Dwolla Makes it Easy to Pay for School Lunches Online

Thumbnail image for DwollaLogo.jpg

Alternative payment system Dwolla announced on Friday it has partnered with a school district in Iowa to enable online payments for school lunches.

After signing up for Dwolla, parents and guardians withDwollaSchoolLunch2.jpgchildren attending Iowa schools in the Beaman, Conrad, Liscomb, Union, and Whitten (BCLUW) district can pay for lunches online on a weekly, bimonthly, or monthly basis.

There is no transaction cost for parents, and because Dwolla only charges 25 cents for payments over $10, it can save schools a significant amount of money on credit and debit card fees.

According to the blog post, Dwolla is seeking additional partnerships with school districts.

To learn more about Dwolla, watch its FinovateSpring 2012 demo.

2012 Funding for Finovate Alumni– More than $450 Million Raised

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgHere is a list of all the funding Finovate alumni received over the course of 2012.  

After an impressive 2011, where more than $423 million was raised, 2012 was even better, with more than $450 raised.
A few stand-out metrics for the year:
  • A total of 44 companies received funding, some more than once in 2012
  • Combined, more than $450 million was raised
  • The best quarter for raising capital was the first quarter when more than $150 was raised
  • The biggest funding month this year was March, with more than $68 million raised by three companies
Here is a month-by-month breakdown of funding received.
January — $25 million raised by 3 companies
Currensee: $2 million — blog post
Finsphere: $11.3 million — blog post
HelloWallet: $12 million — blog post
February — $57 million raised by 5 companies
Capital Access Network: $30 million — blog post
Dwolla: $5 million — blog post
Jemstep: $6 million — blog post
Kabbage: undisclosed — blog post
Xero: $16.6 million — blog post
March — $68 million raised by 3 companies
Boku: $35 million — blog post
eToro: $15 million — blog post
ThreatMetrix: $18 million — blog post
April — $2.5 million raised by 1 company
miiCard: $2.5 million — blog post
May — $55.5 million raised by 5 companies
Kony: $15 million – blog post
Pindrop Security: $1 million — blog post
SecureKey: $30 million — blog post
SoMoLend: $1.17 million — blog post
Yodlee: $8.3 million — blog post
June — More than $62 million raised by 8 companies
Affinity Solutions: $14.5 million — blog post
Arroweye Solutions: $3 million — blog post
Cartera Commerce: $12.2 million — blog post
Credit Sesame: $12 million — blog post
Doughmain: undisclosed — blog post
Lending Club: $15 million — blog post
Nutmeg: $5.3 million — blog post
Planwise: $200,000 — blog post
July — $6 million raised by 2 companies
Continuity Control: $1 million — press release
SaveUp: $5 million — blog post
August — More than $49 million raised by 6 companies*
DemystData: undisclosed — blog post
FutureAdvisor: $5 million — blog post
FreeMonee: $34 million — blog post
The Currency Cloud: $3.1 million — blog post
CashStar: $5 million — blog post
Continuity Control: $2.25 million — blog post
September — More than $59 million raised by 5 companies
Banno: $2 million — press release
Betterment: $10 million — press release
Edo Interactive: $15 million — press release
Fuze Network: $2.5 million — press release
Kabbage: $30 million — blog post
October — $37 million raised by 2 companies
The Currency Cloud: $1.9 million — blog post
Braintree: $35 million — blog post
November — More than $23 raised by 4 com
panies
ActivePath: $10 million — blog post
Jingit: $7 million — blog post
Bazaarvoice: $6.7 million — blog post
Xero: $49 million — blog post
December — More than $16 million raised by 4 companies
Waspit: $3 million — blog post
Controlabill: $570,000 (A$600,000) — blog post
Zopa: undisclosed — blog post
ShopKeep POS: $10 million – blog post
Clover Networks: $3.3 million – blog post
*In addition to the companies listed for August, On Deck Capital raised $100 million in credit facility commitments.
Note: Funding that companies received before they demonstrated at Finovate was not counted. Questions? Comments? E-mail us at Julie@Finovate.com or David@Finovate.com.

Finovate Alumni News– January 2, 2013

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgAmerican Banker features Banno CEO Wade Arnold, calling him a “coder in the cornfields.”
  • American Banker names PayPal and Wonga 2 of 8 non-banks to watch in 2013.
  • Mint.com encourages users to add goals by holding $500 sweepstakes.
  • Deccan Herlad examines Yodlee’s plan to move into India.
  • Forbes considers the best job titles of 2012: Min Xuan Lee, PlayMoolah’s Princess of Possibility named #1.
  • MoneyDesktop to power Cubus Solutions’ online banking services.
  • Geezeo to power Wings Financial PFM.
  • Billion Success blog interviews David Barrett, Expensify CEO.
  • OneDayGlobal blog profiles Entrepreneurial Finance Lab.
  • Silicon Prairie reports: Dwolla-powered Koala Pay aims to help merchants, customers connect.
  • Andera adds Gesa CU & Central Star CU for online account opening, loan applications.
  • Marketing Technology Blog highlights Flint Mobile and its camera-based payment processing system.
  • Ixaris completes move to new offices in San Gwann.
  • TSYS announces ProPay acquisition now complete.
  • Experian is offering a searchable consumer credit database.
  • Locaid Technologies wins FastPitch competition at Locations & Beyond Summit 2012.
  • Billhighway provides mobile donation services for Make A Difference animal rescue event.
  • Huffington Post features WattzOn among its best apps for tracking home energy use.
  • The Tennessean takes a look at the rebranding of Portfolio Football as Sports Lever.
  • LifeHacker quotes SmartCredit.com president of consumer education on credit and credit scores.
  • Betterment and PageOnce earn spots in TechCrunch’s feature: “7 Apps That Will Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions Alive”.
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– December 20, 2012

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpg

  • Cardlytics platform deployed by America FCU to provide targeted rewards to its members.
  • Vermilian’s bancapp technology to power EECU’s mobile banking and marketing smartphone app.
  • Dwolla promotes its platform by giving $10 in waived transaction fees for every friend you refer through the end of the year.
  • Xconomy looks at what SoMoLend discussed at the recent New York Enterprise Technology meetup.
  • Bank Innovation takes a look at what PayPal’s P2P for Financial Institutions means for the payments world.
  • AppShopper highlights a new app from Billhighway, Give, now available for the iPhone.
  • Netbanker looks at how Simple makes banking interesting.
  • Merger mechanics continue as Zecco accounts move to TradeKing.
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– December 18, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgDwolla launches the ability to send money over Twitter.
  • Planwise launches free online tool that’s like Google Maps for your money to visualize your future spending.
  • Intuit-owned Mint to collaborate with Monitise to enhance banks’ mobile apps with Mint functionality.
  • InComm buys majority stake in Adility. Financial terms have yet to be announced.
  • Equity Administration Solutions collaborates with SecondMarket so clients can more easily manage shareholder information.
  • PaySimple named Red Herring Global Top 100 winner.
  • Wonga launches PayLater, a service that offers users financing deals on online purchases with certain retailers.
  • BellaDati opens first international office in Seoul.
  • Experian announces IntelliView, a web-based query, analysis and reporting tool that gives 24-7 access to quarterly consumer credit data.
  • Diversinet’s mobiSecure SDK to power ultra-secure messaging in AirStrip Technology’s mHealth application.
  • Acculynk’s Payzur heads west as Washington credit union offers P2P service to members.
  • Long-term payments agreement announced between TSYS and Merrick Bank.
  • Bible Money Matters takes a closer look at the merger between Zecco and TradeKing.
  • BillFloat to provide handset financing options for MetroPCS customers.
  • Virtual Piggy signs agreement with CardinalCommerce to integrate its youth payment tech into their Centinel Universal Merchant Platform through Cardinal.
  • TechCrunch reports Concur to use Nor1’s eStandby Upgrade tech to make hotel offers available to their business travel customers via TripIt.
  • Simple shows off Android app teaser on Twitter and Facebook. The app to launch early next year.
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– December 13, 2012

  • Manilla update means one app is all you need to manage expenses from bills to subscriptions.
  • Just in time for the holidays TradeHero is now available at the Apple app store.
  • Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers to join Lending Club board of directors.
  • CorFire announces strategic integration with PayPal.
  • Speaking of PayPal, you can now fund your account with cash using PayPal’s new “PayPal My Cash Card.”
  • Credit Sesame launches free credit-monitoring service.
  • Wipro announces the launch of SmartOffers, in partnership with Intuition Intelligence.
  • On Deck Capital adds American Express veteran to head marketing efforts.
  • InComm launches the Paypal My Cash 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.

Dwolla Launches Guest Checkout and New POS Integrations

Thumbnail image for DwollaLogo.jpg

Iowa-based payment platform Dwolla made some key announcements today on its blog.

1.) Guest checkout
Users no longer need a Dwolla account to check out online with Dwolla. Instead, users authorize a one-time transfer from their bank account (via ACH).


DwollaGuestCheckout.jpg

Once customers opt to pay as a guest, they are routed to Dwolla’s external payment gateway where it takes 60 to 90 seconds to complete the process (assuming you have your checking account number handy) as follows:

a.) Enter name, Zip code, email address
b.) Enter phone number where a text or voice-authentication code is transmitted
c.) Enter the authentication code
d.) Enter bank account and routing numbers

To finalize the transaction, the consumer completes the normal checkout process back at the merchant.

2.) The “Dwolla Price”
Merchants can encourage consumers to use Dwolla by sharing the interchange savings. In the example below, a $100 unit is sold at the discounted price of $98.75 after the 3% interchange savings is split 50/50 with the customer and then the Dwolla flat 25 cents is added back in.

TheDwollaPrice3.jpg

3.) POS integrations

Dwolla announced POS integrations that have been in use for almost a month now*:

DwollaPOSIntegration.jpg
Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for ShopkeepPOSLogo.jpg

Change and ShopKeep POS can initiate payments with Dwolla instead of using the Dwolla app or mobile wallet partner.

To learn more about Dwolla, watch its FinovateSpring 2012 demo video.

______________________________________________________________

*ShopKeep POS announced its integration at FinovateFall 2012.

Finovate Alumni News– November 12, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgTechCrunch reports Concur launches $150 mil “Perfect Trip Fund” to invest in travel startups; invests $2 mil in Evature’s Virtual Travel Agent.
  • Investment News examines how Boulevard R is involving advisors in 401(k) discussions.
  • Techgoondu lists 3 fintech startups from FinovateAsia to watch.
  • The Digital Insurer reports Finovate Singapore – A very impressive conference for financial services technology.
  • GigaOm reports: More startups let employees sell shares on SecondMarket amid IPO uncertainty.
  • Tech in Asia says TradeHero is probably one of the best startup ideas in Singapore.
  • Forbes considers the perspective of Ben Milne, Dwolla CEO on the future of money. 
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– November 8, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgBill Dwight, CEO of FamZoo, interviewed by Unlock Your Wealth Radio.
  • TechCrunch reports BillGuard Teams Up With Lemon’s Mobile Wallet, Will Alert Users To Fraudulent Charges.
  • MyBankTracker reviews Betterment’s gift registry feature.
  • Tech in Asia describes why Striata caught its eye at FinovateAsia.
  • Personal Loan Finder looks at SocietyOne.
  • BetaKit reports ShopKeep adds employee time tracking feature to iPad POS system.
  • SecureKey launches Online Authentication Service for Government of Canada.
  • TechCrunch reports Lending Club Surpasses $1B In Personal Loans, Hits Profitability.
  • PaySimple Launches ReceivablesPro Turnkey Private-Label Solution.
  • Campaign Asia reports London-based Innovation Agency launches in Singapore.
  • At FinovateAsia, Barclays announces the launch of PFM powered by Strands.
  • SG Entrepreneurs covers Perfectsen’s launch of The Hook at FinovateAsia.
  • Des Moines Register covers Dwolla’s MassPay.
  • e27 lists 3 finance startups that caught their eye at FinovateAsia 2012.
  • Pando Daily reports Bazaarvoice replaces its CEO and acquires Longboard Media.
  • Finextra reports Authentify opens Japanese subsidiary.
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– October 24, 2012

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpg

  • PayPal Starts Selling PayPal Here at AT&T Stores, Teams Up with MoneyGram.
  • Finextra reports Clear2Pay and Backbase join forces on customer experience.
  • Forbes looks at Dwolla’s business model.
  • Equifax partners with Lender Processing Services.
  • CU Insight covers DigitalMailer.
  • CNBC interviews Alastair Lukies, Monitise CEO and co-founder.
  • Xconomy lists peerTransfer as 1 of 5 startups to watch.
  • CU Broadcast chats with Mitek’s Daniel Simon.
  • American Banker features BankersLab’s CollectionLab.
  • peerTransfer First to Help Chinese International Students Pay in Renminbi.

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– October 23, 2012

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpg

  • Dwolla upgrades iPhone app and adds ability to pay money requests.
  • The Receivables Exchange appoints Henry Allen as New CEO.
  • SimpleTuition launches Private Student Loan Refinance Center.
  • Xero and Bill.com enable integration, ease transactions and cash management.
  • Now Plastyc’s UPside Visa customers can add cash to cards instantly at Walmart.
  • NFU Mutual automates paper processes with Tibco. Check out Tibco’s live demo at FinovateAsia.
  • Equifax selected byIRS as one of first eTranscript Pilot Vendors.
  • ModoPayments and Alliance Data partner to offer mobile solutions to retailers and U.S. Consumers.
  • Bill.com wins Sleeter ‘Awesome Application’ Award.
  • San Diego North County Times reports StockTwits: Howard Lindzon takes stock talk to new level.
  • Bridge2 Solutions and Affinity Solutions launch mobile app.
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.

Dwolla Launches MassPay, Enables Users to Pay Up to 2,000 People at Once in Three Steps

Thumbnail image for DwollaLogo.jpg

Payments platform Dwolla launched a new feature today called MassPay that will allow users to pay up to 2,000 other Dwolla users at one time.

DwollaMassPay.jpg

Here’s how it works

Step 1
The user enters:

    • Their Dwolla PIN
    • The account from which they want draw the funds 
    • Their email address

Step 2
The user uploads a CSV file with two columns, one with the amount they wish to pay, and the other with the payee’s email address, phone number, or Dwolla ID.

DwollaMassPayHowTo.jpg

Step 3

The user defines which columns in the file are the headers, and which contain the payee and payment amount information.

As with all Dwolla payments, any transaction under $10 is free, and for anything over that there is an additional 25 cent fee per transaction.

To promote MassPay, Dwolla will reimburse your first 5 MassPay batches made through November 30 in exchange for feedback about the user experience.

To learn more about Dwolla, watch its FinovateSpring 2012 and FinovateSpring 2011 demo.