Author: Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz)

AI Foundry Overhauls Agile Mortgages Solution

AI Foundry Overhauls Agile Mortgages Solution
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: AI Foundry

Data insights company AI Foundry has been doing a bit of spring cleaning lately. The latest revamp comes in the form of the new version of its Agile Mortgages solution unveiled this week.

The updated version includes a new user interface; a mortgage document library with automatic document classification and data extraction capabilities; LOS First, a loan origination system connection with Ellie Mae’s Encompass; a document checklist; and Audit First, a loan quality checker that ensures loans move quickly through underwriting.

“Our new solution capabilities, especially the LOS First connector, puts AI Foundry in a leading market position with the most comprehensive digital mortgage solution for mortgage origination,” said Alan Swahn, vice president of marketing at AI Foundry. “We are taking mortgage automation to the next level by providing an out-of-the-box solution that cuts the time from UAT to high-volume production with consistent results. Our new Audit First module finds data or document quality issues upfront in the process, before they become expensive problems to fix later.”

Sid Probstein, CTO & VP Professional Services, and Alla Eizenberg, Solution Architect, presenting AI Foundry’s Agile Mortgages at FinovateSpring 2018

Headquartered in Massachusetts, AI Foundry offers solutions to help streamline and automate lending, mortgage, and banking processes. The company showcased Agile Mortgages at FinovateSpring 2018. In January, CIO Review named AI Foundry among the 20 most promising enterprise information management solution providers in 2017.

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Finovate Alumni News

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: AI Foundry, Coinbase, Daon, Dorsum, Entersekt, eToro, First Data, Insuritas, Jack Henry, Klarna, Mambu, MasterCard, MX, PaySend, Prosper, Revolut, rplan

On Finovate.com

  • Daon Partners with Tradelink to Bring Biometrics to Dah Sing Bank.
  • AI Foundry Overhauls Agile Mortgages Solution.

Around the web

  •  Klarna partners with EMaC, a U.K. automotive service plan provider, for a drive now, pay later service.
  •  Paysend triples its customer base over the last 6 months.
  • eToro announces that clients can now invest directly in shares on the platform.
  • MX appoints Ben Holzman, a former managing director of Bain Capital Ventures, as new COO.
  • TechCrunch: Coinbase opens its crypto index fund to accredited U.S. investors.
  • Langley FCU to deploy Symitar Episys core processing platform from Jack Henry & Associates.
  • Mambu announces new board member, former SAP CEO, Henning Kagermann.
  • Revolut partners with Cyprus-based telecommunications company, PrimeTel.
  • First Data and Mastercard collaborate on a digital disbursement platform for business customers.
  • Entersekt opens new office in Atlanta, Georgia to support the company’s growth in North America.
  • The Open Bank Project collaborates with Citizens Bank on innovation event.
  • First National Bank Texas ($1.8B Assets) selects Insuritas to power turnkey insurance agency.
  • Prosper resumes operations for Montana residents

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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Kinetica Taps Dell for Hardware

Kinetica Taps Dell for Hardware
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Kinetica

Data insights company Kinetica expanded on its partnership with Dell EMC this week. The two have collaborated to offer a bundled solution to help clients quickly gather actionable insights from raw data.

Dell EMC, part of Dell Technologies, collaborated with Kinetica to create a data platform that handles– as Kinetica calls it– “extreme data.” These large and complex data sets require more computing performance, which will be powered by Dell PowerEdge servers. Ron Pugh, vice president and general manager for the Americas at Dell EMC OEM Solutions said, “We are excited to collaborate with Kinetica to deliver a solution that offers massive amounts of additional computing performance for real-time streaming data, machine learning and geospatial visualization of enterprise workloads.”

Kinetica’s GPU-accelerated insight engine will focus on the software side to analyze massive sets of data in real-time. Paul Appleby, Kinetica CEO said, “Previously, in the manufacturing economy data was used for business validation; as we evolved to the service economy, data was used to make informed decisions; and, now, in the extreme data economy our business is powered by data. Dell, NVIDIA and Kinetica are combining forces to provide enterprises with the freedom to analyze data whenever it is most valuable and gain instant insights that revolutionize the way they do business.”

Since it was founded in 2009, Kinetica has raised $63 million in funding from Canvas Ventures, Citi Ventures, GreatPoint Ventures, and Meritech Capital Partners. At FinovateEurope 2018, the company showcased its GPU-Accelerated In-Memory Database. At the start of this year, Kinetica partnered with UClick to launch solutions in South Korea and in April it earned a spot on the insideBIGDATA IMPACT 50 list.

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Finovate Alumni News

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: InComm, Kinetica, PayPal, PayStand, Revolut, Trulioo, WorkFusion

On Finovate.com

  • Kinetica Taps Dell for Hardware.

Around the web

  • Workfusion announces Smart Process Automation 9.0 — the newest evolution of its flagship AI-powered RPA software.
  • Trulioo and Acuant join forces on AML/KYC Compliance.
  • SnapCar and Revolut team up to offer instant payouts to SnapCar drivers (in French).
  • InComm achieves HITRUST CSF Certification to mitigate security and compliance risk.
  • Glassdoor lists PayPal as one of 20 companies that champion LGBTQ equality hiring.

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 Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Avoka, Bpm'online, Ephesoft, Experian, Finastra, Horizn, NDGIT, PayNearMe, Tango Card

On Finovate.com

  • Avoka Unveils Springboard Deposit Account Opening Solution.
  • German Banking Software Provider NDGIT Raises $4.7 Million in Series A Round.

Around the web

  • Experian unveils MarketingConnect platform.
  • Tango Card partners with Alvin Healthcare.
  • PayNearMe allows LimeBike riders to pay in cash.
  • Finastra integrates Optimal Blue into its Fusion MortgagebotPOS solution.
  • bpm’online wins Company of the Year award from American Business Awards for third year in a row.
  • Horizn takes top honors at Digital Banking 2018 American Banker conference.
  • Latest version of Quest Diagnostics’ content management solution features Smart Capture technology from Ephesoft.

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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LendStreet Raises Additional $117 Million to Help Borrowers Restructure Debt

LendStreet Raises Additional $117 Million to Help Borrowers Restructure Debt
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Funding, LendStreet

Debt restructuring platform LendStreet added $117 million in combined debt and equity to its funding total this week. Of that amount, $7 million is equity and $110 million is debt. Today’s influx brings the California-based company’s total combined financing to $149 million, comprised of $39 million in equity and $110 million in debt.

The $7 million Series A equity investment was led by Prudential Financial and Radicle Impact, with participation from existing investors Accion, the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI), Serious Change, Crunchfund, Kapor Capital, and Cross Culture Ventures. The debt portion comes from Prudential and Community Investment Management.

Jerry Nemorin, founder and CEO of LendStreet discussed the company’s plans for the financing in a blog post, saying, “These investments will enable us to scale our platform and reach more consumers who are struggling with too much debt.” Nemorin added, “Prudential, CIM, Radicle Impact, and our other investors share our vision of finally giving mainstream Americans access to an equitable and transparent alternative for their mounting credit card debt.”

Founded in 2010, LendStreet helps consumers and small businesses consolidate, restructure, and refinance debt. The company helps borrowers in distress and negotiates their old debt with their previous creditor for a lower monthly payment amount and lower interest rate. These debts are restructured as a loan, funded by accredited investors on the LendStreet platform, who buy a share of each loan. After the borrower’s new monthly payment plan is organized, LendStreet sets them up with educational tools and resources to help them rebuild their credit and take control of their finances.

“The LendStreet platform provides a solutions-based user experience for consumers under financial stress,” said Tom Coombs, Co-Founder and Vice President of Product Development at LendStreet. “Understanding your options to pay down debt and rebuild your credit is not easy. LendStreet is giving overbanked consumers a more manageable, transparent and sustained path to restructuring debt and improving their financial health.”

Miljana Vujosevic, Vice President of Impact Investments, as well as Catha Groot, Principal at Radicle, will join R. Jerry Nemorin, Michael Snyder, and KG Charles-Harris on LendStreet’s Board of Advisors.

Since launching in 2013, LendStreet has helped customers reduce their debt by almost 40% and improve their credit score by an average of 100 points. At FinovateSpring 2011, Nemorin debuted the LendStreet platform on stage with Jason Mars, who has since transitioned to become the founder and CEO of Clinc, which first appeared on the Finovate stage in 2016. Earlier this year, LendStreet earned its its place on the Tech Tribune’s list of the 10 best startups in Oakland.

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Finovate Alumni News

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Actiance, DarcMatter, iProov, iSignthis, LendStreet, MicroStrategy, Token, Trulioo

On Finovate.com

  • iProov Wins Contract with U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
  • iSignthis Unveils B2B Transactional Banking Service, Partnership with Gobbill.
  • LendStreet Raises Additional $117 Million for Debt Restructuring.
  • DarcMatter Partners with Crypto Fund #Hashed.

Around the web

  • Trulioo’s AML/KYC identity verification now covers Romania.
  • MicroStrategy wins 2018 NetworkWorld Asia Information Management Award.
  • Token completes PISP open banking transaction.
  • Actiance and Smarsh update executive leadership team in wake of merger.
  • Investor Junkie takes 401(k) roboadvisor Blooom for a test drive.

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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iProov Wins Contract with U.S. Department of Homeland Security

iProov Wins Contract with U.S. Department of Homeland Security
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: iProov

iProov received accolades for its identity authentication tools after being voted an audience favorite and winning Best of Show at FinovateEurope 2018. Now, the U.K.-based company is boasting social proof from another audience– the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

iProov recently won a bid with the government agency to support border security for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This makes iProov the first overseas company to win a contract from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP).

The government will leverage the company’s Flashmark technology, which allows users to take a photo of themselves using their smartphone to verify their identity at border crossings. CBP will cross-check the live photo against travelers’ pre-registered information complete the authentication without human intervention. The process is not only more secure, it is also much faster for the traveler to self-authenticate than to wait in line for a border patrol agent.

In the press release, iProov stated that the reason it was selected by CBP is because of its ability to detect spoofs, recognizing when users attempt to trick the technology using a fake photo, screenshot, or doctored video. Andrew Bud, chief executive of iProov, said that this capability is due to advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence. In a press release, Bud said, “We’re now seeing more and more cases of governments and banks turning to self-service, spoof-resilient face verification as the biometric of choice to both increase security and ensure ease of use.”

Founded in 2011, iProov demoed at FinovateEurope earlier this year, showcasing its ID-Matcher, a technology that uses selfie face verification to authenticate users against their photo ID. In addition to winning Best of Show for their demo, the company has received multiple other accolades, including winning the 2017 National Cyber Security Centre’s Cyber Dragon’s Den competition at CYBERUK 2017, receiving numerous grants from Innovate U.K., and being named member of the SINET16.

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Ignite Sales and FIS Team Up on Digital Engagement

Ignite Sales and FIS Team Up on Digital Engagement
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: FIS, Ignite Sales

Data analytics company Ignite Sales and financial services giant FIS joined forces this week. Through the partnership, Ignite Sales will make its customer engagement technology available to FIS community banking clients.

The cloud-based customer engagement and application conversion technology, Ignite Dialogue, is made available in affordable, easy-to-implement packages. Ignite adapted this technology last March to make the service– previously only accessible to larger banks– now affordable and approachable for smaller financial institutions.

“We are excited and honored to partner with the FIS team,” said George Noga, CEO of Ignite Sales. “We share a common goal of empowering banks and credit unions with technology and service that delivers a competitive differentiator in the market place.”

Ignite Dialogue helps smaller banks enhance the customer experience for their consumer and small business customers by guiding banks to discover each client’s needs and match them with products and services tailored to meet their specific financial requirements. The service comes with an IQ Analytics reporting portal that guides the bank to develop their sales capabilities across all channels. The press release reports strong success metrics, citing that banks using the technology “often see customer satisfaction scores go up by as much as 40% and an increase in customer product adoption by as much as 200%.”

Headquartered in Texas, Ignite Sales offers customer engagement solutions for a range of bank sizes. The company also offers LeadLync, which automatically reports customer engagement results and recommendations directly into Salesforce; and IQAnalytics, an on-demand cloud-based analytics solution for customer and front office insights.

At FinovateFall 2013 the company launched the Branch Profitability Dashboard that offers a visual overview of profitability and sales across branches. The dashboard also presents a gap analysis for each sale to uncover where the branch falls short. Last month, Ignite Sales won a 2018 Stevie Award for AI / Machine Learning New Product of the Year.

FIS most recently demoed at FinovateFall 2016. The company debuted its Cardless Cash solution that provides a fast, secure options for sending and picking up cash at any ATM. Headquartered in Florida, FIS serves more than 20,000 clients in more than 130 countries.

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Envestnet | Yodlee’s AI FinCheck Takes Financial Wellness to a New Level

Envestnet | Yodlee’s AI FinCheck Takes Financial Wellness to a New Level
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Envestnet, Yodlee

Data aggregation and analytics firm Envestnet | Yodlee bolstered its PFM capabilities this week with the launch of AI FinCheck.

The AI-powered financial wellness solution leverages consumers’ transaction data, AI, and machine learning to monitor users’ financial health and offer actionable financial guidance tailored to their circumstances. AI FinCheck, along with the company’s OK to Spend feature that offers forward-looking cash flow balance information, are offered as part of Envestnet | Yodlee’s financial wellness suite.

Vice President of Product Applications at Envestnet | Yodlee Katy Gibson said, “By expanding our Financial Wellness Solution to include the new AI FinCheck application, financial service providers can provide their consumers with a personalized virtual financial wellness assistant which delivers actionable insights to help improve their financial health.” She added that because the tool uses real-time data, it can help consumers make informed financial decisions.

For each user AI FinCheck offers automated, personalized financial health insights across users’ spending, saving, borrowing and planning habits. To keep users continuously engaged, the tool offers interactive insights on their preferred channel. This not only helps them improve their financial situation but also improves their relationship with the brand. Some of the features of AI FinCheck include:

  • Provides personalized guidance alongside education
  • Leverages actionable data to deepen customer relationships
  • Enhances Next Best Offer (NBO) strategies
  • Provides contextual recommendations and actionable next steps
  • Makes it easy to deliver a virtual financial wellness assistant quickly and cost-effectively

Other tools in Envestnet | Yodlee’s financial wellness suite include FastLink, which allows users to link external financial accounts and see all of their financial information in one place; Save for a Goal, which helps users set, achieve, and fund their financial goals; and Cash Flow Analysis, which allows users to view historic cashflow data and see forecasted flows for each month.

Envestnet | Yodlee recently demoed its Financial Health Check at FinovateFall last year in New York. At the start of this year, the company finalized its acquisition of wealthtech solutions company FolioDynamix. Last month, Envestnet | Yodlee teamed with Quovo and Morningstar to support open data access for consumers. Envestnet was founded in 1999 and acquired Yodlee in 2015 for $660 million. Envestnet | Yodlee is a public company listed on NYSE under the ticker ENV. It has a market cap of $2.52 billion.

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InComm Acquires Gift Card Impressions

InComm Acquires Gift Card Impressions
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: InComm, Mergers & Acquisitions

Prepaid products company InComm is boosting its e-gifting capabilities today with the acquisition of its former competitor in the space, Gift Card Impressions (GCI).

The financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed. Logistically, GCI will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of InComm, and its operations and leadership team members will join InComm’s 2,300 employees across the globe and remain in the company’s Missouri location.

Brooks Smith, CEO of InComm, described GCI as being “on the cutting edge of the digital gift card evolution” and noted the company’s superior method to selling stored value products as being “a much warmer, personalized, and transformative approach.” Brooks added, “This transaction also brings us an experienced management team with a great deal of consumer packaged goods industry knowledge that can be leveraged to help drive the growth of physical and digital gift card sales.”

Brett Glass is founder and CEO of GCI, which has received 40 industry awards for innovation in the last seven years. Glass will continue to lead the company’s team from the Missouri location and said his team is “thrilled to have the opportunity to build on their outstanding track record of achievement.”

This is the company’s seventh acquisition since it was founded in 1992. InComm acquired GroupCard and Zeevex in 2010, Adility and On-Line Strategies in 2012, Giftgango in 2013, and most recently ValuAccess in 2016.

InComm offers more than 500,000 points of retail distribution with 1,000+ brand partners in more than 30 countries. The company debuted CorFire Mobile Commerce at FinovateFall 2011. More recently, InComm showed off the Cashtie API at FinDEVr Silicon Valley 2014. The company made headlines in April of this year with the announcement of a planned $20 million expansion at its Atlanta headquarters, adding 150 new jobs in the state of Georgia.

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OutSystems’ $360 Million Funding Round Boosts Valuation Above $1 Billion

OutSystems’ $360 Million Funding Round Boosts Valuation Above $1 Billion
By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Funding, Outsystems

Low-code platform OutSystems has proven today that there is quite a market for fast application development without the need to learn code. The proof comes from the $360 million in funding the company received, along with its new valuation the company described as “well over” $1 billion.

Today’s funds come from KKR and Goldman Sachs, which now have a minority stake in the Atlanta, Georgia-based company. OutSystems’ total funding now stands at $422 million. The company will use today’s investment to accelerate expansion and boost software automation R&D efforts.

“We believe we are in the early innings of what will be an extended period of significant growth in the low-code application development market, and we are very excited to be backing a category leader like OutSystems,” said Stephen Shanley, director at KKR.

OutSystems leverages AI, automation and third party integrations to help users build their own apps in a visual way, without the need to know or learn to code. This approach not only cuts down on development costs, it also makes for a much faster time-to-launch.

Founded in 2001, OutSystems has revenues of $100+ million and is growing that figure at more than 70% per year. The company’s 700 employees serve thousands of customers in more than 50 countries. OutSystems’ client list includes Toyota, Logitech, Deloitte, Ricoh, Schneider Electric, and GM Financial.

At FinDEVr New York 2017, OutSystems gave a presentation titled Low-Code, The Next Evolution in App Dev Platforms (Oh, and 5X Faster). Last month, the company launched OutSystems Sentry, a new proactive security monitoring service for the company’s PaaS clients. And In April, OutSystems partnered with Atos to help companies accelerate their digital transformation initiatives.

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