Author: David Penn

Fiona Tee Takes the Helm as Currency Cloud’s New CFO

Fiona Tee Takes the Helm as Currency Cloud’s New CFO
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Currency Cloud

CurrencyCloud_homepage_May2016

Currency Cloud has a new Chief Financial Officer.

Formerly CFO of fellow Finovate alum Intelligent Environments, Fiona Tee (below) will bring more than 20 years of experience as a senior finance professional to the London-based global payments processor. At Currency Cloud, Tee will lead international development of the company’s finance, human resources, compliance, and operations. She will also be involved with helping Currency Cloud forge partnerships in pursuit of expansion in the U.S. and Asia.

CurrencyCloud_FionaTeeCurrency Cloud CEO Mike Laven praised Tee’s “deep understanding of the payments industry” which he credited to the diveristy of her executive background. Prior to Intelligent Environments, Tee worked as CFO at Omnico Group, and has held executive positions at MasterCard, Anite, and Mondex International. She is a graduate of the Imperial College London and has an ACA certification from the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales.

“For me, the CFO role extends far beyond taking care of the numbers,” Tee said. Describing herself as “commercially focused” with a reputation as an “entrepreneurial CFO” she added, “I’m looking forward to working in close partnership with the strategic and commercial teams (to) help guide Currency Cloud on its ambitious journey.”

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in London, U.K., Currency Cloud processes $15 billion in payments annually via its payment engine. The company’s solution powers more than 125 platform customers, with more than 150,000 end customers using the service. Currency Cloud processes payments in more than 40 currencies and operates in 212 countries. With investors Anthemis Group, Anthem Venture Partners, Atlas Venture, Notion Capital, Sapphire Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank, and XAnge Private Equity, Currency Cloud has raised $35 million in funding.

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Finovate Alumni News

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Currency Cloud, Fidor Bank, Green Dot, TransferTo

On Finovate.com

  • “Fiona Tee Takes the Helm as Currency Cloud’s New CFO”

Around the web

  • Partnership between TransferTo and Barri Financial Group to enable real-time money transfers in El Salvador.
  • Green Dot launches online lending marketplace, Green Dot Money.
  • Technology from Fidor Bank to drive new mobile banking service from Telefonica Germany.

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.

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FinovateSpring 2016 Best of Show Winners Announced

FinovateSpring 2016 Best of Show Winners Announced
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: BanQu, Best of Show, FinovateSpring 2016, LendingRobot, PayActiv, Quid, SaleMove, Silver6

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Heading into FinovateSpring 2016, we knew that one of the big themes would be the use of video for everything from authentication to improving customer engagement. And it seems like the hundreds of votes cast in our FinovateSpring 2016 Best of Show awards saw it the same way. Of the six Best of Show trophies awarded on Wednesday afternoon, two went to companies—SaleMove and Silver6—that are helping to make visual technology a bigger part of fintech innovation.

In fact, the more we think about it, the more we see how Best of Show award winner Quid—with its interactive maps that help businesses better navigate big data—is part of this larger trend toward leveraging the visual. Whether to better connect customers and clients with merchants and advisers, or to help make data more accessible and actionable, when it comes to fintech innovation, the “eyes” have it.

Our Best of Show voters were also impressed by the way innovators are using technology to solve the challenges of refugee populations and the underbanked (BanQu); the cash-flow struggles of working families (PayActiv); and even to help middle-class investors better track their finances across peer lending platforms (LendingRobot). This year’s Best of Show vote is real testament to both the diversity and social engagement that defines fintech in 2016. And truth told, it is a beautiful thing to see.

So let’s take a closer look at the award winners for Best of Show at FinovateSpring 2016 (in alphabetic order):

BanQu - true vector copyBanQu for its blockchain-based identity platform that enables financial inclusion and empowers the underbanked to join the global economy.

 

 

LendingRobot copyLendingRobot for its dashboard that helps investors track investments across peer lending platforms like Lending Club and Prosper.

 

PayActiv Logos CMYKPayActiv for its real-world alternative to payday loans that gives workers access to earned but unpaid wages.

 

Quid copyQuid for its web-based intelligence platform that leverages big data analytics, natural language processing, and network science to turn data searches into visual explorations.

 

SaleMoveSaleMove for its engagement platform that creates high-touch customer interactions using video, voice, and chat.

 

Silver6 copySilver6 for its financial video platform that enables businesses to use video personalization to provide custom communications.

 

We hope you enjoyed FinovateSpring 2016. We had a great time hosting this year’s event and are already looking forward to our return to San Jose next year. Many thanks to all those who supported, attended, sponsored, partnered with, and demoed their latest and greatest innovations live on stage. We’ll see you again in 2017!

Notes on methodology:
1. Only audience members NOT associated with demoing companies were eligible to vote. Finovate employees did not vote.
2. Attendees were encouraged to note their favorites during each day. At the end of the last demo, they chose their three favorites.
3. The exact written instructions given to attendees: “Please rate (the companies) on the basis of demo quality and potential impact of the innovation demoed.”
4. The six companies appearing on the highest percentage of submitted ballots were named “Best of Show.”
5. Go here for a list of previous Best of Show winners through 2014. Best of Show winners from FinovateEurope 2015 are here. Best of Show winners from FinovateSpring 2015 are here. Best of Show winners from FinovateFall 2015 are here. Best of Show winners from FinovateEurope 2016 are here.

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Finovate Alumni News

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Fiserv, IBM, Tuition.io, Vera, Virtual Piggy

On Finovate.com

  • “FinovateSpring 2016 Best of Show Winners Announced“
  • “Vera Reels in Strategic Investment; Adds Former Veritas CEO & Founder to Board”

Around the web

  • Virtual Piggy appoints John R. Coyne as its new CEO.
  • Envestnet | Yodlee initiates strategic partnership with African incubator, AlphaCode.
  • Fiserv launches accounting suite, Prologue Financials.
  • Tuition.io announces support for repayment of Federal Parent PLUS loans.
  • IBM unveils Watson for Cyber Security in collaboration with eight leading universities.

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.

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Vera Reels in Strategic Investment; Adds Former Veritas CEO & Founder to Board

Vera Reels in Strategic Investment; Adds Former Veritas CEO & Founder to Board
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Funding, Fundings, Vera

VeraSecurity_homepage_May2016 What a week for Vera! Within hours of the data security startup’s Finovate debut, the company announced that it had landed a strategic investment from Capital One Growth Ventures. The investment adds to Vera Security’s oversubscribed Series B round, taking the company’s total funding to $35 million.

The Series B was led by Sutter Hill Ventures, with existing investors Amplify Partners and Battery Ventures also participating. Vera_MarkLeslie

The funding news comes with word that former Veritas Software founder, chairman, and CEO, Mark Leslie (pictured right) will join Vera’s board of directors. A 30-year veteran of the Silicon Valley technology scene who served as president and CEO of Synapse Computer and Rugged Digital Systems in the 1980s, Leslie called Vera a leader among a “new class of security startups working  globally to secure data in a completely new way.”

Speaking for Capital One Growth Ventures, Adam Boutin praised Vera’s “elegant solution for securing data through its entire lifecycle” that avoids compromising access, control, or transparency. “We are thrilled to invest in Vera and have been impressed with their team and their ability to build a solution that balances complex functionality with ease-of-use,” Boutin said.

With more than a quarter-of-a-million users at Fortune 500 companies in verticals ranging from finance to manufacturing to entertainment, Vera specializes in providing data protection and encryption that both tracks and secures digital content across apps, devices, users, and platforms in real-time. Emerging from stealth just over a year ago, Vera was a finalist in the RSA Conference Innovation Sandbox Contest in February, the same month the company was named one of the 20 coolest cloud security vendors of the 2016 Cloud 100 by CRN. Also in February, Vera teamed up with Richard Fleischman and Associates (RFA) to provide U.S. hedge funds, private equity firms, and asset managers with its advanced data security technology. Vera unveiled its cloud-based IRM-as-a-Service (Information Rights Management-as-a-Service) platform in March, enabling businesses to “protect and manage access to any data generated by custom-built business applications.”

Led by CEO Ajay Arora, Vera demonstrated its data security technology at FinovateSpring 2016. The video of the company’s demo will be available soon.

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Welcome to FinovateSpring 2016: Day 2

Welcome to FinovateSpring 2016: Day 2
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: FinovateSpring 2016

FS2016_DayTwoPost_HeaderImage

Day Two of FinovateSpring is here! We hope you enjoyed Day One of the conference and are looking forward to another morning and afternoon of live demos and great networking.

Wednesday will feature three sessions of demos from 32 presenting companies. So grab a cup of your favorite morning beverage and join us for what promises to be a fascinating look at the future of fintech today.

Here’s a look at Wednesday’s agenda:

Registration opens at 8 a.m.

Demo Session 5: 8:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Intermission with refreshments: 10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Demo Session 6: 10:45 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.

Lunch: 12:05 p.m. – 1 p.m.

Demo Session 7: 1 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.

Networking with open bar & appetizers: 2:40 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Best of Show Awards Ceremony: 4:15 p.m.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter for our live coverage of FinovateSpring 2016. Videos of the live demos will be available in our video archives in a few weeks.

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Finovate Alumni News

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Corezoid, Jack Henry, Jumio, Personetics, Q2

On Finovate.com

  • “Welcome to FinovateSpring 2016: Day 2″

Around the web

  • Personetics launches its Personetics Anywhere chatbot, enabling FIs to provide personalized service to customers via popular messaging apps.
  • Q2 Holdings unveils its cloud-based, open API platform for developers, CorePro.
  • Jack Henry & Associates announces availability of Banno Mobile for Windows 10 and launch of Banno People, a user profile management solution.
  • Corezoid’s platform-as-a-service technology now available in the U.S. and Western Europe.
  • Jumio agrees to acquisition by Centana Growth Partners.

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.

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Lending Club’s Laplanche Resigns; Scott Sanborn to Serve as Acting CEO

Lending Club’s Laplanche Resigns; Scott Sanborn to Serve as Acting CEO
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Lending Club

LendingClub_homepage_May2016

According to Lending Club president and new acting CEO Scott Sanborn, the first rule of Lending Club is to “maintain the highest levels of trust with borrowers.”

Sanborn’s remarks come as the online lending marketplace announces both its Q1 results as well as the resignation of Renaud Laplanche as Chairman and CEO. Laplanche is stepping down in the wake of an internal review by the company’s board of directors that questioned a $22 million sale of near-prime loans to a single investor. Sanborn (pictured below) will be assisted by director Hans Morris, who will also serve in a newly created role of executive chairman.

LendingClub_ScottSanbornMorris emphasized that while the “lack of full disclosure” during the review process was “unacceptable,” he added that the sum involved was “minor” and would have no financial impact on the company. Lending Club’s Q1 results underscored this, with the company reporting year-over-year operating revenue gains of 87% and an increase of more than 137% in year-over-year, adjusted EBITDA.

Other positive metrics from Lending Club for the quarter include a servicing portfolio of more than $10 billion, a gain of more than $5 billion year-over-year, and scoring its first month with more than $1 billion of originations. This included two days “at or above $99 million.” Speaking of the quarter, Lending Club CFO, Carrie Dolan said that flexibility of the model was key in helping the company “respond to market challenges such as economic uncertainty, capital market disruptions and negative seasonality.” She added, “We were pleased with the company’s growth in the face of these challenges.”

Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and founded in 2006, Lending Club is one of Finovate’s oldest alums, having demonstrated its platform at the first Finovate conference in 2007.

 

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Finovate Alumni News

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Betterment, Dwolla, Venmo

On Finovate.com

Around the web

  • Business Insider profiles the all-female management team of Betterment for Business.
  • The Des Moines Register reports on Dwolla and how its FiSync payments network could serve as a model for a nationwide effort.

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.

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The Way to San Jose: FinovateSpring Has Sprung!

The Way to San Jose: FinovateSpring Has Sprung!
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: FinovateSpring 2016

FS2016_TitlesWordCloud_FinalWho goes all the way to San Jose, California, for a fintech conference, you ask? A better question might be, who doesn’t? On Friday, we learned that FinovateSpring 2016 had sold more than 1,500 tickets, making it the biggest ever. But don’t worry if you haven’t picked up your ticket yet, there’s still plenty of time.

FinovateSpring is less than 48 hours away. And while presenters, attendees, and even a few members of the Finovate team are still making their way toward California’s third largest city (and home of the San Jose Sharks!), rest assured that we’ll be ready with everything you need for two rewarding days of live fintech demos and networking starting bright and early Tuesday.

On that note, here are a few tips and reminders to help you make the most of your week.

Schedule
Registration begins at 8:00 AM on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. The first demo on both days begins at 8:45 AM. Tuesday’s demos will wrap up at about 4:00 PM. The final demo on Wednesday will end at approximately 2:40 pm. Networking with an open bar will close out each day with Best of Show winners announced during Wednesday’s networking session.

We hope to see you here in sunny San Jose this week for what promises to be a great spring event. There’s still time to pick up your ticket—visit our registration page and save your spot today.

FS2016_SundayEveningPost_image

Venue
FinovateSpring returns to the City National Civic facility in downtown San Jose, California.

135  West San Carlos Street
San Jose, CA 95113

Presenters
FinovateSpring features 72 companies demonstrating the latest in fintech innovation in live, seven-minute presentations from the stage. No slides. No videos. No Powerpoint. Just the tech, the whole tech, and nothing but the tech.

Learn more about our presenting companies through our FinovateSpring Sneak Peek series, as well as at our FinovateSpring Presenters Page.

FS2016_PresentingCompanies_ART

Get Social
And once you’re registered for FinovateSpring 2016, be sure to let the world know you’re coming via Bizzabo, our social events app.

Download the Bizzabo app from the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or use Bizzabo’s online web interface. Search for “Finovate” and use the same email address that you used to register for the conference as your login.

We’re super-excited about another FinovateSpring here in San Jose and hope that you’ll join us in person or online (follow the conference on Twitter @Finovate!). Until then, check out our FAQ page for answers to common questions and for answers to uncommon questions, shoot us an email at info@Finovate.com.

FinovateSpring 2016 is sponsored by The Bancorp, Accenture, Association for Financial Technology, Cyberport/InvestHK, FT Partners, Greater Zurich Area/Swiss Business Hub,  Hudson Cook, KPMG, and Leverage PR.

FinovateSpring 2016 is partnered with Acuity Market Intelligence, Aite Group, American Bankers Association, Bank Innovators Council, BankersHub, Bankless Times, BayPay Forum, Bitcoin Magazine, bobsguide, Breaking Banks, Byte Academy, California Bankers Association, Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, Celent, Cointelegraph, Digital Currency Council, EbankingNews, FemTechLeaders, Filene Research Institute, The Fintech Times, IDC Financial Insights, Javelin, Juniper Research, Korea FinTech Forum, Mercator Advisory Group, Payments & Cards Network, The Paypers,PitchBook, Plug and Play, SME Finance Forum, and Western Independent Bankers.

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Finovate Alumni News

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Entrust Datacard, Payoneer, Thinknum, Twilio

On Finovate.com

  • “The Way to San Jose: FinovateSpring Has Sprung!”

Around the web

  • CFO interviews Michael Levine, Payoneer‘s Chief Financial Officer.
  • The Ruby Rogues talk with Ruby-developer Greg Baugues of Twilio.
  • Entrust Datacard announces EMV instant-issuance milestone of more than 10 million cards issued in the U.S. in one year.
  • Benzinga interviews Justin Zhen and Gregory Ugwi, Thinknum co-founders.

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.

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Finovate Alumni News

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Azimo, blooom, Cloud Lending, Expensify, Kabbage, NCR Corporation, PayItSimple, Xero

Around the web

  • Blooom CEO Chris Costello participates in a discussion on youth and savings.
  • NCR partners with Huntington Technology Finance, providing lease financing for NCR ATMs. See NCR in San Jose next week at FinovateSpring.
  • Crowdfundinsider features an interview with Cloud Lending CEO Snehal Fulzele.
  • PaySimple teams up with Fundera, a small-business-lending marketplace.=
  • Xero and Expensify form partnership.

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.

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