Check Out Who Took Home Top Honors at Last Night’s European Fintech Awards

Check Out Who Took Home Top Honors at Last Night’s European Fintech Awards
GroupPhoto(Photo credit: http://www.fintech.nl/)

Last night in Amsterdam the 2016 European Fintech Awards celebrated innovators shaping the future of finance. A total of nine awards were presented to companies selected by a panel of judges for the quality of their pitch.

Four of the winners are Finovate and FinDEVr alums, including BehavioSec, who won the overall award of Best European Fintech Company of 2016:

BehavioSec
Category: Risk, Intelligence, and Security
HQ: Stockholm, Sweden
Founded: 2009
FinovateFall 2015 demo
FinDEVr San Francisco 2015 presentation

Backbase
Category: Innovative Banking Software
HQ: The Netherlands
Founded: 2003
FinovateEurope 2016 demo

Kreditech
Category: Financial Inclusion
HQ: Hamburg, Germany
Founded: 2012
FinovateSpring 2014 demo

Xpenditure
Category: Best of Show, selected for the best pitch
HQ: Mechelen, Belgium
Founded: 2011
FinovateEurope 2016 demo

A total of 29 Finovate and FinDEVr alums were recognized in the European Fintech Top 100 list. Companies awarded on this list were selected by a combination of online public votes (weighted 25%) and a panel of judges (weighted 75%).

  • AdviceGames
  • Kantox
  • Aire.io
  • Klarna
  • AMP Credit Technologies
  • Kontomatik
  • Azimo
  • Kreditech
  • Backbase
  • Mambu
  • BehavioSec
  • mBank
  • Cloud Lending Solutions
  • Meniga
  • ebankIT
  • Nutmeg
  • eToro
  • Qumram
  • ETRONIKA
  • Scalable Capital
  • eWise
  • SmartEngine
  • Fenergo
  • TransferWise
  • Holvi
  • Trustly
  • IdeaBank
  • Zopa
  • InvoiceSharing

The European Fintech Awards are organized by Amsterdam-based publishing company Alex van Groningen BV. The company offers a great explanation of the awards: “The purpose of the FinTech awards is not to scientifically prove who are the best FinTech companies. The judging is primarily based on the judges’ individual ideas and views on the nominating companies using their expertise, knowledge and ideas.”

FinovateEurope Sneak Peek: AdviceRobo

FinovateEurope Sneak Peek: AdviceRobo

AdviceRobo_homepage_Jan2016

FEULogowithDate     A look at the companies demoing live to 1,500 fintech professionals. Register today.

 

CreditRobo from AdviceRobo provides behavior-based predictive and preventive solutions, instant credit scoring, and a gamified user interface by applying the latest technologies such as machine learning.

Features

  • Reduces risk in your customer base
  • Gives actionable insights for highly effective campaigns
  • Offers personalized services, such as a personal online dashboard
  • Improves your ROI

Why it’s great
AdviceRobo helps you to predict and prevent, on an individual level, the credit risk in your base.

Presenters

diederik van thielDiederick van Thiel, CEO

Founder and CEO Thiel previously founded and sold eyeOpen, the world’s first online mortgage robo-advisor. He is enrolled in a Ph.D. program on behavioral finance and big-data-driven customer experiences.
LinkedIn

Diederick van Tiel en Rosali Waleson-SteenkamerRosali Steenkamer, CCO

Founder and CCO Steenbakmer previously founded and sold eyeOpen, the world’s first online mortgage robo-advisor. She has in-depth expertise and experience in the field of marketing, communication, and sales.
LinkedIn

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • LendUp Raises $150 Million in Series B; Expanded Credit Facility”
  • Fiserv Buys ACI Worldwide’s Community Financial Services Division for $200 Million”

Around the web

  • Tradeshift partners with (RED) to facilitate donations to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
  • Payoneer selects AU10TIX to enhance online customer ID authentication and record generation.
  • AlphaPoint appoints Scott Scalf as EVP of Development Operations.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate’s European Alums Raised More Than $350 Million in 2015

Finovate’s European Alums Raised More Than $350 Million in 2015

Euros_purple

Nineteen Finovate alums headquartered in Europe raised $350 million in 2015.

From the $16,000 in seed money raised by U.K. startup, StockViews, to the €82 million investment received by Germany’s Kreditech, we’ve counted every euro, pound, and dollar that investors poured into our European alums. And whether the funding represented an initial infusion of capital or was part of a multi-stage Series E round, it is clear that investors are very interested in the fintech innovations of Europe.

Take a look for yourself at the “European Portfolio” from 2015 below, featuring Finovate alums from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

GermanFlagGermany

 

Ireland_FlagIreland

 

Netherlands_FlagThe Netherlands

 

 

Switzerland_Flag

 

Switzerland

 

 

UK_FlagUnited Kingdom


There’s still time to join us in London for FinovateEurope! Our two-day conference returns to Old Billingsgate Market Hall, February 9 and 10. Get your tickets today and save your spot.

 

 

$680 Million Raised by 29 Alums in Q1 2015

$680 Million Raised by 29 Alums in Q1 2015

cartoonmoneystackThe biggest surprise in our look at first-quarter funding is that the $677 million amassed by 29 Finovate alums was more than 20% of the $3.2 billion invested in the entire worldwide fintech sector.

The $677 million raised was $85 million (+14%) above the same quarter a year ago, and more than triple the first quarter of 2013.

Q1 2015 was also $133 million above the $544 million mark set in the fourth quarter of 2014.

It will be worth watching to see if this record-setting first quarter for Finovate alum fundraising will be a sign of more great things to come for capital-raising in 2015.

Top 10 Overall Investments

  1. Xero: $111 million in February
  2. Coinbase: $75 million in January
  3. Betterment: $60 million in February
  4. TransferWise: $58 million in January
  5. App Annie: $55 million in January
  6. Ayasdi: $55 million in March
  7. Motif Investing: $40 million in January
  8. Ripple Labs: $30 million in January
  9. Bill.com: $50 million in February
  10. Pindrop Security: $35 in February

Previous Quarterly Comparisons

  • Q1 2015: More than $676 million raised by 29 alums
  • Q4 2014: More than $544 million raised by 25 alums
  • Q1 2014: More than $600 million raised by 8 alums
  • Q1 2013: More than $155 million raised by 14 alums

January: More than $275 million raised by 14 alums

February: More than $264 million raised by 8 alums

March: More than $136 million raised by 7 alums

If you are an alum that raised money in the first quarter of 2015, and do not see your company listed, please drop us a note at research@finovate.com. We would love to share the good news! Funding received prior to becoming an alum not included.

Finovate Alumni News

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com:

  • Flint Mobile Opens Up for Developers to Embed In-App Card Payments.
  • PayNearMe Brings Online Cash Payments to ProfitStars’ EPS Smart Pay Express.

Around the web:

  • BECU licenses INETCO Analytics to gain insights from ATM transaction data. See INETCO at FinovateSpring 2015 in San Jose.
  • investUP adds five new equity and P2B crowdfunding sites to its platform.
  • Sibos Innotribe selects semi-finalists: Revolut, Sedicii, Advice Games, and Pendo Systems.
  • PayPal Here now available with Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Online and in Microsoft Store.
  • Jemstep partners with Stronghold Financial to launch Advisor Lead Gen Platform.

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.

AdviceGames Uses Gamification to Help Users Budget for their Mortgage

AdviceGamesLogo.jpg

This post is part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2015.
 
AdviceGames unveiled its Risk Game to help users budget better for their mortgage:

The Risk Game teaches the players how to budget more wisely. The starting point is the Financial Health Score (FHS), an index of a consumer’s financial health. The FHS determines the starting level in the game and drives the routing.

Players can use their earned points for saving and protecting themselves against unexpected events. Real life comes in when the players receive tips and see their FHS adjusted in their bank account based on their real behavior. The objective of the game is to activate people to better budget and therefore be able to pay their mortgage installments, reducing the risk for the bank.

 

Presenters Diederick van Thiel, CEO & Founder, and Rosali Steenkamer, COO & Founder
 
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Product Launch: March 2015
Metrics: Privately owned, 15 employees, 7 customers, broke even in 2014
Product distribution strategy: Through financial institutions, through other fintech companies and platforms, licensed
HQ: Hilversum, The Netherlands

AdviceGames Raises $570,000 from Ibuildings

AdviceGamesLogo.jpg

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.

AdviceGamesHomepage.jpg

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

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

Alumni News– January 29, 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.jpgTinkoff Bank to deploy fraud prevention solution from Iris Analytics.
  • EagleBank implements EnAct client management and sales software from Fiserv.
  • KDnuggets interviews Anthony Bak, principal data scientist for Ayasdi.
  • Red Zebra Analytics brings its card-linked offers service to Germany.
  • Ripple Labs raises $30 million in Series A round.
  • CNBC Tech Check interviews Tradeshift CEO Christian Lanng.
  • Computer Business Review features Venmo and Flint Mobile in its list of “5 mobile apps to turn your wallet digital.
  • Datamonitor analyst describes why he’s looking forward to watching Advice Games’ demo at FinovateEurope 2015.
  • Simple now works on BillGuard.
  • Google Cloud Platform now available to VMware customers.
  • TechCrunch explores Coinbase’s recently launched U.S. exchange.
  • Cachet Financial Solutions integrates with Apple Pay.
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– January 12, 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.jpgFinancial Simplicity and T&C Consulting launch joint venture.
  • Bernard Lunn writes about the revolutionary “license as a service model” of Fidor Bank.
  • Forbes column on technology and community features Bright Funds.
  • ABS-CBN News highlights Toshl Finance among its “5 money moves for 2015.”
  • Business Insider looks to TipRanks to find top stock pickers from 2014.
  • BillGuard, LoopPay, and TransferWise earn spots on Motley Fool’s list of fintech startups that can help consumers handle money in 2015.
  • Open Bank Project is organizing 2 hackathons in Ireland (Dublin and Belfast) for Ulster bank. The first is in Dublin this month.
  • No Need to Fax: Kofax Launches E-Signature Solution, SignDoc.
  • Cachet Financial Solutions appoints Bruce Whitmore as New Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer.
  • Bluefin Payment Systems partners with Industry Retail Group (IRG) to provide PCI-Validated Point-to-Point Encryption to IRG Clients.
  • AdviceGames CEO Diederick van Thiel, Talks About Gamification.
  • Mobile Commerce Daily reviews PayPal’s new BlackBerry app.
  • DoughRoller interviews Blooom founder Chris Costello.
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.

Finovate Alumni News– February 21, 2014

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgBanking Day reports: SocietyOne to take next step in development next month, when it announces the involvement of a strategic investor.
  • ThreatMetrix announces frictionless, context-based authentication to prevent unauthorized access to enterprise applications.
  • TSYS announces increased investment in Central Payment Joint Venture.
  • Fiserv Premier platform picked by New Jersey-based Sussex Bank.
  • CRIF acquires OFWI, aka, Teledata, from Axon Active Holding AG.
  • ZenPayroll brings in $20 million in Series A funding from General Catalyst and Kleiner Perkins.
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.

AdviceGames Launches Virtual Guardian Angel Platform to Give Banks, Insurers, and IFAs Tools to Serve the Market

This post is part of our live coverage of FinovateEurope 2014.

AdviceGamesLogo.jpg

Next up, AdviceGames debuted a Virtual Guardian Angel for financial advisors:
“AdviceGames develops the World’s first Virtual Guardian (Advisors) Angel, namely – an intelligent Financial Experience Cloud Platform (FECP). This platform offers two high end services which gives Banks, Insurers and IFAs the tools they require to once again successfully serve these markets. 
Firstly it offers the World’s first academic and interactive omnichannel performance monitor – the NIFA (National Index for Financial Advice) Suite. Secondly the VGA offers an online loyalty store, which provides a cloud-based angel offering designed to improve consumer experience leading to breakthrough customer loyalty.”
Presenting Diederick Van Thiel (CEO) and Rosali Steenkamer (COO)

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IMG_3752.JPG
Product Launch: February 11, 2014
Metrics: In 2013 we sold eyeOpen to Aegon/Transamerica. The buyout fee is being invested into AdviceGames to develop the virtual guardian angel for the Dutch, UK and US markets. We run offices in Amsterdam, London and San Francisco
Product distribution strategy: Direct to Business (B2B), through financial institutions, through other fintech companies and platforms, licensed
HQ: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Founded: December 24, 2013