Two Weeks Until FinovateStartup, "Demo" for Financial Services & Technology Innovators

image If you’ve been reading NetBanker for the past few months, you’ve heard about our upcoming conference, FinovateStartup: Demo’ing the Future of Finance.

Reminder: It’s Tuesday, April 29, at the UCSF Mission Bay campus just south of downtown San Francisco (previous coverage here). It’s an offshoot of our first Finovate conference (videos here) held last fall in New York City (note 1).

Forty startups will demo their latest and greatest (note 2) on the big screen. There will be several industry debuts, a handful of a new product launches, and hundreds of new twists unveiled that day. 

While coverage by more than two dozen press, analysts, and bloggers at the event should provide a good overview of what’s going on, there is nothing like being there (note 3). Imagine talking to 10, 20, or 30 founders and senior execs in a single day. It will make your head spin, but by the time you get back to the office, you will have been exposed to a year’s worth of new ideas. The value = priceless. 

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Notes:
1. We return to New York on Oct 14 for the second annual Finovate conference. It’s the Tuesday after Columbus Day, so if you want to make a long weekend out of it, you might want to book hotel space now. It’s a lot more than San Francisco (see #3), but it will only get worse. And you can lock in super-early-bird prices by registering for the conference today. Because it’s NYC, seating is limited, so don’t put it off too long. We sold out in about six weeks last year.

2. Unfortunately, Lending Club will not be able to present at FinovateStartup due to the quiet period as they register to sell securities (see coverage here). We have several companies looking to take their place, so we still expect to have 40 demos.

3. It must be a relatively slow week in downtown San Francisco, as hotel rooms are as cheap as we’ve seen them in years. We have 5 rooms at the Parc55, averaging about $130 per night plus tax. The average daytime high is 65 that time of year, so come out for the weekend and enjoy the Bay Area in spring.

Christophe Langlois of UK’s Visible Banking to Live Blog at FinovateStartup

image Once again, we'll have an international blogging presence at our upcoming financial technology conference. Visible Banking's Christophe Langlois will capture the action at FinovateStartup in live blogs on NetBanker as well as video interviews and posts on Visible Banking.

If you haven't yet subscribed to Visible Banking, you should. It's a great way to add an international perspective and learn from someone who is a social media expert AND a true insider, working at one of the largest banks in the United Kingdom. Christophe also does a great job peppering his blog with short videos of key players (the example below shows Peter Hazlehurst from Yodlee being interviewed after his demo at Finovate NYC last fall).

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FinovateStartup Set to Launch

image It will be interesting to look back at this post five years from now and see how many of the 40 startups presenting at our first annual FinovateStartup conference are thriving, holding on, or have moved on.

I know one thing for sure, there will be five years' worth of innovative ideas served up on April 29. I am really looking forward to it. If you can make time in your busy spring schedule, I hope you'll consider attending. You can still save a hundred bucks by registering here by Monday, March 31.

The press release follows.

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Online Banking Report Announces Final Demo Lineup for
FinovateStartup Conference

28 March 2008

Seattle, WA: Times may be tight in the credit markets, but the financial services technology area is still hopping with startups. Forty of the most promising will gather in San Francisco April 29 to prove to an auditorium filled with bankers, VCs, tech gurus, and the press what makes each the next big thing in finance.

No slides. No speeches. No wasted time. Finovate serves up 100% demos with plenty of networking time to speak with start-up founders and execs.

The main threads will be online personal finance (5 startups), online savings/checking (3 startups), social finance/investing (7 startups), lending/credit (5 startups including 3 person-to-person lenders), comparison shopping for financial services (3 startups), security (6 startups), and mobile banking/payments (4 startups).

Several stealth companies plan to launch at the conference, and a number of startups will be introducing significant product improvements or new services. We expect to see plenty of Web 2.0, including social-media-inspired investing, widgets and Facebook apps, and next-generation financial search. It will be an amazing day.

Here’s the complete lineup by company type:

About FinovateStartup Conference

  • Date: April 29, 2008
  • Place: San Francisco, CA (UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center)
  • Cost: $995
  • Agenda: 20 demos in the morning, 20 in the afternoon; each session followed by two hours of networking to meet with the presenters in one-on-one discussions
  • Website: finovatestartup.com
  • For more information on last fall’s sold-out NYC event, see netbanker.com/finovate

Note: Members of the media should contact Jim Bruene, jim@netbanker.com to secure a press pass.

About Online Banking Report
Founded in 1995 by former banker Jim Bruene, Online Banking Report provides in-depth analysis, relevant data, and informed recommendations to financial services executives in 50 countries. Online Banking Report is published by Online Financial Innovations, a Seattle-based research company. For more information and free sample reports, visit onlinefinancialinnovations.com, email info@netbanker.com or call (206) 517-5021. You may also find OFI's blog on the latest in online finance & banking at netbanker.com.

Loanio and TrustedID Round Out FinovateStartup Lineup

Link to FinovateStartup After scouring the far corners of the Web, we've maxed out the demo lineup at our upcoming FinovateStartup conference April 29 in San Francisco.

The last two companies we can name are Loanio and TrustedID. A handful of other presenters are keeping their names under wraps for now and will be released as the event gets closer. (Have a startup? See note below.

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So there you have it. Forty companies putting their futures on the line showing the gathered bankers, VCs, tech execs, press and bloggers why they are the "next big thing" in financial services. You can still save $100 by registering in March here

FinovateStartup lineup

Note to press, analysts and industry bloggers: We have a limited number of press passes available. Please contact Jim Bruene (jim@netbanker.com) as soon as possible to request one.   

Note to startups: Even though the demo lineup is full, we expect one or two presenters will slip their launch dates, so we are building a wait list. Contact Eric Mattson (mattson@netbanker.com) for more information.

IP Commerce, SmartyPig, TradeKing, and VaultStreet Added to FINOVATE Startup

image The latest financial services startups to sign on for a demo slot include: IP Commerce, SmartyPig, TradeKing and VaultStreet. They will demonstrate their latest product features April 29 at our FINOVATE Startup conference in San Francisco (previous coverage here). 

This brings the total number of presenting companies to 37 (see note 1).  It's going to be one jam-packed, action-filled day. And there is still time to save $100 during our March Madness/Daylight Savings Time/St. Paddy's Day/Saving o' the Green special. Register here before it's too late.

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Note:

1. Forty companies is the maximum capacity.

SimpleTuition, SocialPicks, Tyfone, and Zecco Added to FINOVATE Startup Lineup

imageThe demo lineup at our upcoming FINOVATE Startup conference just keeps getting better. With the additions of SocialPicks, SimpleTuition, Zecco, and Tyfone we now have a total of 34 presenting companies on board. We have a few more cool startups vying for the last couple spots, which we'll announce next week.

The full lineup for the April 29th event is maintained at our website (here). If you want to be in the audience and have a chance to see and interact with these companies, please register here

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Authentium, Diversinet, Vidoop, and FindABetterBank Added to FINOVATE Startup Lineup

image When we first began planning FINOVATE Startup, we hoped to have at least 20 financial startups demo'ing at the conference. We are well past that now, with 31 companies confirmed for the April 29th conference (previously announced presenters are here). 

We are almost at capacity for the single-day event, but we will add a few more presenting companies in the next two weeks. The latest additions are: Authentium, Diversinet, FindABetterBank from Facilitas, and Vidoop

If you want to be in the audience and have a chance to see and interact with these companies, the early bird registration deadline is just 48 hours away. So save $250 and register now (here). 

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Aradiom, Guard ID, and Vestopia Added to FINOVATE Startup Lineup

Four additional presenters have just been added to the FINOVATE Startup lineup: Aradiom, Guard ID Systems, Vestopia and another stealth company (see previous coverage here).
 image  image vestopia_logo

These companies join the 23 startups already announced: Andera, Boulevard R., Buxfer, Cake Financial, CAPS (Motley Fool), ClairMail, Credit Karma, Expensr, FindABetterBank, First ROI, Guardian Analytics, Jwaala, Lending Club, Mint, Prosper, SmartHippo, Unified Money, Wesabe, Wonga, WorkLight and three other stealth companies. FINOVATE Startup presenters

Seating is limited, so make sure you secure your spot for the early-bird price of $745. Early-bird discounts end Feb. 29. For more info refer to our conference website.

Cake Financial, Expensr, Guardian Analytics & Wonga Added to FINOVATE Startup Lineup:

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cakefinancial_logoLast week we announced FINOVATE Startup (here), our first annual financial technology conference geared to new and emerging companies. It's been a busy week, with a surprising amount of activity.

imageNot only have a number of financial institutions signed up to attend, we've heard from dozens of interesting financial startups looking to demo at the event.

In addition to the 14 companies announced last week, we have commitments from a dozen more including: Wonga, Expensr, imageGuardian Analytics and Cake Financial. It's going to be an amazing day.          

Seating is limited, so make sure you secure your spot for the early-bird price of $745. For more info refer to our wonga_logoconference website.  

FinovateStartup Conference to be Held April 29 in San Francisco

image Last year we hosted our first industry conference Finovate2007 in NYC (videos here, previous coverage here). It was such a success that not only are we repeating it this year (see note 1 below), we've added a unique new version, FinovateStartup featuring demos of new financial products and technologies from emerging companies.

FinovateStartup will be held April 29 in San Francisco. It will showcase dozens of the hottest financial technology startups – all in a single day. With a fast-paced format that mixes short demos (no PowerPoint slides allowed!) and high-quality networking, FinovateStartup gives attendees a chance to see the future of finance unfold. 

Already, a number of leading financial technology companies have already signed up to demo including: Andera, Boulevard R., Buxfer, Motley Fool CAPS, ClairMail, Credit Karma, First ROI, Jwaala, Lending Club, Mint, Prosper, SmartHippo, Unified Money, and Wesabe. We plan to add more interesting companies to this list during the next few weeks. If you know of an interesting new financial products or technologies that should be shown at this event, please drop me an email. Or if you think your company fits the bill, consult the presenter's page

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Tickets for this exciting event are currently $745, $250 off the regular price of $995 (discount ends Feb. 29). And the first 25 NetBanker readers receive an additional $100 discount (use "netbanker25" as your discount code at registration). I strongly encourage you to register today as seating at the event is limited and the last Finovate sold out in six weeks.   

  • What: A chance to see the future of finance & banking unfold at FinovateStartup
  • When: April 29, 2008: 8:00am – 6:30pm. Registration and continental breakfast opens at 7am.
  • Where: The beautiful new U.C. San Francisco Mission Bay Conference Center (just south of downtown San Francisco)
  • Price: Only $745 if you register before March 1 (and first 25 registrants save an additional $100 with discount code "netbanker25")
  • Format: Two action-packed demo/presentation sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Each session contains more than a dozen of the hottest finance/technology startups giving 5-minute demos of their products (no PowerPoint allowed!) followed by several hours to talk with each of the presenters and network with other attendees. The day ends with a happy hour with an open bar and appetizers.
  • Questions: Please contact us at finovate@netbanker.com or 206.517.5021.

I look forward to seeing you in April!

Note: image

  1. Save $250 and register today for our fall flagship Finovate 2008, October 9 in NYC. 

Mint, Mortgagebot, and Prosper Win Best of Show at FINOVATE

Following is a press release we just sent out over the wires. While these three companies received the highest ratings across the 117 ballots, ratings were relatively high across the board, averaging 5.02 on a 7-point scale. Eight other companies received scores within 10% (e.g., 0.5 points) of the lowest-winning score and thirteen companies were within 20% (1 point).
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Oct. 5, 2007
For immediate release:

NEW YORK(BUSINESS WIRE)On Tuesday, attendees at the FINOVATE 2007 conference voted on their favorite financial product or service from among the 20 innovations presented. Overall, the DEMOs were extremely well received with an average score of just over 5 points on a 7-point scale. The three winners (in alphabetical order):

  • Mint: A new online personal finance company launched
    two weeks ago (previous coverage here)
  • Mortgagebot’s Mortgage Marvel: A new mortgage marketplace launched Oct. 2 at FINOVATE 2007 (previous coverage here)
  • Prosper: The first U.S. person-to-person lender,
    launched in Feb. 2006 (previous coverage here)

About the Voting
One “Best of Show” ballot was issued to all 230 registered attendees. Representatives from the presenting companies were not eligible to vote. Each of the 20 DEMOs was rated on a 7-point scale with the three highest receiving “FINOVATE Best of Show” awards. About two-thirds of eligible attendees voted.

About the FINOVATE Conference
The FINOVATE conference is the first demo-based conference for the financial, banking and lending technology industries. Held annually in New York City, the conference offers a chance to explore the future of finance in a fast-paced, intimate and unique way. FINOVATE is organized by Online Financial Innovations. For more information, please visit www.finovate.com.

About Online Financial Innovations
Founded in 1995 by former banker Jim Bruene, Online Financial Innovations is a Seattle-based research company. OFI is best known for publishing the Online Banking Report, a regular newsletter featuring in-depth analysis, relevant data, and informed recommendations to financial services executives in 50 countries. For more information and free sample reports, visit Online Banking Report, email info@netbanker.com or call (206) 517-5021. You may also find OFI’s blog on the latest in online finance & banking at NetBanker.com,

Contacts
Online Financial Innovations
Jim Bruene, 206-517-5021
info@netbanker.com