More Than $113 Million Raised by Nine Alums in Q1 2024

More Than $113 Million Raised by Nine Alums in Q1 2024

Nine Finovate alums raised more than $113 million in Q1 of 2024. The relatively low fundraising results for the first three months of the year do reflect larger trends in fintech funding. But the fact that nearly half of the alums that raised funds in Q1 did not disclose the amounts raised tells us that the quarterly funding haul for Finovate alums was higher than the $113 million we have been able to confirm.

Previous quarterly comparisons

  • Q1 2023: $453 million raised by 13 alums
  • Q1 2022: $365 million raised by 11 alums
  • Q1 2021: $3.3 billion raised by 26 alums
  • Q1 2020: $1.3 billion raised by 14 alums

The biggest fundraising month of Q1 was likely January, which featured the $58 million investment secured by Digital Onboarding. Again, the high number of “amount undisclosed” investments makes comparison difficult.

Top Equity Investments from Q1 2024

  • Digital Onboarding: $58 million
  • Argyle: $30 million
  • Amplify Life Insurance: $16.3 million
  • Altro: $4 million

As noted above, Digital Onboarding pulled in the biggest investment of any Finovate alum in the first three months of the year. Also noteworthy was the $30 million raised by Argyle, a real-time income data platform that made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring in 2022.


Here is our detail alum funding report for Q1 2024.

January: More than $58 million raised by three alums

February: More than $21 million raised by three alums

March: More than $34 million raised by three alums

If you are a Finovate alum that raised money in the first quarter of 2024 and do not see your company listed, please drop us a note at research@finovate.com. We would love to share the good news! Funding received prior to becoming an alum not included.


Photo by Matthias Groeneveld

Apiture to Power Online and Mobile Banking for New Washington State Bank

Apiture to Power Online and Mobile Banking for New Washington State Bank
  • Indiana-based New Washington State Bank (NWSB) has selected Apiture’s Digital Banking Platform to power its online and mobile banking solutions.
  • The community bank will also deploy Apiture’s Account Opening and Data Intelligence solutions to onboard customers faster and to offer tailored campaigns.
  • Apiture made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2022. The company is headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina.

New Washington State Bank (NWSB), a community financial institution serving Southern Indiana for 116 years, has partnered with Apiture to power its online and mobile banking offerings. The bank will deploy Apiture’s Digital Banking Platform, and implement the fintech’s Consumer Banking, Business Banking, Account Opening, and Data Intelligence solutions.

“With integrations to more than 200 best-of-breed fintech partners and an API-first approach that enables rapid innovation, the Apiture Digital Banking Platform will empower NWSB to provide the unified, intuitive banking experience today’s technologically savvy customers expect,” Apiture CEO Chris Babcock said.

The partnership follows the bank’s decision to migrate from a multi-vendor strategy to a single platform for both its online and mobile banking operations. NWSB Chief Strategy Officer Chris Bottorff said that providing a “cohesive and consistent digital experience” is a priority for the institution as it seeks “to improve the financial lives of those living and working in the communities we serve.” Bottorff praised Apiture as a partner that will help the Indiana-based bank better engage its existing customers as well as attract new ones.

To this point, NWSB underscored its readiness to take advantage of two of Apiture’s solutions in particular: Account Opening and Data Intelligence. The former enables customers to open and fund accounts in minutes. The latter provides tools to build personalized campaigns to better engage both individuals and businesses.

Headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, Apiture made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2022 and returned the following year to demo at FinovateFall 2023. At the conference, Apiture showed how its AI-based solution, Sensei, provides a real-time assessment of an individual’s finances. The technology analyzes a variety of data sources, including account balances and transaction histories, to provide proactive insights into the ways the individual can improve their financial wellness.

Apiture’s partnership news with NWSB comes just a few weeks after the fintech reported that Edwards Federal Credit Union (Edwards FCU) of California had selected its Consumer Banking solution. Like NWSB, Edwards FCU will also deploy Apiture’s Data Intelligence solution as part of its data strategy. Apiture began 2024 by teaming up with Redwood Capital Bank, which chose Apiture’s Digital Banking Platform to power its online and mobile banking operations.

Apiture has raised $69 million in funding. The company includes T. Rowe Price and Live Oak Bank among its investors.


Photo by Corbin Mathias on Unsplash

Greg Palmer and the Finovate Podcast Showcase Black Voices in Fintech

Greg Palmer and the Finovate Podcast Showcase Black Voices in Fintech

The stage is not the only place where Finovate celebrates the accomplishments of Black and African-American fintech and financial services professionals.

Since inception, Greg Palmer and the Finovate Podcast have showcased Black and African-American innovators, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders in the fintech and financial services space.

As part of our continued commemoration of Black and African-American History Month, today we highlight those conversations. Click the image to access the interview.


Nneka Ukpai – Better

Nate Gibbons – QuickFi

Jacqueline Baker – Author, The Unexpected Leader

Joseph Akintolayo – Deposits

Ariam Sium – FinGoal

William Crowder – Aperture Venture Capital

Sesie Bonsi – Bleu

Sharon Kimathi – Fintech Futures

Adrienne Harris – Superintendent NYS Department of Financial Services

Tosin Agbabiaka – Octopus Ventures

Fonta Gilliam – Invest Sou Sou


Photo by nappy

Greg Palmer, the Finovate Podcast, and the Best of Show Winners from FinovateFall

Greg Palmer, the Finovate Podcast, and the Best of Show Winners from FinovateFall

Join Finovate VP and host of the Finovate Podcast Greg Palmer as he talks with the entrepreneurs whose innovative companies took home top honors at FinovateFall 2023 in New York this year.

From new tools for credit unions members to embedded micro life insurance solutions to strategies to help FIs better engage mortgage-holders, the Finovate Podcast is a great way to keep up with the trends driving fintech today.

Follow Greg on X at @GregPalmer47.


Podcast host Greg Palmer catches up with Rachel Lauren of Debbie (demo video) to talk about consumer debt reduction and the credit union ecosystem. EP 193.


Greg Palmer chats with Alex Matjanec of Wysh (demo video) about micro life insurance, customer retention, and financial inclusion. EP 192.


Greg Palmer sits down with Chase Neinken of Chimney (demo video) to discuss strategies for productively engaging your mortgage-holding customers. EP 190.


Photo by Blaz Erzetic

Apiture Garners $10 Million in Funding

Apiture Garners $10 Million in Funding
  • Apiture received $10 million in funding, bringing its total raised to $79 million.
  • The round was led by funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price with participation from existing investors.
  • Apiture offers credit unions access to a digital banking platform that ties in partnerships with more than 300 fintechs.

Digital banking solutions provider Apiture landed a $10 million funding round this week. The Venture round was led by funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price with participation from existing investors Live Oak Bank, Truist Ventures, and Pinnacle Financial Partners. The fresh funds boost Apiture’s total funding to $79 million.

The Wilmington, North Carolina-based company will use the $10 million to accelerate product development initiatives. It will also expand its sales and marketing efforts for its Apiture Digital Banking Platform. Launched last year, the company’s Digital Banking Platform serves more than 300 banks and credit unions.

“Apiture is relentlessly focused on delivering best-in-class digital banking solutions through continuous innovation and integrations with best-of-breed fintechs,” said company CEO Chris Babcock. “This additional funding enables us to further accelerate development initiatives that will help our clients thrive in a highly competitive market.”

Founded in 2017, Apiture helps credit unions compete with larger banks and credit unions when it comes to digital banking experiences. The company’s solutions, which work with more than 40 cores, offer both consumer and commercial banking experiences, along with account opening, embedded banking, and data intelligence tools. Powering these capabilities are Apiture’s network of more than 200 pre-vetted fintech partners, including Glia, Deluxe, MX, Mambu, and DefenseStorm, which signed with Apiture earlier this month.


Photo by Francesco Gallarotti on Unsplash

ebankIT Teams Up with Finotta to Deliver Personalized Financial Guidance

ebankIT Teams Up with Finotta to Deliver Personalized Financial Guidance
  • Embedded finance company Finotta has teamed up with banking software provider ebankIT.
  • The partnership will integrate Finotta’s Personified Personalized Financial Guidance platform with ebankIT’s digital banking solution.
  • Both Finotta and ebankIT are Finovate alums. ebankIT most recently demoed its technology at FinovateEurope in March. Finotta made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2022.

Embedded finance company Finotta has forged a new partnership with omnichannel banking software firm ebankIT. The partnership will integrate Finotta’s Personified platform with ebankIT’s digital banking solution in order to deliver better financial wellness tools and Personlized Financial Guidance (PFG) to customers worldwide.

Finotta’s Personified platform provides an automated and personalized mobile banking experience. Personified includes a financial coach, a financial health leveling system, automated financial guidance, predictive product referrals, digitized relationship building, the ability to make internal and external transfers, and more. The suite of solutions helps financial institutions address customer needs and respond to them from within the digital banking platform.

Personal finance is often treated as a local concern. However, Finotta founder and CEO Parker Graham put this week’s integration in an international context. “Financial wellness is a global imperative that transcends borders, affecting individuals and communities everywhere,” Graham said. “In partnering with ebankIT, we’re not just future-proofing financial institutions, we’re elevating the financial well-being of users and underscoring innovation as the bedrock of customer loyalty.”

ebankIT CEO Renato Oliveira said that delivering “humanized, personalized, and accessible digital experiences” is a priority for ebankIT “from day one.” He added, “At ebankIT, we recognize that the future of digital banking hinges on seamless omnichannel capabilities and enriched user experiences.” Oliveira called the partnership with Finotta “an extension of that commitment.”

Founded in 2014, ebankIT is headquartered in Portugal. The company has been a Finovate alum since winning Best of Show in its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2015. The company most recently demoed its technology at FinovateEurope earlier this year. At the conference, ebankIT introduced a new range of features on its digital banking platform. Among these features was a tool to help banks and credit unions better anticipate customer needs.

Over the summer, ebankIT announced a strategic partnership with digital transformation and cybersecurity consultancy, Online Business Systems. More recently, the company teamed up with Home Trust. Via the partnership, ebankIT helped the Canada-based mortgage broker launch its new digital banking platform.

Founded in 2018, Finotta is a newcomer to the Finovate stage. The Overland Park, Kansas-based company made its debut last year at FinovateFall 2022. Finotta announced in August that its Personified platform increased user engagement to an average of 13 minutes per month. Graham credited the difference between Finotta’s Personalized Financial Guidance platform and traditional personal finance management solutions.

“To better capitalize on existing digital banking investments and increase share of wallet all while lowering acquisition costs, banks need to shift their focus away from PFMs and instead embrace Personalized Financial Guidance,” Graham said. “By focusing on guiding customers through their financial journey, they increase the amount of time users spend in the app.”


Photo by Daniel Frese

FinovateFall 2023 Best of Show Winners Announced!

FinovateFall 2023 Best of Show Winners Announced!

They are cheering in Times Square tonight as the winners of Best of Show at FinovateFall 2023 are crowned. After two days of live fintech demos from more than 60+ innovative fintechs, our delegates have decided. Here are the winners of Best of Show for FinovateFall 2023.


Chimney for its Chimney Home solution that gives homeowners actionable advice about their home value, equity, borrowing power, and pre-qualified offers. Video.

Debbie for its rewards app for debt payout and its new credit card refinance marketplace for credit unions. Video.

eSelf.ai for its technology that delivers the next generation of client-financial institution interaction, enabling human-like conversations and efficient personalization. Video.

Mahalo Banking for its intuitive and neurodiverse-inclusive online and mobile banking solutions for credit unions with tight core integrations. Video.

Trust & Will for its technology that simplifies estate planning and settlement with attorney-approved, legally valid documents. Video.

Wysh for its innovative deposit solution called Life Benefit that provides micro-life insurance coverage up to 10% of an accountholders’s balance onto an existing deposit account. Video.

We want to thank our demoing companies, our partners, our sponsors, and – last but not least – our valued attendees whose engagement continues to make Finovate a must-attend event on the fintech conference calendar. We look forward to seeing you again next year in The City That Never Sleeps for FinovateFall 2024!


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 six 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 six 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 2023 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
FinovateFall 2019
FinovateAsia 2019
FinovateMiddleEast 2019
FinovateEurope 2020
FinovateFall 2020
FinovateWest 2020
FinovateEurope 2021
FinovateSpring 2021
FinovateFall 2021
FinovateEurope 2022
FinovateSpring 2022
FinovateFall 2022
FinovateEurope 2023
FinovateSpring 2023

Credit-Assessment-as-a-Service Innovator Uplinq Forges Collaboration with Visa

Credit-Assessment-as-a-Service Innovator Uplinq Forges Collaboration with Visa
  • Credit assessment platform Uplinq Financial Technologies announced a collaboration with Visa.
  • Visa has agreed to introduce Uplinq to key financial institutions to help them mitigate risk and expand access to credit for SMEs.
  • Uplinq made its Finovate debut last year at FinovateFall in New York.

Credit assessment platform for SME lenders, Uplinq Financial Technologies, has announced a collaboration with Visa. Via the partnership, Visa will introduce Uplinq’s API-based technology to key financial institutions to help them mitigate risk and expand access to credit to small businesses in the U.S. and Canada.

“This engagement is a testament to the promise of our technology in bridging the vast and persistent gaps that small businesses still grapple with when trying to access fair credit, especially as related to minority and all protected class segments,” Uplinq founder and CEO Ron Benegbi said. Visa Commercial Solutions Head of Small Business Matt Baker added that “fast access to working capital” was “especially vital to small businesses” which he referred to as the “backbone” of the world economy.

Uplinq leverages billions of alternative data sets from more than 150 countries, examining a wide range of factors to provide credit assessment and loan adjudication. The company’s platform features more than 10,000 direct connections into SME data sources. Designed to complement a lender’s existing credit assessment process, Uplinq’s technology has supported more than $1.4 trillion in underwritten loans globally.

Founded in 2020, Uplinq is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The company made its Finovate debut last September at FinovateFall, demoing its Credit-Assessment-as-a-Service solution. At the conference, Benegbi used the example of his immigrant father’s struggle to secure a bank loan to add color to the challenges small businesses face when it comes to financing.

“At Uplinq we don’t lend money to small businesses,” he said. “We work with small business lenders to help them say ‘yes’ a lot more often. In fact, five to fifteen times more often, while significantly increasing net income.”

In the year since its appearance on the Finovate stage, Uplinq has raised $1.25 million in funding in October in a round led by ATX Venture Partners. The company secured another $600,000 in February in the form of a strategic investment from Cambrian Ventures.

This spring, Uplinq announced a partnership with SME Finance Forum to make it easier for SMEs around the world access financing. In June, the company was awarded “Fintech Startup of the Year” in the “Lending” category of the Banking Tech Awards. Uplinq also has bolstered its advisory board ranks over the past year, adding former Scotiabank Chief Risk Officer Daniel Moore and former M&T Bank Chief Data Officer Allison Sagraves.


Photo by SevenStorm JUHASZIMRUS

FinovateFall Best of Show Winners: Fundraising, Acquisitions, New Partnerships, and More!

FinovateFall Best of Show Winners: Fundraising, Acquisitions, New Partnerships, and More!

The only thing more exciting than being chosen to demo your latest innovation at a Finovate conference is winning the accolades our attendees and taking home a Best of Show award. With FinovateFall right around the corner, we wanted to take a look at the companies that won Best of Show at last year’s event and give you the latest on what they’ve been up to in the year since.

Remember that early bird savings for FinovateFall – September 11 through 13 – end this weekend! Visit our FinovateFall registration hub and save your spot today!


Debbie

  • HQ: Miami, Florida, U.S.
  • Founded: 2021
  • CEO: Frida Leibowitz
Left to right: Frida Leibowitz, CEO | Rachel Lauren, COO

Demoed its technology that leverages behavioral psychology and rewards to help users pay off debt faster. Demo video.

Latest update

  • Secured seed funding from Geek Ventures.

Horizn

  • HQ: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Founded: 2012
  • CEO: Janice Diner
Left to right: Horizn’s Colm Bermingham, Sr. Director Sales | Steve Frook, CRO

Demoed its platform that helps financial institutions maximize their investments in digital technology. Demo video.

Latest update

  • Acquired by conversational AI company Inbenta.

LemonadeLXP

  • HQ: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
  • Founded: 2021
  • CEO: John Findlay
 Lemonade CEO John Findlay

Demoed its digital growth platform that helps financial institutions and fintechs turn staff into digital customer service experts. Demo video.

Latest update

  • Partnered with Newburyport Bank to facilitate staff and customer transition to digital banking.

Quilo

  • HQ: New York City, New York, U.S.
  • Founded: 2020
  • CEO: Boris Fuzayloff
Left to right: Don Shafer, Co-founder & Chief Evangelist | Boris Fuzayloff, Co-founder & CEO

Demoed its technology that empowers lenders to syndicate individual personal loans at the time of underwriting. Demo video.

Latest update


Stratyfy

  • HQ: New York City, New York, U.S.
  • Founded: 2017
  • CEO: Laura Kornhauser
Left to right: Dmitry Lesnik, Chief Data Scientist | Laura Kornhauser, CEO and Co-Founder

Demoed its technology that helps FIs leverage AI-based decision making to boost access to financial services. Demo video.

Latest update

  • Teamed up with Beneficial State Foundation to help combat racial disparities in lending.

Themis

  • HQ: New York City, New York, U.S.
  • Founded: 2021
  • CEO: Neepa Patel
Themis’ Founder and CEO Neepa Patel

Demoed its collaboration platform to help support and encourage partnerships between banks and fintechs. Demo video.

Latest update

  • Named a finalist in multiple categories including “Startup of the Year” by the U.S. Fintech Awards.

FinovateFall 2023 Sneak Peek: Apiture

FinovateFall 2023 Sneak Peek: Apiture

A look at the companies demoing at FinovateFall in New York on September 11 and 12. Register today and save your spot.

Apiture delivers award-winning digital banking solutions to financial institutions throughout the U.S., including consumer/business banking as well as innovative data intelligence and embedded banking.

Features

Apiture’s AI-based tool, Sensei, provides

  • Real-time insights and recommendations about financial standing
  • Insights based on customer data
  • Greater customer stickiness

Why it’s great

Sensei from Apiture empowers financial institutions to establish highly personalized, consultative relationships with their customers in the digital environment.

Presenter

Daniel Haisley, Executive VP of Innovation
Haisley leads Apiture’s innovation efforts encompassing data intelligence and API banking solutions.
LinkedIn

FinovateFall 2023 Sneak Peek: Debbie

FinovateFall 2023 Sneak Peek: Debbie

A look at the companies demoing at FinovateFall in New York on September 11 and 12. Register today and save your spot.

Debbie is the rewards platform for debt payoff, using behavioral psychology to help incentivize debt payoff and savings. The organization is launching Rate Crusher, their credit card refinance marketplace for credit unions and other financial institutions.

Features

  • Connect with highly motivated and young borrowers
  • Further incentivize deposits
  • Boost engagement and reduce debt

Why it’s great

Debbie’s solution targets the underlying root cause of negative financial behavior and incentivizes good habits. Their users are primed to succeed.

Presenters

Rachel Lauren, COO & Co-Founder
Lauren has built up the Debbie userbase to over 20k people. She was previously a venture capital investor at BDMI and equity research associate at Credit Suisse.
LinkedIn

Frida Leibowitz, CEO & Co-Founder
Leibowitz is responsible for the product vision and execution at Debbie. She previously worked in credit risk at Marcus by Goldman Sachs.
LinkedIn

State Employees Credit Union Turns to Apiture to Enhance Online, Mobile Banking

State Employees Credit Union Turns to Apiture to Enhance Online, Mobile Banking
  • State Employees Credit Union (State ECU) has teamed up with digital banking solutions provider Apiture.
  • State ECU will leverage Apiture’s Digital Banking Platform to offer its members an enhanced online and mobile banking experience.
  • Wilmington, North Carolina-based Apiture made its Finovate debut last year at FinovateFall.

New Mexico-based State Employees Credit Union (State ECU) announced a partnership with digital banking solutions provider Apiture. The 65-year old financial institution will leverage the Apiture Digital Banking Platform to offer its members an enhanced online and mobile banking experience.

Headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, Apiture offers technology that helps smaller banks and credit unions compete with their larger rivals – as well as launch their own digital-only brands. State ECU will take advantage of both Apiture’s Consumer Banking and Business Banking solutions, as well as the fintech’s Data Intelligence technology. This latter solution is designed to promote digital engagement with both consumers and businesses using highly personalized offers.

“By providing a modern, fully featured consumer and business banking experience, State ECU is poised to deepen member engagement and drive significant growth,” Apiture CEO Chris Babcock said.

Apiture made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall in 2022. At the event, the company demoed an embedded finance solution that enabled users to conduct basic banking tasks from within third-party software. Whether the goal is to open an account, view balances, or transfer funds, Apiture’s embedded finance technology empowers customers without requiring them to visit their bank’s website. The technology gives financial institutions a new revenue stream, and provides customers with greater convenience and an enhanced user experience.

Apiture has more than 300 community and regional financial institution clients. The firm also has partnered with 200+ fintechs. Formed as a joint venture between First Data Corporation and Live Oak Bank in 2017, Apiture has earned recognition from Celent, Javelin, and Juniper for its small business and consumer banking solutions. The company’s API-first strategy gives smaller financial institutions extensive control over the UI, as well as the ability to create unique customer experiences via Apiture’s developer portal.

With more than $1 billion in assets, State ECU is New Mexico’s fifth largest credit union. Founded in 1958, State ECU boasts more than 52,000 members.


Photo by Michael Herren