Alumni News– August 14, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgFiserv and DBS win Asian Banker Technology Implementation award.
  • Expensify enables in-app report comments to make annotations directly on expense reports.
  • Merchants using WordPress now have access to two new payment gateways: Dwolla and PayPal Express Checkout.
  • Bank Innovation takes a look at how “Pay with Venmo” will impact mobile e-commerce.
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– August 13, 2014

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgNetbanker features 2012- 2013 fintech graduates from Y Combinator:  TrueLink Financial, Coinbase, and LendUp.
  • Netbanker features 2009- 2012 fintech graduates from Y Combinator: ZenPayroll, SmartAsset, TrustEgg, FutureAdvisor, ReadyForZero, and WePay.
  • American Banker considers how Diebold is leading the way on the branch of the future.
  • peerTransfer surpasses 500 clients, while processing over $1 billion in international payments.
  • Heartland Payment Systems buys out remaining shareholders of tablet software and hardware startup, Leaf.
  • ACI Worldwide announces completion of ReD acquisition.
  • Lending Club mentioned in HBR Blog’s look at how new lending technology can help small businesses.
  • Silanis Technology partners with loan management software specialist Calyx Software. See Silanis at FinovateFall 2014 in September.
  • planwise teams up with Informa Research Services to launch plug-and-play search tool of real estate agents and brokerages.
  • NextAdvisor column in HuffPo highlights LendUp as alternative loan option for the underbanked.
  • Pandai announces joint cooperation with China and Hollard to leverage their experience in the loan insurance market.
  • Xero and Square partner to sync Square transactions and give a business a view of their finances. See Xero present at FinDEVr. 
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.

The 40 Fintech Graduates from Y Combinator (YC)

image By most measures, Y Combinator (YC) is far and away the most important incubator in the technology space. Graduating from there is like facing the job market with a resume boasting summer internships at Google, Facebook AND Goldman Sachs. You are almost guaranteed a multi-million funding.

Fintech (note 1) has been part of YC from the beginning. The first class (Summer 2005) included one fintech startup, TextPayMe, among the eight companies. TextPayMe was acquired shortly thereafter by Amazon for a rumored $3 million.

But as YC grew from 2005 to 2009, the number of fintech companies stayed at roughly 1 per year. During those five years, YC graduated 5 fintech companies out of a total of 139 (3.5%). Suddenly in 2010, the fintech number grew dramatically, average of more than 7 per year. During the past 4.5 years, there have been 35 fintech startups out of a total of 406 (8.6%) (see note 2). 

Table: YC Fintech Companies by Year

Class Total Companies # Fintech Companies % Fintech
2014 (half year) 56 5 9%
2013 83 9 9%
2012 117 8 7%
2011 89 7 8%
2010 61 6 10%
2009 39 1 3%
2008 43 1 2%
2007 32 2 6%
2006 17 0 0%
2005 8 1 13%
Total 545 40 7.4%

Source: Y-Combinator (yclist.com), Finovate analysis 
(see note 1 for Fintech definition)

_________________________________________

List of fintech YC alums by year
_________________________________________

2014 (Winter class only)

Abacus
abacus.com
Say goodbye to expense reports.

TradeBlock
http://tradeblock.com
Digital currency data and analysis. TradeBlock’s digital currency tools and research are trusted by hundreds of thousands of traders and enthusiasts across the globe.

Two Tap
http://twotap.com
Users can now order any product directly in your app with Two Tap.

Zidisha
http://www.zidisha.org
We are pioneering the first online microlending community to connect lenders and borrowers directly across international borders – overcoming previously insurmountable barriers of geography, wealth and circumstance.

Zinc
http://www.zincsave.com
Zinc is the best way to buy. Pay with with Dwolla or Bitcoin, and manage all your orders in one place.

2013

Buttercoin
http://buttercoin.com
Trade bitcoin with ease.

PayTango
http://www.paytango.com
PayTango links the cards in your wallet to your fingerprints.

RealCrowd
http://realcrowd.com
Featured investments available for funding.

SimplyInsured
http://www.simplyinsured.com
Simple health insurance for small businesses.

Standard Treasury
http://standardtreasury.com
APIs for commercial banks.

Swish
http://www.swish.com
Swish is a dynamic, specialized mobile payment company that has developed a ground breaking new card reader and application which provides a complete mobile point of sale solution to any size business.

True Link Financial
http://www.truelinkcard.com
We keep a watchful eye out for fraud and spending mishaps so you can spend your time doing what matters.

WeFunder
https://wefunder.com
We aim to give everyone – regardless of wealth – the opportunity to invest in startups.

Zenefits
http://www.zenefits.com
Zenefits runs your benefits, so you can run your business. Get affordable benefits for your company in minutes. Then set and forget them.

2012

Airbrite
http://airbritelabs.com
Exited
Airbrite is a cloud-enabled platform that powers mobile commerce We are the next generation of e-commerce. Our mobile-firs
t API powers modern shopping.

Coinbase
http://coinbase.com
Your Hosted Bitcoin Wallet. Coinbase is the easiest way to get started with Bitcoin.

Crowdtilt
http://www.crowdtilt.com
Crowdtilt allows users to pool funds for objectives in a simple, social, and frictionless way online.

Eligible
eligibleapi.com
Real Time Eligibility Checks for Health Insurance.

FundersClub
thefundersclub.com
FundersClub is a web service that gives investors unprecedented access to investment opportunities and the tools to review and invest online with ease and speed.

LendUp
lendup.com
LendUp is reinventing the payday lending industry

SmartAsset
http://www.smartasset.com
SmartAsset makes life’s biggest decisions easier by bringing full transparency to the financial decision making process.

ZenPayroll
http://zenpayroll.com
We are creating beautiful, modern payroll.

2011

DebtEye
http://www.debteye.com
We are an automated credit counseling solution to help customers get out of debt, a little like a “turbo tax” for those who need debt relief.

Giftrocket
http://www.giftrocket.com
GiftRocket sells a new type of gift card that works at any location.

GoCardless
https://gocardless.com
GoCardless is a UK-based service that allows smaller merchants to easily set up interbank transfers for customers.

Leaky
http://leaky.com
Leaky helps consumers make better decisions about insurance.

OrderAhead
http://orderaheadapp.com
OrderAhead is the easiest way to order from local merchants on your phone.

TrustEgg
http://trustegg.com
The simplest way to save for a child’s future.

SwipeGood
https://swipegood.com
SwipeGood allows users to enroll their credit or debit cards and automatically round up every purchase to the nearest dollar for charity.

2010

CardPool
http://www.cardpool.com
EXITED
Cardpool is a gift card exchange marketplace where anybody can buy, sell, or trade their new or pre-owned gift cards.

E la Carte
http://elacarte.com
E la Carte develops tablets for restaurant tables so guests can order, pay and play games from their seats

FutureAdvisor
https://www.futureadvisor.com
FutureAdvisor was founded in 2010 on the premise that investing for your future does not have to be difficult or expensive.

Indinero
http://indinero.com
Accounting, taxes & payroll. One solution. inDinero is your company’s accounting department.

ReadyForZero
https://www.readyforzero.com
ReadyForZero creates online financial software that helps people control and reduce debt.

Stripe
https://stripe.com
Stripe is a simple, developer-friendly way to accept payments online.

2009

WePay
https://www.wepay.com
WePay is an online payments platform for individuals, organizations, and businesses.

2008

Tipjoy
DEAD
Tipjoy was a simple, social payments engine that allows merchants to sell digital content and features, charities to raise money for causes, and individuals to give money to one another.

2007

Buxfer
http://www.buxfer.com
Buxfer is the next-generation personal finance solution, taking money management to the web.

SocialPicks
http://www.socialpicks.com
EXITED
SocialPicks provides individual investors with a trusted online investing community where they can invest smarter together.

2005

TextPayMe
http://www.textpayme.com
EXITED
TextPayMe was an SMS payment service that lets you send money to other people using cell phone text messaging.

—————————

Note:
1. We are using a broad definition of fintech including payments, insurance, investments, gift cards and even a few that are ecommerce focused such as E la Carte which is an order entry and payments play for restaurants.
2. Some YC companies are in stealth mode, so this public list is not 100% complete.

Alumni News– August 12, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgUK peer-to-peer leader Zopa tops $1 billion.
  • TSYS launches its Enterprise Tokenization solutions to help boost e-commerce security.
  • Thomson Reuters introduces Watchlist Pulse, a buy-side app for its Eikon platform.
  • Jingit’s Co-CEO and Co-Founder Joe Rogness explains to PYMNTS how they combine advertising and payment transactions.
  • StockTwits adds Former Yahoo! CEO and Robert Peck, SunTrust Tech Analyst, to Board of Directors.
  • Nanalyze features Dynamics ePlate technology.
  • Australia’s The Age considers how Society One plans to undercut banks’ personal loan rates by 5%.
  • Knox Payments considers how Mint, LendUp, and Simple are empowering our increasingly cashless society.
  • Oink brings its youth payment technology to online game company, Smilegate West.
  • San Francisco 49ers football team adds Wealthfront to list of benefits for employees.
  • Luxoft opens new delivery center in Guadalajara.
  • CEB Blogs interview Wipro’s Chief Learning Officer Abhijit Bhaduri.
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.

FinDEVr 2014 Presenters Revealed!

FinDEVr Logo

FinDEVr San Francisco 2014 — the first event focused on fintech developers — is less than two months away, and we’re excited to announce our presenters!

These leading companies came from a competitive application process designed to find the best ideas and innovations for fintech developers. Not only did we have an unprecedented number of applications for a debut event, but we also saw an incredible range of cutting-edge solutions!

On Sept. 30 & Oct. 1 in San Francisco, they’ll showcase their latest tools, APIs, and platforms via fast-paced onstage presentations and in-depth workshops.

On the first day, our sponsoring presenters will reveal their latest & greatest fintech to a packed auditorium, then close out the day with happy hour and dedicated networking time. Here’s who you can expect to see on stage on Tuesday, Sept. 30:

  • Platinum Sponsors: Yodlee Interactive, TD Ameritrade, MasterCard & Visa
  • Gold Sponsors: PayPal & Forte Payment Systems
  • Silver Sponsors: Financial Apps, Avoka, Xero, InComm, EVO Snap, Xignite, Eshta & Intuit
  • Bronze Sponsors: CardFlight, BehavioSec, Mifos Initiative, Cloud Lending, ModoPayments, StockTwits, Bluefin Payment Systems, Finicity, OnDeck, Paradigm4, Tradier & PayNearMe

After whetting the audience’s appetite on day one, our sponsoring presenters will kick off day two with deep-dive workshops into their developer technology. These 50-minute workshops will run throughout the morning in six tracks and continue into the afternoon.

Alongside these workshops, another round of fast-paced presentations will also take place during the second half of Wednesday, Oct. 1 in a shrunken auditorium. Here is the initial list of the cutting-edge companies that have been selected to present on day two: BCL Technologies, Bionym, BlockChain.info, CopSonic, CrowdCurity, Entersekt, Kiind, Knox Payments, MASSPAY, Morpheus Aiolos, PayStand, Pich Technologies, Plaid, Prudena, Sekur.me, SimplyTapp, TagCash, Thinknum, Trulioo & The TxPUSH Initiative.

Even prior to today’s announcement, tickets have been selling strongly and we’re pleased to be projecting an audience of 400-500 for the event. The room is going to be packed with developers and technical execs from startups as well as financial institutions like CIBC, Experian, Wells Fargo, BlackRock,
USAA, Capital One, Target, and Western Union.

If you and/or your technical colleagues are interested in attending to learn about the latest innovations for fintech builders, tickets are on sale at the very early-bird discount of $200 off through Friday August 22nd.

We’ll see you there!

FinDEVr San Francisco 2014’s VC sponsor is: Life.SREDA

FinDEVr San Francisco 2014 is partners with: BankersHub, BayPay Forum, California Bankers Association, fin-tech.org, Hotwire, Mercator, PaymentWeek & The Paypers

FinDEVr 2014 Presenters Revealed!

FinDEVr Logo

FinDEVr San Francisco 2014 — the first event focused on fintech developers — is less than two months away, and we’re excited to announce our presenters!

These leading companies came from a competitive application process designed to find the best ideas and innovations for fintech developers. Not only did we have an unprecedented number of applications for a debut event, but we also saw an incredible range of cutting-edge solutions!

On Sept. 30 & Oct. 1 in San Francisco, they’ll showcase their latest tools, APIs, and platforms via fast-paced onstage presentations and in-depth workshops.

On the first day, our sponsoring presenters will reveal their latest & greatest fintech to a packed auditorium, then close out the day with happy hour and dedicated networking time. Here’s who you can expect to see on stage on Tuesday, Sept. 30:

  • Platinum Sponsors: Yodlee Interactive, TD Ameritrade, MasterCard & Visa
  • Gold Sponsors: PayPal & Forte Payment Systems
  • Silver Sponsors: Financial Apps, Avoka, Xero, InComm, EVO Snap, Xignite, Eshta & Intuit
  • Bronze Sponsors: CardFlight, BehavioSec, Mifos Initiative, Cloud Lending, ModoPayments, StockTwits, Bluefin Payment Systems, Finicity, Expensify, OnDeck, Paradigm4, Tradier & PayNearMe

After whetting the audience’s appetite on day one, our sponsoring presenters will kick off day two with deep-dive workshops into their developer technology. These 50-minute workshops will run throughout the morning in six tracks and continue into the afternoon.

Alongside these workshops, another round of fast-paced presentations will also take place during the second half of Wednesday, Oct. 1 in a shrunken auditorium. Here is the initial list of the cutting-edge companies that have been selected to present on day two: BCL Technologies, Bionym, BlockChain.info, CopSonic, CrowdCurity, Entersekt, Kiind, Knox Payments, MASSPAY, Morpheus Aiolos, PayStand, Pich Technologies, Plaid, Prudena, Sekur.me, SimplyTapp, TagCash, Thinknum, Trulioo & The TxPUSH Initiative.

Even prior to today’s announcement, tickets have been selling strongly and we’re pleased to be projecting an audience of 400-500 for the event. The room is going to be packed with developers and technical execs from startups as well as financial institutions like CIBC, Experian, Wells Fargo, BlackRock,
USAA, Capital One, Target, and Western Union.

If you and/or your technical colleagues are interested in attending to learn about the latest innovations for fintech builders, tickets are on sale at the very early-bird discount of $200 off through Friday August 22nd.

We’ll see you there!

FinDEVr San Francisco 2014’s VC sponsor is: Life.SREDA

FinDEVr San Francisco 2014 is partners with: BankersHub, BayPay Forum, California Bankers Association, fin-tech.org, Hotwire, Mercator, PaymentWeek & The Paypers

UK Peer-to-Peer Lender Zopa Tops $1 Billion

UK Peer-to-Peer Lender Zopa Tops $1 Billion

Thumbnail image for zopa.jpg

London-based peer-to-peer lender, Zopa announced that it has surpassed the billion-dollar mark (£0.59 billion) in total lending since launch.

“The peer-to-peer industry is growing faster than ever,” Giles Andrews, Zopa CEO and co-founder said. “And we’re looking forward to offering new products like ISAs in the near (future).”

It’s a testament to the growth Giles speaks of that a quarter of Zopa’s lending has come in 2014 alone. The company has enjoyed 92% year-on-year growth (basis July), and expects to return £10 million in interest to lenders this year.
Zopa_homepage_new
A few metrics on Zopa:
  • Year-to-date number of loans (2014): 104,000
  • Year-to-date funds loaned (2014): £148 million
  • More than 63,000 active borrowers 
  • More than 57,000 active lenders
  • Average Zopa lender: 47 years old
  • Average Zopa amount lent: £5,710
  • Average Zopa borrower: 40 years old
  • Average Zopa amount borrowed: £5,500
  • Total amount returned to lenders since launch: £37 million
  • Top three most popular loan uses cases:

    1. Car: 40%
    2. Home improvement: 20%
    3. Debt consolidation 20%

Founded in 2005, Zopa demoed its technology at FinovateSpring 2008. The company recently made headlines by winning the Most Trusted Loan Provider and Most Trusted Specialist honors at the 2014 MoneyWise Customer Service Awards in June.
Earlier this year, Zopa was named to the 2014 European FinTech 50, and won “Best Peer to Peer Lender” from Moneynet Personal Finance. The company raised £15 million in funding from Arrowgrass Capital in January, taking their total capital to more than $56 million.

StockTwits Adds Former Yahoo! CEO and Robert Peck, SunTrust Tech Analyst, to Board of Directors

StockTwits Adds Former Yahoo! CEO and Robert Peck, SunTrust Tech Analyst, to Board of Directors
StockTwitsLogo

Stock market communications platform, StockTwits is adding to the brains behind its operation. The San Diego-based company announced on Thursday it picked up the former Yahoo! CEO, Ross Levinsohn, to serve on its board of directors.

Immediately prior to this appointment, Levinsohn worked as CEO of Guggenheim Digital Media.

RossLevinsohnIMG

Ross Levinsohn

According to Business Insider, StockTwits CEO John Melloy said that Levinsohn sees great potential in the StockTwits social network. He also mentioned that the web and mobile platforms are slated for a total redesign that will be launched this September, along with multiple new features.

SunTrustIMG

Robert Peck

Along with Levinsohn, StockTwits is also adding Robert Peck, a technology analyst at SunTrust.

Check out StockTwits’ presentation at FinDEVr to get a closer look at their platform and be a part of the first event for fintech developers this September 30 through October 1 in San Francisco.

LendUp Partners with MoneyGram to Enable Real-Time Offline Loan Repay

LendUp Partners with MoneyGram to Enable Real-Time Offline Loan Repay

Thumbnail image for LendUpLogo.jpg

For all the innovations in the ways alternative lenders connect borrowers with capital, it’s nice to see a little innovation on the side of lenders getting their money back.

LendUp announced this morning that it had inked two service arrangements with global money transfer and payments company, MoneyGram. The partnership will let LendUp borrowers use MoneyGram’s Express Payment Service to repay their loans. The service is available at 39,000 agent locations across the United States.
The goals, said LendUp CEO and co-founder, Sasha Orloff, was to provide “new payment options exactly where many of our customers prefer to do business.” In a statement, LendUp shared research that indicated that among “small dollar credit” consumers, “store location convenience” was a major factor.
LendUp_homepage_new
Echoing this fact was MoneyGram’s executive vice president of U.S. and Canada, Pete Ohser, who highlighted both innovation and convenience in celebrating the new relationship with LendUp.
And “new relationship” sounds like the proper way to think of LendUp and Moneygram going forward. Rather than a one-off deal, LendUp sees its relationship with MoneyGram growing to include additional products and services enabling access to credit via LendUp. Payment services are also under consideration going forward.
Founded in 2011, LendUp is based in San Francisco, California. The company demoed its RESTful API platform at FinovateSpring 2014 in San Jose, having won Best of Show honors the previous year at FinovateSpring 2013 in San Francisco. LendUp also made headlines in May with news that the company had raised a $50 million credit facility thanks to Victory Park Capital.

Alumni News– August 11, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgMisys announces acquisition of Custom Credit Systems.
  • Wipit brings omni-payment functionality to its prepaid cash mobile wallet.
  • LendUp partners with MoneyGram to enable real-time offline loan repay.
  • Barclays Pingit adds eGift options through Blackhawk Network partnership.
  • WSJ reports how Wealthfront, Betterment, Future Advisor, Personal Capital, and Motif are changing the investment landscape.
  • Wired UK Magazine lists BehavioSec as one of Euorpe’s hottest startups. See BehavioSec at FinDEVr this September 30 through October 1.
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.

Wipit Brings Omni-Payment Functionality to its Prepaid Cash Mobile Wallet

Wipit Brings Omni-Payment Functionality to its Prepaid Cash Mobile Wallet

Thumbnail image for wipitLogo.jpg

Wipit’s mobile wallet just got even handier.

The company unveiled this week omni-channel payment technology that will enable Wipit mobile wallet customers to use their prepaid cash mobile wallets to make payments at the retail point-of-sale, as well as online.

Wipit CEO Richard Kang said, “Omni-payments is a natural extension of our mobile wallet and will allow merchants to provide more options and better payment experiences to their customers.”
Wipit_homepage
The new features expand the range of payment choices for consumers using Wipit’s network, which includes a branded GPR (general purpose reload able) card and in-app services. Brick and mortar retailers benefit from the wallet’s POS payment feature. Online merchants can take payments from consumers who may be unable to make digital payments through other means (for example, credit cards). There is also the advantage of merchants of avoiding interchange fees when transacting via Wipit.
The technology is designed to be easy to implement. Merchants have the option to deploy point-of-sale payment features via closed-loop payment cards, in-app barcodes, or NFC.
Wipit was founded in 2010, and is headquartered in Pasadena, California. The company demoed its Boost Mobile Wallet at FinovateSpring 2014. See Wipit’s live demo here.

Alumni News– August 8, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgTransferWise earns a spot on Wired UK’s list of the “100 hottest start-ups” in Europe for 2014.
  • TMC Net takes a look at CU of America’s deployment of mobile banking solutions from Malauzai Software. See Malauzai at FinovateFall 2014 in New York.
  • First Access Funding Corporation to deploy loan origination system (LOS) from defi SOLUTIONS.
  • MasterCard Indonesia launches e-commerce initiative.
  • Intuit acquires PaySuite, bringing cloud-based payroll services to Quickbooks.
  • American Banker: Authentify introduces extension of xFA called Smart Choice to determine authentication mechanisms the user’s device has access to.
  • Cachet Financial Solutions and Contact Solutions bring Mobile Customer Care to Prepaid Clients.
  • CNBC looks at how LearnVest, Tuition.io, and ReadyForZero are making student loan payback easier.
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.