Payfone Lands $23.5 Million in Funding

Payfone Lands $23.5 Million in Funding

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Mobile authentication company Payfone closed a $23.5 million round of funding today. BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners and Andrew Prozes led the round, while new investors Strauss Zelnick, Maclab Development Group and Transaction Network Services, along with existing investors RRE Ventures, Opus Capital, Relay Ventures, Early Warning Services, American Express Ventures, Verizon Ventures, and Rogers Venture Partners also contributed.

This Series E round brings the New York-based company’s total funding to just over $66 million and bolsters Payfone’s Board of Directors with the addition of Mike Spadafore of Sandbox Industries and Andrew Prozes, the former CEO of LexisNexis.

When it launched in 2008, Payfone sought to fight the mobile payments battle but pivoted just over 3 years ago to focus on mobile authentication solutions. In its former life as a payments company, Payfone launched 1 Touch Checkout at FinovateFall 2012 in New York. Today, the company offers a non-intrusive authentication option for end clients that uses the identity of their mobile phone to offer persistent protection against fraud.

At the 2015 Fierce Innovation Awards, Payfone won the Over-the-Top (OTT) Monetization and Customer Security categories. In 2016, the company deployed its technology at a Tier-1 bank in the U.S., marking 50 million bank accounts protected by Payfone.

FinovateEurope Sneak Peek: Twisto

FinovateEurope Sneak Peek: Twisto

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FE2017-V2-wdateA look at the companies demoing live at FinovateEurope on the 7 and 8 of February 2017 in London. Pick up your tickets today and save your spot.

Twisto is simplifying daily payments, providing customers with a flexible credit line and helping them regain control over their finances.

Features

  • Pays all non-cash daily payments with one click
  • Seven minutes to access credit line with a card delivered within 48 hours
  • One mobile app to manage all finances, save money and time

Why it’s great
Twisto is a game-changer in payments across the CEE region through simplifying daily payments with the smart use of credit and outstanding customer experience born in the mobile age.
twisto_michaelsmida

Presenters

Michal Smida, Founder and CEO
Smida founded Twisto with the vision to become the leading bank challenger in CEE. Having previously spent four years at Barlcays, he lived in the U.S., Russia, U.K., and is currently based in Prague.
LinkedIn

Lukas Janousek, Chief Strategy Officer
twisto_lukasjanousekJanousek has more than eight years of experience building start-ups. He sold his last venture to O2. He is focused on delivering products with high added value and building a brand customers love.
LinkedIn

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • AnchorID Adds Apple, SolarCity Vet Mark Roe to Board of Directors.
  • Equifax Shakes Up Mortgage Tech with Castlight Partnership
  • Payfone Lands $23.5 Million in Funding

Around the web

  • Pakistan’s Samba Bank to deploy new core banking technology from Temenos.
  • Infosys’s core banking software Finacle goes live at Nepal’s Sunrise Bank.
  • ACI Worldwide to provide fraud protection for Kuwait’s Shared Electronic Banking Services Company (KNET).
  • Mitek partners with the American Cancer Society, supporting mobile fundraising with its mobile deposit and MiSnap technology.
  • Check Point Software partners with Attivo Networks to improve fraud detection.
  • DAVO Technologies has just been approved as a Certified Electronic Return Originator (ERO) with the California State Board of Equalization.

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.

 

Apply Now to Present at FinovateSpring 2017!

Apply Now to Present at FinovateSpring 2017!

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We’re now into the new year and excitement for FinovateSpring 2017 is building. Now is the time to apply: the early-bird deadline for presenter applications to demo is this Friday, January 6.

Our West Coast event will take place at the San Jose Convention Center on April 26 & 27, and it will feature our signature seven-minute-demo format. Presenters who are selected won’t just receive time up on stage — they’ll also have the opportunity to connect directly with senior-level financial executives, venture capitalists, other entrepreneurs, and influential press, analysts, and bloggers.

Competition for demo slots was fierce in 2016, with more companies applying than at any point in our history. And with attendance numbers growing alongside the demand for a coveted demo spot, now is the time to put your hat in the ring and take your company to the next level.

If you’d like to learn more, please email us at [email protected] and we’ll send you a presenter packet outlining the selection criteria, presenter package, demo costs, deadlines, and a link to the online application (applying is completely free and 100% confidential, so there’s nothing to lose!). Plus, if you apply by this Friday, January 6, and are selected to demo, you’ll benefit from the early-bird savings in your final demo cost. Hope to see you apply!


FinovateSpring 2017 is sponsored by: FT Partners and more to be announced.

FinovateSpring 2017 is partners with: Aite Group, BankersHub, Banking Technology, Fintech Finance, Mapa Research, Paybefore, and SME Finance Forum.

NetGuardians Brings Real-Time Fraud Protection to Nigeria’s Keystone Bank

NetGuardians Brings Real-Time Fraud Protection to Nigeria’s Keystone Bank

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Keystone Bank in Nigeria has turned to FinovateAsia alum NetGuardians in order to meet a new anti-fraud directive from the country’s central bank. Keystone Bank ($2 billion in assets) will deploy NetGuardians’s FraudGuardian technology, which leverages Big Data and predictive analytics to enable continuous auditing across channels, IT levels, and financial transactions.

FraudGuardian was singled out by Nigeria’s Central Bank (CBN) as an effective way for FIs to meet recently-issued anti-fraud reporting requirements, a point underscored by Keystone Bank CIO, Femi Aderibigbe. “The CBN recommendation naturally gave confidence in the NetGuardians solution,” Aderibigbe said before adding that the technology’s “innovative approach to fraud prevention and system features” were also major factors in choosing to deploy FraudGuardian.

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Pictured (left to right): NetGuardian’s Mine Fornerod (Digital Marketing Manager) and Eric Margaryan (Asia Regional Director) demonstrating FraudGuardian at FinovateAsia 2016.

NetGuardians founder and CEO JoĂ«l Winteregg praised Keystone Bank as a “technology savvy, service-driven institution (where) eBanking is a key part of their operations.” According to Inlaks Computers, local implementation partner for NetGuardians, the Keystone Bank deployment is part of a larger plan to bring anti-fraud solutions to the area. Precious Osegi, Director of Sales and Strategy for Inlaks said, “(We) look forward to extending FraudGuardian to more banks in the West Africa region to mitigate fraud risk.” NetGuardians announced a deployment of FraudGuardian with the National Bank of Malawi last November.

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland, NetGuardians made its Finovate debut at FinovateAsia 2016 in Hong Kong. A Gartner Cool Vendor for 2015, NetGuardians was recognized at the Aurexia FinTech Awards in London last fall in the category of post-trade for investment suitability. The company has raised more than $5 million in funding, and includes MoneyTime Ventures and Polytech Ventures among its investors. Co-founder Raffael Maio is COO.

Finovate Debuts: Sindeo Revamps the Mortgage Application Process

Finovate Debuts: Sindeo Revamps the Mortgage Application Process

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Home financing startup Sindeo offers customers access to a marketplace of over 1,000 loan programs to help them find the best mortgage. Its platform streamlines the mortgage application process and offers borrowers guidance from Mortgage Advisors.

Kicking off the company’s demo at FinovateFall 2016, Sindeo’s co-founder Ori Zohar described a home purchase as “the largest financial decision that most people are going to make in their lives” and added that getting a mortgage is a “difficult and confusing process.” Explaining his company’s proposed solution, Zohar said, “Sindeo is creating a streamlined online mortgage experience. We can get you a loan with any of the lenders in our growing marketplace which currently has over 45 lenders and over 1,000 loan products. We have technology integrated all the way from quotes to close.”

On the Finovate stage, the Sindeo team launched QuickStart, a CFPB compliant mortgage pre-qualification tool that helps borrowers find a home loan, complete the application and underwriting process, and generate a pre-qualification letter, all in less than 10 minutes.

Company facts

  • 100+ employees
  • Originating loans in eleven states
  • $20+ million in funding to-date
  • 60+ NPS
  • Saved customers $17 million
29100750683_4d371ff788_kAimeelene Gaspar (SVP, Product) and Ori Zohar (Co-Founder) demo Sindeo at FinovateFall 2016 in New York

We interviewed Ori Zohar (pictured right), Sindeo’s co-founder, to get a deeper look into Sindeo’s background and future plans.screen-shot-2016-12-19-at-10-31-08-am

Finovate: What problem does Sindeo solve?

Ori Zohar: Getting a mortgage today is a stressful, confusing, low-tech process. It’s rife with unnecessary delays and unexpected costs. It’s the biggest financial decision most people make in their lifetimes, yet there isn’t a good partner to guide customers in a high tech, friendly way.

Finovate: Who are your primary customers?

Zohar: Homeowners and future homeowners.

Finovate: How does Sindeo solve the problem better?

Zohar: We’ve created a mortgage marketplace where customers can shop one thousand loan products, apply in minutes by filling out just one application, and close with speed and transparency. Sindeo not only saves our customers time, but also tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.

screen-shot-2016-12-19-at-11-28-20-am(above) A screenshot from Sindeo’s loan marketplace

 

Finovate: Tell us about your favorite implementation of your solution.

Zohar: After a couple of years of some really hard work, it’s fantastic to see us delivering on our vision – especially with the technology. From the start, Sindeo has been about rebuilding the home financing experience from the ground up by providing customers with access to a broad marketplace of loan programs, expert and unbiased guidance from Mortgage Advisors that are compensated based on customer satisfaction, and innovative technology that streamlines the entire mortgage process.

Finovate: What in your background gave you the confidence to tackle this challenge?

Zohar: I’m a serial entrepreneur, having started my first business when I was 15. After graduating from college, I began working with global ad agencies on solving complex problems for clients in the luxury clothing, automotive, and financial services industries. Eventually, I started looking for my next entrepreneurial opportunity. After I met Nick Stamos, my co-founder, we knew we found a huge opportunity to create a new path to bring home financing into the modern era.

Finovate: What are some upcoming initiatives from Sindeo that we can look forward to over the next few months?

Zohar: Sindeo is an end-to-end solution, and SindeoOne is just the beginning! We’re going to continue to add features to SindeoOne like verification of assets, income and employment directly into the application. We’re also streamlining and automating our back-end processes, so that our mortgage advisors can spend more time helping our customers.

Finovate: Where do you see Sindeo a year or two from now?

Zohar: I expect that not only will Sindeo be available to consumers in every state, but we will have introduced a fully digital mortgage that will allow consumers to find the right loan at the right price and close as quickly as possible.


Watch Sindeo’s demo from FinovateFall 2016 in New York with Aimeelene Gaspar (SVP, Product) and Ori Zohar (Co-Founder)

FinovateEurope Sneak Peek: Wealthify

FinovateEurope Sneak Peek: Wealthify

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FE2017-V2-wdateA look at the companies demoing live at FinovateEurope on the 7 and 8 of February 2017 in London. Pick up your tickets today and save your spot.

Wealthify is an online investment service using smart technology to make investing easy and affordable for everyone, regardless of their experience.

Features

  • Start investing with just ÂŁ250, and no tie in.
  • Our experts build and manage your investment plan for a simple, low annual fee.
  • 24/7 access to check your performance, top up, or withdraw.

Why it’s great
We aim to democratise investing and help 1 million U.K. savers make their money work harder by helping them to become investors in the next 10 years.

Presentersscreen-shot-2017-01-03-at-2-24-59-pm
Richard Theo, Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Theo is a serial entrepreneur with a passion and enthusiasm for technology that has driven him to establish a string of successful companies, including ActiveQuote, and most recently, Wealthify.
LinkedIn

Michelle Pearce, Founder & Chief Investing Officerscreen-shot-2017-01-03-at-2-29-54-pm
Guernsey-born Pearce left medical school to pursue a long-standing passion for investing. She worked as a Chartered Wealth Manager for Brookes MacDonald, before co-founding Wealthify in 2014.
LinkedIn

FinovateEurope Sneak Peek: Leveris

FinovateEurope Sneak Peek: Leveris

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FE2017-V2-wdateA look at the companies demoing live at FinovateEurope on the 7 and 8 of February 2017 in London. Pick up your tickets today and save your spot.

Leveris delivers full-stack, standalone, core bank and lending platforms for traditional banks, challenger banks and consumer brands.

Features

  • Lower Cost: Cloud-native
  • Marketplace banking: Plug-n-play third party product and/or service
  • Lending solution means revenue from day one

Why it’s great
Banking platforms like Leveris will help banks create new ways to make money by delivering value through data. Banks will ultimately become data platforms and to a lesser extent, banks.

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Conor Fennelly, Founder & CEO
Fennelly has been at the forefront of enterprise software development for the financial services industry since 1995. He has engineered innovative solutions for banks, blue chips and governments.
LinkedIn

FinDEVr APIntelligence

FDNY17_EventLogo_v1(wdate)FinDEVr Silicon Valley was a success! Tickets for upcoming FinDEVr London and FinDEVr New York are at their lowest prices now. Register today for London or New York to save your spot!

On FinDEVr.com

  • Avalara Adds New CMO Jeremy Korst.

The latest from FinDEVr Silicon Valley presenters

  • Finovate Debuts: Sindeo Revamps the Mortgage Application Process.

Alumni updates

  • Flybits CEO Hossein Rahnama interviewed in TechRepublic feature on IoT trends in 2017.
  • ScientiaMobile recognized by CIOReview as one of the most promising CDN solution providers of 2016.
  • AFK Insider lists Craft Silicon’s Uber-challenging app, Little, in its look at major technology developments in Africa in 2016.
  • FinDEVr alum Streamdata.io joins Google Technological Partner program.
  • Inc. lists Xero and PayPal among 8 business apps that will crush it in 2017.
  • LTP: Trulioo CEO Stephen Ufford writes about the problem of gift card fraud.

Stay current on daily news from the fintech developer community! Follow FinDEVr on Twitter.

FinovateEurope Sneak Peek: unblu

FinovateEurope Sneak Peek: unblu

screen-shot-2017-01-03-at-1-43-40-pmFE2017-V2-wdateA look at the companies demoing live at FinovateEurope on the 7 and 8 of February 2017 in London. Pick up your tickets today and save your spot.

unblu’s live collaboration suite helps the world’s leading banks deliver an in-person experience online. Over 80 banks worldwide trust unblu.

Features

  • Facilitates customer acquisition and end-to-end onboarding
  • Lifts conversion rates and increases sales through live engagements
  • Offers customers consulting from the comfort of their home

Why it’s great
Allows you to create a virtual branch rivaling any high-street presence. unblu is changing how banks do business and deliver services through their digital channels.

screen-shot-2017-01-03-at-1-52-16-pmPresenters

Jens Rabe, CMO
Rabe loves to understand technology and its potential impact on real life problems to help design new ways in which business can be done.
LinkedIn

screen-shot-2017-01-03-at-1-56-39-pmLuc Haldimann, CEO, unblu
Haldimann combines vision, persistence and entrepreneurship. A true inventor, he strives to make lasting contributions to the technology and business worlds.
LinkedIn

FinovateEurope Sneak Peek: Wealth Wizards

FinovateEurope Sneak Peek: Wealth Wizards

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FE2017-V2-wdateA look at the companies demoing live at FinovateEurope on 7 & 8 February, 2017 in London. Pick up your tickets today and save your spot.

Wealth Wizards is the U.K.’s first independent online financial adviser. It is here to revolutionise financial advice and make it accessible to everyone.

Features

  • Gives the user a manageable plan for retirement
  • Checks whether new pension contributions are affordable
  • Fully-regulated advice, online

Why it’s great
It is making planning for retirement a lot less daunting thanks to the use of tech.

screen-shot-2017-01-03-at-2-54-10-pmPresenters

Andrew Firth, Chief Executive
Part of the founding team of Egg, Firth is passionate about pioneering the development of automated financial advice in the U.K.
LinkedIn

screen-shot-2017-01-03-at-2-54-32-pmPeet Denny, Chief Technology Officer
Denny is a pragmatic and business-outcome-driven senior technical consultant and champion of achieving business agility through technical excellence.
LinkedIn

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Finovate Debuts: Sindeo Revamps the Mortgage Application Process.
  • NetGuardians Brings Real-Time Fraud Protection to Nigeria’s Keystone Bank.

Around the web

  • Flybits CEO Hossein Rahnama interviewed in TechRepublic feature on IoT trends in 2017.
  • AFK Insider lists Craft Silicon’s Uber-challenging app, Little, in its look at major technology developments in Africa in 2016.
  • FinDEVr alum Streamdata.io joins Google Technological Partner program.
  • ScientiaMobile recognized by CIOReview as one of the most promising CDN solution providers of 2016.
  • PYMNTS: BBVA Buys Openpay To Boost Digital Business Portfolio.

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.