Finovate Fall Sneak Peek: M1 Finance

Finovate Fall Sneak Peek: M1 Finance

M1Finance_homepage_August2016

FF2016-Logo-wdate-largeA look at the companies demoing live to 1,500+ fintech professionals on 8/9 September 2016. Register today.

M1 Finance is the most efficient way to build savings and manage wealth. With M1, any investor can create, organize, and automate a customizable portfolio – all within an intuitive investment platform.

Features:

  • Creation of a customizable portfolio made up of any tradable security
  • Easy management and automated trading on your portfolio
  • Same-day deposits and next-day withdrawals

Why it’s great
Holding deposits in a bank is outdated. With M1, you can automate the seamless transition into assets of your choosing.

M1Finance_BrianBarnesPresenters

Brian Barnes, CEO and Founder
Barnes founded M1 Finance after working as an equity analyst and management consultant. He is a Stanford graduate.
LinkedIn

 

M1Finance_StevenGallSteven Gall, VP Engineering
Gall is an experienced technology leader with a background in systems consulting. He leads back-end development for M1 Finance.
LinkedIn

FinovateFall Sneak Peek: Overbond

FinovateFall Sneak Peek: Overbond

Overbond_homepage_August2016FF2016-Logo-wdate-largeA look at the companies demoing live to 1,500+ fintech professionals on 8/9 September 2016. Register today.

Overbond is an end-to-end digital bond-origination platform. Overbond brings all bond market participants together and makes primary bond issuance transparent and secure.

Features:

  • Secure communications channels
  • Real-time market data with custom reporting and analytics
  • Ultimate efficiency and transparency

Why it’s great
Overbond is transforming how global investment banks, institutional investors, corporations, and governments connect and access the fixed-income primary market.

Overbond_VukMagdelinicPresenters

Vuk Magdelinic, CEO and Cofounder
Magdelinic leads digital transformation programs at global banks. He has fifteen years experience in capital markets, management consulting, and technology (PwC, CIBC, Deloitte, Danaher); Ivey MBA; U of T—electrical engineering.
LinkedIn

 

Overbond_HanRyooHan Ryoo, Co-Founder and Head of Product
Ryoo has 8+ years of fixed income and fintech experience. Before Overbond, he specialized in corporate bond origination and led business development and operations at three startups.
LinkedIn

FinovateFall Sneak Peek: GainX

FinovateFall Sneak Peek: GainX

GainX_homepage_August2016

FF2016-Logo-wdate-largeA look at the companies demoing live to 1,500+ fintech professionals on 8/9 September 2016. Register today.

The GainX Innovation Strategy Management platform enables FSIs to adapt, innovate, and commercialize repeatedly. Get greater ROI on innovation spend and sustained competitive advantage in the market.

Features:

  • Insights: Industry benchmarks, gap analysis, innovation-capacity assessment
  • Intellect: Track/manage innovation-spend and ROI in real time
  • Open Thinking: Behavioral analytics and idea management

Why it’s great
Unlike anything in the market, GainX gives you visibility on all things innovative with relevant and real-time metrics, deep engagement, and faster time-to-market. One platform to unleash your ROI.

Gainx_AngeliqueMohringPresenters

Angelique Mohring, CEO and Founder
Mohring founded GainX after working with Global1000s for 20+ years as a tech executive and global change agent. She is an expert in innovation strategy, tech, and economic growth through innovation.
LinkedIn

 

GainX_MalcolmvanRaalteMalcolm van Raalte, CTO and Co-Founder
van Raalte has 20+ years of experience in building technology platforms in fast-growing, high-tech businesses. He has been instrumental in building the GainX platform into a world-class solution.
LinkedIn

FinovateFall Sneak Peek: Aleo

FinovateFall Sneak Peek: Aleo

Aleo_homepage_August2016

FF2016-Logo-wdate-largeA look at the companies demoing live to 1,500+ fintech professionals on 8/9 September 2016. Register today.

Aleo.com is a B2B marketplace open to companies of all sizes and integrates online procurement services with easy supplier financing powered by ING Bank.

Features:

  • eRFPs and purchase auction integrated with easy-invoice financing-solution
  • Suppliers receive cash as soon as they like
  • Buyers pay as late as they need

Why it’s great
Aleo.com enables ING Bank to meet client financing needs exactly at the moment they do real business, empowering them to make better procurement, sales and financing decisions.

Presenters

Bartosz Traczyk, CEO, ING Services for Business (Aleo)
Traczyk has 10+ years of experience in banking, process, product, and project management. He is currently responsible for the Beyond Banking offer for corporate and SME clients at ING Poland.
LinkedIn

 

Aleo_OscarSwanOscar Swan, Chief Risk Officer and VP at ING Lease Poland, Board Advisor at ING Services for Business (Aleo)
Swan has 20+ years of experience in banking, market risk and credit risk management, covering various leadership positions at ING.

FinovateFall Sneak Peek: Moven

FinovateFall Sneak Peek: Moven

Moven_homepage_August2016

FF2016-Logo-wdate-largeA look at the companies demoing live to 1,500+ fintech professionals on 8/9 September 2016. Register today.

Moven offers a software platform designed for mobile customer-centric banking, connecting the customer’s lifestyle to the revenue moments of a bank.

Why it’s great
Moven partners with global financial institutions to transform banking from products and balance sheets to insights and advice.

Moven_GregMidtboPresenters

Greg Midtbo, Chief Revenue Officer

 

 

 

Moven_BobSavinoBob Savino, Chief Technical Officer

Persado Earns Top 20 Ranking in Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Companies List

Persado Earns Top 20 Ranking in Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Companies List

Persado_homepage_August2016

With a three-year growth rate of nearly 94x and revenues of more than $17 million in 2015, Persado came in at #16 on Inc.com’s roster of the fastest growing private companies in America. “The Inc. 500 list stands out where it really counts,” said Eric Schurenberg, Inc. president and editor-in-chief. “No one makes the Inc. 500 without building something great, usually from scratch.”

Alex Vratskides, Persado CEO and cofounder, called the recognition a “tremendous achievement” for his company. “It validates not only our dramatic growth, but also honors the transformative power of cognitive content technology, our pioneering customers, and our brilliant global team,” he said.

Persado_stage_FEU2016

Persado Chief Revenue Officer Lawrence Whittle demonstrated Persado Go at FinovateEurope 2016 in London.

Persado demonstrated its messaging solution, Persado Go, at FinovateEurope 2016 in London this February. The company’s technology “replaces the guesswork of copywriting” by using algorithms to generate language for marketing emails, landing pages, push notifications, social media and other communications. Discussing the technology at FinovateEurope 2016 earlier this year, company CRO Lawrence Whittle said, “In simple terms, we generate the most persuasive message every time with every digital touchpoint with your customers.” And using the example of trying to drive up business among dormant credit-card customers, Whittle showed how Persado was able to quickly build multiple variations of an email message as part of a marketing campaign far faster than a team of copywriters. Whittle pointed out the advantages of machine learning in this context, saying that “these messages are not in any way a judgment around creativity, [but] about what might work in terms of motivating someone to take an action. We are literally analyzing billions of transactions to generate these sixteen messages.”

PersadoGo_image

Persado has raised $66 million in total funding, including a $30 million Series C in April. The company includes Goldman Sachs, StarVest Partners, Bain Capital Ventures, Citi Ventures, and American Express Ventures among its investors. More than 80 global brands use Persado’s technology to enhance their marketing initiatives, earning an average conversion lift of more than 49% and an improvement of more than 68% in click-through rates. Founded in 2012 and originally from the U.K., Persado is headquartered in New York City.

Other Finovate and FinDEVr alums appearing on Inc.’s list include Kabbage (#183; 3-year growth of more than 20x; 2015 revenues of $97.4 million); Lighter Capital (#335; 3 -year growth of more than 11x; 2015 revenues of $4.3 million); and Tango Card (#402; 3-year growth of more than 9x; 2015 revenues of $6.2 million). Finishing just beyond the 500 mark was edo Interactive (#569; 3-year growth of more than 6x; 2015 revenues of $18.1 million).

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Persado Earns Top 20 Ranking in Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Companies List
  • Qumram Wins Swisscom Startup Challenge (Note: See Qumram demonstrate its technology in New York at FinovateFall 2016 on 8/9 September.)
  • HelloWallet’s New Feature is a Budget Within a Budget
  • Upserve’s New Square Partnership Offers Clients Access to Funding via Square Capital

Around the web

  • New partnership lets small businesses using Xero pay invoices using PayPal.
  • TSYS extends payments agreement with Swisscard.
  • The Muse features Persado on its list of “20 companies that want you to be happy.”
  • CRN lists MapD Technologies as one of 10 of the coolest big-data startups of 2016.

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.

Bizfi Reaches $1.8 Billion Small Business Lending Milestone

Bizfi Reaches $1.8 Billion Small Business Lending Milestone

Bizfi_homepage_August2016b

Courtesy of more than $144 million in originations in the second quarter, small business lending platform Bizfi has just surpassed $1.8 billion in financing to more than 31,000 small businesses since inception 12 years ago. The gains represent a 25% year-over-year increase.

Bizfi founder Stephen Sheinbaum credited partnerships—with Western Independent Bankers (WIB) announced in March, and the National Directory of Registered Tax Return Preparers & Professionals (PTIN) announced a few weeks ago—for his company’s ability to provide financing to an expanding universe of small businesses. And this is especially true in the case of small businesses that have had a difficult time raising funds. “We will continue to forge these white-label partnerships with companies that have existing small business relationships,” Sheinbaum said, “with the goal of solidifying the Bizfi brand and expanding our reach.”

Bizfi_stage_FinovateFall2015

Bizfi founder Stephen Sheinbaum demonstrated the Bizfi platform at FinovateFall 2015 in New York.

Bizfi specializes in combining aggregation, funding, and a marketplace on a single platform for small businesses. This enables Bizfi to provide access to third-party brokers and a direct sales force, cash advances and small business loans, as well as a market that enables institutional investors to participate. The combination of features makes Bizfi unique among alternative finance companies, providing its solutions to its strategic partners via API as both white-label and co-branded options. The company has more than 45 funding partners, including fellow Finovate alums OnDeck, Dealstruck, and Kabbage.

Founded in 2005 and headquartered in New York City, Bizfi demonstrated its technology at FinovateFall 2015. In June, the company picked up a $20 million investment from Metropolitan Equity Partners, bringing Bizfi’s total capital to $85 million.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Actiance Hires Former Credit Suisse Exec as CTO
  • Check out this week’s FinDEVr APIntelligence.
  • Ethoca to Power Merchant Fraud Alerts for ACI Worldwide
  • Cortera’s Credit Exchange Now Gathers Insights from $1.2 Trillion in Purchases
  • BizFi Reaches $1.8 Billion Small Business Lending Milestone

Around the web

  • New partnership between Interactions and Genesys brings automatic speech recognition and text-to-speech to self-service customer care.
  • Karen Webster interviews Socure CEO Sunil Madhu on using social data for authentication.
  • Darwinex announces enhancements to its algorithms.
  • CREALOGIX Digital Banking Hub to power finance portal for VZ Depotbank.
  • Backbase to power customer experience and digital banking platforms for IDFC Bank.

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.

RealtyMogul.com to Raise $50 Million with New REIT, MogulREIT I

RealtyMogul.com to Raise $50 Million with New REIT, MogulREIT I

RealtyMogul_homepage_August2016

Real estate crowdfunding for the retail investor? The new, non-trading REIT (real estate investment trust) launched by RealtyMogul.com is designed to provide just that. Called MogulREIT I, the REIT takes advantage of Regulation A+ in Title IV of the JOBS Act and will be used by RealtyMogul.com to raise up to $50 million. Most interestingly, unlike the crowdfunding platform itself, nonaccredited investors will be able to invest in MogulREIT I.

“We’ve made it our mission to introduce a fair and simple way to invest in real estate,” CEO and founder Jilliene Helman said in a video explaining MogulREIT I. “The launch of our REIT is another step towards making real estate investing accessible for more and more people across the country.”

MogulREIT I is built to provide investors with consistent cash distributions as well as capital preservation and appreciation. The REIT charges no sales commission, and only a 3% organization and offering expenses fee (typically, for non-traded REITs, these sums are 7% sales commission and as much as 15% in organization and offering expenses.) The savings come courtesy of RealtyMogul.com’s decision to directly offer the REIT via its own website “eliminat(ing) the traditional, manpower-intensive distribution channels and the high expense load that comes with them.”

The REIT invests in apartment buildings, industrial parks, office complexes, retail centers, and self storage facilities. No “ground-up construction or land development” properties will be invested in by the REIT, which pledges to rely on established and experienced real estate companies and professionals, as well as communities “with strong economic fundamentals.” Funds can be withdrawn on a quarterly basis and the minimum investment is $2,500. Read the offering circular for more information.

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, RealtyMogul.com demonstrated its crowdfunding tool for real estate at FinovateSpring 2014. More than 80,000 individual investors have joined RealtyMogul.com since its inception, with more than $200 million in debt and equity invested through its platform. Investors have received more than $40 million in payouts.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • TransferWise Launches TransferWise for Business to the Public
  • RealtyMogul to Raise $50 Million with New REIT, MogulREIT I

Around the web

  • ACI Worldwide integrates Ethoca Alerts into its UP eCommerce Payments solution.
  • Trulioo announces enhancements to the global AML watchlist capabilities of its GlobalGateway platform.
  • Realty Mogul launches REIT investments.
  • Two credit unions select Fiserv’s OnCU for core account processing.
  • Payoneer releases automated tax-form service to its mass payout offering.
  • D+H brings on 100+ new lenders to its MortgagebotLOS solution after signing reseller agreement with DocMagic in October of 2015.
  • FT.com looks at Quantopian in a feature on DIY algorithmic trading.
  • Jumio VP of Product Philipp Pointner writes about digital ID verification in AltFi News.

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.

Bento For Business Unveils New Mobile App

Bento For Business Unveils New Mobile App

BentoforBusiness_homepage_August2016

Bento for Business has released its new mobile app. The solution makes it easier for employees to review their business’s debit-card balances, tag and annotate expenses for simpler reporting and reconciliation, as well as attach receipts to individual transactions using the smartphone’s camera. Optimized for use with smartphone rather than tablets, the Bento mobile app is available for free on both iOS and Android.

“Employees rejoice! Bento’s mobile app is here,” Bento for Business wrote in tweeting the news this afternoon. “Check balances on-the-go. Smart #expense #management is here.”

BentoforBusiness_mobileapp_droid

Bento for Business specializes in providing solutions to help small business owners better manage expenses. With its Bento Prepaid MasterCard, the company offers employers a way to empower their employees to make necessary, work-related purchases while ensuring employers have maximum spending visibility and control. Bento also provides businesses with an analytic dashboard that provides a wholistic view of spending, as well as per-card information as to transaction type, location, employee, etc. “We want to work with banks, with service providers,” Bento for Business CEO Farhan Ahmad said during his Finovate demonstration in the spring of 2015, “to curate and build beautiful, simple—and most of all, useful—products that are built just for small businesses.”

Founded in 2014, the San Francisco-based company demonstrated its technology at FinovateSpring 2016. Bento for Business picked up a $7 million investment in a Series A round led by Comcast Ventures and featuring the participation of Anthemis Group, Blumberg Capita, and Lionbird. Individual investor Dan Henry, former NetSpend CEO, also participated. Read more about Bento for Business in our Finovate Debuts feature.