Author: Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz)

Xignite to Power WealthSimple’s New Stock Trading App

Xignite to Power WealthSimple’s New Stock Trading App
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Xignite

Financial market data provider Xignite serves 9+ million API calls per day and with today’s announcement of a new partnership, the company will add handsomely to that number. Xignite has partnered with Canada’s WealthSimple, which will leverage the California-based company’s APIs to power its new mobile stock trading app, WealthSimple Trade.

The app enables users to buy and sell more than 8,000 publicly-traded stocks and ETFs. Embedded within the app, Xignite’s APIs offer users real-time stock price data, information to power trades, and algorithms that automate users’ investment decisions.

“We are proud to be a key enabler of the fintech revolution in Canada,” said Stephane Dubois, Xignite CEO. “We help power and inspire the disruption of the financial services industry by providing entrepreneurs like Wealthsimple with financial data APIs to help them invent new businesses and revolutionary user experiences. The world’s leading robo-advisors use Xignite market data to power their platforms and apps.”

Xignite sources its cloud-based market data from 250+ providers, including data collectors, data originators, feed consolidators, OTC marketplaces, and index companies. In addition to leveraging data from Morningstar, FactSet, and EuroNext, Xignite also curates its own data. The comprehensive nature of Xignite’s data eliminates the need for clients to work with multiple vendors.

Xignite, which counts Interactive Data and Quandl as competitors, provides data to more than 800 organizations across the globe, including fellow Finovate alums Betterment, Personal Capital, Envestnet, and eToro. The company has raised almost $38 million since it was founded in 2000.

At the company’s FinovateAsia 2017 demo, Dubois showcased the Xignite Cloud Add-in, which integrates market data into spreadsheets.

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Paysend Garners $10.6 Million in Funding

Paysend Garners $10.6 Million in Funding
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Funding, PaySend

Cross-border remittance startup Paysend has received a money transfer of its own this week. The London-based company landed $10.6 million (£8.5 million) in Series B funding, bringing its total raised to $30.7 million.

There’s no word on an updated valuation but before today’s round, the company was valued at $155 million.

The investment comes courtesy of GVA, which contributed almost $5 million (£3.95 million), as well as a Seedrs crowdfunding campaign that brought in $5.6 million (£4.6 million). Launched last month, the Seedrs campaign garnered contributions from investors, including Plug and Play and Digital Space Ventures, which co-led the round.

Regarding company’s decision to crowdfund the round, Paysend CEO Ronald Millar said, “This funding round has been the next step in our journey to create money for the future, and we’ve been delighted that we’ve been about to open it up to our customers in order to give them the opportunity to join us on the exciting next phase of the Paysend journey.”

Paysend, which demonstrated its Global Account at FinovateSpring 2018, competes with the likes of Transferwise and CurrencyFair to help users request money from 50 countries and send money across 70 countries. On a monthly basis, the company facilitates more than 2 million transactions totaling $55 million for its 900,000 users.

The company recently released Pays XDR, its own digital currency. Pays XDR is a stable coin backed by cash reserves, matched to the proportion of the International Monetary Fund’s Special Drawing Rights.

Adding to its already busy year, in May Paysend launched Paysend Link, an app that allows users to send money to anyone with just their phone number. Fund recipients can immediately transfer payments they receive to their Mastercard, Visa, or UnionPay card. The money is immediately available to use or to withdraw.

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Finovate Alumni News

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Digital Onboarding, Five Degrees, Gremln, ID R&D, Intellaegis, Neener Analytics, PaySend, Voleo

On Finovate.com

  • ID R&D’s Voice Biometric Solution Satisfies Need for Speed, Omni-Channel Reach.
  • Finovate Global: Open Banking Advances in Nigeria; Singapore’s soCash Secures $6M Series B.
  • Paysend Garners $10.6 Million in Funding.

Around the web

  • PassTime partners with masterQueue to help locate and contact customers for debt collection.
  • Five Degrees is selected to join the Kickstart innovation program.
  • Voleo, Neener Analytics, Gremln Social, and Digital Onboarding all successfully complete 2019 FIS Fintech Accelerator program.

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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Betterment Now Wants Your Liquid Cash, Too

Betterment Now Wants Your Liquid Cash, Too
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Betterment

Betterment knows its clients are smart when it comes to saving for their futures. And with that well-established, financially savvy client base, the company launched a checking and savings platform this week.

The new platform is called Betterment Everyday (because what’s better than a user base that logs in every day?) and is aimed to help the company’s clients better manage their money today so that they can maximize earnings for the future.

Betterment Everyday offers savings and checking accounts, with customer deposits held at partner banks including Citi, Barclays, and Valley National. The savings accounts, available today, can earn up to 2.69% APY until the end of this year, after which will drop to 2.43% and be subject to change.

The checking product will be available later this year and comes with benefits typical of online-only banks. Users will receive a debit card issued by nbkc bank of Overland Park, Kansas, will be reimbursed for all ATM fees worldwide, will not be charged monthly maintenance fees, and do not need to maintain a minimum balance.

“As we launch Betterment Everyday, we’re starting to bring our role as your financial advisor into your everyday life, turning your daily choices and transactions into saving for the future,” said Betterment CEO Jon Stein in a blog post. “We’re building the framework for where we believe the industry can (and should) move. We believe the future is smart money management, and we’re leading the way.”

In addition to attracting new clients and refocusing existing users, the new account offerings also serve to compete with fintechs that have launched similar products in recent months. Wealthfront, SoFi, which offer high interest savings accounts boasting yields of 2.57% and 2.25%, respectively, and Acorns, which offers a debit card for a fee of $3 per month.

Last year Robinhood launched a checking account that boasted a 3% interest rate, but quietly rescinded the product after regulators from the SEC and SIPC cited lack of regulatory oversight. The startup had not consulted regulators before the proposed launch and is now working on a new version of the checking account. Today, Betterment may be in a similar situation. The company did consult regulators before this week’s launch, but, according to CNBC, has been asked to provide more information on the new offering.

Betterment CEO Jon Stein debuted the company’s MultipleGoals feature at FinovateFall 2011. Since it was founded in 2008, the company has raised a total of $275 million. Last fall, Betterment unveiled a Trust Account Opening feature that allows advisors to manage the entire process. And this year, the company was honored on the Forbes Fintech 50 list for the 4th year in a row.

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Helps Us Raise the Female Quotient at FinovateFall

Helps Us Raise the Female Quotient at FinovateFall
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: FinovateFall 2019

There’s one perk that comes with working as a woman in a male-dominated field– there’s never a line for the ladies restroom. In fact, at a handful of Finovate conferences, we’ve had to convert some of the women’s restrooms into men’s rooms in order to make a the wait time for the men more reasonable. When that happens, you know there’s a problem– one that goes beyond toilets.

Lack of workforce diversity has many drawbacks, the most obvious of which is the gender pay gap. According to the film Equal Means Equal, a documentary that looks at how women in the U.S. are treated today, “Compared to white men, white women working full time, based on median annual full-time earnings, earn 78 cents to every dollar a man earns.”

In an effort to help tip the scales of the gender ratio and bring awareness to the wage gap, Finovate is offering female registrants tickets to FinovateFall for 78 cents on the dollar. That means women who register by this Friday, July 26, can purchase a ticket to FinovateFall for 22% off just by entering the code EQUALITY on page two of the booking form.

Here are a handful of speakers who are helping to bring the female quotient up a notch at FinovateFall this year:


The conference takes place September 23 through 25, with an additional summit day on September 26, at the New York Marriott Marquis.

To take advantage of this offer, book online today with code EQUALITY, contact our customer service team at +1 (888) 670-8200, or register@knect365.com. Rooms can be reserved at the New York Marriott Marquis.

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Gusto Raises $200 Million with $3.8 Billion Valuation

Gusto Raises $200 Million with $3.8 Billion Valuation
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Funding, Gusto

Payroll, benefits, and HR platform Gusto just landed $200 million in funding, a slew of new investors, and a valuation of $3.8 billion. The Series D round almost doubles the $2 billion valuation the San Francisco-based company received in December of last year after closing $140 million in funding. Gusto’s total funding now sits at $510 million.

The new investors, Fidelity and Generation Investment Management, were joined by existing investors T. Rowe Price Associates, Dragoneer, General Catalyst, CapitalG, 137 Ventures, Y Combinator Continuity, and Emergence Capital. Gusto CEO Joshua Reeves said that Gusto selected the group “based on their long-term perspective.” He added, “These investors are committed to our view of creating a durable and sustainable business, and their investments will fuel our ongoing creation of equitable solutions and inclusive economic growth for everyone.”

Gusto will use the funding to further its research and development efforts, specifically in the fintech and healthcare arenas. The company also plans to grow its workforce, which currently sits at more than 1,000 employees spread across Denver, San Francisco, and New York.

Along with the funding, Gusto has onboarded its first independent board member, Anne Raimondi (pictured), former SVP of operations at Zendesk.

Gusto has added two notable features to its platform recently, including Time Tracking, which syncs hourly employees’ time directly to the company’s payroll in order to properly calculate time off and holidays; and Flexible Pay, which allows employees to select when they prefer to receive their paycheck. This year, the company formed partnerships with ScaleFactor and Trainual to deliver accounting and offer new hire training, respectively.

As for what’s next, it’s hard not to wonder about an IPO. We interviewed Reeves for a blog post titled M&A is the New IPO last month. When asked about the company’s plans, Reeves said, “There are pros and cons to being a public company, and we believe that today, the benefits of Gusto staying private outweigh the benefits of being public.” He added, “An IPO isn’t our end-goal; instead, it’s creating a world where work empowers a better life. We currently serve more than 1% of all employers in the U.S., which is an accomplishment we’re incredibly proud of, but we realize we still have a lot more work to do. Building Gusto to its full potential is a multi-decade mission for me.”

Gusto launched in 2012 under the name ZenPayroll. At FinovateSpring 2014, Reeves showcased the company’s flagship payroll solution while smiling throughout the entire seven minute demo.

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Finovate Alumni News

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Backbase, Betterment, CardFlight, Ephesoft, Finastra, FIS, Gusto, LoanScorecard, NIIT Technologies, Scalable Capital, TD Ameritrade

On Finovate.com

  • Content Capture Innovator Ephesoft Allies with Grant Thornton.
  • Gusto Raises $200 Million with $3.8 Billion Valuation.

Around the web

  • TD Ameritrade offers voice-activated investing technology.
  • NIIT Technologies’ revenue grew 16+% YoY, and its after-tax profit increased 2% YoY.
  • Scalable Capital partners with Futurae to add multi-factor authentication technology into its investment platform.
  • LoanScorecard goes live with its Bank Statement Analyzer tool.
  • Betterment adds savings and checking accounts to its offerings.
  • U.K. neobank revverbank to deploy cloud banking technology from Finastra.
  • CardFlight partners with PAX Technology to make SwipeSimple terminal available to clients on the PAX A920 and PAX A80.
  • Australia’s Volt Bank teams up with FIS to power its mobile and card payment services.
  • Alterna Bank unveils its new advanced digital platform, Forge, powered by Backbase.

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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Lendio Acquires Billy, Launches Cloud Accounting Software

Lendio Acquires Billy, Launches Cloud Accounting Software
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Lendio, Mergers & Acquisitions

Small business loan marketplace Lendio is entering into the cloud-based accounting software field with the launch of Sunrise. The new endeavor is the result of the Utah-based company’s just-announced purchase of online bookkeeping startup Billy. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded by Toke Kruse in 2012, Billy aimed to create “hassle-free” finance software for business owners who wanted to focus on their business, not accounting. After the acquisition, Lendio rebranded the Portland, Oregon-based company to Sunrise and pivoted it into a freemium bookkeeping software that offers accounting, cash flow management, and loan and credit information, as well as access to Lendio’s loan marketplace into a single platform.

“We are very excited to announce the acquisition of Billy and the re-brand to Sunrise. The Sunrise platform will bring together previously disparate sources of information for small business owners, such as accounting, loan and credit data,” said Brock Blake, CEO and founder of Lendio. “It’s our goal for Sunrise users to feel more confident in making financial decisions that help their businesses grow.”

The free version of Sunrise offers cash and accrual-based accounting, as well as an invoicing system, estimate creator, and a customer-facing credit card payment portal for billing. Businesses can also sync their financial accounts to categorize and track expenses and income, store receipts, and view profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and other reports such as accounts receivable, customer statements, and more.

A paid subscription, which ranges from $99/ month to $499/ month, enables business owners to automate accounting tasks by outsourcing bookkeeping duties to professionals who use a system to recognize revenue, take care of invoicing, and reconcile books on a monthly basis. The paid version also integrates with Stripe, PayPal, and Square.

Sunrise invoice sample
Sunrise offers invoicing capabilities

Lendio is already working to improve upon Sunrise by building out capabilities such as enhanced loan integration. The company also plans to launch a Sunrise mobile app, add auto categorization, and offer tax software integration.

At FinovateSpring 2011, Lendio showcased its flagship loan marketplace. With an ecosystem of 75+ lenders, the company facilitates an average loan size of around 27,000. Since it was founded in 2011, Lendio has helped close $1.5 billion in financing (half a billion of which closed in the past six months alone) via 70,000 small business loans.

After launching franchising opportunities in 2017, the company announced it would find financing alternatives for small businesses whose loan applications are initially rejected. In a recent interview, when asked “What’s next?” Blake said, “At some point, maybe we’ll either go public or someone will come and give us an offer we can’t refuse. Then, we’ll kind of take a step back and say, ‘Okay, what next?'”

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Finovate Alumni News

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Arkose Labs, Blackhawk Network, CrediVia, Daon, HackerOne, ID R&D, Jack Henry, Lendio, Onfido, SmartX, Vera, Xero

On Finovate.com

  • Lendio Acquires Billy, Launches Cloud Accounting Software.
  • Daon’s New Features Bring Two-in-One Approach to Onboarding, Authentication.
  • CrediVia Adds Multifamily Options to Financing Platform.

Around the web

  • Busey Bank selects Jack Henry’s SilverLake System to improve workflows and enhance digital capabilities.
  • SMArtX Advisory Solutions to power managed accounts for Independent Financial Partners.
  • Gaming rewards and marketing firm Refereum hires Hacker One for its new bug bounty cybersecurity campaign.
  • Onfido teams up with MoneyNetint to help the U.K.-based cross-border money transfer company expand its ability to verify customers.
  • Arkose Labs launches private bug bounty program with Bugcrowd.
  • Tesco For Business leverages Blackhawk for U.K. gift card program.
  • ID R&D ships new version of IDVoice that combines AI and voice technology to increase biometric matching speed and improve enrollment and authentication.
  • VERA names Bill Gadala Chief Financial Officer.

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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Kyndi Raises $20 Million

Kyndi Raises $20 Million
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Funding, Kyndi

Kyndi has boosted its total funding to $28.5 million this week after closing a $20 million Series B round led by Intel Capital. Also participating in the round were UL Ventures, PivotNorth, Pinnacle Peak, and all existing investors.

Kyndi founder and CEO Ryan Welsh said that the round accelerates the company’s growth. “The extra capital allows us to grow our engineering and sales teams. It also allows us to expand our footprint in Washington, D.C., for our government customers,” he said.

Since the company’s last round of funding in 2017, Kyndi has quadrupled in size, revenue, and number of customers, built its executive team, and released its Explainable AI product, which Welsh demoed at FinovateSpring 2018. Explainable AI helps organizations analyze massive amounts of data by unifying probabilistic and logical methods. Additionally, the tool helps minimize human bias that often occurs when information is manually extracted from raw data.

“Enterprises are turning to AI to take advantage of new opportunities and to solve pressing business problems, and we expect AI’s use in business will continue to grow as the technology matures,” said Nick Washburn, Senior Managing Director of Intel Capital. “Solutions like Kyndi’s, which remove some of the mystery of AI technology, will continue to gain importance, and we look forward to helping them accelerate AI adoption and address the need for explainability.” Intel Capital’s Investment Director Sunil M. Sanghavi will join Kyndi’s board of directors.

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Finovate Alumni News

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Banzai, Chatbots.Studio, CREALOGIX, Digital Onboarding, EVERFI, HackerOne, Jscrambler, Kyndi, MasterCard, Ping Identity

On Finovate.com

  • Best of Show Winner Banzai Teams Up with GreenPath to Boost Financial Literacy.
  • Digital Onboarding to Boost Customer Engagement for Manatee Community FCU.
  • Finovate Global: Settle Launches Mobile App in Croatia; Sr. Pago Partners with American Express.

Around the web

  • Mastercard acquires global payments firm Transfast.
  • Chatbots.Studio partners with Digital Flex Solution to become their first technical partner and adviser. Check out Chatbots.Studio at FinovateFall in September!
  • CREALOGIX wins Best Wealth Management User Interface at the 2019 Systems in the City Financial Technology Awards.
  • Sports Business Daily interviews Everfi Head of Global Partnerships Jon Chapman.
  • HackerOne achieves ISO 27001 certification.
  • Gartner’s 2019 Market Guide for In-App Protection recognizes Jscrambler for its client-side security technology.
  • Ping Identity earns Best Identity Management Solution honors at the 2019 SC Awards Europe.

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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YSEOP Garners $9.3 Million in New Funding Round

YSEOP Garners $9.3 Million in New Funding Round
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Yseop

Natural language generation (NLG) technology company YSEOP is boosting its capital by $9.3 million this week, bringing its total investment to $12.6 million. The funds come from existing investor NextStage, an investment platform that shares YSEOP’s Parisian roots.

While previous investments have allowed YSEOP to roll out its NLG platform and enter into the pharmaceutical market, the company plans to use today’s round to accelerate its expansion into the U.S. In fact, by 2022, YSEOP expects to generate almost half of its revenue in the U.S.

“We are proud of NextStage’s confidence in YSEOP and the continuation of our shared adventure. The understanding NextStage shows of the challenges at play on the artificial intelligence and natural language market, as well as their knowledge of the U.S. market, confirm that they are the right partner to support us in our entrepreneurial journey,” said Emmanuel Walckenaer, YSEOP CEO. “Artificial Intelligence is a technology that transforms the approach to markets for companies and their organizations. We intend to continue honing and deepening our expertise in this field on behalf of our key accounts in order to realize the market potential of transforming data into natural language.”

YSEOP, which demoed Augmented Analytics earlier this year at FinovateSpring, leverages AI to deliver analysis using a human-like dialogue. The company’s tools can be used for a range of use cases, including wealth management, automated news briefs, report writing, and adding narrative to visual analytics.

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