Giftly Acquired by GiftCards.com

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Giftly, a startup that brings gift card-giving and receiving to the mobile platform, announced today that it has been acquired by GiftCards.com.

Giftly, which launched in 2011, allows users to send and receive gift cards using their mobile device without requiring point-of-sale integration on the merchant side.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but San Francisco-based Giftly will become a part of GiftCards.com while maintaining its offices in the Silicon Valley.

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Giftly had previously raised $2.8 million from Baseline Ventures, SoftTech VC, Floodgate, Thrive Capital, and TechStars co-founder David Tisch. Even though GiftCards.com has been in the industry since 1999, it is looking to raise its first round of capital this year, which it will use to accelerate its growth and complete the Giftly acquisition.

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

Finovate Alumni News– April 4, 2013

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgKabbage brings in $75 million in debt financing.
  • Finextra reports: eToro launches social alerts app.
  • PaymentEye features Virtual Piggy. Come see its live demo at FinovateSpring next month. http://bit.ly/Zaunjl
  • Business Solutions speaks with Jason Richelson, ShopKeep POS CEO, who debunks the myth that cloud POS fails when the internet shuts down. 
  • TechCrunch TV interviews Nick Hungerford, Nutmeg CEO on how he aims to disrupt the financial investment world.
  • Verity CU features FamZoo, makes it available to members. Come see FamZoo’s latest development at FinovateSpring.
  • Kashoo releases new version of iPad app.
  • Monitise Executive Vice President Lisa Stanton interviewed by Bdaily.
  • Jack Henry & Associates’s Symitar platform to be deployed by Kitsap Credit Union.
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.

Giftly’s Gift Cards Make Gains in 2012

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for giftlyLogo.jpgInside a recent profile of Giftly were a handful of interesting metrics:

  • 10,000 Giftlys sold so far in 2012
  • $4 per Giftly collected on average (processing fees range from $1 to $10, based on price of gift)
  • Gross revenues for 2012 expected to be $100,000
  • “Tenfold” increase in sales according to CEO Timothy Bentley

Giftly provides customized gift cards that can be used at a wide variety of U.S. businesses.  The company has been widely reviewed this year, with mentions in Fast Company, TechCrunch, and CNet.

Giftly has raised $2.5 million through investors like Baseline Ventures, RPM Ventures, and LightSpeed Venture Partners. They have formed partnerships with BancBox and CBW Bank, among others.

Watch Giftly’s most recent product demo from FinovateSpring 2012 here.

Finovate Alumni News– December 21, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgCompare Broker reviews the new mobile app from TradeKing.
  • MyBankTracker reviews how BillGuard protects from unwanted charges.
  • San Francisco Business Times reports: Giftly lets givers put ‘heart’ into gift cards.
  • Capital Access Network relocates Headquarters to NYC, adds Scott Blum as CMO.
  • Fiserv partners with TOPS Software to improve payment processing for property managers.
  • The Washington Post looks at SoMoLend’s community-focused lending.
  • Forbes names Lending Club one of the top five fintech companies of 2012.
  • Chicago donut chain “Glazed and Infused” now using ShopKeep POS software.
  • Wired.co.uk names Holvi startup of the week.
  • Credit Sesame unveils free credit monitoring service.
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 17, 2012

  • FiservThumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpg launches mobile app for UChoose Rewards.
  • Affinity Solutions brings “Big Data” capability to card-linked offers.
  • StockTwits launches a new app for HootSuite.
  • Business Insider looks at Expensify’s team building trip overseas.
  • HelloWallet launches financial wellness workforce assessment for employers.
  • Des Moines Register considers Giftly’s remote gift card giving app.
  • American Banker reports Lawrence Summers, formerly one of President Obama’s top economic advisors, joins Lending Club’s board of directors.
  • Tyfone is expanding into Latin America through a deal with Protege Sistemas of Brazil.
  • Gesa Credit Union chooses Andera’s oFlows platform.
  • Reuters recommends visiting Betterment, Personal Capital, and LearnVest for year-end money advice.
  • Bill.com launches new application platform powered by open APIs for third-party developers to integrate native apps with Bill.com’s software.
  • New miiCard DirectID Check allows SMBs & professionals to perform bank-level ID proofing online.
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 27, 2012

  • Interactive Investor purchases DCisions, closes InvestorBee service.

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  • Finextra reports Rabobank Australia and NZ selects ThreatMetrix to secure online channels.
  • InComm & SkyMall Ventures partner to launch electronic gift card program.
  • Opus Research report recognises ValidSoft as leader in voice biometrics.
  • AloStar Bank of Commerce chooses Andera’s oFlows for online account opening.
  • TIO adds mobile bill pay app to its suite of services for El Paso Electric.
  • Radian Mortgage Insurance now available through Mortgagebot’s loan origination system.
  • E-invoicing Platform features AcceptEmail.
  • Xconomy examines how Giftly will disrupt traditional gift card market.
  • Luup signs partnership with Arab Link, provider of money transfer and exchange services in Abu Dhabi.
  • Personal Capital launches Android app.
  • Crunched lists On Deck in top 25 startups to work for.
  • TechCrunch reports Holvi Plans To Disrupt Traditional Bank Accounts With Simple But Powerful Services.
  • Citi Innovation Lab and SapientNitro honored at National Infocomm Awards in Singapore for next-generation banking experience.
  • ActivePath merges with PowerInbox.
  • Experian expands debt-collection product suite with TrueTrace.
  • DeviceFidelity launches moneto prepaid MasterCard.
  • BlinkMobile announces five more councils to adopt BlinkForms.
  • Klarna earns 2012 Entrepreneur of the Year award from European Tech Tour Association.
  • Money Smart Life reviews Betterment and Kapitall.
  • American Banker reports Betterment deepens finance advice features.
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 17, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgBazaarvoice unveils newest edition of its Bazaarvoice Connections offering.
  • Yodlee Interactive doubles annual growth in its API business.
  • Filene conducts independent review of SaveUp program.
  • GigaOM reports PayPal offers small businesses simple Bill Me Later financing option.
  • Taulia teams with SAP HANA & Amazon Web Services.
  • Equifax introduces EFX Link, advanced customer data integration solution that gives a 360-degree view of customers.
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– September 27, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgZipZap to power global cash payments for omba.
  • Forbes mentions Credit Sesame, Tuition.io, PayTap, Digital Mailer as 4 tools to help you manage your money.
  • Capital Access Network closes $295 mil credit that to serve the small business community.
  • PYMNTS chats with Kabbage’s co-founder & chief operating officer, Kathryn Petralia.
  • GambleID taps Locaid for geolocation services.
  • PC World features Yodlee, ShopKeep POS, Bolstr, PaySimple, CommunityLend, & Billhighway.
  • CU Times reports Mortgagebot Launches First Credit Union on Integrated Platform.
  • SafetyPay, in conjunction with the Bank of Montreal, the RBC, TD Bank & Scotia Bank, offers online payment service via Canadian Interac network.
  • Fiserv selected as Affinity Provider in FPA Practitioner Resource Guide.
  • Currensee delivers PAMM Replacement Solution for CTAs and Money Managers.
  • Netbanker: BillGuard is first financial service to Integrate with the New iPhone Passbook Wallet.
  • Compass Plus partners with WorldWide Financial Services.
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– September 7, 2012

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  • Fox Business News interviews Personal Capital CEO, Bill Harris, on 401(k) fees.
  • ShopKeep POS launches new iPhone app to give merchants better, faster access to real-time sales data. Come check out ShopKeep at FinovateFall next week.
  • Forbes considers: Why Intuit Is More Innovative Than Your Company.
  • TechCrunch reviews Giftly’s new app.
  • FreeMonee wins Direct Marketing Association 2012 Innovation Award.
  • Kiboo announces 3 key partnerships with First California Bank, FIS and MasterCard.
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– July 25, 2012

  • Fiserv launches mobile app for debit and credit card rewards program.
  • Investment News features FutureAdvisor.
  • TIO Networks signs deal with MAPCO Express to deploy bill pay kiosks across Tennessee.
  • Wipit enables e-commerce websites to accept cash payments.
  • ActivePath’s ActiveMail reaches major milestone with 500,000 downloads.
  • SaveUp raises $5 million, voices usage stats.
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.

Giftly Helps You Send Gifts on Time

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Next, Giftly showed how you can send gifts from your mobile device:
“We’ve created a gift card that doesn’t require merchant participation or point of sale integration, allowing us to focus on the consumer experience. Giftly does this by turning a person’s credit or debit card into a gift card.
With that innovation, we’ve made an iPhone app that makes giving a gift fun and easy. It’s been designed to be social, simple, and create great moments of serendipity between friends. Thanks to Facebook, Foursquare, and smart iOS integration, you can send a friend a nice birthday gift or give a drink to a friend when they check in at a bar within moments. To use a Giftly, you simply pay with your credit card and confirm redemption on your smartphone.”
Product Launched: May 2012
HQ Location: San Francisco, CA
Company Founded: August 2010
Metrics: Raised: $2.5 million, employees: 10

Website: giftly.com 

Introducing Tim Bentley (Found and CEO)

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FinovateSpring 2012 Sneak Peek: Part 1

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More than 60 leading fintech innovators, both startups and established companies, are gearing up to present at the annual FinovateSpring conference in San Francisco May 8 and 9.

Each company provided a sneak peek of what they’ll demo on stage next month. Below is the first installment of these teasers. We’ll have more next week.

Don’t miss your chance to see the live demo from each company and meet the execs responsible. Get your FinovateSpring ticket here.

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Balance Street

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The premier direct marketplace between consumers and creditors for the purpose of debt settlement, Balance Street, provides consumers the opportunity to relieve their debt burden without fees. Consumers use its web-based automated system to negotiate with creditors directly, avoiding debt settlement companies who charge exorbitant fees (up to 20% of total debt owed).

Eliminating this 20% market inefficiency makes for a better financial outcome for consumers and creditors. With over $780 billion in credit card debt in the U.S., the Balance Street technology will revolutionize the way debt is settled.

Innovation type: Cards, marketing, PFM

Bazaarvoice

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See how leading brands are harnessing the power of online word-of-mouth to boost customer referrals, sales, retention, advocacy, and company innovation while building the world’s most powerful social data asset.

Innovation type: Communications, marketing, sales and customer service

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BehavioSec

No one wants a complicated process for logging in to online or mobile banking. European banks have been forced to go down this route with hardware tokens and smart cards.

So now when U.S. banks will be rolling out new multi-layered security on the front-end following FFIEC, will we see the same thing here?

With BehavioSec’s solution there is a better choice. They add multilayered security through the use of behavioral biometrics. So when the user connects via mobile or online, the technology helps verify that they are who they say they are. Learn more at FinovateSpring 2012.

Innovation type: Identity, mobile, security

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BillGuard

BillGuard identifies deceptive, erroneous and unauthorized charges on consumer payment cards using advanced crowdsourcing and big-data mining techniques that harness the collective knowledge of millions of consumers reporting billing complaints online and to their banks. 

BillGuard’s Advanced Card Protection Service for Banks is a seamlessly integrated, cloud-based solution that enables issuers to generate new value-add service revenue, and lower inquiry/dispute processing costs, by providing their customers daily bill monitoring and notification, enriched transition details and direct-to-merchant resolution.
Innovation type: Cards, communications, online UI

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CoverHound is changing the way people shop for insurance online. Launching at FinovateSpring, CoverHound’s new rate comparison shopping service allows consumers for the first time to compare multiple, instant, accurate rates from top carriers. CoverHound will also be demonstrating an exciting array of products specifically designed to help banks and credit unions generate significant non-interest income while providing a valuable service to their members.
Innovation type: Insurance

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Never before has it been so easy for companies to provide business and retail customers with a way to validate creditworthiness through the use of online deposits. eDeposit provides patented funds visibility and real time settlement to markets across the U.S. in an innovative, new form of payment.
At FinovateSpring, eDeposit announces a new innovation that makes conducting B2B and B2C e-business faster, cheaper and safer.
Innovation type: Payments, security, small business

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From “check-in to check-out”, intersecting the worlds of Payments and Advertising, edo takes the next step forward in its vision to transform shopping and saving.  
This next wave connects mobile and multi-channel retail . . . imagine a world where purchase and location meet and the new standard for mobile advertising moves from “check-in” to “check-out.”
Innovation type: Marketing, mobile, rewards

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Expensify <3’s Finovate — they view it as the premier stage on which to make their biggest announcement of
the year. Three years ago, it launched an open beta on the Finovate stage. Two years ago, it unveiled a major realtime analytics feature. One year ago it launched a revolutionary SmartScan service. But this year will trump all that.  A whole new approach to business travel. Prepare yourself!

Innovation type: Back office, mobile, small business

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Most investors have assets spread across financial institutions and accounts, including limited-option accounts such as their employer’s 401(k) plan.
Managing this is a chore – including figuring out which funds, in which amounts, and rebalancing.
Well, it was a chore, before FutureAdvisor.
Innovation type: Investing and asset management, online, PFM

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Giftly is inventing the future of the gift card. Using its new iPhone app, users can send anyone a Giftly for any place they choose. The recipient redeems it on their smartphone when they go. It’s fast, fun, and secure.
Giftly’s app and web products have been designed to be social, simple, and powerful. Thanks to Facebook, Foursquare, and smart iOS integration, you’ll always know which friends are celebrating birthdays, are checking in to cool new places, or are otherwise in need of a quick gift.

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Is it possible to separate the fun of buying from the nuisance of paying? Klarna thinks so. The idea behind Klarna’s e-commerce services is the concept of after-delivery payment, letting buyers receive ordered goods before any payment is due. Instead of giving financial information, buyers shop with Klarna just by giving their name and select information (Klarna calculates the risk).
Innovation type: Payments

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Linkable Networks will be debuting a first-to-market capability that significantly broadens the value proposition of card-linked offers to issuing banks, merchants, manufacturers, and cardholding consumers. In addition, Linkable Networks will demonstrate new features recently added to its product platform and user interface.
Innovation type: Cards, mobile, rewards


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MShift believes that financial institutions need to enhance existing mobile banking solutions into mobile wallet and payment solutions.
At Finovate, MShift will demonstrate how mobile banking can influence how a consumer spends money in various retail scenarios.
Innovation type: Banking, payments, small business

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Your customers go mobile with smartphones and tablets. When they cannot fulfill their needs in mobile self-service, do you jump in at the right time to help them complete their business? Do you want to maximize the opportunity for smart customer experience and increased business via smart mobile devices (while reducing costs)? NICE Mobile Reach can do that for you. Don’t miss its demo at FinovateSpring.
Innovation type: Mobile, sales

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Personal Capital is wealth management for the Internet Age. The company’s online platform combines digital technology with highly personalized service to provide a holistic view of your unique financial picture. The free online dashboard presents all of your financial data in one place, including an assessment of your allocation, investment risk and fees.
These days, the financial lives of Americans are becoming more and more complex. At FinovateSpring, Personal Capital will unveil core new features that enable you to access your financial data in real time, on-the-go. You’ll be able to view and do, anywhere, anytime.
Innovation type: Investing, mobile, PFM

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Pindrop Security provides enterprise solutions that help prevent phone-based fraud. Pindrop’s acoustical fingerprinting technology detects fraudulent calls and authenticates legitimate callers, helping customers eliminate financial losses and reduce operational costs. Pindrop’s breakthrough technology is the first of its kind to fingerprint individual phone calls, providing verification of caller provenance. 
Recently named one of the 10 Most Innovative Companies at the 2012 RSA conference, Pindrop’s solutions help companies feel more confident in the security of phone-based financial transactions.
Innovation type: Identity,
security

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Easily administer and coordinate your annual budget with Budget Manager from ProfitStars. ProfitStars takes the headaches, and the spreadsheets, out of the budgeting process and optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of budgeting and planning.  
The company will show you how this newly redesigned browser-based version enables users to construct and manage a more efficient budgeting process, including how to tackle more difficult items like salaries and fixed assets.
Innovation type: Banking

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Discover a new Facebook app for banks that will not only make you relevant and engage Facebook users, but will also get your customers recommending and endorsing your card products.  It drives great loyalty from existing customers and also helps to devise new customer acquisition –all through Facebook. 

Serverside does this by letting people design their own credit or debit card using a picture from their Facebook gallery, then post it to their Facebook wall. Their friends then click on the card image to design their own card and help your bank to go viral!

Innovation type: cards


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Social Money can provide any bank in the world its own branded version of our revolutionary and award-winning SmartyPig technology. A new bank can be up and running on our system within 90 days in any language and currency, for a fraction of the cost of internal development efforts.
Innovation type: Banking products, PFM

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The dawn of compliance solutions that work.
Meet Molly. 115 different people use Molly’s SSN.
Financial institutions have no idea who these people really are.
This is possible because FIs and so-called identity protection companies can only verify identity. Verification is not enough. Full identification is needed to fight fraud and provide FIs the means to meet compliance requirements. Only Financial ICONN from TASCET can identify financial customers.
Once Molly activates her ICONN, TASCET proactively secures her identity and FIs know exactly who she is.
Innovation type: Identity, security

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Taulia takes the waste out of the supply chains of Fortune 500 Enterprises while simultaneously solving the cash-flow needs of their suppliers. The large enterprise buyers get discounts by paying their invoices early. In return, their suppliers get paid when they want. In Taulia’s young life, it has already enabled small suppliers from 40+ countries around the world to receive hundreds of millions of dollars of early payments.
Innovation type: Lending, payments, small business

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The Under-18 audience has an estimated $50 billion in spending power. Learn how to successfully monetize the kids/teen market in this powerful demo by Virtual Piggy, an exciting new company that provides innovative technological solutions to help bridge the gap between children, parents and online retailers.
Innovation type: Payments

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Wall Street Survivor is the only place for the beginner to learn about investing. Guided missions, beginner-focused learning content, combined with the web’s best stock simulator help users effectively manage their financial future.
Innovation type: Investing & asset management, marketing, PFM

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Mobi
le commerce is estimated to be a $31 billion industry by 2015, but how will the underbanked participate? Wipit has unlocked mobile payments for this massive and largely untapped consumer demographic representing 25% of all U.S. households and over 70 million U.S. prepaid wireless subscribers. Underbanked consumers can now make in-app and online payments with a single click. No need for bank accounts or credit cards; Wipit lets underbanked consumers use their payment method of choice– cash.
Innovation type: Cards, payments
Stay tuned next week for another sneak peek of FinovateSpring 2012 presenting companies.