Encap Security’s Integration of Touch ID Helps Authenticate High-value Financial Transactions

EncapSecurity_logo_high-res.jpgThis post is part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2015.

The team from Encap Security is making its way to the stage. Encap develops technology that enables mobile authentication for financial service providers.
Encap Security is the first authentication company in the world to integrate Apple Touch ID. Encap is demonstrating how financial institutions can use Touch ID to provide access to authenticate high-value financial services transactions. Touch ID integration showcases how Encap technology can detect and use device capabilities to layer on new authentication factors as they come to market. Financial institutions can then take advantage of these factors as they see fit, to ensure they are delivering the highest level of usability and security.
Presenters: CEO Thomas Bostrøm Jørgensen; Sales Director, Europe, John Burman
 
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Product launch: June 2014
Product distribution strategy: Direct to Business (B2B), through financial institutions, through other fintech companies and platforms
HQ: Oslo, Norway
Metrics: With locations in Oslo, and Palo Alto, California, Encap Security’s management team has an unrivaled stature in authentication and mobile financial services. CEO Thomas Bostrom Jorgensen and the Encap Security executive team of 15 employees together combine more than 60 years of experience across mobile financial services, identity management and mobile-app security. The total investment made in Encap Security is 4.8 million euros.
Twitter: @encapsecurity

ebankIT’s Solution Brings Contextual Banking to Multiple Channels

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This post is part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2015.
 
ebankIT showed off its multichannel innovation that gives users a seamless experience across all channels:
ebankIT aims to materialize in a solution that is much more than a banking application, maximizing the interaction of financial institutions and clients by extending the concept of omnichannel and social banking. In the world of omnichannel banking, customers are in control of the channels they wish to use.
For example, they can begin an interaction using one channel, such as mobile, while at home, and end it in another, such as SmartTV or Internet banking. Omnichannel banking brings the industry closer to the promise of true contextual banking in which financial services become seamlessly embedded into the lives of individual and business customers.
Presenters: João Pinto, member of the board of directors, and Omni-channel Specialist Paulo Oliveira
 
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Product launch: February 2015
Metrics: Revenues around €2M, 50 employees
Product distribution strategy: Direct to Business (B2B), through financial institutions
HQ: Oporto, Portugal
Founded: January 2014
Website: ebankit.com
Twitter: @e_bank_it

Quantitative Credit Research’s RiskAware Forecasts Corporate Defaults

QuantitativeCreditResearchLogo.jpgThis post is part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2015.

Next, Quantitative Credit Research demonstrated RiskAware:

RiskAware was developed based on the lessons learned from the financial crises. RiskAware can analyze and measure corporate credit risk quicker and better than existing practices.

RiskAware forecasts corporate defaults on a one-year term with close to 90% accuracy rate. New methodology includes the introduction of the macro environment into credit risk analysis and the simulation of 32 macro scenarios for each loan and borrower.

Presenters: CEO and Founder Tamas Varkonyi and CTO Sandor Kocso
 
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Product launch: March 2014
Metrics: 4 partners, 5 employees, operation in United Kingdom and Central Europe
Product distribution strategy: Direct to Business (B2B), through financial institutions, through other fintech companies and platforms, licensed
HQ: London, United Kingdom
Founded: June 2010

TradeRiver Finance’s Cross-Border Trade Platform Allows Buyers to Pay Suppliers in Local Currency

TradeRiverLogo.jpgThis post is part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2015.

TradeRiver Finance showed its platform for global trade:

The TradeRiver platform provides a business-funding and transaction-execution solution, which completely changes the nature and operation of cross-border trade finance.

TradeRiver provides the online tool and the finance for trade buyers of goods and services to pay their global suppliers in cash and in local currency at any point in their supply chain using a facility much like an online credit card.

Presenters: COO Toby Lanyon and Business Development Executive Mike Mumford
 
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Product launch: September 2011
Metrics: £2.8M equity, 6 employees, revenues £2.2M to date, £45M loans advanced, 130 registered users
Product distribution strategy: Direct to Business (B2B), licensed
HQ: London, United Kingdom
Founded: April 2010
Twitter: @Trade_River

eRipple Demonstrates its Mobile Mentor Matching Tool

eRipple_logo_high-res.jpgThis post is part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2015.

eRipple is next, presenting its mentoring technology that levearges the LinkedIn API to help corporates, startups and individuals find and connect with the talent they seek.

We provide our solution because we care about the ambitious succeeding! From extensive research into connecting time-poor experts with the information-hungry ambitious who are looking to grow, we have discovered a completely new way to connect. eRipple is a mobile mentor-matching tool that uses smart and learned algorithms, diary management, and messaging to completely revolutionize internal communication and talent relationships.

Exploiting the wealth of knowledge and expertise data available on LinkedIn and extensive psychometric profiling, we use the LinkedIn API to create a plugin to a new world of qualified connections between experts and those looking to grow.

Presenters: Founder Duncan Peters and Finance Director Paul Mann
 
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Product launch: November 2014
Product distribution strategy: Direct to Consumer (B2C), Direct to Business (B2B), licensed
Metrics: To date the company has been funded by its founders and recently taken on 50,000 pounds as a pre-seed friends-and-family round to deliver on customer campaigns. We always aim to bring together the most driven and talented people, expertise, and company backgrounds. We have technical mindshare on algorithms and psychology from our fantastic board of advisors from Meniga, Orange, Facebook, MarkIt and other top-five banks. Our development team is led by our Founder, Duncan Peters.
Website: eripple.co
Twitter: @RippleApp

AppSensorFS from Intelligent Environments Neutralizes Security Threats in Real-time

IntelligentEnvironments-logo_high-res.jpgThis post is part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2015.

Next to the stage is mobile and online security solution provider, Intelligent Environmentsdemonstrating AppSensorFS.

AppSensorFS is a software capability built into Interact, our multichannel banking platform, which enables the business application to detect and neutralize a security threat in real-time. It makes the application attack-aware. AppSensorFS deploys sensors within the application to detect potential threats. At its core is an expert system that makes real-time decisions to direct appropriate defense responses. AppSensorFS is a next-generation security solution with features specifically designed for Financial Services end-user applications. The framework extends to both web browser and mobile app-based solutions.

Presenters: CTO Clayton Locke; Product Development Lead Alan Brown; and Senior Software Architect Paul Spiller
 
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Product launch: February 2015
Product distribution strategy: Direct to Business (B2B), through other fintech companies and platforms, licensed
HQ: Kingston-upon-Thames, London, United Kingdom
Metrics: 130 employees
Twitter: @IntelEnviro

StreetShares Platform Connects Small Business Owners with Retail and Institutional Investors

StreetShares_logo_high-res.jpgThis is post is part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2015.

Our first presenter of the day is social lender StreetShares, bringing business owners together with retail and institutional investors based on shared affinities. According to the company:

The StreetShares marketplace uses social affinities and online auction technology to provide small business borrowers with loans at lower rates, and provide investors with higher returns. StreetShares blends the social loyalty and trust of affinity groups with traditional bank underwriting. It provides small business owners with the opportunity to pitch their loan requests to retail and institutional investors at no cost or obligation.

StreetShares investors then compete to fund the loans through a StreetShares auction, where the lowest rates charged to borrowers win. Through a StreetShares auction, borrowers get funded at competitive rates and investors get returns they’re looking for. Everyone wins.

Presenters: Co-founders CEO Mark Rockefeller and COO Mickey Konson
 
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Product launch: July 2014
Product distribution strategy: Direct to Consumer (B2C); Direct to Business (B2B)
HQ: Reston, VA, USA
Metrics: Raised $1.2 million seed round; 12 full-time employees
Twitter: @StreetShares

FinovateEurope 2015: London Calling!

We’re feeling at the “top of the dial” here on rehearsal day of FinovateEurope 2015, the first Finovate conference of the year. With 1,200 fintech execs from around the world converging on Old Billingsgate Market Hall tomorrow (10 Feb), those looking forward to two days of the latest in financial technology innovation have reason to smile.

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Here are a few last-minute items for both those who will be joining us live in London as well as those who will be following along—and chiming in—via our live blog at Finovate.com and our Twitter feed at @Finovate.
FinovateEurope 2015 mobile and web app
Once again we’ll be using the Bizzabo social networking app to help attendees reach out and connect with each other, as well as our presenters and sponsors, and partners. The app makes it easy to learn about the presenting companies, follow along with the conference agenda, and network with your fellow attendees.
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Registered attendees simply need to download the Bizzabo app (iOS version here, Android version here). Bizzabo is also available for your desktop here. Once you’ve downloaded the app, install it, and search for “Finovate,” choose “Join” and you’ll be connected to the event.

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Twitter
If you aren’t able to join us in London, then tracking the action via our Twitter feed is easily the next best thing to being here. Check us out @Finovate and be sure to tag your thoughts, insights, clever gestures and wise remarks “#Finovate.”
For more information about FinovateEurope 2015, check out our preview page here. You’ll find the event schedule, agenda, the notes on the venue, a list of presenters, sponsors, partners, and much more.
If you have any questions about the conference, visit our FAQ page or send us an email at info@finovate.com.

AdviceGames Raises $570,000 from Ibuildings

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AdviceGames, the Netherlands-based company that gamifies personal financial management, announced last week it raised $570,000.

The investment comes from Ibuildings, a creator of software that facilitates online communication between businesses and customers. The funding will be used to increase the speed of its machine learning technology and build a solid foundation for international growth.

Since launching in 2013, AdviceGames has invested over $1.1 million to develop and build its machine learning platform.

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Tom Schenkenberg, founder of Ibuildings, will join AdviceGames as CTO.

AdviceGames will debut its newest technology this week at FinovateEurope 2015.

Alumni News– February 9, 2015

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgCredit Union Times reviews Malauzai Software’s report on the growing popularity of debit card on-off functionality.
  • Crain’s Chicago Business profiles Rippleshot.
  • Inside-it.ch: CREALOGIX leverages TouchID API to develop biometric fingerprint authentication app for mobile banking.
  • PYMNTS.com: MPD CEO Karen Webster interviews Bruce Lowthers, FIS EVP for North American Retail Payments.
  • CrowdFundBeat features Realty Mogul CEO Jilliene Helman.
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.

FinovateEurope Lands in London Tuesday

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We are excited to be in London again for the fifth annual FinovateEurope 2015. The event begins at 8:00 AM Tuesday, 11 February, at Old Billingsgate Market Hall and continues through 5:00 PM Wednesday, 12 February. If you still don’t have your ticket, pick one up today, because they’re almost gone.

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Here are a few last-minute reminders:

Presenters
We’ll showcase 70+ presenters over the course of the two-day show. Be sure to check them out beforehand to get a head start on networking opportunities.
Also, our Sneak Peek blog series provides more detail on select presenters.

When
On Tuesday, registration opens at 8:00 AM with continental breakfast served until opening remarks at 8:45 followed by the first demo at 9:00.
Here is the detailed agenda:
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Venue
We’re returning to the beautiful Old Billingsgate Market Hall, situated alongside the River Thames.
 
Mobile networking app

If you’re a registered attendee, download the mobile app to view the agenda, presenters, fellow attendees, and more:

Once you’ve downloaded it, search Finovate and select Join.

Have more questions? Check out our FAQ or email info@finovate.com.

Fintech Fundings: $530 Million Raised First Week of February

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It was a big week for marketplace lenders with SoFi landing $200 million; CommonBond, $150 million (an undisclosed portion of that was commitment to purchase loans); Fundera, $12 million (debt). In addition, Chinese online lender U51 pulled in $50 million.
In total, 13 companies—including Finovate alum, SimplyTapp‘s $2.5 million—raised $533 million, which includes at least $12 million in debt.
Here are the deals from 31 January to 6 Feb 2015, in order of size:
Marketplace for student loan refinancing and other loans
Latest round: $200 million
Total raised: $766 million; $365 million equity, $401 million debt
Tags: lending, student loan, personal loan, underwriting, P2P, peer-to-peer, San Francisco, California
Source: Crunchbase
Student loan marketplace lender
Latest round: $150 million; an undisclosed portion of the round is a guarantee to fund loans originated on the platform
Total raised: $253.5 million
Tags: lending, education, student loan, refinance, investing, P2P, person-to-person, New York City
Source: Crunchbase
Indian mobile bill-pay and commerce platform 
Latest round: $80 million
Total raised: $116.5 million
Tags: mobile, bill payment, billing, rewards, offers, coupons, prepaid, wireless, topup, Mumbai, India
Source: FT Partners
Chinese alternative lender
Latest round: $50 million
Total raised: $50 million
Tags: lending, personal loans, underwriting, credit, China
Source: FT Partners
Mobile banking and payments platform for Latin America
Latest round: $19 million
Total raised: $39 million
Tags: mobile, online banking, payments, Miami, Florida
Source: Crunchbase
Archer (a.k.a. Market Street Advisors)
Investment management technology 
Latest round: $12.5 million
Total raised: $12.5 million
Tags: investing, enterprise, Edison, New Jersey
Source: FT Partners
Loan marketplace for small business loans
Latest round: $12 million (debt)
Total raised: $15.3 million; $3.3 million equity, $12 million debt
Tags: lending, small business, SMB, investing, debt crowdfunding, loans, New York City
Source: Crunchbase
Mobile receipt capture app
Latest round: $2.6 million
Total raised: $3.1 million
Tags: expense management, PFM, receipts, SMB, Barcelona, Spain
Source: Crunchbase
Cloud-based mobile payments
Latest round: $2.5 million
Total raised: $10.1 million
Tags: payments, mobile, SMB, POS, Austin, Texas, Finovate alum
Source: Finovate
Digital currency
Latest round: $2.3 million
Total raised: $2.3 million
Tags: cryptocurrency, payments, bitcoin, Paris, France
Source: FT Partners
Bitcoin security and authentication
Latest round: $850,000
Total raised: $950,000
Tags: security, bitcoin, authentication, cryptocurrency, Rochester, New York
Source: Crunchbase
ziftrCOIN digital currency
Latest round: $850,000
Total raised: $850,000
Tags: cyrptocurrency, digital currency, bitcoin, ecommerce, Milford, New Hampshire
Source: Crunchbase
Indian mobile wallet
Latest round: $240,000
Total raised: $240,000
Tags: mobile, payments, Bengaluru, India
Source: Crunchbase