What a month for financial tech startups! Partly due to DEMOfall, TechCrunch50 and our Finovate, there’s been at least 10 online financial service launches or unveilings this month in North America alone (note 1).
That could be the sign of a bubble about to burst, or it could just be a bunch of smart people meeting very real market needs. Only time will tell.
Lucky number 10 is Pennyminder, an online personal finance startup based in Vancouver, BC. I met founder Vince Hodges at BarCampBankBC last Saturday (coverage here). Although Pennyminder joins a crowded field, the seventh personal finance manager (list below) to launch this month, it’s the first ever based out of Canada. That alone should help it gain some traction.
Vince proffered a beta invite, so I’ve had a chance to look at it. It’s a nice, clean design that allows user entries/statement import and supports an expense sharing/social angle. I don’t know if that’s enough to compete with the dozens of U.S. and international personal finance sites, many with VCs funding a wider range of features, but it’s a good start.
Pennyminder will have to figure out a way to break through the clutter, such as partnering with credit unions and/or banks.
Here are six more newcomers this month:
- Thrive unveiled here yesterday and launching at Finovate NYC on Oct. 14
- Rate Surfer unveiled at the TechCrunch50 DemoPit on Sept. 9 and launching at Finovate NYC, Oct. 14 (our coverage here)
- iThryv from Shryk unveiled on stage at TechCrunch50 on Sept. 8 and covered here that day
- Expensify unveiled at the TechCrunch50 DemoPit on Sept. 8 (our coverage here)
- Rudder unveiled here Aug. 23 and launched at DEMOfall on Sept. 8
- GreenSherpa unveiled here July 18 and launched at DEMOfall on Sept. 8
Note:
1. Includes the seven mentioned here plus three more I’ve yet to blog about.