Alumni News– November 26, 2014

  • 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.jpgSpend Matters features P2Binvestor and its crowdfunding approach to providing credit to small businesses.
  • POTs and PANs looks at biometric authentication innovators, EyeVerify, BehavioSec, and BioCatch.
  • Best Advice explores EZBOB’s strategy to attract SMEs to online lending.
  • Bank of Internet USA to deploy IntelliResponse virtual agent technology.
  • First Annapolis’ The Navigator Newsletter interviews Sebastian Siemiakowski, CEO of Klarna.
  • Fastacash, Heckyl Technologies, Kabbage, Linkable Networks, and Nomis Solutions named to Red Herring Top 100 Global.
  • Investor Intel mentions Patch of Land and Realty Mogul in column on helping baby boomers participate in real estate crowd funding.
  • Azimo to join London mayor Boris Johnson’s trade mission to Malaysia and Singapore.
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– November 13, 2014

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgKili acquires NFC microSD pioneer DeviceFidelity.
  • American Banker lists Currency Cloud, BioCatch, Linqto, VerifyValid, and Rippleshot as top 10 tech companies to watch.
  • Fintech in the fall: themes and company updates from CAN Capital, Encap Security, Fuze Network, Guardian Analytics, Larky, Ripple, and Xpenditure.
  • American Banker examines 2015 plans for FIS, Fiserv and Diebold.
  • Forbes looks at the success of RoboAdvisors: Betterment, Wealthfront, Personal Capital, and SigFig.
  • Forbes examines Kantox’s P2P FX trading technology.
  • TSYS partners with FICO to deliver a marketing product for card issuers called TSYS Targeted Messaging.
  • Digital Insight enters reseller agreement with Guardian Analytics to deliver anomaly detection services to financial institutions.
  • Trulioo wins 2014 Canadian Technology Companies to watch award from Deloitte.
  • Huffington Post interviews Andrea Gellert, SVP Marketing at OnDeck.
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 Debuts: BioCatch

Finovate Debuts: BioCatch

The Finovate Debuts series introduces new Finovate. alums. Today’s feature is BioCatch, which demonstrated its invisible authentication methods at FinovateFall 2014.

By tracking the way users interact with web and mobile banking platforms, BioCatch uses invisible tests to authenticate users and prevent fraud.

The cloud-based solution gets ahead of malicious behavior by intervening before fraudsters enter the system.

Stats

    • Recently moved headquarters to Tel Aviv from Lod, Israel
    • Founded April 2011, launched BioCatch in 2013
    • $10 million raised
    • 25 employees
BioCatchuserDiagram

The experience

BioCatch helps banks and ecommerce enterprises catch fraudsters while authenticating the actual users. It uses 400 different parameters, such as how fast the user types and their usage preferences.

BioCatch starts by building a profile of each user to capture their typical behavior during an online banking session. Once complete, BioCatch is able to flag uncharacteristic usage patterns as fraud.

>> Catching the fraudsters

To determine fraudulent activity, BioCatch considers factors such as:

    • Does the user move between fields using a mouse or using the Tab key?
    • Do they click the submit button or use the Enter key?
    • When entering an amount, do they use the keypad or the number pad?
For each online banking session, the bank views a dashboard that shows geographical location, an analysis of each user’s session, the session flow, the behavioral patterns of the account, an analysis of the threat, as well as device and network risk scores. 
BioCatchAnalystStation1
The authentication analysis scores how the user performs compared to their regular behavior. The information is presented in a dashboard, similar to the one below, which indicates unusual login rythmics and mouse dynamics.
BioCatchAnalystStation
>> Proving the good user

Aside from just detecting and stopping fraud, BioCatch can reduce false positives, as well.

For example, if a New York-based customer is accessing their account while on a trip to Des Moines, the different geographical location may raise some red flags. The out-of-character activity may cause the bank to identify the actual user as a criminal.

The consequence (getting locked out of their account or having to call the bank to authenticate themselves) creates friction in the user experience and can harm the relationship.

What’s new?
BioCatch recently launched The Art of Fraud Catalogue showcasing patterns generated by malware. After analyzing user behavior, BioCatch realized that usage patterns created great art. 

The piece below was captured from fraud discovered in North America. It is titled, The Matrix Fraud.

BioCatchMatrixFraud

The idea is that fraud patterns are all unique, just like art itself.

Bottom line
BioCatch provides a low-friction way to catch fraud. When users don’t have to jump through hoops and are not wrongfully pegged as fraudsters, they have a faster and more pleasant experience.

Check out BioCatch’s demo its authentication methodology at FinovateFall 2014.

Alumni News– October 9, 2014

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgArxan Technologies partners with Xamarin to provide developers with enhanced application security solution.
  • InComm partners with PayPoint to launch Digital Gaming Vouchers.
  • Former Commonwealth Bank CMO Andy Lark appointed as Xero’s new CMO.
  • Technologie.ie interviews Brian Monaghan, head of online at CurrencyFair on the growth of hacking.
  • Avaus lists Holvi among the 30 smartest companies in Finland.
  • Fairer Finance gives top marks to Zopa in its latest personal loan roundup.
  • Fast Company profiles how BioCatch makes online art out of visualizations of hacking attacks.
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.

BioCatch’s Behavioral Biometrics Uses Its Invisible Challenges Mechanism to Determine User Behavior

BioCatch’s Behavioral Biometrics Uses Its Invisible Challenges Mechanism to Determine User Behavior
biocatch_logo

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

BioCatch showed off its behavioral biometrics technology:
“BioCatch is a cognitive behavioral biometrics technology that tracks how users interact with web and mobile applications. At the core of the technology lies a unique, patent-pending Invisible Challenges mechanism. This mechanism is responsible for the interaction of the user with the application. 
Whenever a user interacts with an application, a subtle dynamic cognitive challenge is injected, and the user responds without being aware to the fact it was there.”
Presenting: Uri Rivner, Co-Founder & VP, Business Development & Cyber Strategy
BioCatchHomepage2
Product Launch: April 2013
Metrics: $10M raised, 25 employees
Product distribution strategy: Direct to Business (B2B), through partners
HQ: Lod, Israel
Founded: April 2011
Website: biocatch.com
Twitter: @biocatch1

BioCatch Mobile Emerges from Beta

BioCatch Mobile Emerges from Beta
biocatch_logo

From iCloud to Home Depot, is anybody else looking for some good news when it comes to digital security?

Fortunately, BioCatch – who will be making its FinovateFall 2014 debut later this month – is punching through the “Who Got Hacked?” gloom with news that its mobile security technology is now out of beta.

BioCatch CEO Benny Rosenbaum highlighted two features he thinks will help separate BioCatch Mobile from the rest of the multi-authenticating pack. “What makes our solution so unique is the fact that it’s completely transparent, works behind the scenes, and yet is far more secure than traditional two-factor authentication, ” he said.
BioCatchHomepage1
How so? BioCatch specializes in cognitive biometrics. Cognitive biometrics provides for a greater range of inputs than many multi-factor authentication schemes. For example, BioCatch not only creates a unique signature based on physical factors such as left or right-handedness, but also factors in device interaction patterns, geolocation, and more.
The goal is to help identify many of the more common security breaches experienced by FIs and their customs. These include account takeover and malware threats, as well as identifying the presence of “jailbroken” devices. The trick, said Rosenbaum, is to allow banks to “add new functionality without admitting new fraud or creating new friction.”
BioCatchHomepage2
Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Boston, BioCatch was recognized last December by Aite Group as an “emerging player in biometric authentication.” And Gartner called BioCatch a “Cool Vendor in Security” as recently as April 2013. The company announced that it had raised $10 million in new funding in June, courtesy of investments from Blumberg Capital and OurCrowd, as well as existing investors.

FinovateFall 2014 Sneak Peek: Part 2

FinovateFall 2014 Sneak Peek: Part 2
FinovateFallWithDateLogo

If you missed the first installment of our FinovateFall 2014 Sneak Peek series, click here for Part 1.

A few days ago we introduced you to BizEquity, Gremln, Hoyos Labs, Knox Payments, NopSec, and Rippleshot. Today we present another six companies that will be demoing on stage in New York in September.
FinovateFall 2014 is live in New York City on September 23 and 24. And with last year’s show a sell-out, we’re expecting even bigger things in 2014. So save your spot at this year’s show; click here to register today.


Thumbnail image for BackbaseLogo.jpg

Backbase is a software company helping banks in the digital era.
Features:
    • Beautiful digital banking experience for end customers
    • Full control over the digital strategy by the bank
    • Backbase Marketplace to unite vendors and banks looking for fintech innovation
Why it’s great: 
Backbase Engage helps banks regain control over their digital strategy.
Presenters:

PeteChapman_Backbase_FF2014

Peter Chapman, Principal FinTech Strategist

Before joining Backbase, Chapman worked as VP emerging technologies at First Trade Union Bank. Frustrated by the lack of control of the banks to own their digital future, he joined Backbase to fix this.
JelmerdeJong_Backbase_FF@104

Jelmer de Jong, Global Head of Marketing

De Jong focused his career on helping companies get the most out of new technologies. He has a strong focus on startups, B2B, product management and marketing.


biocatch_logo

BioCatch provides innovative online fraud-prevention solutions that dramatically reduce friction and fraud, giving customers confidence to expand their business.

Features:

The Cognitive Biometrics technology enables BioCatch to detect intruders, bots, and fraudsters.
Why it’s great:

BioCatch: Less friction. Less fraud.
Presenters:

BioCatch_UriRivner

Uri Rivner, Co-Founder and VP Business Development & Cyber Strategy

Rivner is recognized globally as an industry expert on Cybercrime and advanced threats. He is a regular speaker in the leading Security and Cyber conferences, and writes a cyber-security blog.


blooom-low-res

blooom has developed a revolutionary way to open the eyes of 401(k) investors, by outsourcing the management of their 401(k) accounts, regardless of where custodied.

Features:

  • We don’t use complicated charts or line graphs with a gazillion indecipherable colors
  • We make it easy to operate (no Ph.D in Finance required)
  • We rebalance the account, rather than just make recommendations
Why it’s great:

Blooom allows investors to ditch their current strategy of ignoring-it, meaning-to-get-around-to-it, and hoping-for-the-best!
Presenters:

ChrisCostello_blooom_FF2014

Chris Costello, Co-Founder and Certified Financial Planner

Costello has 20 years experience and builds the model used to generate 401(k) recommendations, allowing blooom users to tap into advice traditionally only available to investors with a gazillion dollars.
RandyAufDerHeide_blooom_FF2014

Randy AufDerHeide, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer

AufDerHeide handles all the fancy, schmancy IT stuff. If it involves computers, code, Internet stuff, he’s the guy. He also makes everythin
g work smoothly, helping deliver a great experience to bloom users.


ibillionaire-logo-hd

iBillionaire taps into the investment strategies of Wall Street billionaires and provides unique and exclusive data on investment activity and trends.

Features:

  • Provides insights into billionaire investment portfolios and stock picks
  • Sends real-time alerts on buys, sells, and prices
  • Allows users to track their own portfolios and the iBillionaire Index
Why it’s great:

With iBillionaire, anyone can invest like a billionaire.
Presenters:

RaulMoreno_iBillionaire_FF2014

Raul Moreno, Co-Founder and CEO

Moreno is a serial entrepreneur with a background in finance and tech. His previous ventures include social app discovery platform, Kinetik, and he previously worked as an analyst at GFG Capital.


patch-of-land-new-logo

Patch of Land is a peer real estate (P2RE) lending marketplace presenting its real-time, due-diligence engine.

Features:

  • Proprietary risk and credit-modeling system increases accuracy of risk profiling
  • Full-stack integration with existing platform and processes
  • Significant scale and velocity of underwriting
Why it’s great:

We are creating an efficient, scalable system for underwriting and complex real estate lending transactions and pricing risk appropriately.
Presenters:

BrianFrittonPatchofLand_FF2014

Brian Fritton, CTO

Fritton is a seasoned eCommerce expert who oversees the development of Patch of Land’s in-house platform and leads the research and implementation of our technology initiatives.


Settlelogo

Settle is a mobile-payment platform built to create greater customer loyalty by hastening the checkout process while improving the overall customer experience.

Features:

  • Bridge mobile payments and loyalty
  • Target marketing to consumers based on their paying behavior
  • Transfer P2P cash easily
Why it’s great:

Settle brings easy mobile payments to customers and allows merchants to make the most of customer data.
Presenters:

StasMativiyenkoSettleFF2014

Stas Matviyenko, CEO

Matviyenko studied in Austria, worked for the Ukranian government (banking research). Founder at Advice Wallet (the biggest mobile loyalty program in CIS countries), believes in mobile payments, geek.
AnnaPolishchukSettleFF2014

Anna Polishchuk, COO

Polishchuk has a Masters degree in international business and is passionate about design and technology. She worked as Market Research Analyst at an international company and co-founded Advice Wallet.


Our Sneak Peek series continues on Tuesday with another six companies that will demo their fintech innovations at FinovateFall 2014 next month.

FinovateFall 2014 Sneak Peek: Part 2

FinovateFall 2014 Sneak Peek: Part 2
FinovateFallWithDateLogo

If you missed the first installment of our FinovateFall 2014 Sneak Peek series, click here for Part 1.

A few days ago we introduced you to BizEquity, Gremln, Hoyos Labs, Knox Payments, NopSec, and Rippleshot. Today we present another six companies that will be demoing on stage in New York in September.
FinovateFall 2014 is live in New York City on September 23 and 24. And with last year’s show a sell-out, we’re expecting even bigger things in 2014. So save your spot at this year’s show; click here to register today.


Thumbnail image for BackbaseLogo.jpg

Backbase is a software company helping banks in the digital era.
Features:
    • Beautiful digital banking experience for end customers
    • Full control over the digital strategy by the bank
    • Backbase Marketplace to unite vendors and banks looking for fintech innovation
Why it’s great: 
Backbase Engage helps banks regain control over their digital strategy.
Presenters:

PeteChapman_Backbase_FF2014

Peter Chapman, Principal FinTech Strategist

Before joining Backbase, Chapman worked as VP emerging technologies at First Trade Union Bank. Frustrated by the lack of control of the banks to own their digital future, he joined Backbase to fix this.
JelmerdeJong_Backbase_FF@104

Jelmer de Jong, Global Head of Marketing

De Jong focused his career on helping companies get the most out of new technologies. He has a strong focus on startups, B2B, product management and marketing.


biocatch_logo

BioCatch provides innovative online fraud-prevention solutions that dramatically reduce friction and fraud, giving customers confidence to expand their business.

Features:

The Cognitive Biometrics technology enables BioCatch to detect intruders, bots, and fraudsters.
Why it’s great:

BioCatch: Less friction. Less fraud.
Presenters:

BioCatch_UriRivner

Uri Rivner, Co-Founder and VP Business Development & Cyber Strategy

Rivner is recognized globally as an industry expert on Cybercrime and advanced threats. He is a regular speaker in the leading Security and Cyber conferences, and writes a cyber-security blog.


blooom-low-res

blooom has developed a revolutionary way to open the eyes of 401(k) investors, by outsourcing the management of their 401(k) accounts, regardless of where custodied.

Features:

  • We don’t use complicated charts or line graphs with a gazillion indecipherable colors
  • We make it easy to operate (no Ph.D in Finance required)
  • We rebalance the account, rather than just make recommendations
Why it’s great:

Blooom allows investors to ditch their current strategy of ignoring-it, meaning-to-get-around-to-it, and hoping-for-the-best!
Presenters:

ChrisCostello_blooom_FF2014

Chris Costello, Co-Founder and Certified Financial Planner

Costello has 20 years experience and builds the model used to generate 401(k) recommendations, allowing blooom users to tap into advice traditionally only available to investors with a gazillion dollars.
RandyAufDerHeide_blooom_FF2014

Randy AufDerHeide, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer

AufDerHeide handles all the fancy, schmancy IT stuff. If it involves computers, code, Internet stuff, he’s the guy. He also makes everythin
g work smoothly, helping deliver a great experience to bloom users.


ibillionaire-logo-hd

iBillionaire taps into the investment strategies of Wall Street billionaires and provides unique and exclusive data on investment activity and trends.

Features:

  • Provides insights into billionaire investment portfolios and stock picks
  • Sends real-time alerts on buys, sells, and prices
  • Allows users to track their own portfolios and the iBillionaire Index
Why it’s great:

With iBillionaire, anyone can invest like a billionaire.
Presenters:

RaulMoreno_iBillionaire_FF2014

Raul Moreno, Co-Founder and CEO

Moreno is a serial entrepreneur with a background in finance and tech. His previous ventures include social app discovery platform, Kinetik, and he previously worked as an analyst at GFG Capital.


patch-of-land-new-logo

Patch of Land is a peer real estate (P2RE) lending marketplace presenting its real-time, due-diligence engine.

Features:

  • Proprietary risk and credit-modeling system increases accuracy of risk profiling
  • Full-stack integration with existing platform and processes
  • Significant scale and velocity of underwriting
Why it’s great:

We are creating an efficient, scalable system for underwriting and complex real estate lending transactions and pricing risk appropriately.
Presenters:

BrianFrittonPatchofLand_FF2014

Brian Fritton, CTO

Fritton is a seasoned eCommerce expert who oversees the development of Patch of Land’s in-house platform and leads the research and implementation of our technology initiatives.


Settlelogo

Settle is a mobile-payment platform built to create greater customer loyalty by hastening the checkout process while improving the overall customer experience.

Features:

  • Bridge mobile payments and loyalty
  • Target marketing to consumers based on their paying behavior
  • Transfer P2P cash easily
Why it’s great:

Settle brings easy mobile payments to customers and allows merchants to make the most of customer data.
Presenters:

StasMativiyenkoSettleFF2014

Stas Matviyenko, CEO

Matviyenko studied in Austria, worked for the Ukranian government (banking research). Founder at Advice Wallet (the biggest mobile loyalty program in CIS countries), believes in mobile payments, geek.
AnnaPolishchukSettleFF2014

Anna Polishchuk, COO

Polishchuk has a Masters degree in international business and is passionate about design and technology. She worked as Market Research Analyst at an international company and co-founded Advice Wallet.


Our Sneak Peek series continues on Tuesday with another six companies that will demo their fintech innovations at FinovateFall 2014 next month.

Alumni News– August 21, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgAmerican Banker takes a look at the new Wells Fargo Startup Accelerator, with alums EyeVerify and Zumigo in the inaugural class.
  • Check out our first FinDEVr Preview, featuring Yodlee Interactive. Join Yodlee at FinDEVr in San Francisco this fall.
  • The Paypers spotlights BioCatch and the company’s cognitive science-based biometric technology. See BioCatch at FinovateFall in New York next month.
  • MasterCard partnership with Zimbabwe’s EcoCash designed to boost mobile money services in Africa. MasterCard is a presenter and sponsor of FinDEVr, the first fintech event for developers.
  • Taulia sees more than 350% growth in second quarter of 2014.
  • Mergermarket.com features AnchorID in latest report. See AnchorID’s live demo at FinovateFall in NYC.
  • GECU providing members with online and mobile digital banking services from Digital Insight.
  • PayNearMe partners with Systems & Methods to offer a way to pay child support in cash. Check out PayNearMe 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.

Alumni News– July 23, 2014

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgTaulia raises $27 million in series D funding.
  • CU Service Network partners with Insuritas to generate fee income for credit unions.
  • Cachet Financial Solutions partners with top five commercial bank in the U.S. to implement a prepaid mobile platform for supermarket chain.
  • BioCatch raises $10 million in Series A round. See them demo at FinovateFall 2014.
  • Malauzai Software partners with Trusteer to bring mobile security solutions to Customers Bancorp. Join Malauzai in New York in September for FinovateFall.
  • Place2Give launches MyPlace2Give.com to enable individuals to set up their own charitable giving fund.
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.

BioCatch Raises $10 Million in Series A Round

BioCatch Raises $10 Million in Series A Round
BioCatch_lo-res_logo

Israel-based biometric security specialist BioCatch announced today that it had raised $10 million in an initial Series A funding round.

The Series A was led by Blumberg Capital and equity crowd funding firm, OurCrowd, and included participation from unnamed existing investors. The company says that the new funding will go toward research and development, as well as expanding the service in North America, Europe, and Latin America.
BioCatch_homepage_1
BioCatch CEO Benny Rosebaum said in a statement, “This funding will allow us to continue strengthening our offering and expand our globe reach in strategic markets, while keeping the world’s largest and most influential institutions safe and secure.”
BioCatch is an innovator in the biometric authentication space. The company’s technology examines more than 400 behavioral, cognitive, and physiological markers to help determine when unusual activity is taking place. These markers range from how a person’s finger tends to move across a trackpad or interface, or even the angle at which a mobile device is typically held while being used.
And while stopping fraud is the important, headline goal, the more fundamental objective of the technology is eliminating friction. This translates into both a more secure experience for online and mobile banking customers and e-commerce consumers, as well as a more efficient and seamless transacting process.
BioCatch cyber strategy chief Uri Rivner suggested as much in an interview with Gigaom. “The problem today is not necessarily fraud, but (that) they want to make sure it’s really you, so they add a lot of security, which is friction.”
“We’ve demonstrated that we can reduce that friction and operational costs.”
Founded in 2011, BioCatch will make its Finovate debut this September. To take advantage of early-bird pricing to the New York City event, register here.