Author: Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz)

Finovate Alumni News– October 22, 2013

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Actiance, Blackhawk Network, Cachet Financial Solutions, CurrencyFair, Fenergo, Flint Mobile, Kiboo, Motif Investing, PayNearMe, Q2ebanking, Simple
  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgUS Storage Centers and PayNearMe unveil convenient electronic cash payments for self-storage tenants.
  • Actiance expands partnership with ZL Technologies to deliver enterprise and public social data into unified archive.
  • Blackhawk Network to acquire InteliSpend Prepaid Solutions.
  • Cachet Financial Solutions launches CheckRisk Pro, a tool to mitigate RDC risk.
  • Netbanker: Simple to launch bluetooth-based P2P payments.
  • The American Bankers Association endorses Q2’s enterprise solutions for secure virtual banking.
  • Flint Mobile announces launch of swipe-free mobile payment app for Android.
  • Bloomberg Businessweek takes a look at Motif’s “design-it-yourself investing.”
  • TechWorld Australia features P2P currency exchange innovator, CurrencyFair.
  • Fenergo, Aite Group report: Capital market firms prefer centralized client onboarding.
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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Showing Our Age: A Look at FinovateAsia 2013 Demo Company Launch Timeline

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Advanced Merchant Payments, App Annie, Arkalogic, ArthaYantra, Backbase, BehavioSec, BlueKite, BRIDGEi2i, CustomerXPs, Dragon Wealth, FinovateAsia 2013, Funding, GMC Software Technology, i-exceed, IND Group, Intuition Intelligence, KlickEx, Kofax, LifePAD, Mambu, Matchi, Mistral Mobile, Mobexo, Mobino, Pangea Payments, Payoneer, Pixeliris, Red Zebra, SaaS Markets, Serverside Group, SinoLending, Smart Engine, TIBCO Software, Tootpay, TradeNet, TSYS, White Label Personal Clouds, Yodlee

At Finovate, we’ve seen how great innovation comes from companies of all ages. All we have to do is look at the Best of Show winners from FinovateAsia 2012. The founding dates of the winners ranged from 1858 (NAB, the parent company of UBank) to 2012 (SocietyOne).

We don’t know who will win Best of Show at FinovateAsia in Singapore this year, but looking at the launch date of the 37 companies taking the stage November 14, we found a 28-year spread. 

Here they are in reverse chronological order with funding amounts, if disclosed:

2013- 2012
  • BlueKite: 2013
    Total Funding: $1.5 million Seed funding
2011-2008
  • KlickEx: 2011
    Total Funding: $1.3 million
  • Mambu: 2011
    Total Funding: $2 million Series A

2007 or earlier
  • Yodlee: 1999
    Total Funding: $124 million
  • BehavioSec: 1998
    Total Funding: $2 million (€1.5 million)
  • Kofax: 1985
    Public LON: KFX

To learn more about each of these companies, check them out here and come see their live demos in Singapore on November 14.

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All numbers and funding information sourced from Crunchbase.com

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SaveUp Launches iPhone App to Take Savings Gamification Mobile

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: SaveUp

saveupLogo.jpg

SaveUp, the system that rewards you for saving money and paying off debt, is making it easier to access its platform. That’s because today, its free iPhone app is available in the Apple app store.

SaveUp’s web-based platform, which is protected by a 4-digit PIN, enables users to:

    • connect their financial accounts
    • track saving and debt repayment progress
    • use their credits to play for prizes on a daily basis
Prizes view
SaveUpmobilePrizes.jpg

View of users’ financial accounts
The San Francisco-based startup connects to more than 19,000 financial institutions.

SaveUpMobileExpenses.jpg

The majority of users log in to track their finances and play for prizes more than once per week.

To learn more about SaveUp, check out its live demo from FinovateSpring 2012.

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Betterment Acquires ImpulseSave to Help Users Manage Their Goals Along with Their Investments

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Betterment, ImpulseSave

BettermentLogo8.25.jpg

Online investment management service Betterment helps consumers answer the question, “what should I do with my money?” Its online platform helps consumers manage ImpulseSaveLogo.jpgtheir investments with easy-to-use tools.

Today, in a move to bolster its offering, Betterment has acquired ImpulseSave, a consumer-facing tool that helps consumers visualize and save for their goals in increments. Check out our product review of ImpulseSave here.

BettermentISave.jpg

Existing ImpulseSave users will have access to their fully-functioning account until November first. After this point, savings funds can only be accessed through users’ online banking platform.

In order to encourage ImpulseSave users to make the transition, Betterment has offered the platform for free for three months.

Betterment last demoed at FinovateFall 2011 and ImpulseSave demoed at FinovateFall 2012.

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Finovate Alumni News– October 18, 2013

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: InComm, Wonga, Xero
  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgInComm partners with Utah Transit Authority to launch FAREPAY Card.
  • Xero CEO Rod Drury wins the New Zealand Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
  • TechCrunch reports: E-Loan Specialist Wonga Buys BillPay, The PayPal Of Germany.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

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Finovate Alumni News– October 17, 2013

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Doxo, PayPal, Signifyd
  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgPayments News: PayPal grows revenues 19%, adds 5 million registered users.
  • Gizmodo reports: Signifyd Checks Your Tweets to Make Sure Your Spending Spree’s Legit.
  • Wisconsin-based Rice Lake Utilities launches on doxo to provides customers a convenient way to receive and pay bills.
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– October 16, 2013

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Lending Club, ReadyForZero, Tuition.io, Xero
  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgNew Xero Touch for iOS launches today.
  • ReadyForZero is expanding its online consumer offering to include the VantageScore 3.0 credit score.
  • Pando Daily looks at Tuition.io’s current usage numbers and funding status.
  • Finextra reports: Head of Capital One Bank small business lending joins Lending Club.
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– October 15, 2013

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Check, Comarch, Encap, Kabbage, Leaf, Manilla, Mint.com, PayPal, Ping Identity
  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgPayPal partners with Revel systems for its physical POS device.
  • TechCrunch interviews Ping Identity Founder, Chairman, and CEO Andre Durand.
  • Comarch launches mobile business banking solution in the U.K.
  • Looking for an app to manage your money? USA Today suggests solutions from three Finovate alumni: Manilla, Mint, and Check.
  • StreetFight features Leaf among its list of 5 mobile payment platforms with integrated marketing solutions.
  • Encap announces partnership with ForgeRock to bring multifactor intelligent authentication to OpenAM.
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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Cloud Accounting Platform Xero Raises $150 Million from Investors and Shareholders

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Funding, Xero

XeroLogo.jpgXero, a New Zealand-based company that creates cloud-based accounting software, has experienced a large growth spurt lately. Earlier this month, it officially launched in the U.S. and today it announced the largest installment of equity funding we’ve seen for a Finovate alum thus far.

The $150 million (NZ $180 million) in funding comes from a range of investors and existing shareholders. When combined with last year’s $49 million from Peter Thiel and Matrix Partners, and other previous rounds, the company’s total funding amounts to $230 million.

In the video below, CEO Rod Drury explains the funding and how it plans to use the cash.

Xero demoed at FinovateSpring 2011 where it debuted its Business Identification product.

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Finovate Alumni News– October 10, 2013

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Arroweye Solutions, Backbase, Balance, BBC Easy, Cachet Financial Solutions, Digital Insight, Equifax, Finagraph, FIS, Guardian Analytics, InComm, MasterCard, Mortgagebot, On Deck Capital, Payfone, SecondMarket, Simple, Tyfone, ValidSoft
  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgBackbase on Track to Expand into UK Market. 
  • Arroweye Solutions launches EMV On-Demand.
  • ICBA Mortgage extends its agreement with D+H Mortgagebot.
  • InComm partners with Jackson Hewitt Tax Service to unveil new GPR card.
  • Digital Insight working with Delta Community CU to offer members digital banking services and solutions.
  • Guardian Analytics announces FraudMAP Connect, real-time collaboration platform & fraud intelligence community.
  • Cachet Financial Solutions launches new mobile money management application and platform, Select Mobile Money.
  • Equifax enhances underwriting decisions for lenders and businesses with release of advanced decisioning attributes.
  • Simple announces new MoneyDrop, instant P2P $$ transfer technology.
  • OnDeck ranked #20 in SellingPower Magazine’s 50 Best Companies to Sell For List.
  • Ven partners ValidSoft to secure virtual currency transactions.
  • SecondMarket CEO explains latest Bitcoin move.
  • Tyfone powers P2P m-payments in BVCU m-banking platform.
  • MasterCard joins Fast IDentity Online (FIDO) Alliance in support of innovation in online authentication.
  • Inaugural issue of FIS’s digital magazine FIS InMotion now available.
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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TaxAct Acquires Balance Financial

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Balance

BalanceLogo2013.jpg

Last week, in a deal projected to benefit customers, partners, and employees, TaxAct acquired Balance Financial.

According to Devin Miller, Balance Financial CEO, TaxAct’s extensive resources will assist the Bellevue-based startup in further expanding its brand. The deal will help both TaxAct and Balance Financial enhance solutions for each of their customer bases.

BalanceHomePage.jpg

Balance Financial will continue to operate under the same name, in the same location, and with the same staff.

To learn more about Balance Financial, watch its demo from FinovateSpring 2013.

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ERN Global Raises Additional $1 Million in Seed Funding, Sets Sights on Asia Market

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: ERN

ERNLogoNew.jpg

After the flood of funding announcements last week,* ERN Global, creator of Looop targeted offers solution, just reported that it raised an additional $1 million in seed funding.

This latest installment, which comes from unnamed private investors, brings the company’s total funding to $5.6 million. The London-based company plans to use the funding to bolster its expansion efforts into the Asia market.

It also announced that it has added Brian Thom, ex-American Express Head of Global Marketing, as president of its Asia division.

ERNHomepage.jpg

To learn more about ERN, check out its demo video from FinovateEurope 2013.

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*Last week on the Finovate blog, we covered 5 funding announcements: 1) Azimo 2) Leaf 3) Quantopian 4) CardFlight 5) Jemstep.

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