H2 Ventures and KPMG Unveil 2016 Fintech 100

H2 Ventures and KPMG Unveil 2016 Fintech 100

h2_kpmg_2016fintech100

H2 Ventures and KPMG have released their Fintech 100 roster for 2016. Divided equally between 50 “industry leaders” and 50 “emerging stars,” the roster features 17 Finovate/FinDEVr alums in the first category, and 10 in the second. Calling its roster a “celebration” of the most compelling innovators in this “bold new space,” the H2 Ventures/KPMG 2016 Fintech 100 covers a variety of different shades of fintech:

  • Lending (32 companies)
  • Payments (18 companies)
  • Insurance (12 companies)
  • RegTech (9 companies)
  • Data & analytics (7 companies)
  • Wealth management (6 companies)
  • Blockchain (5 companies)
  • Digital currency (5 companies)
  • Capital markets (3 companies)
  • Crowdfunding (2 companies)
  • Accounting (1 company)

And here is a look at how Finovate/FinDEVr alums fared. Earning recognition among the companies in the Leading 50 group are:

Also noteworthy in the Leading 50 are Ant Financial, which acquired Best of Show-winning EyeVerify in September 2016, and Avant, which acquired Finovate alum ReadyForZero in the spring of 2015.

Additionally, Finovate/FinDEVr alums earning spots in the Fintech 100’s 50 Emerging Stars roster were:

The H2 Ventures/KPMG report includes a geographic breakdown of the 2016 Fintech 100, as well as a set of key takeaways such as increased geographic diversification, the return of lending, the continued ascent of Insurtech, and the appearance of RegTech. The report also notes that China now has four out of the top five companies in the report’s top 10, and eight companies in the top 50. The report says funding for fintech “continues to rise,” and its authors cite more than $14 billion in capital was raised by the Fintech 100 in the past year.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Finicity Unveils New ACH Account Verification API

Around the web

  • OutsideIQ and Pegasystems team up to help FIs meet KYC requirements.
  • Misys launches Platform-as-a-Service strategy by opening its FusionFabric platform to third parties.
  • Credit Karma reaches 60 million users; to begin offering mortgages.
  • ACI Worldwide to offer cloud-based payment-connectivity to SWIFT.

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.

San Francisco Times Recognizes Credit Karma as Best Fintech Company

CreditKarma_homepage_Feb2016

The San Francisco Business Times last week announced winners of its Tech and Innovation Awards honoring the Bay Area’s most innovative and enterprising technology companies. Finovate alum Credit Karma was named Best Financial Technology Company, one of 25 winners.

Credit Karma was selected from an applicant pool of more than 300 companies in 11 categories who were judged based on their growth, differentiation from competitors, and how well they are revolutionizing their space.

Shortly after the awards announcement the SF Business Times published a piece about Credit Karma’s success. The article boasts that the San Francisco-based company is the third highest-valued venture-backed U.S. financial company, and has achieved this status with a business model that gives away a service for free.

In the piece, the SF Business Times notes a few key stats:

  • $3.5 billion valuation
  • Counts 50 million users in the U.S. (that’s 1 in 4 American adults)
  • $368.5 million in funding
  • 400 employees (up from 27 five years ago)
  • Founded in 2009

Credit Karma debuted its Debt Manager at FinovateSpring 2009, and has since come a long way. In addition to providing free credit scores that pull data from Equifax and TransUnion, the company helps consumers manage their financial health. The site hosts tools, such as a credit-score simulator, a debt-repayment calculator, and home affordability information, that empower users to make good decisions about their finances.

Credit Karma makes money by partnering with lenders and credit card companies to pitch tailored product suggestions based on a consumer’s financial health. Partner sites include Payoff and Upstart for loans and Chase and Barclayard for credit card offers.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • “San Francisco Times Recognizes Credit Karma as Best Fintech Company”

Around the web

  • Markit partners with BitSight Technologies to enhance its Know Your Third Party (KY3P) platform.
  • Coinbase launches Buy widget to create a better Bitcoin buying experience.
  • Wipro open sources its big data solution, Big Data Ready Enterprise (BDRE).
  • itBit publishes its Bitcoin OTC Market Recap for March.
  • American Banker looks at the relationship between EyeVerify and Wells Fargo.
  • Money Q&A reviews Wall Street Survivor.
  • AltFi investigates how the loan-validation expertise of Global Debt Registry might help the P2p lending market.
  • Q2 subscribes to FI Navigator’s cloud-based mobile banking module.
  • Top Image Systems delivers $100,000 eFLOW project to subsidiary of a national postal service group in Asia-Pacific.
  • Barron’s features Student Loan Genius and PayActiv as employee benefits aimed at millennials.
  • Xero featured as one of first New & Notable Apps on Google Apps Marketplace.
  • SF Business Times features CEO Talbott Roche of Blackhawk.

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

On Finovate.com

  • “TIO Networks Rebrands Consumer-Facing Billpay Site Chargesmart.com to TIO.com”
  • Check out today’s FinDEVr APIntelligence.
  • “Hip Money Launches Kickstarter Campaign”
  • “Finovate Debuts: Scalable Capital Brings Advanced Risk Management to Robo-Advisory.

Around the web

  • PYMNTS breaks down its discussion with PayPal CEO Dan Schulman.
  • Dallas Area Rapid Transit partners with PayNearMe to reduce cash handling by transit operators.
  • CSI globalVCard partners with MacNair Travel Management to bring virtual card payment solution to travel managers and procurement professionals.
  • Bangkok Bank’s mobile P2P service is powered by Mobiliti Edge from Fiserv.
  • FIS earns top honors at 2016 PYMNTS Innovator Awards and 2016 Pay Awards.
  • Credit Karma to deploy Anodot’s automated analytics and anomaly-detection technology.
  • Capriza names Lance Walter as its new chief marketing officer.
  • Payments Journal features Jorgen Nordin, CIO of Fastacash.
  • The Maven’s SME column interviews Ben Geoghegan, Currency Fair co-founder.

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.

Marketplace Lending Power 20 List Honors 8 Alums

Marketplace Lending Power 20 List Honors 8 Alums

Power20This week, small business lender Mayava Capital honored the most influential people in small business lending in its Marketplace Lending Power 20 awards.

Representatives from eight Finovate alums were ranked among the group who are, as Mayava puts it, “redefining lending, resurrecting small businesses across the country, and consequently rebuilding the American economy, one loan at a time.” For more information about the awards, check out What Powers the Power 20.

The recipients in order of rank:

Lending Club CEO and Founder Renaud Laplanche
Rank: #1

Lending Club’s FinovateSpring 2009 demo

Prosper CEO Aaron Vermut
Rank: #5

Prosper’s FinovateSpring 2009 demo

OnDeck Capital CEO Noah Breslow
Rank: #8

OnDeck’s FinovateSpring 2012 demo

OnDeck’s FinDEVr New York 2016 presentation

Kabbage COO and Co-founder Kathryn Petralia
Rank: #9

  • Has grown to 80 employees since launching in 2009
  • Has gained 100,000+ customers
  • Has furnished almost $1 billion in loans

Kabbage’s FinovateSpring 2015 demo

Kabbage’s FinDEVr San Francisco 2015 presentation

Credit Karma CEO and Founder Kenneth Lin
Rank: #10

  • Ranked a top-free finance app in iTunes
  • Serves 50+ million users
  • Founded in 2007

Credit Karma’s FinovateSpring 2009 demo

LiftForward President and CEO Jeffrey Rogers
Rank: #17

  • Has secured credit facilities of up to $250 million
  • More than 70% of the company’s SMB borrowers return for a second loan

LiftForward’s FinovateFall 2015 demo

Patch of Land former CEO* and Co-founder Jason Fritton
Rank: #18

  • Formed the idea of the company in 2011 to help Chicago recover from the real estate crash
  • Since launching in 2013, has funded 217 loans totaling $97 million
  • Has returned $25 million to investors

Patch of Land’s FinovateFall 2014 demo

Lendio CEO and Founder Brock Blake
Rank: #20

  • Has helped more than 500,000 small business owners secure loans since launching in 2005
  • Holds a database of more than 3,500 active U.S. lenders
  • Recognized as one of Utah’s fastest growing companies in 2011

Lendio’s FinovateSpring 2011 demo


*Just this week Patch of Land appointed Paul Deitch, former managing director of Oaktree Capital Management, to take Fritton’s place as Patch of Land CEO.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • “Pamela Joseph Tapped as New President, COO at TSYS
  • “Wells Fargo to Deploy Biometric Authentication Technology from EyeVerify

Around the web

  • PYMNTS reports: Worldpay transactions up 14% post-IPO.
  • Mitek launches mobile deposit in the United Kingdom with other countries to follow.
  • Dwolla’s Jordan Lampe contributes TechCrunch article about the state of faster payments in the United States.
  • Fiserv adds new features to its Unified Wealth Platform.
  • Jack Henry’s ProfitStars division unveils its ECS RDC conversion technology.
  • Betterment to extend account aggregation to all its customers.
  • BBVA Compass introduces Sandra Lee as brand ambassador to its BrightFutures platform.
  • Zooz reports that Gett, an on-demand taxi service, now routes global transactions through its 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.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • “ThreatMetrix Launches Digital Identity Graph”

On FinDEVr.com

Around the web

  • Markit to deploy smart automation technology from WorkFusion.
  • Ethoca teams up with Pegasystems to help fight ecommerce fraud.
  • Michigan First Credit Union ($764 million in assets) picks Insuritas to open and run turnkey insurance solution.
  • Finance Magnates shines on Credit Karma and BillGuard in its Fintech Spotlight.
  • Check Point launches Check Point R80 to help consolidate the security environment.
  • Coinbase now lets users buy bitcoin instantly with a debit card.

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.

Credit Karma Launches New Mobile App Design

Credit Karma Launches New Mobile App Design

CreditKarma_homepage_Feb2016

Maybe it’s the change in seasons. Just days after Paypal announced it would redesign its iOS and Android mobile apps, Credit Karma reports a new design for its mobile app.

CreditKarma_newapp_1Calling the redesign a “major reimagining,” Jonathan Chao, mobile product manager for Credit Karma, noted that user behavior strongly influenced the new look and feel of the app. “It has some of our most direct, specific and proactive product features to date, and we’re excited that we can finally show it off to our members,” Chao said.

What do members get with the redesign? Credit score information – letting users know of any changes in their score and likely reasons for the change – will now be available directly from the home screen. Also from the home screen, members can run credit simulations (courtesy of Transunion) to see how factors like reducing their overall credit card debt can positively affect their credit score.

The new app also includes opt-in credit monitoring via push notification, and lets members compare and shop for new credit cards or loans from Credit Karma’s new credit card and loan marketplace.

Credit Karma’s new app is available on iOS and Android.

CreditKarma_newapp_2Credit Karma’s new app redesign isn’t the only news the company is making in 2016. In January, Credit Karma announced the acquisition of Snowball, a debt-repayment app. The company also reported in January that it had surpassed 50 million users managing $3 trillion in debt.

Founded in 2007 and based in San Francisco, Credit Karma demonstrated its Debt Manager solution at FinovateSpring 2009. The company has raised more than $368 million in funding, giving the company a valuation of $3.5 billion. In December, Credit Karma won a spot on Fast Company’s 2015 Silicon Valley’s “Nice” list, and in November, Credit Karma celebrated giving out its billionth free credit score.

 

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Credit Karma Unveils New Mobile App Design”
  • “United Capital Acquires FlexScore

Around the web

  • Striata launches Secure Document Repository solution in the U.S. marketplace.
  • Credit Karma launches redesigned iOS and Android apps.
  • Vantiv Integrated Payments announces the second phase of its Security Pays initiative.
  • KPMG recognizes ebankIT as one of its top 10 “Emerging Stars” in the global market.
  • CoinDesk looks at Dwolla and its new focus on the blockchain.

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 Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Mitek Partners with Harland Clarke to Improve RDC Security”
  • Pindrop Raises $75 Million for Phone-printing Authentication”

Around the web

  • Gate City Bank ($1.9 billion in assets) chooses DNA core account processing platform from Fiserv.
  • Powered by FIS, the Venture Center is now accepting applications for its VC Fintech accelerator.
  • Venmo adds in-app merchant payments.
  • Algomi wins Risk Magazine’s “Trading Technology Product of the Year for the Buy-Side” for a second year in a row.
  • Experian enhances Small Business Credit Share program.
  • Credit Karma surpasses milestone: serves 50 million users who use Credit Karma to manage $3 trillion in debt.
  • Check Point releases new hardware to address cyber security and protection.

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.

Credit Karma Thinks Mobile with Snowball Acquisition

Credit Karma Thinks Mobile with Snowball Acquisition

CreditKarma_homepage_Jan2016

“Snowball” isn’t just a strategy for repaying debt. It’s also the name of the first acquisition by personal finance and credit management platform, Credit Karma.

“We have tens of thousands of data points on a particular customer at any time,” Credit Karma CTO Ryan Graciano told TechCrunch last week. “But sorting through all that … is a very tricky thing to do, especially in a way where you’re not overwhelming the user with spurious notifications.”

And that’s where Snowball comes in. The app was developed in 2014 to aggregate multiple Android-based messaging apps. Credit Karma plans to use the technology to deliver actionable mobile notifications, and they like the fact that the platform is native to Android. “Android is a key platform for us,” Graciano said. “And these guys have a really amazing experience on Android.”

CreditKarma_stage_FS2009

From left: Credit Karma CEO Ken Lin, founder, and VP Nichole Mustard, business development, demonstrated Credit Karma’s Debt Manager platform at FinovateSpring 2009.

Five members of Snowball’s six-person team will join Credit Karma, including Snowball CEO Anish Acharya who will serve as senior director for product management. Snowball had raised $2.3 million in funding from investors including Felicis Ventures, First Round Capital and Greylock Partners.

Founded in July 2007 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Credit Karma specializes in providing credit management information, including free credit monitoring, credit scores, reports, and email alerts. The company has raised more than $368 million in financing, including its most recent $175 million Series D round in June 2015 . Credit Karma was named to Fast Company’s 2015 Silicon Valley “Nice” list, and was recognized by Glassdoor as one of the “Best Places to Work in 2016” in December, the same month the company joined 19 fellow Finovate alums on the first Forbes Fintech 50. In November 2015, Credit Karma celebrated giving away its billionth free credit score since launching in 2008.

Credit Karma demonstrated its Debt Manager platform at FinovateSpring 2009.