Credit Karma

Alumni News– December 5, 2014

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Access Development, Allied Payment Network, BankBazaar, Bazaarvoice, Credit Karma, Dwolla, FIS, ID.me, PrivatBank, SAS Games, Segmint, ThreatMetrix
  • 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.jpgGreater Fort Wayne Business Weekly takes a look at Allied Payment Network and PicturePay.
  • Capital Resorts announces collaboration with Access Development.
  • Bank of Georgia buys Georgian arm of Ukranian-based PrivatBank for $51 million USD.
  • Live Mint features BankBazaar in a column on financial product aggregators.
  • Huffington Post interviews Lisa Pearson, CMO of Bazaarvoice.
  • Dwolla releases new apps for Android, iOS, and Windows.
  • Finovate Debuts: SAS Games Helps Kids Save for College by Playing Games.
  • ThreatMetrix Protected 10 of the Top 20 Online Retailers Against Fraud During Cyber Week.
  • Segmint partners with fan and consumer engagement software company, Phizzle, to deliver 1-to-1 engagements.
  • Credit Karma transitions to the VantageScore 3.0 Score provided by TransUnion.
  • Muthoot Finance picks FIS for ATM managed services, video surveillance, and network connectivity and switching.
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.

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Credit Karma Announces Equity Investment of $75 Million; $1 Billion Valuation

Credit Karma Announces Equity Investment of $75 Million; $1 Billion Valuation
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Credit Karma

Thumbnail image for CreditKarmaLogo.jpg

Few things say “growth round” like a capital infusion of $75 million.

The latest investment in Credit Karma (FinovateStartup 2009) comes courtesy of a trio of current investors: Google Capital, Susquehanna Growth Equity, and Tiger Global Management. 2014 has been a good year for raising capital for Credit Karma, having raised $85 million in the spring.

The company’s total capital raised now stands at more than $193 million.
CreditKarmaHome
Founder and CEO Ken Linn pointed two two factors that investors continue to find appealing about the company. One is the conviction that Credit Karma is category leader in consumer credit and finance. Two is continued strong demand for Credit Karma’s solutions.
To this last point, Credit Karma says it has experienced a 50% increase in users since February, with more than 30 million consumers now taking advantage of the technology.
“Today’s complex marketplace requires a pro-consumer resource that makes financial comprehension easy, transparent, and empowering,” Lin said. “Credit Karma delivers that.”
The company plans to use the new capital to fuel growth initiatives and continue product innovation.
In other good news for Credit Karma, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company is now worth more than $1 billion. The Journal quoted Lin referring to Credit Karma as the “Expedia for financial services products.”
Credit Karma was founded in 2008, and is based in San Francisco. The company made headlines this summer when it announced that it would provide free, weekly credit reports.

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Alumni News– October 7, 2014

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: BehavioSec, Blockchain, Boku, Credit Karma, Expensify, FutureAdvisor, InComm, Matchi, Spreedly, TIBCO Software, Tradeshift, WallStreetSurvivor, Wonga
  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgMatchi opens global fintech challenge 
  • New Frontier Group to integrate BehavioSec’s behavioral authentication solution in online banking.
  • Boku acquires competitor Mopay, now covers 5 billion users.
  • BBC: Wonga to write off £220m of debts for 330,000 customers.
  • Financial Planning features FutureAdvisor.
  • Tradeshift announces new operations in Japan and Europe, new executive appointments.
  • Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) partners with InComm to leverage its POS integrations.
  • WallStreetSurvivor.com launches Financial Education Courses.
  • Vista Equity Partners to take Tibco Software private for about $4.3 billion.
  • Expensify announces $3.5 million round led by Barracuda Networks.
  • Blockchain raises $30 million in growth capital.
  • Credit Karma announces equity investment of $75 million; $1 billion valuation.
  • Spreedly announces new investment; raises $750,000 in equity financing.
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.

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Alumni News– August 4, 2014

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Allied Payment Network, Credit Karma, EZBOB, Intuit, MaxMyInterest, Oink, True Office
  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgOink adds payment solutions provider Merchant e-Solutions to its Channel Partner program.
  • American Banker takes a look at Credit Karma’s plan to provide free, weekly credit reports to its 25+ million members.
  • Allied Payment Network announces 99.2% read success rate when processing payments via PicturePay.
  • Intuit to acquire tax filing software startup, KDK Software.
  • MorningStar’s Christine Benz interviews MaxMyInterest founder, Gary Zimmerman. See MaxMyInterest at FinovateFall 2014 in New York.
  • EZBOB reports boost in client volume.
  • Wall Street & Technology talks gamification and compliance training with True Office.
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.

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Alumni News– July 30, 2014

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: ACI Worldwide, Blackhawk Network, Boku, Coinbase, Credit Karma, Financial Guard, FIS, i-exceed, Insuritas, Simple, The Currency Cloud, ThreatMetrix, Vermilian
  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgThreatMetrix granted patent for its ability to differentiate between trusted customers and cybercriminals 
  • Australia-based Vermilian acquired by banking technology firm Ultradata.
  • Boku brings its direct carrier billing-based mobile payments technology to India.
  • Mangopay teams up with Currency Cloud to provide international money transfer services to its customers.
  • Shivalik Mercantile Cooperative Bank to deploy “bank in a box” from FIS.
  • Blackhawk Network teams with Amazon to enable customers to manage and spend their gift cards in the new Amazon Wallet app.
  • Financial Guard to provide clients with both passive and active investing options.
  • Insuritas wins 2014 NAFCU Services Corporation (NSC) Innovation Award that highlights groundbreaking solutions for credit unions.
  • TechCrunch: Credit Karma offering free, weekly credit reports – no strings attached.
  • Franklin University chooses ACI Worldwide for online payment processing.
  • Wikipedia Foundation partners with Coinbase to allow bitcoin donations.
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.

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Finovate Alums Raise $600 Million in First Quarter of 2014

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Azimo, BankBazaar, Birdback, CAN Capital, Credit Karma, Doxo, Kantox, Kapitall, Kensho, Klarna, On Deck Capital, PayNearMe, Payoneer, peerTransfer, Realty Mogul, Red Zebra, SmartAsset, SocietyOne, Spreedly, ThreatMetrix, Tradeshift, ZenPayroll, Zopa

FinovateFundingIMG.jpg

Want some context on the torrid pace of fintech financing in the first three months of 2014?

Consider this: a year ago, fourteen Finovate alums raised a total of more than $150 million in the first quarter of 2013.

A year later, we have just nine alums raising more than twice as much in the month of March alone.

March Madness, indeed.
Q1 of 2014 saw 23 Finovate alums walk away with just under $600 million in capital. The biggest haul of the quarter came courtesy of Klarna, which raised more than $125 million. 
But there were plenty of similarly impressive fundraisings, including the $85 million raised by Credit Karma, and the $77 million and $75 million secured by OnDeck and Tradeshift, respectively.
Total raised = More than $592 million
January — $91 million raised by seven companies
February — $139 million raised by seven companies
March — $362 million raised by nine companies
Note: Funding prior to becoming a Finovate alum not included. Questions? Comments? Email us at David@finovate.com or Julie@finovate.com

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Finovate Alumni News — March 25, 2014

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Backbase, Bazaarvoice, Betterment, Credit Karma, Entrepreneurial Finance Lab, Kapitall, Lending Club, On Deck Capital, Place2Give, SmartAsset, Top Image Systems, Wealthfront
  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgEleven Finovate alums win awards at PYMNTS Innovation Project 2014.
  • Bazaarvoice announces partnership with Spredfast.
  • TechCrunch: Wealthfront, OnDeck, Lending Club, Credit Karma, Betterment, and Kapitall “come of age.”
  • CMS Wire reviews Backbase’s customer experience platform.
  • Top Image Systems’ eFLOW to process the digital census of a country in EMEA in a deal worth more than $1 million.
  • Place2Give releases GIVE-API to provide access to its database of charities as well as its payment processing tech.
  • SmartAsset raises $5.2 million in series A funding. Come see their live demo at FinovateSpring next month in San Jose.
  • Netherlands Queen Maxima visits Entrepreneurial Finance Lab (EFL) to see its psychometric credit scoring methodology in action.
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.

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Eleven Finovate Alums Win Awards at PYMNTS Innovation Project 2014

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Bill.com, Credit Karma, Klarna, Lending Club, Mitek, PayNearMe, PayPal, PaySimple, Prosper, Ripple, Venmo

Innovation_Project_2014_pymnts_logo.jpg

The votes are in. The judges have decided. And 11 Finovate alums have earned awards at the 2014 PYMNTS.com Innovation Project, including three gold medals.

Finovate alums won awards in a diverse range of categories, from “B2B Innovation” to “Best Comeback Story.” Areas where alums dominated included “Best Credit Innovation,” where Credit Karma, Lending Club, and Klarna swept the field, as well as “Best Innovation via ACH” and “Best Check Innovation.”

Thumbnail image for Innovator_awards_pymnts_2014.jpg

The Innovation Project is “powered by PYMNTS.com,” a joint venture between BusinessWire and Market Platform Dynamics. The event is in its second year, and was again held at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
A total of 49 awards were presented. Gold, silver, and bronze in fifteen categories, plus singular Catalyst, Women Driving Innovation in Payments, Lifetime Achievement, and Best in Show awards. 

Also announced were three inductees to the Payments Hall of Fame.
See how the rest of the Finovate family fared below.




Catalyst Award 
  • International e-commerce payments and money transfers
  • Finovate demo video: Europe 2012
Gold
  • Best B2B Innovation
  • Cash flow management solution for business integrating electronic payments, accounting, digital documents, and more
  • Finovate demo video: Spring 2012
  • Best Credit Innovation
  • Aggregates consumer financial data from bank accounts and credit scores to mortgage loans in one location
  • Finovate demo video: Startup 2009
  • Best Check Innovation
  • Enables check payments without having to write paper checks
  • Finovate demo video: Spring 2012
Silver
  • Best Credit Innovation
  • Online, peer-to-peer lender
  • Finovate demo video: Startup 2009
  • Best Cash Innovation
  • Cash transaction network 
  • Finovate demo video: Spring 2013
  • Best New Technology
  • Open-source, distributed payment protocol
  • Finovate demo video: Spring 2013
  • Best Innovation via ACH
  • Best Check Innovation
  • Send money to a Venmo account, bank account or supported debit card for free
  • Finovate demo video (with Braintree): Spring 2013
Bronze
  • Most Innovative Company
  • E-commerce solution mitigates credit and fraud risk for online merchants 
  • Finovate demo video: Spring 2012
  • Most Disruptive Innovation
  • Best Comeback Story
  • Peer-to-peer lending
  • Finovate demo video: Finovate 2007
  • Best Credit Innovation
  • Best Innovation via ACH
  • Solution leverages mobile device camera to enable check deposit, account opening, and bill pay.
  • Finovate demo video: Fall 2013

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Finovate Alumni News– March 24, 2014

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: BBVA, BellaDati, BillGuard, Credit Karma, Credit Sesame, CurrencyTransfer, Currensee, Kensho, Ping Identity, Quantopian, TransferWise
  • TransferWise recognized as “boldest small company” in winning FT’s Boldest in Business award for 2014.
  • BBVA follows Simple acquisition with launch of new digital banking unit.
  • Currency Transfer featured in Wired UK as Startup of the Week.
  • BillGuard invites beta testers to try its new Android app.
  • Mail Tribune highlights the importance of Credit Karma and Credit Sesame.
  • Ping Identity purchases Accells Technologies to make mobile devices into a tool for logging you in to all of your cloud-based services in one shot.
  • BellaDati launches the next level of visual data discovery with new release.
  • Matt Turck examines opportunities for Kensho and Quantopian in a Bloomberg-dominated world.
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.

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Finovate Alumni News– March 20, 2014

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Credit Karma, Credit Sesame, Feedzai, Fenergo, MasterCard, Matchi, mBank, Narrative Science, SecondMarket, Striata, Thomson Reuters
  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgMore than 25 banks have signed up for Matchi since its launch in November last year. 
  • American Banker looks at how Credit Karma and Credit Sesame provide more than just a credit score.
  • Thomson Reuters launches Know-Your-Customer service.
  • SecondMarket seeks to open Bitcoin fund to ordinary investors.
  • Pymnts features Feedzai’s CEO Nuno Sebastiao.
  • Striata unveils new logo, new website.
  • Fenergo appoints Oliver White to UK Head of Sales.
  • mBank and Orange partner to launch full-service, retail mobile bank in second half of 2014.
  • Narrative Science launches free app to turn data into readable documents.
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.

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Credit Karma Brings in $85 Million in Financing Led by Google Capital

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Credit Karma, Funding

CreditKarmaLogo.jpg

What do Lending Club, Survey Monkey, and Credit Karma have in common? Answer: they’ve all received financing from Google Capital.

GoogleCapital.jpg

That’s exactly who led Credit Karma’s most recent $85 million financing round. Other investors include:

    • Tiger Capital 
    • Susquehanna Growth Equity
    • Ribbit Capital

TechCrunch reports that, of the $85 million in total funding, $60 million is going directly to Credit Karma, while the remaining $25 million is going to provide liquidity to shareholders and employees.

CreditKarmaHomepage.jpg

This round brings Credit Karma’s total funding to $118.5 million for its B2C-play credit score reporting and management platform. In the future, it seeks to be the Kayak for financial services and is looking to partner with banks to be a recommendation engine to help consumers better manage their debt.

Credit Karma last demonstrated at FinovateStartup 2009, where it debuted its Debt Manager.

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Finovate Alumni Raise $825 Million in 2013, Up 79%

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Affinity Solutions, Apprenda, Azimo, Bill.com, BillFloat, Cardlytics, Check, Clover Network, CoverHound, Credit Karma, CurrencyFair, DeviceFidelity, Doxo, Dwolla, ERN, Fenergo, FinanceIt, Flint Mobile, FTRANS, Funding, Heckyl Technologies, Jemstep, Kofax, Kony Solutions, LearnVest, Lendio, LendUp, Meniga, Moven, Narrative Science, Numbrs, On Deck Capital, OpenCoin, P2BInvestor, Payfone, PayNearMe, peerTransfer, Personal Capital, Ping Identity, Prestadero, Prosper, Q2ebanking, Receivables Exchange, SafetyPay, SeedInvest, Socure, SoMoLend, Spreedly, SumUp, Swipely, Taulia, TradeHero, Tradeshift, TransferWise, True Office, Trustev, Tuition.io, Wealthfront, Wipit, Xero, Zooz

FinovateFundingIMG.jpg

Cheers to a new year! After ringing in 2014, we wanted take a look back at the capital raised by Finovate alumni in 2013. It was quite a year, with alums pulling in $825 million, $365 million more than in 2012 for an increase of about 80%.
2013 funding summary:
    • 62 companies raised $825 million
    • Q4 had the most capital, with a total of $294 million raised by 17 companies (more than half by Xero, which landed $150 million). 
    • October was the busiest month, with $177 million raised (mostly Xero’s $150 million)
    • May was second highest with $91 million raised by 7 companies
2012 comparison
Last year Finovate alums took in almost twice as much as 2012, when 44 Finovate alums collectively raised $460 million. The chart below shows the quarter-by-quarter comparison for both years.
2013YearEndTable.jpg
Quarter 1 — blog post
More than $155 million raised by 14 companies
January — $57 million raised by 6 companies
February — $56 million raised by 5 companies

March — $42 million raised by 4 companies


Quarter 2 — blog post
More than $205 million raised by 15 companies
June — $81.7 million raised by 6 companies
May — $91.5 million raised by 7 companies
April — $32 million raised by 2 companies

Quarter 3 — blog post
More than $171 million raised by 22 companies

July — More than $63 million raised by 8 companies
August — More than $26 million raised by 6 companies
September — $82 million raised by 9 companies
Quarter 4
More than $294 million raised by 17 companies

October— $177 raised by 6 companies
November — More than $87 million raised by 7 companies
December — More than $30 million raised by 6 companies

Note: Funding that companies received before they first appeared at Finovate was not counted. Questions? Comments? Email us at julie@finovate.com or david@finovate.com.

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