Friday is the Final Day to Save Big on FinovateFall 2015 Tickets

Friday is the Final Day to Save Big on FinovateFall 2015 Tickets

FinovateFall2014_stage_balconyview_800

At Finovate, the Early Bird gets the hundred-dollar discount.

This Friday is the final day of Early Bird ticket sales for FinovateFall 2015. Our fall conference returns to New York City, 16/17 September for two days of live fintech demonstrations and high-caliber networking. The show will take place at the New York Hilton Midtown on the Avenue of the Americas. Find out more about the venue and local hotels here.

We hope you’ll join us. And we really hope you’ll take advantage of our early bird discount and save $100 off the ticket price by registering before the end of the week.

FF2015LogoRevLarge

We began introducing the companies that will be presenting at FinovateFall 2015 last month. Over the next few weeks, we’ll share more information, background, and insights into the entrepreneurs and innovations that will be on stage next month in New York City. Take a peek at the current roster below, and look for the full list of presenters the first few days of September.

FF2015_Presenters_Graphic

With 10 hours of live fintech demonstrations and another eight hours dedicated to networking among attendees, presenters, sponsors, and partners, FinovateFall 2015 is a unique opportunity to meet with some of the biggest problem-solvers and solution-builders in fintech. Come for the live demos. Stay for the Best of Show voting and celebration. And enjoy a sneak peek at what some of our industry’s most innovative entrepreneurs and organizations have to offer.

Time is running out, so we’ll let you take it from here. Early bird savings on tickets to our fall conference end on Friday. Stop by our FinovateFall 2015 page and register today.


FinovateFall is sponsored by The Bancorp, CapitalSource, Envestment, Financial Technology Partners, Hudson Cook, KPMG, and Zions SBIC.

FinovateFall is partners with Aite, American Bankers Association, Bank Innovators Council,BankersHub, bobsguide, Breaking Banks, California Bankers Association, Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, Celent, CoinTelegraph, Crowdfund Beat, Ebanking News, Hotwire, IDC Financial Insights, Javelin,Let’s Talk Payments, Mapa Research, Mercator Advisory Group, MergerMarket, The New Economy, NYPAY, The Paypers, SME Finance Forum, and World Finance.

Finovate Debuts: Money Amigo Puts the Blockchain to Work for the Underbanked

Finovate Debuts: Money Amigo Puts the Blockchain to Work for the Underbanked

MoneyAmigoHomepage

Money Amigo’sMoneyAmigoSendMoney mobile banking platform delivers traditional banking products in a nontraditional way. Its clean interface targets underserved markets by delivering simple-to-use services with a transparent fee structure.

Company facts:

  • $300,000 raised
  • 7 employees
  • Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada

Money Amigo, which is primarily targeted toward Hispanics and students, prides itself on bringing financial services to previously ignored market segments. Its core feature is international remittances.

Cross-border remittances are expensive and time-consuming. To keep the cost low and the transfer-speed high, Money Amigo moves money using the blockchain. Because digital currencies intimidate most users, the startup insulates all players from cryptocurrency elements. The currency-transfer process runs completely and securely in the background: The sender, recipient, and back-end operational players interact only with Money Amigo’s simple user interface, unaware they are using digital currency.

MoneyAmigoRemittance2

When I asked the Money Amigo team for specifics on how the startup is using the blockchain, they would admit only to doing some “very very cool things” that they “just can’t talk about right now.”MrAmigo2

What’s next for Money Amigo? With so many players interested, the team tells me that Money Amigo is considering selling its remittance solution as a separate white-label option.

This post would not be complete without mentioning Mr. Amigo. The furry green mascot is a crucial part of the user experience. The friendly guy greets users at multiple points to walk them through the user experience. Financial services can be quite complex, and Mr. Amigo helps make managing money more approachable.

FinDEVr APIntelligence

FinDEVr2015LogoV2DateAre you building new financial technology? Be sure to register soon for the only event exclusively for fintech developers, FinDEVr 2015, 6/7 Oct, in San Francisco.

Industry news

  • Expensify launches new fintech investment fund.
  • Yodlee hosts webinar on how to build financial apps to meet evolving customer expectations.
  • The Full FinDEVr: “A Look at the Final Line-up for FinDEVr 2015 San Francisco”

The latest from upcoming FinDEVr 2015 presenters

  • Wallaby Upgrades Credit Card Optimization Solution with Spend Monitor.
  • Backbase-powered Touch Bank goes live in Russia.
  • PayPal hires new CFO John Rainey, a former United Airlines executive.
  • EVO Snap* to fast track EMV migration for software vendors and retailers; partners with Handpoint.
  • NerdWallet looks at Personal Capital in feature on how automation is disrupting investing.
  • BehavioSec mentioned as one “wild invention of the future” that the Pentagon is behind.
  • OnDeck rolls out mobile app for account management on-the-go.
  • PYMNTS looks at how PayPal’s Paydiant is powering Subway’s mobile payments app.

Alumni updates

  • Market Visual integrates with Tradier’s API to enable investors to manage stock portfolios and trade on a single platform.
  • Tradier announces 75+ investor platforms and advisers now integrate with its API.
  • Let’s Talk Payments interviews CEO Jeremy Almond of PayStand.
  • In its latest podcast, Payments Views talks with Doug Yeager, HCE inventor and CEO of SimplyTapp.
  • Mobile Payments Today looks at InComm’s drive to bring open-loop prepaid to mobile wallets.
  • PayNearMe partners with The California Department of Child Support Services to offer a new payment option for cash-paying customers.

Stay current on daily developments by following FinDEVr on Twitter.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • “Socure Secures $2.5 Million in Debt Financing”
  • “Five Finovate Alums Named 2015 Technology Pioneers by World Economic Forum”

Around the web

  • Let’s Talk Payments interviews Stephane Dubois, Xignite CEO and founder. See Xignite at FinDEVr 2015 in San Francisco in October.
  • Flint Mobile upgrades its iOS mobile app to improve compatibility with Apple Wallet.
  • Cloud OS Corezoid is now available via the Amazon Marketplace (in Russian).
  • Forbes notes MaxMyInterest, Dragon Wealth, and EverSafe in a feature on the global growth of fintech accelerators.
  • Market Visual integrates with the Tradier API to enable investors to manage stock portfolios and trade on a single platform.
  • Q2 Holdings acquires Centrix Solutions for $20 million.
  • Ayasdi named a 2015 Technology Pioneer by World Economic Forum.
  • Delaware Business Times profiles Global Debt Registry.
  • RateFuel asks if Qapital represents the “future of banking.”
  • PayNearMe partners with The California Department of Child Support Services to offer a new payment option for cash-paying customers.
  • FutureAdvisor launches FutureGift to help friends and family easily contribute to kids’ college funds.

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.

Wallaby Upgrades Credit Card Optimization Solution with Spend Monitor

Wallaby Upgrades Credit Card Optimization Solution with Spend Monitor

WallabyHomepage1

Wallaby Financial launched Spend Monitor, along with an updated dashboard and customizable widgets. The improvements to its credit card rewards maximization service give users a more complete view of their daily finances.

Spend Monitor provides a quick view of credit-card spending, making it easy to track finances and identify changes in spending behavior. It does this with three key actions:

  • Pinpoints increased or unusual activity in a specific category via spending alerts
  • Identifies suspicious activity, such as double charges and potential fraud
  • Depicts where and how users could have earned more rewards

The updated dashboard screen (pictured below) offers users a quick glance of their rewards, upcoming bills, and overall spending.

MobileDashboard

These upgrades are part of version 4.0 of Wallaby’s iOS mobile app, which also includes widgets such as bill-pay alerts, and a tool (pictured below) to identify the best credit card to use for each purchase.

WallabyBestCardThe new Wallaby 4.0 mobile app is available for iOS devices, including the Apple Watch.

WallabyAppleWatch

Wallaby’s most recent Finovate appearance was at FinovateSpring 2013 where it debuted Wallaby Wallet Boost (demo video below). The California-based company is slated to present at FinDEVr San Francisco 2015 this October, where it will make a specialized pitch for developers.

Socure Secures $2.5 Million in Debt Financing

Socure Secures $2.5 Million in Debt Financing

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Finovate has confirmed that ID-authentication specialist Socure has raised $2.5 million in debt financing. This supports a recent report that Socure CEO Sunil Madhu had filed a Form D with the SEC in late July.

The debt financing adds to the more than $4 million in equity capital Socure has earned. The company’s last fundraising was a $2.5 million investment Novembe 2014 that featured participation from ff Venture Capital, Founder Collective, and Two Sigma Ventures.

Socure_stage_FF2013

From left: Socure CEO Sunil Madhu and Johnny Ayers, SVP of business development, demonstrated their company’s Social Biometrics technology at FinovateFall 2013.

Socure provides a real-time identity-verification technology to help payments-remittance companies, FIs, and online merchants combat identity fraud. The company’s Social Biometrics platform is an SaaS solution that combines artificial intelligence, machine learning, and social behavior-pattern analysis to distinguish qualified logins from attempted logins by fraudsters and bots.

Socure announced last month that it had earned U.S.-EU and U.S. Switzerland Safe Harbor Certification. This assures customers that the company’s handling of sensitive data meets the privacy requirements of both the European Union and the Swiss government. In June, Socure was profiled in PYMNTS.com, which interviewed co-founder Johnny Ayers, SVP of business development, and Ken Allen, SVP operations.

Founded in August 2012 and headquartered in New York, Socure demonstrated its Social Biometrics solution at FinovateFall 2013. The company returns to the Finovate stage in September for FinovateFall 2015. To learn more about our upcoming conference in New York City, visit our FinovateFall 2015 page.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • “Wallaby Upgrades Credit Card Optimization Solution with Spend Monitor”; come see Wallaby at FinDEVr, San Francisco, 6/7 Oct.

Around the web

  • Backbase-powered Touch Bank goes live in Russia. Check out what Backbase has for developers at FinDEVr San Francisco on 6/7 October.
  • Top Image Systems appoints Andrew Pery as new CMO.
  • Campus FCU integrates Alkami Technology’s ORB Platform into its core banking system.
  • Green Dot launches mobile cash-processing technology.
  • Security First Bank picks FIS to provide core banking system.
  • PayPal hires John Rainey, former United Airlines executive, as new CFO.
  • Fox Chase Bank to deploy SilverLake core system from Jack Henry.
  • “Cachet Introduces Express Mobile Deposit Solution for Small Financial Institutions”
  • EVO Snap* to fast track EMV migration for software vendors and retailers; partners with Handpoint.
  • Macquarie Capital Securities and TradeHero launch Warrant Hero, a virtual warrant competition, with RM100,000 in prize money to be given away.

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.

T. Rowe Price, Fidelity Lead $130 Million Investment in Twilio

T. Rowe Price, Fidelity Lead $130 Million Investment in Twilio

Twilio_homepage_Aug2015

An investment of $130 million has boosted the total capital of cloud communication innovator Twilio to more than $233 million. The Series E round was led by T. Rowe Price and Fidelity Investments, and included participation from Salesforce Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), Arrowpoint Partners, Amazon.com, and Altimeter Capital.

Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson praised the way Fidelity and T. Rowe Price understood his company’s “developer-first, platform business model.” Twilio plans to use the new capital to speed up its product roadmap, particularly its Real-time Communications Suite; pursue new markets internationally; and expand its presence in the enterprise.

Twilio provides developers with APIs that make it easier to add voice, messaging, and video functionality into their mobile and web apps. The company launched its Programmable Voice solution in 2008, and now gives builders access to SMS, MMS, VoIP, authentication, video, and IP messaging. Twilio will make its FinDEVr debut at FinDEVr 2015 in San Francisco in September.

Twilio_homepage_API_Aug2015

Recent headlines for Twilio include the launch of Twilio IP Messaging in May, and Twilio Video in April. In February, Twilio made its first acquisition, purchasing authentication specialist, Authy, for an undisclosed sum. Twilio counts among its customers companies as diverse as Home Depot and Uber, Box and Coca-Cola.

findevrIn May, Twilio announced a $50 million development fund. In partnership with Bessemer Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and DFJ, the fund will kickstart companies that have built solutions based on Twilio’s technology. The first company to be funded was conference calling app, Speakeasy, to the tune of $5 million.

Twilio is headquartered in San Francisco, and has offices in New York, London, Estonia, Columbia, Germany, Hong Kong, and Ireland. Join them at FinDEVr 2015 San Francisco next month.

Patch Of Land Adds Commercial Real Estate to Platform

Patch Of Land Adds Commercial Real Estate to Platform

PatchofLand_commercial_homepage

Real-estate crowdlender, Patch of Land, has gone commercial.

Investors on the crowdlending platform will now be able to put their capital in commercial real estate opportunities instead of simply residential ones. Patch of Land said the addition of commercial real estate gives investors greater diversification, provides the opportunity for “consistent cash-flowing returns” and serves as a “complement” to the platform’s shorter-term residential real estate investment opportunities.

Patch of Land says investors can expect annual yields of between 6% to 10% with the commercial real estate, and terms of as few as 12 months and as many as 60 months are expected to be offered.

PatchofLand_stage_FF2014

From left: Patch of Land CMO AdaPia d’Errico, and CTO Brian Fritton, co-founder, demonstrated the Patch of Land platform at FinovateFall 2014 in New York.

One of the largest real estate crowdfunding platforms in the United States with more than $32 million invested through the platform, Patch of Land is a peer-to-real-estate (P2RE) marketplace that connect accredited and institutional investors seeking asset-backed, high-yielding, short-term investments with borrowers looking for alternative funding sources.

Patch of Land was named to Entrepreneur magazine’s 100 Brilliant Companies to Watch 2015 earlier this year. The company raised $23 million in new funding in a round led by SF Capital Group in April.

Here are a few more metrics on Patch of Land since inception in October 2013:

  • Total loans funded: $40,148, 500
  • Number of loans funded: 134
  • Total funds returned to investors: $6,866,745
  • Average loan size: $301,110

Patch of Land has investments in 25 states including California, Texas, New York, Florida, Ohio, and Massachusetts. Just over half (56%) of the projects funded by Patch of Land have been single-family residential, with multifamily residential coming in second at 36%. It will be worth watching to see how these numbers change now that commercial real estate is available as an investment option on the platform.

Founded in February 2013 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Patch of Land demonstrated its crowdfunding platform at FinovateFall 2014 in New York.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • “T. Rowe Price, Fidelity Lead $130 Million Investment in Twilio
  • “i-exceed Unveils Appzillon 3.1 with Enhanced Security, UX”
  • “Radius Raises $50 Million in Round Led by Founders Fund”

Around the web

  • Daily Fintech profiles financial analysis platform, Thinknum.
  • Patch of Land adds commercial real estate to its crowdfunding platform.
  • CR2 appoints Tammo van Leeuwen as market strategy director.
  • NerdWallet looks at Wealthfront, Betterment, FutureAdvisor, Personal Capital, and Vanguard in feature on how automation disrupts investing.
  • Dough Roller features FutureAdvisor as a free service to manage your child’s college fund.
  • Battery Ventures, a tech-focused investment firm, has agreed to acquire Physical Security Business Unit, part of the security division of NICE Systems in a deal valued up to $100 million.

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.

Fintech Fundings: 17 Companies Raised $580 Million Week Ending July 31

Fintech Fundings: 17 Companies Raised $580 Million Week Ending July 31

money_growthAnother monster week in fintech. Depending on how much Stripe received in its round (at a $5 billion valuation), something north of $600 million flowed to 17 fintech companies worldwide. That closes out the month at just under $2 billion raised ($1.65 billion equity; $250 million debt), more than double the $900 million raised a year ago ($675 million equity; $225 million debt).

About 80% of the money this week ($479 million) flowed to Finovate and FinDEVr alums, our biggest week ever (not including the Lending Club IPO which raised $865 million). To put that in perspective, during all of 2014 our alums raised just over $1 billion (excludes IPOs (Yodlee, OnDeck, and Lending Club). An even more startling number: In July 2014, we had one alum funded to the tune of $27 million. During July 2015, 17 alums raised more than $750 million.

Will fintech funding go higher? It’s hard to look at the year-over-year trend and think that it will get much higher. The bigger question for startups, and their backers, is what happens after “peak fintech?” Is there a gradual decline to a sustainable level of investment, or are we witnessing a bubble, which by definition is the precursor to a bath. Given the enormous size of the financial services industry and the pent-up demand for digital services, as well as infrastructure modernization, we firmly believe in fintech’s sustainability.

Finovate and FinDEVr alums raising money this week:

  • Kabbage $120 million (of rumored $150 million at $875 million valuation)*
  • Twilio $130 million (at a rumored $1.1 billion valuation)*
  • Behalf $119 million
  • Shopkeep $60 million
  • Radius $50 million
  • Expensify $17.5 million
——
* Presenting at our upcoming developer event, FinDEVr 2015

Here are the 17 companies by deal size from 25 July to 31 July:

Kabbage
Alt-lender to small businesses
HQ: Atlanta, Georgia
Latest round: $120 million Series E (of rumored $150 million at $875 million valuation)
Total raised: $585 million ($357 million debt, $228 million equity)
Tags: Lending, credit, underwriting, SMB
Source: Finovate

Twilio
Cloud communications
HQ: San Francisco, California
Latest round: $130 million ($1.1 billion valuation)
Total raised: $234 million
Tags: Messaging, SMS, text messaging, marketing, VoIP, API, developers, FinDEVr presenter 2015
Source: Crunchbase

Behalf
Small-business short-term alt-lender
HQ: New York City, New York
Latest round: $119 million Series B
Total raised: $129 million
Tags: Credit, lending, underwriting, SMB, financing, factoring, receivables financing, Finovate alum
Source: Finovate

Shopkeep
iPad point of sale system
HQ: San Francisco, California
Latest round: $60 million Series D
Total raised: $97.2 million
Tags: Credit, debit cards, merchants, SMB, online, acquiring, POS
Source: Finovate

Radius
Predictive marketing technology
HQ: San Francisco, California
Latest round: $50 million Series D
Total raised: $129 million
Tags: Finovate alum
Source: Finovate

China Rapid Finance
Consumer credit marketplace in China
HQ: Shanghai, China
Latest round: $35 million Series C (at $1 billion valuation)
Total raised: $56 million
Tags: Lending, credit, underwriting, consumer loans
Source: Crunchbase

iwoca
Short-term small-biz financing
HQ: London, United Kingdom
Latest round: $20 million
Total raised: $31.5 million
Tags: Credit, alt-lending, SMB, financing, loans
Source: Crunchbase

Expensify
Expense report management
HQ: San Francisco, California
Latest round: $17.5 million
Total raised: $27.8 million
Tags: Expense reports, SMB, accounting, enterprise, strategic investor
Source: Finovate

Seedrs
Equity crowdfunding marketplace
HQ: London, United Kingdom
Latest round: $15.6 million Series A
Total raised: $22.8 million
Tags: Investing, P2P, SMB, peer-to-peer
Source: Crunchbase

Crowdcube
Debt and equity crowdfunding marketplace
HQ: Exeter, England, United Kingdom
Latest round: $9.4 million
Total raised: $13.1 million
Tags: Lending, investing, SMB, equity, loans
Source: Crunchbase

OneVest
Platform for investing in startups
HQ: New York City, New York
Latest round: $3 million Series A
Total raised: $5.3 million
Tags: Investing, SMB, wealth management
Source: Crunchbase

Cryptocurrency Research Group
Card processing
HQ: San Francisco, California
Latest round: $3 million grant
Total raised: $3 million
Tags: Bitcoin, crypto, blockchain, R&D
Source: Crunchbase

Stockal
Automated stock-trading adviser
HQ: Bangalore, India
Latest round: $160,000
Total raised: $160,000
Tags: Investing, mobile, trading
Source: Crunchbase

Buyatab
Digital giftcard solutions
HQ: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Latest round: Undisclosed
Total raised: Unknown
Tags: eGift cards, SMB, prepaid card, gifting, fee income
Source: FT Partners

realbest
Online real estate platform
HQ: Berlin, Germany
Latest round: Undisclosed
Total raised: Unknown
Tags: Homeowners, mortgage, house buying
Source: FT Partners

Stripe
Online payment processing and management
HQ: San Francisco, California
Latest round: Undisclosed (less than $100 million at $5 billion valuation)
Total raised: $190+ million
Tags: Payments, credit, debit cards, API, merchants, SMB, online, acquiring, Visa (investor), American Express (investor)
Source: Crunchbase

Cognia
Payment processing for telephone-based transactions
HQ: London, England, United Kingdom
Latest round: Undisclosed
Total raised: $4.6+ million
Tags: Payments
Source: FT Partners

 

Radius Raises $50 Million in Round Led by Founders Fund

Radius Raises $50 Million in Round Led by Founders Fund

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An investment of $50 million gives predictive analytics innovator, Radius, total capital of more than $125 million and a valuation of somewhere between $500 million and true unicorn status: $1 billion, according to Fortune.

The round was led by Founders Fund, and featured participation from a host of other investors, including AME Cloud Ventures (Jerry Yang), BlueRun Ventures, Formation 8, Glynn Capital Management, Salesforce Ventures, and Yuan Capital. The new funding will support product development, as well as developing what Radius CEO Darian Shirazi called “the Radius customer success organization.”

In a statement, Joe Lonsdale, a founding member of Formation 8, highlighted the rapid adoption of Radius’ technology as a reason to support the company. “The team at Radius has pulled ahead with a clear network effect, which means that their data is getting updated hundreds of millions of times a day,” Lonsdale said. “It’s no surprise they are becoming the leading platform for marketing to businesses, and it’s clear they’re just getting started.”

Radius_FS2014_stage

Radius CEO Darian Shirazi demonstrated his company’s platform at FinovateSpring 2014 in San Jose.

Speaking of the struggle marketing professionals often have when working the data to better engage and reach customers, Shirazi said, “We address the challenge with a single, beautifully designed application that allows CMOs to navigate, define, expand, and acquire their entire customer universe.”

The capital infusion comes just a few weeks after Radius made headlines with a quartet of executive hires. In June, Radius added Chief Operating Officer David Obrand; Vice President of Sales Jerry Clarno; Senior Vice President of Strategy Andrew Garvin; and Senior Vice President of Marketing Angela Zener.

Radius specializes in providing businesses with big-data technology that helps them better understand their customers, identify new market opportunities, and intensify their marketing efforts. Solutions like the Radius Intelligence Cloud and Business Graph, according to Shirazi, make it easier for marketing teams to reach specific audiences. The company’s proprietary technology within The Intelligence Cloud uses data on more than 30 million SMEs in the United States, and more than 50 billion data points to help businesses turn their customer data into actionable marketing opportunities.

Radius was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2014 in San Jose.