Cinchy Lands $14.5 Million in Funding

Cinchy Lands $14.5 Million in Funding
  • Data access and control firm Cinchy received $14.5 million in funding this week.
  • The series B round was led by Forgepoint Capital and brings Cinchy’s total funding to $24.2 million.
  • As part of the investment, Forgepoint Managing Director Leo Casusol and Senior Associate Reynaldo Kirton will join Cinchy’s Board of Directors.

Cinchy, a fintech that is focused on helping firms set their data free, announced this week it received $14.5 million in a Series B funding round. This brings the Canada-based company’s total funding to $24.2 million.

Led by Forgepoint Capital, the investment brings Forgepoint’s Managing Director Leo Casusol will join Cinchy’s Board of Directors. The firm’s Senior Associate Reynaldo Kirton joins the board as an advisor. 

Cinchy was founded in 2017 to leverage data fabric to help banks access data from apps and other silos and assemble it within an easy-to-access data network. Today’s investment will help the company seize a recent spike in demand for data fabric and data mesh solutions.

“Our mission is to liberate and harness the power of data, giving it back to teams and organizations to accelerate digital transformation and growth,” said Cinchy CEO and Co-Founder Dan DeMers. “This latest round of funding helps us expand our team and release new offerings that include pre-built dataware solutions designed to help organizations instantly liberate both trapped data and siloed SaaS applications.”

Cinchy– whose clients include TD bank, Colliers International, AIS, and Natixis– has been named a Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Company to Watch and a Top Growing Canadian Company by The Globe and Mail. The company most recently demoed at FinovateFall 2021 and won best of show for its demo at FinovateFall 2019.


Photo by Neale LaSalle

Cinchy Launches Credit Union Edition of its Dataware Platform

Cinchy Launches Credit Union Edition of its Dataware Platform
  • Data firm Cinchy unveiled the Credit Union Edition of its Cinchy Dataware Platform today.
  • The solution is made specifically to help credit unions easily access and leverage their data without having to replace their core banking system.
  • Cinchy won Best of Show for its demo at FinovateFall 2019.

Data access and control firm Cinchy unveiled a credit union-specific solution today. The company is launching The Credit Union Edition of its Cinchy Dataware Platform to help credit unions extend the life of their core systems, avoiding the need to replace their existing core with a new one.

The new solution enables credit unions that are currently constrained by their core banking systems. Many of the outdated systems result in siloed data, which makes it difficult for the credit union to leverage their data to create better systems, an improved user experience, and cost savings.

Cinchy’s calls the capability “liberating data.” Today’s new launch enables credit unions to access their data in three ways. First, with real-time data from core banking system and applications without the need for copy-based integration. Second, with tools including auto-versioning, auto-backup, auto-protection, auto-correction, and auto-tracking. And third, with user accessibility that allows for instant collaboration.

“At Cinchy our goal is to enable organizations to save money by liberating and controlling their data in ways that were not previously possible,” said Cinchy CEO Dan DeMers. “Today we’re making this a reality for credit unions with the introduction of the Cinchy Dataware Platform Credit Union Edition.”

Founded in 2017, Cinchy leverages data fabric to help banks access data from apps and other silos and assemble it within an easy-to-access data network. Among the company’s clients are TD bank, Colliers International, AIS, and Natixis. Cinchy has been named a Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Company to Watch and a Top Growing Canadian Company by The Globe and Mail. The company most recently demoed at FinovateFall 2021 and won best of show for its demo at FinovateFall 2019.


Photo by Markus Spiske

FinovateFall 2021 Sneak Peek: Cinchy

FinovateFall 2021 Sneak Peek: Cinchy

A look at the companies demoing at FinovateFall on September 13-15, 2021. Register today and save your spot.

Cinchy dataware platform’s unique approach of decoupling data from applications removes data silos and the need for integration.

Features

  • Delivers change 5x faster
  • Reduces IT overhead by 50%
  • Includes flexible data models that can evolve with business needs

Why it’s great
Dataware is a new concept whose benefits are already being leveraged by leading financial services organizations and the top global banks by moving from an app-centric to a data-centric approach.

Presenter

Dan DeMers, CEO & Founder
DeMers is CEO & Founder of Cinchy, the dataware platform that makes integration obsolete. For over a decade, DeMers has built large IT systems for FIs worldwide.
LinkedIn

True North: A Celebration of Canadian Fintech

True North: A Celebration of Canadian Fintech

Canada Day is this week, July 1st. The holiday – colloquially considered by some to be Canada’s “birthday” – celebrates the decision of three provinces in 1867 – modern-day Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec – to unify and form the country we now know and love as Canada.

Last year, we launched our inaugural recognition of fintech companies – Finovate alums all – who were founded in or operate out of Canada. From Calgary, Edmonton, and Montreal to Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver, Canadian fintechs have gained a reputation for cutting-edge innovation in everything from helping small businesses secure critical financing during the COVID pandemic to advancing new use cases for the latest cryptocraze: non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Today, we honor Canada Day with a salute to those Canadian fintechs that have joined the Finovate family since our last reporting from the Great White North.

Boss Insights (Toronto, Ontario) – demo – Business-data-as-a-service innovator bridging the data gap between banks and their business customers.

Coconut Software (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) – demo – Customer engagement platform for financial institutions to enhance the digital and physical engagement of both staff and customers.

Dbilia (Vancouver, British Colombia) – demo – A digital memorabilia marketplace that leverages Blockchain technology and NFTs to empower creatives and enable fans to purchase their work. Best of Show winner.

FormHero (Toronto, Ontario) – demo – A low-code SaaS platform that helps enterprises build intuitive, digital front-end experiences to help them manage and orchestrate complex data collection.

JUDI.ai (Vancouver, British Colombia) – demo – An AI-driven analytics platform to enhance small business lenders’ loan origination processes with instant cash flow analysis, automated underwriting, as well as continuous monthly monitoring and real-time reporting.

We also saw the return of Flybits this spring. The Toronto-based company demonstrated its MyCard solution that consolidates all of a bank’s products and services on the bank’s existing mobile app and provides dynamic recommendations tailored to the customer’s needs.

Looking to FinovateFall in September, what can we expect from fintech’s Canadian contingent? This week we introduced the first wave of demoing companies for our annual fall fintech event and were happy to see that Finovate veteran Cinchy, from Toronto, Ontario, will be back. With FinovateFall marking the return of live demos after more than a year in a digital-only format, we can’t wait to see what other innovative Canadian fintechs will join in the fun.


Photo by Andre Furtado from Pexels

New York’s Finest: Catching Up with FinovateFall’s Best of Show

New York’s Finest: Catching Up with FinovateFall’s Best of Show

What have the companies that won Best of Show awards at last year’s FinovateFall conference been up to in the months since our New York show? With our autumn event less than a month away, we thought it would be a great time to check in on the nine companies that took home top honors this time last year.


BlytzPayIntegrated its digital payments technology with Dealer Management Systems (DMS) leader ABCoA Deal Pack. Announced strategic partnership with AFS Dealers.

CinchyJoined the 2020 MassChallenge FinTech Program in December 2019 along with five fellow Finovate alums. The program noted that 70% of the participants in its previous cohort launched a pilot or proof of concept within a year. Earned a $500,000 cash prize as one of the winners of the 2019 VentureClash competition. Raised $10 million in funding in May.

College Aid ProPartnered with Horsesmouth, a company that provides educational and marketing solutions for financial advisors and their clients. Announced collaboration with the American Institute of Certified College Financial Consultants. Teamed up with online student loan refinancing marketplace Credible.

ebankITForged North American partnership with fellow Finovate alum Enterprise Engineering this spring. Announced updates to its multichannel banking platform.

GliaWon Best of Show at FinovateEurope for a second year in a row. Integrated its technology with fellow Finovate alum Alkami’s Online Banking Platform. Inked partnerships with 20 credit unions across the U.S.

MXTopped 50,000 direct-to-bank API agreements to major financial institutions and fintechs. Launched data connectivity API, Path by MX. Named one of Inc. Magazine’s Best Workplaces 2020.

owl.coNamed one of Canada’s Most Innovative Tech Companies by the Canadian Innovation Exchange. Delivered $1 million in revenue within six months of launching.

Pinkaloo TechnologiesRaised $1.25 million in funding. Joined Goldman Sachs-owned Ayco Marketplace for financial counseling and wellness services. Partnered with Eastern Bank to power its Give for Good charitable giving program.

Zogo FinanceTeamed up with fellow Finovate alum Bankjoy. Announced partnerships with 11 community banks and credit unions across 12 states. Surpassed 1,000,000 financial literacy modules completed.


FinovateFall Digital 2020 kicks off Monday, September 14 and continues through Friday, September 18 with hours of live and on-demand content. Visit our registration page today and join us for Finovate’s biggest, digital-first event to date.


Photo by Yuting Gao from Pexels

MassChallenge’s 2020 Fintech Accelerator Class Features Finovate Alums

MassChallenge’s 2020 Fintech Accelerator Class Features Finovate Alums

Six Finovate alums innovating in fields ranging from life event planning to small business lending are among the 34 startups that will participate in the upcoming 2020 MassChallenge FinTech program. In addition to mentorship from and collaboration with leading enterprise partners, startups will get access to free office space and the opportunity to compete for equity-free cash prizes as part of their six-month engagement.

Calling this year’s cohort part of the “exciting future of fintech,” MassChallenge Fintech Managing Director Devon Sherman said the incoming class “represents a revolutionary approach to financial services” and added that his team was “blown away by the vision of these entrepreneurs.”

Making the cut among Finovate alums are:

See the full roster of incoming startups to the 2020 cohort.

“Thanks for including Hydrogen in MassChallenge 2020,” the company wrote on Twitter. “It is a great honor. We look forward to working with all of the enterprise partners and startups in the program.”

“LendingFront is proud to be participating in the 2020 MassChallenge Fintech program,” the company tweeted. “We will be working with the City of Boston and several New England financial institutions to use our technology to improve how small businesses get access to capital.”

And from InterGen Data, one of our newest alums, company CEO Robert Kirk expressed his enthusiasm for the opportunity as well. “I believe that by working with our enterprise partner, we will be able to redefine the client experience, improve the lives of their clients, and deliver on the promise of how artificial intelligence and machine learning can vastly improve their financial journey,” Kirk said.

The MassChallenge accelerator program is supported by a public-private partnership including founding partners Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Putnam Investments, Fidelity Investments, Citizens Bank, John Hancock, and the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership (MACP), as well as numerous challenge partners.

The program runs from January to June, and focuses on one-on-one “outcome-driven” partnerships between program participants and program partners. Together, the startup and the partnering company work to develop solutions for specific challenges while helping the startup coming scale its business.

Now in its second year, MassChallenge’s fintech program produced a 2019 cohort in which 70% of participants launched a pilot or proof of concept within a year. “Our inaugural year achieved promising results in driving international partnerships between fintech startups and our enterprise partners,” Sherman said. He added that he was excited “to build on that success in 2020.”

Founded in 2010, and offering an accelerator in healthtech as well, MassChallenge has worked with more than 2,000 startups, who have raised collectively more than $5 billion in funding and generated more than $2.7 billion in revenue. MassChallenge is U.S.-based, with offices in Boston, Rhode Island, and Texas, as well as Israel and Mexico.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Splitit Secures Partnerships with Shopify, Divido.
  • Thought Machine Helps Standard Chartered Launch Digital Bank in Hong Kong.
  • OurCrowd Teams Up with Toyota in Search for Tech Talent.
  • Saving for What Matters: A Q&A with INSPIRAVE Founder and CEO Om Kundu.

Around the web

  • FinovateFall Best of Show winner Cinchy earns $500,000 cash prize as one of the winners of the 2019 VentureClash competition.
  • Signicat unveils new capabilities, including a new technical interface and new third party integrations, that extend the reach of its digital identity verification technology.
  • Arkose Labs VP of Marketing and Strategy Vanita Pandey and Senior Producer Hedda Peters win Women in Cybersecurity honors at the Cyber Defense Global Awards sponsored by Cyber Defense Magazine.
  • nCino partners with Seacoast Bank ($8.6 billion in assets).
  • iProov earns a finalist spot in the 2019 Go:Tech Awards.
  • Compliance and risk management firm Middesk brings its business verification tool to the Dwolla Partner Ecosystem.
  • Kinetica opens office in Melbourne, Australia.
  • Ping Identity adds to its North European operations with a new office in Utrecht, Netherlands.

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.

FinovateFall Demo Videos Are Live

FinovateFall Demo Videos Are Live

Maybe you missed your chance to attend FinovateFall earlier this month. Or maybe you want to watch your favorite demos over again. Either way, today’s your day. We’ve just released all of the videos from the 75 companies that demoed their fintech on stage.

All of the 7-minute demos are available to stream and download for free at Finovate.com. And if you don’t know where to begin, we’ll get you started with the nine demos that won Best of Show at the event.

BlytzPay

Cinchy

College Aid Pro

ebankIT

Glia

MX

owl.co

Pinkaloo Technologies

Zogo Finance

FinovateFall Best of Show Winners Announced

FinovateFall Best of Show Winners Announced

The votes have been cast and the ballots counted. And after two days of live fintech demos from 75 innovative companies, here are the best of the best: the companies our attendees have deemed FinovateFall’s Best of Show.

BlytzPay for its text-to-pay solution that makes billing and communication simple, streamlined, and secure while providing flexibility to pay by card, check, or cash. Demo video.

Cinchy for its Data Collaboration Platform that lets data work the way it should: connected, controlled, and accessible for real-time collaboration. Demo video.

College Aid Pro for its innovative technology, supported by a community of financial advisors, that changes the way America shops for college. Demo video.

ebankIT for its omnichannel digital banking platform that helps banks and credit unions transform their businesses. Demo video.

Glia for its technology that creates digital-first moments that simplify and transform communications between businesses and their customers. Demo video.

MX Technologies for its platform that helps financial institutions and fintechs quickly and easily collect, enhance, analyze, present, and act on their financial data. Demo video.

owl.co for its instant KYC/AML tool that automates enhanced due diligence on both individuals and companies. Demo video.

Pinkaloo Technologies for its solution that helps financial institutions attract and retain customers and increase deposits and fees by powering their customers’ charitable giving. Demo video.

Zogo Finance for its technology that leverages partnerships with financial institutions to reward kids for learning financial literacy. Demo video.

Those in attendance at this year’s FinovateFall can attest to the energy and enthusiasm that characterized our conference this week. Congratulations to all 75 of the companies that demonstrated their fintech innovations on stage and a heartfelt thanks to our partners, sponsors, and onsite tech team for making this year’s autumn event a smashing success.

Notes on methodology:
1. Only audience members NOT associated with demoing companies were eligible to vote. Finovate employees did not vote.
2. Attendees were encouraged to note their favorites during each day. At the end of the last demo, they chose their three favorites.
3. The exact written instructions given to attendees: “Please rate (the companies) on the basis of demo quality and potential impact of the innovation demoed.”
4. The nine companies appearing on the highest percentage of submitted ballots were named “Best of Show.”
5. Go here for a list of previous Best of Show winners through 2014. Best of Show winners from our 2015 through 2019 conferences are below:
FinovateEurope 2015
FinovateSpring 2015
FinovateFall 2015
FinovateEurope 2016
FinovateSpring 2016
FinovateFall 2016
FinovateAsia 2016
FinovateEurope 2017
FinovateSpring 2017
FinovateFall 2017
FinovateAsia 2017
FinovateMiddleEast 2018
FinovateEurope 2018
FinovateSpring 2018
FinovateFall 2018
FinovateAsia 2018
FinovateAfrica 2018
FinovateEurope 2019

FinovateSpring 2019

Finovate Alumni News

Around the web

  • Cinchy earns finalist spot in 2019 Global Venture Challenge sponsored by Connecticut Innovations. See them demo their technology at FinovateFall 2019 this week!
  • Digital marketing firm DeepTarget and Access Softek extend partnership.
  • Warsaw, Poland’s The First News profiles Neontri (formerly Braintri).
  • ClickSWITCH appoints Eric Edwards as new Chief Revenue Officer.
  • BusinessCloud features Exate Technology and Wealthify in its look at 10 U.K. Female-Led Fintech Firms to Watch.

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.

FinovateFall Sneak Peek: Cinchy

FinovateFall Sneak Peek: Cinchy

A look at the companies demoing live at FinovateMiddleEast on November 20 and 21, 2019 in Dubai. Register today and save your spot.

Cinchy is the first data collaboration platform built for the enterprise. The company allows people, SaaS tools, legacy systems, and artificial intelligence to collaborate on data in real-time.

Features

  • Cuts tech project delivery times in half
  • Eliminates data fragmentation and data integrations
  • Embeds unprecedented levels of data privacy

Why it’s great
Cinchy’s unique network-based architecture for enterprise data is a radical new alternative to the 40-year-old paradigm of buying, building, and integrating separate applications for every use case.

Presenter

Dan DeMers, CEO and Co-founder
DeMers spent over a decade as an IT executive with leading global financial institutions. In 2019, he was selected to join the Canadian Council of Innovators.
LinkedIn

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Mambu and nCino Co-Create Banking Solution for B-North.
  • Kabbage Acquires Radius, Adding Insights of Millions of SMEs to its Platform.

Around the web

  • Paysend reaches one million customer mark for its card-to-card money transfer service, Global Transfers.
  • Tinkoff goes live with Pulse, a free social network for investors.

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.