GoodApril

Where the Alums Are: A Remembrance of FinovateSpring Past

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Arxan Technologies, Balance Financial, Banking Up, Banno, Better ATM Services, Braintree, CardFlight, Encap, EyeVerify, Finagraph, Finect, FinovateSpring 2013, FinovateSpring 2014, GoodApril, IntelliResponse, Jemstep, Kabbage, Kofax, Leaf, LendUp, LICUOS, Lodo Software, MoneyDesktop, Mortgage Harmony, Narrative Science, NICE Systems, Oink, OneID, OpenCoin, P2BInvestor, PayNearMe, Prestadero, Quantopian, Realty Mogul, SeedInvest, Yseop, Zooz

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It is hard to believe that it is almost time for FinovateSpring 2014.

There’s still plenty of time for you to get your tickets to our upcoming event in San Jose, California on April 29 and 30. Our final Sneak Peek preview post is up, all the companies who were prepping under the radar are now out of stealth, and we can’t wait for you to see what this year’s spring crop of fintech entrepreneurs and innovators has in store.

Before we do, however, let’s take a moment to take a look back at last year’s FinovateSpring alums. As we scrolled through blog archives, several themes jumped out: the appetite for startups remains as passionate as ever, with three of our Spring 2013 alums being acquired by such financial sector potentates as Intuit and PayPal. And venture capitalists continue to see innovation in this space as a more than worthwhile investment, with 20 separate fundings for Spring 2013 alums

We’ve grouped the achievements into four categories: Exits, Fundings, Awards, and Acquisitions. Enjoy!
EXITS
  • Jack Henry buys Banno for undisclosed sum
  • The rumors are true: eBay’s PayPal acquires Braintree for $800 million in cash
  • Intuit buys tax planning/preparation specialist GoodApril
  • TaxAct acquires Balance Financial
FUNDINGS
  • CardFlight secures $1.6 million in seed funding from ff Venture Capital
  • Encap earns seven-figure investment from ProVenture Seed
  • EyeVerify earns $2.3 million in Series A funding
  • Jemstep raises $4.5 million in Series A round
  • Kabbage brings in $270 million in debt financing to provide small businesses with funding of their own
  • Kabbage brings in $75 MIllion in debt financing
  • Leaf raises $20 million from Heartland Payment Systems
  • Alternative lender LendUp raises $14 million in new funding
  • D3 Banking creator Lodo Software Brings in $3 million
  • Narrative Science secures $11.5 million in Series C funding
  • OpenCoin wins investment from Google Ventures, IDG Capital Partners
  • P2BInvestor raises $1.2 million in Series A round
  • PayNearMe leverages Family Dollar Partnership; raises $20 million
  • PayNearMe raises $10 million in Series D funding, launches Express Merchant Onboarding Option
  • Prestadero raises 5 million pesos ($400,000 USD) in first round of funding
  • Quantopian raises $6.7 million in Series A round
  • Realty Mogul raises $9 million in round led by Canaan Partners
  • SeedInvest raises $2 million in crowdfunded investment campaign
  • SeedInvest Raises $1 million in round Led by Jumpstart New Jersey Angel Network
  • Zooz Closes $2 million Series A round Led by XSeed Capital
AWARDS
ACQUISITONS
  • OpenCoin acquires SimpleHoney
  • Kofax acquires data integration software provider Kapow Technologies
  • NICE to acquire Causata to enhance customer experience management

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Intuit Buys Tax Planning/Preparation Specialist GoodApril

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: GoodApril, Intuit

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Founded in January. Launched in March (see their FinovateSpring 2013 demo). Acquired in August.

That pretty much sums up a very productive 2013 for online tax preparation/planning software company, GoodApril.

The company announced on Thursday that it had been acquired by financial services giant, Intuit, for an undisclosed amount. GoodApril had been scheduled to make their pitch at Techstars Boulder/Denver Demo Day when the news broke. Undaunted, the innovative startup made its presentation anyway, a presentation that must have seemed as much acceptance speech as elevator pitch.

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GoodApril’s Tax CheckUp solution allows users to anticipate and prepare for potential tax liability in the tax year to come. Headquartered in San Francisco, and having only three employees, the company bills itself as the tax software for “the other 364 days of the year.” Tax Checkup analyzes previous tax returns and makes recommendations over the course of the year to ensure that taxpayers pay only what is owed on Tax Day.
Intuit has already one popular product in the tax preparation software market, TurboTax. However, like most tax preparation software packages, TurboTax is designed to help taxpayers prepare tax returns for previous years. Good April’s forward-looking approach gives taxpayers a chance to make potentially money-saving changes before it’s time to file.

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Finovate Alumni News– June 24, 2013

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Acculynk, Andera, Capital Access Network, Cartera Commerce, Currensee, Entrepreneurial Finance Lab, GoodApril, Intuit, Keynote DeviceAnywhere, Manilla, Realty Mogul, Tagit, TIBCO Software, Zighra, Zooz
  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgCapital Access Network named one of the top financial services companies of the year at the 11th Annual American Business Awards.
  • American Banker looks to Zigrhra, GoodApril, Realty Mogul, Entrepreneurial Finance Lab for innovation.
  • Lead411 names Cartera Commerce to Hottest Companies in Boston list.
  • TIBCO and Western Union partner to leverage Big Data to anticipate consumer trends and customize customer engagement.
  • Banking2020.com interviews Andera and Intuit on the branch of the future.
  • Tagit to expand in the Philippines by offering mobile-banking application software to banks.
  • Manilla adds email integration feature to personal finance platform.
  • Acculynk announces RuPay debit cardholders in India can make online purchases using the card.
  • Keynote DeviceAnywhere to be acquired by private equity investment firm, Thoma Bravo in a $395 million, all-cash, deal.
  • Adotas column on mobile commerce for SMBs takes a look at Zooz.
  • NordFX and Currensee launch partnership as former joins Trade Leaders Investment Program.
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– May 23, 2013

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: BillFloat, BillGuard, Billhighway, Check, Expensify, GoodApril, Lighter Capital, Linkable Networks, OpenCoin, ProfitStars, Taulia, TradeKing, TransferWise, Yodlee

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  • CMS Wire reports: Linkable Networks: Improving the Customer’s Path to Purchase.
  • Lighter Capital appoints Jeff Seely to board of directors.
  • Pymnts.com reports: BillGuard Acts As Antivirus For The Disease Of Fraud.
  • Expensify to begin new pricing structure.
  • Global Finance magazine names Taulia the best worldwide invoice discount management solution.
  • Expensify will soon be made available to over 250,000 Citrix enterprise customers.
  • BillFloat extends SmartPay pilot program with Radio Shack partnership.
  • Newfination interviews Mitch Fox, co-founder of GoodApril.
  • Wired’s Beyond the Beyond column features OpenCoin in a report from the Bitcoin 2013 business convention.
  • ProfitStar’s iPay Solutions named among best places to work in Kentucky.
  • Billhighway adds the Friends of Birmingham Historical Museum & Park as new client.
  • TransferWise wins a spot on Mashable’s list of “20 Hot London Startups You Need to Watch.”
  • Yodlee and Check (formerly Pageonce) are among the companies highlighted in American Banker column on reimagining PFM for mobile.
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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GoodApril Provides 365 Days of Online Tax Advice, Guidance, and Planning

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: FinovateSpring 2013, GoodApril

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for GoodAprilLogo.jpgThis post is part of our coverage of FinovateSpring 2013.

Next up to the stage is GoodApril, with a personal finance management approach to online tax planning.
“Today, GoodApril is unveiling its next-generation, automated tax monitoring solution for consumers.
GoodApril’s online Tax Checkup analyzes your 2012 tax return to identify tax savings opportunities for the year ahead. We also forecast how much more you will owe in taxes as a result of the 7 major tax rules changes included in the Fiscal Cliff tax bill and the Affordable Care Act.”
Product Launched: March 2013
HQ Location: San Francisco
Company Founded: January 2013
Metrics: 3 employees
Website: goodapril.com
Twitter: @goodapril
Presenting Benny Joseph (Founder) and Mitch Fox (Co-Founder)

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Finovate Alumni News– April 29, 2013

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Arxan Technologies, BankBazaar, BillFloat, Cardlytics, CSI globalVCard, GoodApril, ID Analytics, Kashoo, Metaforic, Temenos, Virtual Piggy
  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgNerdWallet profiles GoodApril. See them demo at FinovateSpring in May in San Francisco.
  • CSI Enterprises launches globalVCard for Travel mobile app.
  • Cairo Amman Bank to deploy Temenos T24.
  • Kashoo announces updates to its cloud accounting web app.
  • Cardlytics named a Best Workplace by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for second consecutive year.
  • Virtual Piggy sees 100,000 new active users sign-up since March for its youth wallet solution. Come check out their demo at FinovateSpring.
  • Gartner names Metaforic as a 2013 Cool Vendor in the Security Infrastructure Protection category.
  • Arxan Mobile Application Integrity Protection for IBM Worklight Apps enables IBM Worklight customers to protect their mobile apps against hacking. Come check out Arxan’s new technology at FinovateSpring.
  • ID Analytics introduces new version of Credit Optics Credit Score for more intelligent insight into consumer behavior.
  • Newfination talks to BankBazaar about how it works.
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– April 12, 2013

By David Penn Posted on
Categories: BrightScope, Check Point, Dwolla, FutureAdvisor, GoodApril, Kabbage, Lending Club, On Deck Capital, OpenCoin, Pageonce, Palo Alto Software, PayPal, Prosper, Realty Mogul, SeedInvest, Simple

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  • RIA Biz takes a look at BrightScope’s plan to make advisory fees public.
  • DietBet.com crowdfunds more than $300,000 via SeedInvest. Join SeedInvest in San Francisco for FinovateSpring in May.
  • Finovate alumni make a strong showing in GoodApril co-founder’s list of tax preparation innovation. Meet GoodApril at FinovateSpring.
  • VentureBeat features Ripple developer OpenCoin. See OpenCoin in action at FinovateSpring in May.
  • DroidBeans reviews Pageonce for Android.
  • Puget Sound Business Journal highlights the role of Realty Mogul in a local real estate deal. Join Realty Mogul at FinovateSpring.
  • PayPal buys Iron Pearl, a startup that helps companies make their products more attractive to customers.
  • Reuters looks at a case study of how FutureAdvisor is used to save for retirement.
  • PYMNTS looks at Kabbage’s “secret weapon”
  • New York Times Business Day interviews Sabrina Parsons, Palo Alto Software CEO. Come to FinovateSpring to watch it demo LivePlan.
  • Channelnomics reports: Check Point Launch Makes Small Branch Foray.
  • Dwolla takes top honors at Prometheus Awards in Des Moines.
  • Massolution’s Crowdfunding Industry Report places Lending Club and Prosper as leaders in the industry.
  • American Banker considers On Deck Capital’s growth.
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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FinovateSpring 2013 Sneak Peek: Part 1

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Balance, Curaxian, Cymonz, EyeVerify, FinovateSpring 2013, GoodApril, Palo Alto Software, Realty Mogul, Signifyd, TipRanks, Tradeslide, TrustEgg, ValidSoft

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On May 14 and 15, Finovate returns to San Francisco where more than 70 companies will showcase their new technology. The majority will be making their first appearance on the Finovate stage.

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

To be a part of the excitement, Get your ticket here. 

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Balance Financial: is a digital workspace that helps FIs drive revenue growth, improve client engagement and scale service delivery.

Features:

    • Customizable digital workspace for financial service professionals & their clients
    • Professional grade branded PFM, bill pay and file sharing tools
Why it’s great: Helps financial service professionals leverage technology to grow their business by building and maintaining better client relationships.
CuraxianLogo.jpg

Curaxian: The fastest and easiest way to find solutions to difficult fraud problems.

Features:

    • Find optimal solutions to fraud attacks
    • Improve portfolio profitability, retention, and relationship management
    • Manage authorization declines and interchange downgrades
Why it’s great: There is no easier or more effective way to resolve a fraud attack.
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Cymonz: Provides the software and business processes to easily integrate a currency exchange and international payments service into your business

Features:

    • Customizable online currency exchange for your clients
    • Management for your currency operations
    • White label for your partners
Why it’s great: Currency exchange and payments service for your brand.


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EyeVerify: Has commercialized a software-only biometric method for verifying the identity of mobile users – a safe, simple replacement for passwords.

Features:

    • Eliminate end users’ password fatigue
    • Reduce fraud and identity theft
    • Make mobile transactions safer and more convenient
Why it’s great: The password is dead – and now we have the replacement!

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GoodApril: Online tax planning: your guide to tax savings, helping you take actions today to reduce your taxes next April.

Features:

    • Identification of tax saving actions you can take in the year ahead
    • Forecast of how the 2013 tax law changes will impact you
Why it’s great: Consumers leave $22 billion in tax saving opportunities on the table each year – GoodApril helps make sure you’re not one of them.

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Palo Alto Software: Its LivePlan software helps a business forecast and budget for a successful future, and also helps a business understand the KPI’s it needs to manage for growth

Features:

    • Build a cash flow forecast
    • Gather business intelligence via enhanced dashboard
Why it’s great: There is no better way to manage your business online than with LivePlan
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Realty Mogul: A marketplace for accredited investors to pool money online and buy shares of pre-vetted investment properties.

Feature:

    • Investors get access to real estate investments they historically did not have access to
Why it’s great: Real estate investing made simple.
SignifydLogo.jpg

Signifyd: Fights fraud using the Social Graph. By guaranteeing payments, Signifyd provides an insurance for e-commerce merchants.

Features:

    • Fraud detection today is slow, inaccurate and expensive
    • Harnessing the Social Graph to fight fraud
    • Insurance for e-commerce
Why it’s great: Signifyd provides an insurance for e-commerce
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TipRanks: The first online co-browser that aggregates, scrutinizes, and evaluates digitally published stock recommendations.

Features:

    • Accountability for those who dish financial advice
    • Empowerment for those who seek it
    • Free, unbiased and transparent information
Why it’s great: TipRanks helps provide the answer for all individual investors – should I take this particular person’s financial advice?

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Tradeslide: Empowers independent financial traders

Feature:

    • The TS Score empowers independent traders by diagnosing performance, for traders’ and investors’ benefit.
Why it’s great: Tradeslide rates independent trading talent

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TrustEgg: Reinventing how parents save for their children

Features:

    • Parents can set up a Trust for free
    • Invite friends and family to contribute
    • Money invested in mutual fund until child turns 18
Why it’s great: TrustEgg is the simple, social way to save for your kids.

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ValidSoft: SMART – Secure Mobile Architecture for Real-time Transactions

Features:

    • Custom built strong authentication platform for the mobile world
    • No customer friction
    • Using proprietary voice biometrics
Why it’s great: SMART secures your mobile wallet without customer friction: Simple, Secure, Safe

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For more information on attending, see our FAQ. To register, visit our FinovateSpring page here.

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Finovate Alumni News– April 8, 2013

By Julie Muhn (@julieschicktanz) Posted on
Categories: Allied Payment Network, Bazaarvoice, Dwolla, Fiserv, Gold Bullion International, GoodApril, Green Dot, IDTheft 911, Mitek, Realty Mogul, SecondMarket, SoMoLend, TradeKing, TransferWise, Virtual Piggy, Xero, Yodlee, Zooz, Zopa
  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgInvestors Business Daily interviews Barry Silbert, SecondMarket CEO, who says the stock market is broken.
  • Xero opening new LA office for Southern California team.
  • Bank Innovation reports: Fiserv Tops 1 Million Mobile Deposit Capture Users, 7 Million Mobile Users.
  • Radio New Zealand reports: Xero to launch fully into U.S. market in July.
  • Candace Klein, SoMoLend CEO, discusses the hardship that the SEC’s delay of the JOBS Act has caused.
  • Dwolla updates Magneto extension.
  • Yodlee receives 2013 Honorable Mention in Industry Partner category for the Barlow Research Associates’ Monarch Innovation Awards.
  • Virtual Piggy integrates with Oracle ATG Web Commerce, expands reach of network to more than 390,000 brands.
  • Mitek’s Mobile Deposit solution receives top award for Overall Most Innovative from Barlow Research Associates.
  • Management Today interviews Zopa CEO, Giles Andrews.
  • TechCrunch looks at Realty Mogul and its recent win at the Founder Showcase pitch competition. See them in action at FinovateSpring in May.
  • GreenDot and UniRush launch reloadable prepaid Visa card. Join GreenDot for FinovateSpring in San Francisco.
  • Allied Payment Network bill payment technology integrates with CSPI’s Aurora online banking platform.
  • Zooz announces partnership with ChronoPay. Join Zooz in San Francisco for FinovateSpring in May.
  • Identity Theft 911 CEO to lead discussion on social media and insurer risk at upcoming NAMIC seminar.
  • Roadtrip Nation interviews Dan Reed of Bazaarvoice.
  • Money Street Smart reviews TradeKing.
  • Hard Assets Alliance features an interview with Gold Bullion International CEO Steven Feldman.
  • Newfination interviews Taavet Hinrikus of TransferWise.
  • Engine talks about rewarding risk-takers with GoodApril founder Benny Joseph.
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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