Alumni News– February 26, 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.jpgFeedzai releases API updates to its fraud detection technology.
  • Bank of the West adds Snap-to-Pay functionality from Fiserv to its mobile banking app.
  • authenticID partners with Sionic Mobile to bring catfishAir to ION Rewards and ShopGive consumer apps.
  • Azimo expands its online money transfer service to Romania.
  • Fastacash teams up with Visa Europe, enabling P2P payments via social network for users of Visa Direct.
  • Finovate Debuts: InvestUp Launches UK Crowdfunding Supermarket.
  • PYMNTS looks inside MasterCard’s Masters of Code Hackathon.
  • ProfitStars launches EPS SmartPay Express to enable FIs to provide online payment and donation services for business customers.
  • PayPal and eBay prepare for breakup later this year.
  • Boku launches phone-on-file technology to remove friction from online transactions.
  • TransferWise marks US launch with #nothing2hide semi-naked march through New York financial district.
  • Fintech Finance’s video production showcases FinovateEurope 2015 action.
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.

Xero Raises $110 Million from Accel Partners, Matrix Capital

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for xero.jpg

How many Xero’s are there in $110 million dollars?

The cloud accounting specialist reported Tuesday that Accel Partners will invest NZ$132.9 million by way of a share purchase valued at NZ$20 per share. Along with Matrix Capital Management, which will invest NZ$14.3 million, the investment will bring Xero’s total cash to NZ$285 million, or $213 million USD.

Xero CEO Rod Drury said that the investment was “a testament to our success and our potential to become the small business SaaS platform of choice for entrepreneurs around the globe.”
Xero_homepage.jpg
Accel partner Andrew Braccia pointed to Xero’s plans for expansion in the United States as one of the reasons his company was enthusiastic about Xero. “Accel always looks for enduring technologies with global reach and we see the need and opportunity for millions of small businesses to grow on Xero’s platform.”
The New Zealand-based company plans to use the funds to support growth in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Xero also announced a major personnel change on Tuesday, appointing Russell Fujioka to U.S. President.
DPollack_Xero_FinDEVr14_stage.jpg
Above: David Pollock, Head of U.S. Partnerships, presenting at FinDEVr San Francisco 2014
The investments for both Accel Partners and Matrix Capital are expected to close in mid-March. With its investment, Accel will join Matrix in being able to participate in future share placements.
Xero has enjoyed a great deal of positive press in recent months. The company was highlighted as “our best purchase of 2014” by Business Betties, named to KPMG’s 50 Best Fintech Innovators, and reached a milestone of 400,000 paying customers last December.
Xero participated in the inaugural FinDEVr 2014 event in San Francisco.

Lincoln Savings Bank to Deploy CorePro from Social Money

Lincoln Savings Bank to Deploy CorePro from Social Money
SocialMoneyLogo-thumb-200x84-5731-thumb-150x63-5732
Social Money, the company that launched – and was formerly known as – the consumer personal finance management solution, SmartyPig, will bring its core processing platform CorePro to Lincoln Savings Bank, an Iowa-based community bank with 17 branches.
Social_Money_homepage.jpg
For Lincoln Savings CEO Erik Skovgard, advanced technology, mobility, and affordability were among the main reasons why he sought a partnership with Social Money. “CorePro helps us provide a next generation web and mobile bank-in-a-box type of experience,” he said. Skovgard hopes the platform will help his bank attract younger customers “at a price we can afford.”
Social Money CEO Scott McCormack added, “We are making it possible for banks to compete again. It shouldn’t cost so much for innovation, and it certainly shouldn’t cost so much to offer basic services.”
The cost-savings come from being able to run the platform on a stand-alone basis, without having to integrate with legacy systems to get started. CorePro can be used for saving, checking or certificate of deposit accounts, and provides real-time transfers with card platforms, including prepaid. Read more about CorePro here.
SMcCormick_SocialMoney_FS12_stage.jpg
Above: Social Money CEO Scott McCormack presenting at FinovateSpring 2012.
As we reported last month, Social Money is also launching its CorePro technology in India, courtesy of a partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The company announced last fall a partnership with H&R Block to promote goal-based savings for the tax-preparer’s ard customers, and another deal with TMG to bring prepaid payment options to millennials and the underbanked.
Founded in 2008 in Des Moines, Social Money demoed its GoalSaver technology as part of FinovateSpring 2012.

Alumni News– February 24, 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.jpgXignite to provide MSCI Global Equity Index data through its cloud API platform.
  • Kapitall highlighted in feature on the best apps for mobile financial trading.
  • Check out our interview with Nostrum Group CEO, Richard Carter.
  • Jwaala’s success: The online banking solutions provider adds 14 CU clients in 2014.
  • Bluefin Payments receives PCI validation for its PayConex P2PE (point-to-point encryption) solution.
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.

Nutmeg Launches Personal Pension Service

Nutmeg Launches Personal Pension Service

NutmegLogo-thumb-200x56-5002-thumb-150x42-5003After previewing the news weeks ago, Nutmeg is making good on its plan to provide a personal pension service for investors in the U.K.

“We have listened to our customers and delivered what they truly want,” Nutmeg CEO Nick Hungerford said. “In an industry embroiled in hidden charges, fees and complexity, our transparency promise will be a welcome reassurance to customers.”

Nutmeg_homepage_personalpension.jpg
The service is a partnership between Nutmeg, which will invest and manage the pensions, and Hornbuckle Mitchell, which will provide technology to serve and administer the pensions.
Nutmeg is an “online discretionary investment manager” in the words of CEO Hungerford. The technology leverages investors’ unique attitudes toward money to help align their goals, investment risk tolerance for the specific goal, and ability to save for that goal into personalized portfolios. Nutmeg actively manages the portfolios, including regular rebalancing, and provides a rewards program that can help lower fees further.
Nutmeg’s personal pension plans will be tailored to the needs of individual investors, as well, and will also use exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to ensure low-costs and broad diversification. The minimum investment is ÂŁ5,000. There is an annual management fee between 0.3% and 1% depending on assets under management. The fee includes the VAT.
NHungerford_Nutmeg_FEU12_stage.jpg
Above: left to right: Jono Hey, Head of User Experience, and Nick Hungerford, CEO, at FinovateEurope 2012
“The notion of receiving bi-annual pension statements in the post is incredibly archaic,” said Hungerford in Money Marketing’s coverage of the news. “You should be able to see where your pension pot is invested and how it’s performing whenever you want.”
Founded in London in 2011, Nutmeg was recently named to the FinTech 50 and the KPMG Fintech Innovators for 2014. The company, whose name we saw on buses in London during our recent visit, raised $32 million from new investors a year ago in June, bringing its total capital to more than $50 million. Nutmeg was a Best of Show winner at FinovateEurope 2012.

Alumni News– February 23, 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 Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgNutmeg launches its first personal pension plan.
  • Misys wins award for “Best OMS Provider” at MENA Fund Manager Services Awards with its FusionInvest technology.
  • USA Today Technology interviews Loop CEO Will Graylin about his company’s acquisition by Samsung.
  • ACI Worldwide to deploy Self Service Business Banking, Mobile, and Billpay solutions at Apple Bank.
  • Mad Money’s Jim Cramer interviews SeedInvest CEO Ryan Feit.
  • LA Times features Green Dot and its efforts to engage the “unhappily banked” with its prepaid cards.
  • Bank of Ozarks implements Premier banking solution from Fiserv.
  • Taulia expands management team with 4 new members.
  • Recent partnership enables Synergy Resources clients to integrate Expensify with their Infor VISUAL back-end.
  • City of North Las Vegas partners with PayNearMe to enable residents to pay bills in cash at 17,000 retail stores.
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.

Samsung Acquisition of LoopPay Puts Apple Pay on Notice

Thumbnail image for Loop_logo.jpg

Forgive me for being a Finovate fanboy. But when Apple unveiled its Apple Pay technology last fall, one of my first thoughts was about Finovate alum and digital mobile wallet innovator, LoopPay.

Apparently, Samsung was thinking the same thing.

Arguably the biggest mobile payments news since the Apple Pay announcement, Samsung has purchased LoopPay, for an undisclosed amount. LoopPay, which took home Best of Show honors in its debut demonstration at FinovateSpring 2014, has leveraged its expertise in magnetic stripe technology (MST) to produce a secure, non-NFC-based, mobile payment solution. With Samsung’s acquisition, the technology will likely become one of the major competitors to Apple Pay.
LoopPay_homepage.jpg
Writing at the LoopPay blog, said the company would become a “wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics America” and will continue to “innovate and operate” out of its Boston, Massachusetts headquarters.
For its part, Samsung talked about LoopPay as helping Apple’s biggest hardware rival build “the smartest, most secure, user-friendly mobile wallet experience.” An alliance between Samsung and LoopPay had been rumored since December, according to this reporting from Gigaom. And a major investment last summer also helped raise LoopPay’s profile – and hint at the technology’s potential for wider acceptance.
WGraylin_Loop_FS14_stage.jpg
Above: Loop CEO Will Graylin at FinovateSpring 2014
Margaret Keane, President and CEO of Synchrony Financial, whose firm participated in last year’s funding, added: “This is great news for our customers who can access their cards and make payments using LoopPay’s contactless MST technology.”
“We look forward to working with LoopPay and others to deliver secure mobile payment solutions for all our 60 million active accounts.”

Alkami Technology Brings its Digital Banking Platform to Patelco CU

Alkami_logo.jpgThe last many of us had heard about Alkami Technology was its appearance as part of Gonzobanker’s five-part, all-star dream banking app:

So which vendor’s functionality would make it into my product? I would take the marketing functionality from Alkami’s ORB (Online Relationship Builder)…”
Flash forward several months later and the Alkami is making headlines with news that it is bringing its digital banking platform to Patelco Credit Union. Patella is described in Bank Innovation’s coverage of the news as a “top 30 credit union” with more than $4 billion in assets and more than 280,000 members.
Alkamai_homepage.jpg
Alkami Technology develops online banking solutions for companies and institutions in the financial services industry. The company’s Online Relationship Builder will provide what Patelco CU president and CEO Erin Mendez called “a modern, sophisticated digital banking platform to achieve a unified banking experience.” The credit union will also be upgrading its mobile app and working to encourage its processors to support Apple Pay as part of the overall enhancement to its digital banking options.
Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Alkami Technology has raised more than $50 million, with its most recent fundraising bringing in more than $23 million of that amount in December. The company is an alum of Finovate Startup 2009, where Alkami Technology demoed as “iThryv.”

Catching Up with the Innovators of FinovateSpring

FS2015_icon_highres.jpg

With our first conference of the year wrapped up in London, we’re gearing up to bring the show stateside in May for FinovateSpring 2015.

Last year, we had an all-star cast on stage. Just look at what they have been up to in the last nine months.

  • Raised more than $350 million 
  • Partnered with more than a dozen major financial services and technology companies including:
    • MoneyGram
    • Visa
    • Digital Insight
    • Ellie Mae
    • AT&T
    • Google
    • Blackstone Technology
    • Overstock.com
    • Meniga
    • Feedzai
Accelerator/incubator programs:
    • Wells Fargo Accelerator
    • SWIFT Innotribe Startup Challenge
Awards, honors, and recognitions:
    • KPMB’s Fintech Innovators for 2014
    • CNBC’s Disruptor 50
    • FSTech Awards
    • Forbes 30 Under 30 (up and coming CEOs)
    • Confirmit Ace Award
    • Future of Money Summit Startup Showcase Award
    • Bob’s Guide Fintech Startups to Watch in 2015
    • Star Performer Award from Speech Technology
    • Fast Company Top 10 Most Innovative in Finance
    • Dallas Business Journal 40 Under 40 (up and coming CEOs)
    • Mobile Innovations Awards
    • Mobile Excellence Award
    • Fintech 50
    • Paybefore Awards
Acquisitions:
    • IntelliResponse acquired by [24]7
    • LoopPay acquired by Samsung
Here’s a closer look at the highlights:
    • Won Best of Show at FinovateEurope 2015
    • Won Award at FinDEVr San Francisco 2014
    • Raised $2 million
    • Raised $75 million
    • Earned spot on KPMG’s 50 Best Fintech Innovators report
    • Named to CNBC’s Disruptor 50
    • Partnered with Time.com
    • Partnered with Meniga
    • Named “One to Watch” in KPMB’s Fintech Innovators for 2014
    • Won at Future of Money & Technology Summit Startup Showcase
    • Partnered with ProfitStars, Blackstone Technology, and SHAZAM Network
    • Raised $7 million
    • Named to Dallas Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 (CEO)
    • Won 2014 Confirmit ACE Award
    • Raised $5.4 million
    • Partnered with Feedzai
    • Won Best of Show at FinovateSpring 2014
    • Raised $6 million
    • Participated in Wells Fargo Accelerator
    • Partnered with Overstock.com
    • Partnered with several small and medium sized community banks and credit unions
    • Acquired by [24]7
    • Won Best of Show at FinovateSpring 2014
    • Closed strategic deal to acquire AT&T Watson speech recognition and natural language platform
    • Won Best of Show at FinovateEurope 2015
    • Partnered with IDology, The Rock Trading Ltd
    • Won Most Innovative App for Payments at Mobile Innovations Awards
    • Named to FinTech 50
    • Raised $200 million in debt financing
    • Named Germany’s leading digital innovator of the year by Focus Magazine
    • Earned spot in KPMG’s 50 Best Fintech Innovators Report
    • Raised $40 million
    • Raised $3 million
    • Earned finalist spot at SWIFT Innotribe Startup Challenge
    • Partnered with MoneyGram
    • Raised $50 million credit debt facility
    • Raised undisclosed sum from Visa
    • Raised undisclosed sum from Synchrony Financial
    • Acquired by Samsung
    • Won Best of Show at FinovateFall 2014
    • Won Best of Show at FinovateSpring 2014
    • Raised $75 million
    • Named to KPMB’s Fintech Innovators for 2014
    • Named to CNBC’s Disruptor 50
    • Won Best of Show at FinovateFall 2014
    • Earned 2014 Star Performer award from Speech Technology magazine
    • Earned #1 spot in Fast Company’s Top 10 Most Innovative in Finance
    • Raised $18 million
    • Raised $50 million
    • Named to KPMG’s Fintech Innovators for 2014
    • Named to CNBC’s Disruptor 50
    • Partnered with MoneyGram
    • Raised $1.3 million
    • Raised $54.7 million
    • Featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 Rising Stars of Enterprise Technology (CEO)
    • Named Most Disruptive Financial Sector Technology Finalist in FSTech Awards
    • Partnered with Ellie Mae
    • Raised $900,000
    • Won Best of Show at FinovateFall 2014
    • Named “One to Watch” in KPMG’s Fintech Innovators for 2014
    • Raised $3.4 million
    • Partnered with Google Wallet
    • Named to Bob’s Guide: “Fintech Startups to Watch in 2015”
    • Named winner in Ninth Annual Paybefore Awards
    • Raised $6 million
    • Named finalist in Mobile Excellence Awards for Best Mobile Retail/Commerce Solution
    • Earned spot in Wells Fargo Startup Accelerator

Updated: Pindrop Security Raises $35 Million

Thumbnail image for pindropLogo.jpg

A major infusion of capital has put the total funding for Pindrop Security at more than $42 million.

The leader of the $35 million Series B round was described in the Atlanta Business Chronicle as a “new West Coast investor.” The Chronicle adds that the new investor has valued Pindrop at more than $200 million.

Pindrop_homepage.jpg
The new capital will help Pindrop expand its operations. The Atlanta-based company says it will add 100 jobs in engineering, software development, and sales and marketing—as well as look for a new, larger workspace.
Pindrop Security specializes in combating phone fraud for enterprise call centers. Using acoustic fingerprinting, Pindrop’s technology isable to tell the difference between fraudulent and authentic callers. The company’s services include a database of more than 300,000 phone numbers associated with 40,000 phone-fraud “fingerprints,” a fraud-detection system to prevent call spoofing, and real-time call forwarding protection.
And because of the growing use of phones as part of a multifactor authentication process that requires an out-of-band component, Pindrop also sees its technology as a way to make sure that the phone is the strongest link.
PindropCEO_FF2012_stage.jpg
Presenter: Pindrop Security CEO Vijay Balasubramaniyan at FinovateFall 2012
Pindrop Security partnered in AGNOTiO in May to help call centers adapt to safety concerns from mobile customers. And in December, the company teamed up with Contact Solutions and IDology to develop technology to defend against IVR (interactive voice response) fraud.  Pindrop Security launched its combined voice biometric/phoneprinting fraud detection system last year, as well as its NCE mobile NFC payments solution.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and founded in 2011, Pindrop Security demoed at FinovateFall 2012 in New York. Vijay Balasubramaniyan is CEO.

Alumni News—February 18, 2015

  • Mitek launches Commercial Mobile Deposit Capture, bringing MDC technology to the enterprise.
  • Malauzai reports doubling revenues, growth of customer base to more than 300 community banks and credit unions.
  • D3Banking adds to leadership team with four new appointments.
  • Check out FinovateEurope 2015 in the press.
  • Bluefin Payment Systems to provide Decryptx point-to-point encryption (P2PE) solution to Heartland Payment Systems’ clients.
  • Temenos purchases Akcelerant to accelerate growth in North America.
  • Lending Club partners with BancAlliance, a national consortium of 200 community banks.
  • Fast Company lists BehavioSec, Ripple, Braintree, Expensify, NICE and BlueVine as top innovative companies in the money category
  • PYMNTS discusses retail’s adoption of mPOS with Bluefin Payment systems.
  • ayondo clients now receive free access to real time analysis tools from StockPulse.
  • Kantox uses Apply Financial’s API to enhance customer service and enable more integrated international payments.
  • TechFlash interviews Payfone CEO and co-founder Rodger Desai.
  • Stockhouse: TIO Networks poises to capture major portion of mobile payment market.
  • USA Today highlights Tuition.io for student debt management.
  • TransferWise launches in United States.
  • Code CU to use Insuritas for insurance agency solution.
  • Coinbase Android and iOS apps now available in 11 new languages.
  • Global Financial Private Capital selects HiddenLevers to help advisors grow their practice.
  • Tradier’s API takes 15 million production calls in Jan., a 33% increase in a single month.
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.

Bill.com Raises $50 Million, Doubling Total Funding

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for bill.comlogo.jpg

In a round led by Silicon Valley Bank and featuring participation from current investors, Bill.com has added $50 million in new capital.

The investment takes the company’s total funding to more than $120 million.

Thumbnail image for Billcom_home0215.jpg

Because most businesses still rely on manual processes for accounts payable and accounts receivable, Bill.com CEO and founder RenĂ© Lacerte believes there is a “significant market opportunity” for Bill.com and its banking partners. Jacob Moseley, senior market manager for Silicon Valley Bank, praised Bill.com’s growth and put the company “at the center of the digital payments space.”

“Bill.com tackles a problem that plagues small business,” Moseley says, “and distills it down to a simple solution for paying bills and getting paid.”

Existing investors also participating in the round were:

  • American Express Ventures
  • August Capital
  • Commerce Ventures
  • DCM Ventures
  • Napier Park Global Capital
  • Scale Venture Partners

Lacerte said the funding will help the company grow its core technology and offer its services across the United States.

RLacerte_Billcom_FS12_stage.jpg
Presenter: Bill.com CEO and founder, René Lacerte, at FinovateSpring 2012

Forbes.com contributor, Ben Kepes writes “that’s a lot of cash for something as unsexy as bills.” But the investment strongly suggests that sexy is as sexy does. According to the company, Bill.com is used by three of the top-10 U.S. banks and 35 of the top-100 accounting firms, and is seated “at the intersection point between banks, the accounting software providers, and businesses.” More than 600,000 network members use the technology to process more than $19 billion in payments a year.

CNBC’s coverage of the funding includes a breakdown of Bill.com’s previous funding rounds, as well as a peek into the company’s growth plans (190 employees by the end of 2015, up from the current 140), and potential IPO (“two to three years” away). The CNBC column quotes Mozilla CFO Jim Cook, whose company spends “thousands of dollars a month” on the technology, citing both cost-savings and a superior audit trail as reasons why he finds the technology “easier and more robust.”

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Bill.com demoed its technology as part of FinovateSpring 2012.