FinovateEurope 2015: London Calling!

We’re feeling at the “top of the dial” here on rehearsal day of FinovateEurope 2015, the first Finovate conference of the year. With 1,200 fintech execs from around the world converging on Old Billingsgate Market Hall tomorrow (10 Feb), those looking forward to two days of the latest in financial technology innovation have reason to smile.

Thumbnail image for FE2015Banner.jpg

Here are a few last-minute items for both those who will be joining us live in London as well as those who will be following along—and chiming in—via our live blog at Finovate.com and our Twitter feed at @Finovate.
FinovateEurope 2015 mobile and web app
Once again we’ll be using the Bizzabo social networking app to help attendees reach out and connect with each other, as well as our presenters and sponsors, and partners. The app makes it easy to learn about the presenting companies, follow along with the conference agenda, and network with your fellow attendees.
FEU2015_BizzaboAd1.jpg
Registered attendees simply need to download the Bizzabo app (iOS version here, Android version here). Bizzabo is also available for your desktop here. Once you’ve downloaded the app, install it, and search for “Finovate,” choose “Join” and you’ll be connected to the event.

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Twitter Bird.jpg

Twitter
If you aren’t able to join us in London, then tracking the action via our Twitter feed is easily the next best thing to being here. Check us out @Finovate and be sure to tag your thoughts, insights, clever gestures and wise remarks “#Finovate.”
For more information about FinovateEurope 2015, check out our preview page here. You’ll find the event schedule, agenda, the notes on the venue, a list of presenters, sponsors, partners, and much more.
If you have any questions about the conference, visit our FAQ page or send us an email at [email protected].

AdviceGames Raises $570,000 from Ibuildings

AdviceGamesLogo.jpg

AdviceGames, the Netherlands-based company that gamifies personal financial management, announced last week it raised $570,000.

The investment comes from Ibuildings, a creator of software that facilitates online communication between businesses and customers. The funding will be used to increase the speed of its machine learning technology and build a solid foundation for international growth.

Since launching in 2013, AdviceGames has invested over $1.1 million to develop and build its machine learning platform.

AdviceGamesHomepage.jpg

Tom Schenkenberg, founder of Ibuildings, will join AdviceGames as CTO.

AdviceGames will debut its newest technology this week at FinovateEurope 2015.

Alumni News– February 9, 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.jpgCredit Union Times reviews Malauzai Software’s report on the growing popularity of debit card on-off functionality.
  • Crain’s Chicago Business profiles Rippleshot.
  • Inside-it.ch: CREALOGIX leverages TouchID API to develop biometric fingerprint authentication app for mobile banking.
  • PYMNTS.com: MPD CEO Karen Webster interviews Bruce Lowthers, FIS EVP for North American Retail Payments.
  • CrowdFundBeat features Realty Mogul CEO Jilliene Helman.
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.

FinovateEurope Lands in London Tuesday

FE2015Banner.jpg

We are excited to be in London again for the fifth annual FinovateEurope 2015. The event begins at 8:00 AM Tuesday, 11 February, at Old Billingsgate Market Hall and continues through 5:00 PM Wednesday, 12 February. If you still don’t have your ticket, pick one up today, because they’re almost gone.

FEU14reg.jpg

Here are a few last-minute reminders:

Presenters
We’ll showcase 70+ presenters over the course of the two-day show. Be sure to check them out beforehand to get a head start on networking opportunities.
Also, our Sneak Peek blog series provides more detail on select presenters.

When
On Tuesday, registration opens at 8:00 AM with continental breakfast served until opening remarks at 8:45 followed by the first demo at 9:00.
Here is the detailed agenda:
FEU15Agenda.jpg

OldBillingsGate.jpg

Venue
We’re returning to the beautiful Old Billingsgate Market Hall, situated alongside the River Thames.
 
Mobile networking app

If you’re a registered attendee, download the mobile app to view the agenda, presenters, fellow attendees, and more:

Once you’ve downloaded it, search Finovate and select Join.

Have more questions? Check out our FAQ or email [email protected].

Fintech Fundings: $530 Million Raised First Week of February

dollar_button.jpg

It was a big week for marketplace lenders with SoFi landing $200 million; CommonBond, $150 million (an undisclosed portion of that was commitment to purchase loans); Fundera, $12 million (debt). In addition, Chinese online lender U51 pulled in $50 million.
In total, 13 companies—including Finovate alum, SimplyTapp‘s $2.5 million—raised $533 million, which includes at least $12 million in debt.
Here are the deals from 31 January to 6 Feb 2015, in order of size:
Marketplace for student loan refinancing and other loans
Latest round: $200 million
Total raised: $766 million; $365 million equity, $401 million debt
Tags: lending, student loan, personal loan, underwriting, P2P, peer-to-peer, San Francisco, California
Source: Crunchbase
Student loan marketplace lender
Latest round: $150 million; an undisclosed portion of the round is a guarantee to fund loans originated on the platform
Total raised: $253.5 million
Tags: lending, education, student loan, refinance, investing, P2P, person-to-person, New York City
Source: Crunchbase
Indian mobile bill-pay and commerce platform 
Latest round: $80 million
Total raised: $116.5 million
Tags: mobile, bill payment, billing, rewards, offers, coupons, prepaid, wireless, topup, Mumbai, India
Source: FT Partners
Chinese alternative lender
Latest round: $50 million
Total raised: $50 million
Tags: lending, personal loans, underwriting, credit, China
Source: FT Partners
Mobile banking and payments platform for Latin America
Latest round: $19 million
Total raised: $39 million
Tags: mobile, online banking, payments, Miami, Florida
Source: Crunchbase
Archer (a.k.a. Market Street Advisors)
Investment management technology 
Latest round: $12.5 million
Total raised: $12.5 million
Tags: investing, enterprise, Edison, New Jersey
Source: FT Partners
Loan marketplace for small business loans
Latest round: $12 million (debt)
Total raised: $15.3 million; $3.3 million equity, $12 million debt
Tags: lending, small business, SMB, investing, debt crowdfunding, loans, New York City
Source: Crunchbase
Mobile receipt capture app
Latest round: $2.6 million
Total raised: $3.1 million
Tags: expense management, PFM, receipts, SMB, Barcelona, Spain
Source: Crunchbase
Cloud-based mobile payments
Latest round: $2.5 million
Total raised: $10.1 million
Tags: payments, mobile, SMB, POS, Austin, Texas, Finovate alum
Source: Finovate
Digital currency
Latest round: $2.3 million
Total raised: $2.3 million
Tags: cryptocurrency, payments, bitcoin, Paris, France
Source: FT Partners
Bitcoin security and authentication
Latest round: $850,000
Total raised: $950,000
Tags: security, bitcoin, authentication, cryptocurrency, Rochester, New York
Source: Crunchbase
ziftrCOIN digital currency
Latest round: $850,000
Total raised: $850,000
Tags: cyrptocurrency, digital currency, bitcoin, ecommerce, Milford, New Hampshire
Source: Crunchbase
Indian mobile wallet
Latest round: $240,000
Total raised: $240,000
Tags: mobile, payments, Bengaluru, India
Source: Crunchbase

Alumni News—February 6, 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.jpgCardFlight releases its mobile POS app, SwipeSimple 2.0.
  • Sky News reports Temasek is investigating a possible purchase of Misys.
  • The Observer features Ripple Labs in its look at the “race to replace bitcoin.”
  • Column on digital money accounting highlights, Mint, Venmo, and Coinbase.
  • Investopedia compares Motif Investing to investing with traditional exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
  • Forbes highlights Betterment, Wealthfront, FutureAdvisor, blooom, Motif Investing, and Personal Capital in a column on roboadvisors.
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.

Funding for E.U.-based Finovate Alums Totals $377 Million in 2014

EUFundingIMG.jpg

With FinovateEurope less than a week away, it’s a good time to review the results of 2014. In total, European-based alumni of Finovate raised $377 million. And 2015 is looking even better with two major fundings in January:

Here are the 2014 fundings by quarter:

Q1, 2014
Total: $180 Million
Q2, 2014
Total: $107 Million
Q3, 2014

Total: $21 Million

Q4, 2014
Total: $69 Million

Note: This total does not reflect funding raised by the 44 new-to-Finovate companies that will demo next week at FinovateEurope 2015.

** We used $1 million for Red Zebra’s “seven figure amount”

Payments Platform Mozido Adds $2.5 Million to SimplyTapp’s Series B Round

SimplyTappLogo.jpg

Host Card Emulation company, SimplyTapp, announced a $2.5 million addition to this week’s most recent round, bringing its Series B total to $8.5 million and total cumulative funding to $10.1 million.

The Austin-based company announced the first round, which was furnished by Blue Sky Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners, last November.

SimplyTappHomepage.jpg

The funding comes from mobile payments and rewards company, Mozido, which is also based in Texas.

SimplyTapp demonstrated at FinDEVr San Francisco 2014.

SixThirty Accelerator Deadline Extended to February 6

SixThirty_logo_new2.jpg

SixThirty Accelerator is extending the deadline for its spring 2015 incubator class to Friday, February 6th.

SixThirty has played a role in the development of two Finovate alums: miiCard, which was a part of the Fall 2013 cohort, and Gremln, a participant of the Spring 2014 class.

SixThirty_homepage_new2.jpg
Co-founded by Jim McKelvey, SixThirty invests up to $100,000 per selected company, for a total of $800,000 a year in late seed-stage, financial startups. Through the four-month program, SixThirty provides companies with expert mentorships and the opportunity to network and connect with the region’s FI ecosystem, which includes MasterCard, Wells Fargo, and Scottrade.
The spring 2015 cohort will be announced at the end of February.

Alumni News—February 5, 2015

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgQuisk electronic payment system to launch in Jamaica. Come see Quisk at FinovateEurope next week.
  • AM560 interviews Lendio CEO Brock Blake on alternative lending.
  • On Finovate.com: “Funding for E.U.-based Finovate Alums Totals $377 Million in 2014″
  • European Commission’s Promoting Enterprise blog spotlights Nuno Da Cruz Sebastiao of Feedzai.
  • Argent Credit Union hires Insuritas to open and manage turnkey insurance agency.
  • Coinbase to support Google Now notifications.
  • CoinJar launches iOS bitcoin payments app, CoinJar Touch, ahead of its FinovateEurope 2015 debut next week.
  • SixThirty Accelerator deadline extended to February 6.
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.

FinovateEurope 2015: Come for the Demos, Stay for the Networking

Thumbnail image for FEUpromoshot.jpg

We got the word on Monday: FinovateEurope 2015 will be the largest Finovate conference in Europe to date.

This is a great way to start the year. And we’re hoping you’ll join us in London on February 10 and 11 to enjoy our first event of 2015. We’re headed toward a sold-out show, so get your tickets before they’re gone. 

Live demos are Finovate’s stock-in-trade. But the high-quality networking opportunities are not to be overlooked. And with 500 minutes of demos and an equal amount of time dedicated to high-quality networking, we think we’ve got the balance just right.
Here’s a look at the kind of folks you’ll be rubbing elbows with at FinovateEurope 2015 this year.
FEU2015TitleCloud.jpg
FinovateEurope tends to have a particularly international flavor. And this year’s conference is no exception. Below is a map that shows where each of our 70 presenters is headquartered (click to enlarge). 
Finovate_FEU2015_FinalRevised_Map.jpg
Find out more about this year’s presenting companies here, or check out our Sneak Peek Preview series below.

FinovateEurope 2015 is sponsored by The Bancorp, iBe, Financial Technology Partners, KPMG LLP, Life.SREDA.

Alumni News– February 4, 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.jpgIntelligentHQ features TransferWise and CurrencyFair in its look at the “currency transfer revolution.”
  • ayondo hires Peg Reed as Senior Vice President of Business Development.
  • School of Bookkeeping reviews Kashoo Simple Cloud Accounting.
  • Fintech Monthly focuses on recent fintech fundraising including recent investment in TransferWise.
  • ProfitStars adds billpay, invoice management, and mobile banking functionality to its ICBA Preferred Service Provider program.
  • Temenos teams up with Polytech Ventures to launch the first Swiss fintech incubator.
  • Expensify adds 4,000 new customers in 2014, including  the BBB, ZenDesk, and Yahoo!  
  • Forbes features Currency Cloud’s cross border payment API.
  • Kony’s partners now offering apps on its business mobile app marketplace.
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.