope 2014.

Trustly

  • Rank: 1344
  • 2016 revenue: $36.7 million ( €32.3 million)
  • 3-year growth: 5.4x
  • Founded 2008
  • Employees: 83

Trustly demoed at FinovateEurope 2017.

Fenergo

  • Rank: 1882
  • 2016 revenue: $33.8 million ( €29.7 million)
  • 3-year growth: 3.8x
  • Founded 2012
  • Employees: 183

Fenergo demoed at FinovateEurope 2012.

Innofis

  • Rank: 2452
  • 2016 revenue: $8.2 million (€7.2 million)
  • 3-year growth: 2.6x
  • Founded 2012
  • Employees: 69

Innofis demoed at FinovateEurope 2016.

Quadient France 

  • Rank: 2966
  • 2016 revenue: $8.9 million (€7.8 million)
  • 3-year growth: 1.8x
  • Founded 2007
  • Employees: 21

Quadient demoed at FinovateEurope 2018.

True Potential

  • Rank: 3233
  • 2016 revenue: $88.5 million (€77.8 million)
  • 3-year growth: 1.5x
  • Founded 2007
  • Employees: 234

True Potential demoed at FinovateFall 2014.

Comarch

  • Rank: 4954
  • 2016 revenue: $35.6 million (€31.3 million)
  • 3-year growth: 59%
  • Founded 1978
  • Employees: 148

Comarch demoed at FinovateEurope 2017.


*Companies on the 2018 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2014 to 2017. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2014. They must be privately held, for-profit, and independent–not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies–as of December 31, 2017. (Since then, some on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2014 is $100,000; the minimum for 2017 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

Kalixa Acquired By Singapore’s Senjō Group for $30 Million

Kalixa Acquired By Singapore’s Senjō Group for $30 Million

kalixa_homepage_january2017

In a deal inked in the second half of December and slated to be completed in the first quarter of 2017, payments innovator Kalixa Group has been sold to Senjō Group, a private investment company based in Singapore. The price tag of the purchase is $30 million (€29 million), with a completion accounts adjustment that could take the final tally to as much as $37 million (€35.5 million).

In a statement, Kalixa said the acquisition gave the company the chance to “build a global footprint.” In addition, the statement read “it will give us the stability and long term support we need to further develop our platform and product portfolio for the benefit of our customers and partners.” Kalixa offers end-to-end payment services in verticals including financial services, e-commerce, gaming, and ticketing systems. Its solutions include Kalixa Pay, a prepaid digital wallet; Kalixa Pro, a small business mPOS; and Kalixa Accept, which enables merchants to accept more than 200 different payment methods. Following its acquisition of PXP Solutions in 2014, Kalixa became one of the top five payment services companies in the world.

With 19 payments, e-commerce, remittance, trading, and factoring companies in its portfolio, Senjō Group sees Kalixa as a good fit “with our strategy of building a global payments ecosystem,” in the words of Senjō Group COO Gavin Lock. “In return we will provide Kalixa, its employees and customers with the benefits of being a part of a global specialist payments operator.”

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Vienna, Austria, Kalixa demonstrated its mPOS technology at FinovateEurope 2013. In the fall of 2015, Kalixa was among a number of Finovate alums to make it to the finals of the U.K. Emerging Payments Awards. Earlier that year the company’s collaboration with Monitise, the social savings app called KiTTi, was launched by Santander UK.

Finovate Alums Earn Top Honors at U.K. Emerging Payments Awards

Finovate Alums Earn Top Honors at U.K. Emerging Payments Awards

Three Finovate/FinDEVr alums won top honors at the Emerging Payments Awards in London, United Kingdom, earlier this month.

HyperwalletLogoHyperwallet won in the “Best Corporate/Government Payments Programme” division with its Paylution Global Disbursements Program. In a statement, CEO Brent Warrington highlighted the scalability and flexibility of the Hyperwallet platform, and reported that more than five million independent workers are currently using the technology. Hyperwallet demonstrated its RESTful API and embedded payout widget at FinDEVr 2015 in San Francisco in October.

Revolut_logo_high-resIn partnership with Optimal Payments, Revolut won the “Best Emerging Payments Startup” category. Optimal Payments and Revolut teamed up back in July to launch a multi-currency MasterCard and mobile app that helps travelers take advantage of the best exchange rates available. Revolut made its Finovate debut this year at FinovateEurope 2015 in London.

Clover_logoClover Mobile won “Best Payment Technological Innovation” for its Future-Proof mPOS. Clover Mobile was launched in the fall of 2014, a year after Clover was acquired by First Data. Clover made its Finovate appearance at FinovateSpring 2012 in San Francisco.

The other four Finovate/FinDEVr alums that made it to the finals were:

The event’s overall Industry Contributor Award went to IrisGuard for its EyeBank Iris Recognition electronic payment platform. The platform has been deployed to help bring “sustainable financial inclusion” to those in the Syrian refugee program. As of June 2015, the program had enrolled more than 1.6 million refugees.

Now in its eighth year, the Emerging Payments Awards help recognize creative and business talent in the payments industry. The Awards are run by the Emerging Payments Association, which has also provided the Prepaid Awards since 2006. The Association said that this year’s Emerging Payments Awards was its largest event to date.


If you’re in the United Kingdom and love fintech, then make sure FinovateEurope 2016 is on your calendar. Our two-day conference returns to London, February 9 and 10, 2016.

 

 

 

 

Santander UK Launches Cash Kitty PFM App Developed with Kalixa, Monitise

Santander UK Launches Cash Kitty PFM App Developed with Kalixa, Monitise

Kalixa_logo

Move over millennials: Santander UK has unveiled a new money management app called KiTTi, designed to bring twenty-somethings into the world of social savings.

monitise-logoDesigned in partnership with Finovate alums, Kalixa Payments (FinovateEurope 2013) and Monitise (FinovateFall 2007), KiTTi lets up to 100 friends create collective “pots of money.” The “Cash Kitty” can be funded via a KiTTi prepaid contactless MasterCard up to £4,000, and the account can be monitored with a downloadable app available on both iOS and Android.

See Santander UK’s video introduction to Kitti below.

The service is available to any U.K. bank customer over the age of 18. Friends can be invited to join from within the app or by text message. More than one KiTTi account can be managed by a single KiTTi card, and KiTTi can be used for payments in both the UK and overseas. A fee of 35p is applied to each KiTTi transaction.

Sam Nixon, head of KiTTi at Santander, called the app unique to the United Kingdom and “perfect for the WhatsApp generation.”

KiTTi was designed by Monitise Create, the company’s “design and innovation” studio. Alistair Crane, chief sales officer at Monitise, called it a “major step forward in social banking and payments.” Crane says the relationship between Monitise and Santander will offer still more: “We are progressing a number of home-screen, ‘human-first’ innovations which will ultimately transform the way consumers interact with their money,” he said.

Payment functionality for KiTTi comes courtesy of Kalixa, which includes both the mobile wallet and the prepaid contactless card, as well as handling customer services, KYC, and AML systems. Jonathan Bennett, chief commercial officer for Kalixa, put KiTTi “at the crest of the wave” that is replacing cash with “simple, inclusive, sustainable services made possible by mobile.”

Kalixa was founded in 2007 and has offices in the United Kingdom and Austria. Edward Chandler is CEO. London-based Monitise was founded in 2003. Alastair Lukies is founder and CEO.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • “Santander UK Launches Cash Kitty PFM App Developed with Kalixa, Monitise”

Around the web

  • Lend Academy podcast features Kathryn Petralia, Kabbage co-founder. Come see Kabbage at FinDEVr 2015 in San Francisco.
  • GMC Software releases GMC Inspire R10 customer communications management software.
  • DevNetwork profiles WePay at the API World 2015 conference.
  • DriveWealth joins with World Merit to promote the first Financial Literacy Challenge.
  • Sonavation unveils technology that puts fingerprint sensors under Gorilla Glass.
  • Top Image Systems inks deal with Bahrainian Xerox distributor, Business International all.
  • Dallas Business Journal interviews Chris Camillo, TickerTags founder.
  • Prosper begins debt-sale recovery strategy; charged-off loans will be packaged together for a debt sale.
  • AlwaysOn selects Taulia as an AlwaysOn Global 250 winner.
  • Beehive Startups takes a peek at MX’s culture. Check out MX’s presentation for developers at FinDEVr 2015 in San Francisco.
  • GROWMARK selects Avalara AvaTax Excise & Returns Excise Enterprise. Avalara will present at FinDEVr 2015, 6/7 October.
  • Forbes column on top fintech trends highlights MaxMyInterest, Prosper, Lending Club, Betterment, Vanguard, CUneXus, Patch of Land, and DarcMatter.

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

On Finovate.com

  • Finovate Debuts: OnlinePay.com’s Mobile Wallet Review.

Around the Web:

  • Estonian Inventor profiles TransferWise.
  • Wipro names Rajan Kohli to head the company’s year-old digital business unit.
  • Nomis Solutions partners with Tangerine to develop new customer engagement models.
  • Arxan Technologies wins finalist spot in SC Awards 2015 Europe for Best Mobile Security Solution.
  • Malay Mail Online feature on rob-advisors looks at Betterment, FutureAdvisor, LearnVest, Motif Investing, Personal Capital, and Wealthfront.
  • Milano Finanza reviews SecureSafe.
  • Kalixa leveraging recent acquisition of PXP to transition from DTC to B2B offering.
  • Zooz opens new office in London.
  • Globe Street interviews Realty Mogul’s SVP of residential lending, Shea Palette.
  • Xignite customers gain access to OTC Market Group’s 15-Minute Delayed Level 1 data courtesy of new agreement.
  • Business Insider UK lists Blockchain as one of the 25 most exciting Bitcoin startups.
  • American Banker: BBVA Compass chooses Kony for Mobile App Development.
  • Top Image Systems to provide processing solutions and account automation technology to German utility.

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.

Alumni News– January 19, 2015

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgWordline extends partnership with Kalixa.
  • Misys signs deal with fixed income data and cash flow model specialist, Intex.
  • defiSolutions unveils ESSENTIAL LOS automated application processing solution.
  • Benzinga looks at how LikeFolio helps investors spot trends in stocks.
  • Engineering and Technology Magazine features biometric authenticators EyeVerify, Bionym, and BioCatch.
  • Wipit Named Winner in Ninth Annual Paybefore Awards.
  • Banking Tech features how RBS subsidiary, Ulster Bank, is holding a hackathon with Open Bank Project.
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.

Alumni News– September 15, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgMoven CEO Brett King says Apple Pay anticipates the end of physical bank cards.
  • United Way Worldwide now accepts bitcoin courtesy of Coinbase.
  • Monitise releases fiscal year 2014 financial results; announces new strategic partnership with Santander.
  • Business Spectator looks at how Apple, Google, Lending Club, and SocietyOne are part of “banking’s double disruption.”
  • Allied Payment Network announces integration of FlexPay with PicturePay.
  • Feedzai teams up with Azul Systems to speed its real-time data analysis.
  • The Washington Post features Betterment and HelloWallet.
  • Millicom and Kalixa partner to offer payment acceptance services for businesses and consumers in Africa and Latin America.
  • ProfitStars introduces Gladiator Hosted Network Solutions to enable FIs to move their IT infrastructures to the cloud.
  • Rippleshot, Braintree highlighted in Chicago Tribune column as examples of local contributors to the commerce infrastructure.
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.

Alumni News– September 11, 2014

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgArcher Daniels Midland deploys Tradeshift’s Collaborative Workflow system.
  • Coinbase opens its doors to European customers in 13 countries.
  • Dealstruck and Lendio partner to provide capital to Jidan Cleaning.
  • Oink releases v 2.0 of its app to improve mobile shopping experience and allow users to favorite retailers.
  • LightCyber partners with Check Point Software to provide breach detection and response.
  • Stitch Labs features Xero on its list of four apps for multichannel sellers this holiday season.
  • Forex Magnates takes a look at the latest upgrades to Darwinex’s trading platform.
  • Kalixa partners with Millicom to launch new payments service venture in Latin America and Africa.
  • Top Image Systems announces new subsidiary TIS Australia.
  • PYMNTS: Braintree CEO Bill Ready talks about ApplePay with MPD CEO Karen Webster.
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– May 27, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgThomson Reuters adds material modification flags to its FATCA Grandfathered Obligations solution.
  • Top Image Systems teams up with Taulia to provide joint cloud invoice processing and supply chain optimization.
  • Kalixa acquires PXP Solutions for undisclosed sum.
  • Insuritas announces partnership with OSU FCU to create virtual “Insurance Aisle” inside the credit union.
  • SafetyPay releases SafetyPay Direct solution to allow merchants to request payments to customers by email or phone.
  • Holvi announces new million euro investment.
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– February 26, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgOn Budget wins 2014 Paybefore Award as “One to Watch.”
  • United Bank Limited picks VoiceTrust for voice biometrics.
  • InComm partners with Asia-based Money Online to launch POS-activated gift card mall solutions in Southeast Asia.
  • Rezzcard to integrate with InComm’s Cashtie to enable Rezzcard cardholders to pay their rent in cash at over 70,000 retail locations.
  • American Banker reports: Western Union to use NICE Customer Analytics. Come see its new tech at FinovateSpring.
  • Xero reaches 100,000 paying customers in Australia.
  • Check out an interview with BRIDGEi2i Director and Co-Founder, Ashish Sharma.
  • SecondMarket considering U.S.-based bitcoin exchange.
  • Live Gamer customers to get access to MasterCard’s MasterPass digital payment service.
  • authenticID enhances ID proofing technology to help combat cloned credit card fraud.
  • Green Dot wins top honors in four categories at 2014 Paybefore awards.
  • Global Banking & Finance Review takes a look at Kalixa Group’s American expansion.
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.