Fintech in the Fall: Themes and Company Updates

Fall is in full swing and there has been plenty of news to keep the fintech world busy.

I spent last week at Money20/20 where the themes centered around Apple Pay, Bitcoin, and Millennials. In between listening to industry experts on these and other topics, I sat down to chat with seven Finovate alums. Here are a few notable updates:

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CAN Capital (fka Capital Access Network) has supplied just over $4 billion in funding to more than 55,000 small businesses. It continues to expand, reporting double-digit growth from last year.

CAN’s financing works well for small businesses who cannot obtain funding through traditional bank loans. Its 60%+ approval rate is made possible by the robust tech and big data analytic capabilities that enhance market insight. This ultimately broadens CAN’s access to prospective clients and enables it to provide customers with a lower priced loan.

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In June, it launched the beta version of CAN Connect, a set of 4 APIs. One of these APIs is called CAN Instant Quote (IQ). It pulls data from software that a small business uses frequently, such as scheduling or accounting software, to pre-approve them for instant financing.

In November, CAN announced a partnership with Yodlee to extend funding through its small business offering. This will enable Yodlee’s financial institution clients to offer customers access to funding via CAN’s Instant Quote API. The service will be available by Q1 of 2015.

While fixed term loans are still CAN’s core product, it is currently looking into offering flexible payment terms in 2015.

See CAN Capital’s demo from FinovateFall 2013 where it debuted Mobile Funder.

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Encap Security offers Smarter Authentication, a seamless way for banks to authenticate users across multiple channels, without disrupting the user experience.

Several weeks ago, Encap partnered with Feedzai to leverage its analytic engine that authenticates users. When the customer’s identity is in question, they are sent challenges to authenticate themselves, rather than being shut out of the system entirely.

Other partnerships are in the works, but all are confidential at this point.

Additionally, Encap has recently integrated Apple’s Touch ID to replace users’ PINs. While Encap’s Smarter Authentication will still be the underlying technology, Touch ID will help authenticate the user at each point of interaction.

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The company plans to incorporate other biometrics in the future.

Watch Encap demo Smarter Authentication at FinovateSpring 2014.

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As we tweeted last week, Fuze was recently acquired by Ingo Money, a company that specializes in mobile check cashing services for underbanked consumers. Ingo enables customers to instantly deposit checks onto a prepaid card, bank account, or mobile wallet.

The acquisition will combine Ingo’s mobile check cashing with Fuze’s swipe-to-pay and swipe-to-load features to give users more control over their money. Ingo will also leverage Fuze’s existing network of more than one billion cards, which includes:

    • 50 million prepaid cards
    • 459 million debit cards
    • 576 million credit cards
    • 531 million private label cards
    • 137 million other types

Ingo is also working on solutions to help users avoid late fees by enabling them to send funds to a location of their choice, such as their landlord. Additionally, it plans to expand the number of retail locations where customers load cash and move money from card to card.

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The terms of the acquisition, which is set to be finalized by the end of this year, were undisclosed.

Fuze Network last demonstrated at FinovateFall 2011 where it debuted Swipe2Pay.

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With a swell in data breaches this year, security has become a hot topic with the half-billion personal identities stolen in the last 8 months.

The increasing number of new solutions and capabilities banks now offer has opened up fresh opportunities for fraudsters to compromise users’ identities. To combat this, Guardian Analytics has added capabilities that gather user reputation data, such as their IP address.

Guardian Analytics is working with more than 300 financial institutions and has expanded its partnerships outside of banks. In the last year and a half, it has partnered with two non-bank institutions, Fiserv and Digital Insight.

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In the future, the California-based company plans to expand its analytics-based security solutions, since rules-based security is failing under the ever-expanding number of requirements needed to protect institutions.

Guardian Analytics debuted FraudXCHANGE at FinovateFall 2012.

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Larky, a company that provides card-linked discounts and offers on a mobile platform, signed six new financial institution clients across Alabama, Michigan, and New York in October.

Each new client is using a white-labeled version of Larky’s platform coupled with a package of local offers and rewards. The offers not only save users money, but also drive traffic to local business, and increase card usage.

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Check out Larky’s demo from FinovateFall 2014.

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Open source payments protocol, Ripple,announced a partnership with Yantra, which specializes in electronic payment systems. Specifically, Ripple will use Yantra’s risk management capabilities.

The Ripple network increases the speed and velocity of transactions, which add to its risk. To mitigate the liability, it leverages Yantra’s technology to create context and conditionality to its money movement processes.

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Yantra will augment the data collected about transactions and is adding new tools, such as custom search fields, to better analyze the data, and all within seconds.

Ripple debuted at FinovateSpring 2013.

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When we last spoke with Xpenditure at the beginning of this year, the company had $2.2 million in Angel funding and 15 employees. By the end of 2014, it will have raised $3.5 million in total funding and expects to have 25 employees.

It is also expanding its operations. It recently opened offices in São Paulo and New York City. In fact, the U.S. is its fastest growing market and accounts for 30% of its customers.

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In late October, it launched a partnership with MasterCard and its expense management system will be available as a part of MasterCard’s Business Owner ToolBox in Canada.

Check out Xpenditure’s demo from FinovateEurope 2014.

Alumni News– November 12, 2014

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgGuardian Analytics introduces FraudMAP ACH-RDFI to identify suspicious transactions.
  • Zumigo named finalist in Mobile Excellence Awards for Best Mobile Retail/Commerce Solution.
  • Pando Daily: BillGuard was the first to notify many affected consumers of the USPS security breach.
  • Yodlee Interactive introduces selected companies to participate in its incubator program.
  • AsiaOne Business features PlayMoolah co-founder, Lee Min Xuan.
  • ReadyForZero launches ReadyForZero Insights, a new dashboard to help users understand their debt.
  • MetaIntelli and Arxan Technologies partner to provide developers a way to mitigate security and privacy risks in mobile apps.
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.

Linkable Networks Raises $8 Million for Card Linked Offers Platform

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Just days after its competitor, Cardlytics, announced a major funding round, Linkable Networks landed a fresh $8 million round.

The new installment is Linkable Networks’ seventh funding round, bringing its total to $28.7 million.

    • October 2014: $8 million
    • August 2013: $3.6 million
    • December 2012: $4.1 million
    • September 2012: $3.2 million
    • October 2011: Undisclosed
    • March 2011: $8.3 million
    • October 2010: $1.5 million

The Boston-based company’s investors include Kepha Partners, Common Angels Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, and Citi Ventures.

Linkable Networks focuses on enhancing customer loyalty for retailers while providing financial institutions with a reward program linked to bank cards.

The company was founded as Clovr Media in 2011 and has since changed its name. It debuted MyLinkables MasterCard solution at FinovateFall 2012.

Alumni News– November 11, 2014

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgLinkable Networks Raises $8 Million for Card Linked Offers Platform.
  • Coinbase integrates with Openfolio to create transparency in who is investing in Bitcoin.
  • Cachet Financial Solutions Launches Enhanced Select Business 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.

Alumni News– November 10, 2014

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgNHS Choices selects Narrative Science to Assist with Delivery of Healthcare Information.
  • Visa using Kofax TotalAgility to deploy enhanced data and invoice management in Asia Pacific.
  • PostFinance integrates Strands PFM in their new digital banking platform.
  • BNN interviews Bionym CEO on how its Nymi band could work for payments.
  • The Australian Business Review considers how SocietyOne is contributing to the P2P lending boom.
  • Livemint.com features Bankbazaar.com’s growth.
  • Hoyos Labs launches iOS & Android password manager that uses the user’s face to log into websites.
  • BillGuard and Experian Data Breach Resolution partner to offer an advanced ID protection suite.
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.

What the Hack to do With All those APIs?

What the Hack to do With All those APIs?
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We’re in Vegas this week, catching up with several Finovate and FinDEVr alums. Before the week even started, however, we took a gamble and spent the weekend at the Money20/20 Hackathon.

Many Finovate and FinDEVr alums have powerful APIs to enable the creation of solutions to solve all types of problems. At the hackathon, the crowd of 450 developers, engineers, and entrepreneurs developed a myriad of solutions over the course of 25 hours.

Here are the winners for each company:

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Bionym winners

  • OffBank, which uses Bionym’s Nymi band to authenticate bank customers before initiating a wire transfer
  • I Heart Pay, which uses Bionym’s Nymi band, combined with an app, to enable merchants to verify a customer’s identity to charge them for a transaction

Check out Bionym’s demo from FinDEVr 2014, San Francisco

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Blockchain winner:

Samaritus, which uses barcode scanners inside of recycling bins that read bar codes on recyclable materials to reward people for recycling. The app pays them in bitcoin, while simultaneously collecting data on what and where users recycle.

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Feedzai winner:
Bacon, which places a multi-layer authentication platform that layers more security data on top of Feedzai’s algorithm to authenticate customers before a transaction. 

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Intuit winner:
In Reach, which uses the QuickBooks Online API to determine the availability of a retailer’s inventory, then enables customers to purchase goods via a native app, and pick up the item in the store.
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MasterCard winner:

Enterchange, which uses MasterCard’s API to enable customers to order food and pay at sit-down restaurants.
Modo Payments winners:
    • ShopperPal (for FIS), an app that incents consumers to enter a physical retail store by giving them points for entering a 
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      store, liking the company on Facebook, and making purchases in the store. The points are added to the consumer’s Modo Payments app.

    • KidFit (for Alliance Data), an app that syncs with wearable devices, such as a smartwatch, to enable parents to reward their children for elevating their heart rate for a set amount of time. The rewards are given in the form of points in the Modo Payments app. 
    • Nike Modo, a system that uses the Nike Fuel band to track a consumer’s geolocation and add reward points to their Modo Wallet when they enter a store and make a purchase.
Swift, a solution for retail stores that uses an RFID sensor to track each product that is placed into shopping carts. The data syncs to the consumer’s PayPal app to enable a quick and mobile checkout experience.

Socure Scores $2.5 Million to Overcome Evil with Good

Socure Scores $2.5 Million to Overcome Evil with Good

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Online security companies are always working to stay one step ahead of fraudsters. Socure, a New York-based company is out to fight these malevolent deeds with an approach it calls Social Biometrics.

As it turns out, it pays to be good. The company just closed a $2.5 million round of funding this week. Investors include:

    • Founder Collective
    • Two Sigma Ventures
    • ff Venture Capital 

This, added to Socure’s $2.2 million Seed round it generated in March, brings the company’s total funding to $4.7 million.

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Socure’s fraud detection solution uses people’s social behavior across networks to determine the authenticity of their identity. See their debut of Social Biometrics at FinovateFall 2013.

Cardlytics Pulls in $70 Million in Series F Round, Prepares for IPO

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Card-linked offers company, Cardlytics, closed a $70 million Series F round yesterday. The round was led by Discovery Capital, who will appoint a representative to Cardlytics’ board.

The Wall Street Journal reports that, with this newest installment, the Atlanta-based company has raised a total of $170 million since it was founded in 2008. Past investors include:

    • Groupe Aeroplan
    • Canaan Partners
    • ITC Holdings
    • Kinetic Ventures
    • Polaris Venture Partners
    • TTV Capital
    • Aimia

The company plans to use the funding to develop products that analyze data in new ways. It will not only help the merchants, who pay Cardlytics to list their offers, but it is also good news for its 400 bank partners.

This includes Bank of America, who uses the company’s technology to power its BankAmeriDeals (below). This year, Cardlytics anticipates the banks’ cut of payment it receives from merchants will add up to $20 to $25 million.

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The company plans to go public within the next 18 months. According to Cardlytics co-founder and President, Lynne Laube:

“We want to be ready to take advantage of the market, and getting ready for an IPO takes work.”

Check out Cardlytics’ demo from FinovateFall 2013, where it debuted its Gelocation Application.

Finovate Debuts: HedgeCoVest

Finovate Debuts: HedgeCoVest

The Finovate Debuts series introduces new Finovate alums. Today’s feature is HedgeCoVest, which demonstrated its Replicazor at FinovateFall 2014.

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HedgeCoVest’s web-based tool enables users to replicate hedge fund investments in their own brokerage accounts. The platform is aimed at existing hedge fund investors, advisors, and retail investors seeking more flexibility.

The stats

    • $900,000 raised
    • 12 employees
    • Product launched in September 2014
    • 35+ hedge fund managers have signed up 
    • 50+ models coming in the next few months

Hedge funds vs. HedgeCoVest
While hedge fund returns can be impressive, investing in them is not always practical. To qualify, investors need to have a net worth of $1 million (excluding primary residence). Additionally, hedge funds have prohibitively high account and strategy minimums.

Investors also face liquidity restrictions, locking them into strategies, and there’s little transparency into strategy specifics.

In comparison, HedgeCoVest’s minimum is $30,000, and investors can allocate as little as $10,000 to individual strategies. Liquidating investments is easy, just one click. HedgeCoVest charges a flat fee of 2.5%, instead of the often-confusing legal, audit, and trade fees incurred with traditional hedge funds.

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How it works
HedgeCoVest enables investors to automatically replicate real hedge fund portfolios in their own brokerage accounts, in real time. It does this using a trading technology called the Replicazor, which automatically mirrors hedge fund investments.

In milliseconds, the Replicazor registers a hedge fund trade and makes the same trade for HedgeCoVest clients.

The overview page (below) is used to search and compare available hedge fund models.

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Users select a model for an in-depth view of the strategy. The overview tab breaks down the exact sector allocations, both long and short.

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Other tabs include statistics (shown below), real-time fund performance, and an About Us section that profiles the firm and person behind the strategy.

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When the user finds a strategy they like, they select Invest Now, enter the amount to allocate, and choose their leverage. The Replicazor buys the securities into the brokerage account and tracks the holdings going forward.

By trading outside of the rigid hedge fund structure and requirements, HedgeCoVest opens hedge fund investing to a wider audience.

Check out HedgeCoVest’s debut of the Replicazor at FinovateFall 2014.

Finovate Debuts: Linqto

Finovate Debuts: Linqto

The Finovate Debuts series introduces new Finovate alums. Today’s feature is Linqto, which demonstrated its virtual Personal Banker solution at FinovateFall 2014.

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With Linqto’s Personal Banker, users can talk face-to-face with their bank teller in real time, from anywhere with an Internet or data connection.

The stats

    • Company founded in 2010
    • Product launched in 2014
    • Clients include Marriott, Intuit, NCR, and other major organizations

The product
Digital banking has transitioned from a “nice-to-have” to a “must-have,” but many customers find that an online-only channel lacks the personal connection that comes with the in-branch experience. Personal Banker captures the convenience of remote banking while maintaining the personal, face-to-face relationship aspect of in-branch banking.

With Linqto’s system, customers launch a live video chat with a real teller directly on their mobile device. Personal Banker is built to accommodate all devices; even customers without a camera can use SMS to text with a teller.

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How it works: Consumer facing

>>Banking
Customers launch the video chat by clicking a button on the web or mobile platform. The one-touch access works like the Mayday button for the Kindle Fire HDX.

To make it as easy as possible, there is no software to upload, no plug-in to install, and no additional user name or password required.

During a video chat, customers can view and discuss their balance and take a picture of a check to deposit it during the session. They also have the option to type in questions and answers during the discussion, in the event they are in a public place.

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>>Learning
The Personal Banker solution also has community rooms that act as virtual conference rooms where banks can host seminars on subjects such as retirement and home buying. Customers can interact with the conference host by speaking through their microphone or typing into the chat box.

How it works: Bank-facing

The teller’s screen shows a streaming video of the customer, their location information, their account information, and notes, such as their preferred nickname.

The teller also sees the availability and location of other tellers or specialists. Similar to a call-in experience, the teller can transfer the customer to someone such as a loan officer or wealth management specialist.

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Since Personal Banker still requires the use of tellers, it enables banks to use idle teller resources, helping some branches remain cost effective. This serves digital customers while keeping tellers in geographical locations where they are needed.

Security

Personal Banker adds an extra layer of security. First, it is difficult to spoof a live video of a face, which enables the teller to verify the customer’s identity. Additionally, the video feed is delivered securely, and all proprietary information is sent behind a firewall.

Linqto markets Personal Banker to bank technology providers such as Intuit, who combine the functionality with other solutions and market it to banks. The Personal Banker solution is coded to fit seamlessly within a bank’s website, mobile app, and branch software.

Watch Linqto’s live demonstration of Personal Banker at FinovateFall 2014.

Vaamo Raises $3.2 Million, Launches Out of Private Beta

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A German platform where users save and invest money towards their long term goals has brought on some funding of its own this week.

Vaamo announced yesterday it closed a $3.2 million (€2.5 million) Seed round. The investment was led by Route 66 Ventures, the same firm that furnished U.S.-based D3 Banking with $7 million last week. The remaining funds have come from business angels.

This round comes a year after its angel round of $635,000 (€500,000), which brings vaamo’s total funding to $3.8 million (€3 million).

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According to vaamo co-founders Thomas Bloch, and Oliver Vins, the funding will be used to hire more talent, specifically for marketing, customer service, and engineering. It will also be used to bolster marketing efforts to improve customer acquisition.

Vaamo is opening to the public today after spending about four months in private beta. It currently has 250 customers saving real money on its goals-based platform. It is limited to German residents only, but vaamo has not excluded the possibility of expanding its usage across borders.

D3 Banking Brings in $7 Million, with $3 Million More on the Way

D3 Banking Brings in $7 Million, with $3 Million More on the Way
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Here’s the math: D3 = Data Driven Digital Banking. The funding amount = $7 million.

Today, D3 Banking announced it raised $7 million in venture funding from Route 66 Ventures, a private investment firm focused on emerging financial services companies.

The Nebraska-based company reports that in the next 60 days, existing investors and a subordinate VC will contribute another $3 million, finalizing the round at $10 million.

The $10 million projected in this round, along with previous Angel investments of $6 million, will bring D3’s total funding to $16 million.

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Since its launch in 2007, D3 Banking (formerly Lodo Software) has built a customer base of 225 institutions that use its digital financial management tools.

D3 expanded beyond financial management tools last year when it launched a comprehensive digital banking solution at FinovateSpring 2013. The first customer to roll out the new solution plans to go live with it in the next 30 days. Additionally, D3 is in talks with a number of other institutions who are interested in deploying the new solution. According to CEO Mark Vipond, now is the perfect time for the company to bring in its first round of Venture funding.

D3 will use the new capital to expand its sales and marketing team, invest in other product innovations, and deploy a SaaS-based solution for FIs that prefer on-premise deployment.

Check out D3 Banking’s video from FinovateSpring 2014 where it demonstrated the money movement tools added to the comprehensive solution it introduced last year.