Lighter Capital Increases Funding Limit to $3 Million

Lighter Capital Increases Funding Limit to $3 Million

Revenue-based small business financing startup Lighter Capital announced today it has increased its funding limit by 50%.

The Washington-based company will now provide tech startups with up to $3 million in working capital in exchange for 2% to 8% of their business’ future revenue. The $3 million cap is up from Lighter Capital’s previous funding limit of $2 million. Unlike with VC funding, startups retain full ownership of their company.

“As more and more tech entrepreneurs discover alternatives to equity-based venture funding, we realized the need for even more significant financial commitment,” BJ Lackland, CEO of Lighter Capital said. “The reality is, most banks won’t fund small, early-stage tech startups, and venture capitalists demand significant equity in the company. By increasing our loan amounts by 50 percent, we can ensure burgeoning tech startups can rapidly expand and get ahead of competition.”

Founded in 2010, Lighter Capital has funded more than 270 early stage tech startups in 450 funding installments totaling $125 million. The company today announced it has provided an additional $555,000 in funding to proptech company ListReports. Thanks to the more than $2 million in total financing from Lighter Capital, ListReports has increased its revenue by 11x since Lighter Capital first began investing in it in 2016, Regarding the round, Lackland said, “Since day one, ListReports has been on an upward trajectory, showing continuous growth, while building out a sustainable business model. We’ll happily provide them with the financing they need to become a dominant force in the real estate technology market.”

Lighter Capital most recently demoed at FinovateFall 2013 where it showcased loan analysis and monitoring tools. Last month, the company launched a new Client Perks Program and a few weeks back appointed Anthea Louie as Chief Marketing Officer.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • MoneyHub Secures Investment from Nationwide.
  • Lighter Capital Increases Funding Limit to $3 Million.
  • Prosper Plans HELOC Product Launch in 2019.
  • Nvstr Brings Brokerage Optimized Investing to the Masses.

Around the web

  • Kasasa partners with rateGenius to offer Kasasa Loans on behalf of Kasasa’s community financial institution network.
  • Infosys to open technology and innovation hub in Texas and hire 500 American workers by 2020.
  • Xero announces new integrations with Tide, Starling Bank, TransferWise, Revolut, and Soldo.
  • Javelin names OneSpan ‘Best in Class’ provider, honoring it with the 2018 Mobile Biometrics Platform Award.
  • Emailage announces Tom Miller as new Chief Revenue Officer.
  • Quovo becomes the first U.S.-based financial data provider granted registration in the Open Banking Directory.
  • Javelin Strategy & Research names Daon a 2018 Mobile Biometrics Platform Awards Leader in the Functional category.

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

On Finovate.com

  • SigFig Launches CoPilot, a Digital Wealth Platform for Financial Advisors.
  • Fiserv Finalizes Acquisition of Elan Financial Services’ Debit Processing Solutions.

Around the web

  • Eltropy partners with NWCUA to Bring Text Messaging to More than 180 Northwest Credit Unions.
  • CashStar named one of the best places to work in Maine for 8th consecutive year.
  • Lighter Capital appoints Anthea Louie as Chief Marketing Officer.
  • CCN names Crypterium among top 5 coins to watch in 2018.
  • Fenergo Launches Client Lifecycle Management Solution for Natixis.

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.

Lighter Capital Launches Capital Client Perks Program

Lighter Capital Launches Capital Client Perks Program

Revenue-based financing provider Lighter Capital has brightened up its services today with the launch of a new perks program.

The Lighter Capital Client Perks, which bundles business tools and service offerings, launches today for startups funded by Lighter Capital. Customers can use the program for free and benefit from offers that add up to $75,000 in savings from 30 companies (including Finovate alum Gusto), more than 10% of which are Lighter Capital clients. Offerings include cloud hosting, HR services, marketing and sales automation, CRM, and more.

“We recognize that in today’s business environment, it takes more than money for tech startups to achieve success – so we’ve assembled a lineup of services specially catered to assist early-stage companies,” said BJ Lackland, CEO of Lighter Capital. “Our goal is to help startups grow. We’d love it if companies can receive enough savings from these perks that they effectively pay us no interest on our loans. That’s a great benefit for everyone.”

Since it was founded in 2010, Seattle-based Lighter Capital  has funded more than 270 startup companies with 450+ rounds of financing totaling more than $125 million. Designed for tech companies, Lighter Capital’s revenue-based financing model exchanges from $50,000 to $2 million in up-front capital for 2% to 8% of future revenue. Unlike with VC funding, startups retain full ownership of their company.

Lighter Capital last demoed at FinovateFall 2013 where it showcased loan analysis and monitoring tools. The company was recently ranked 776 on the Inc. 5,000 list for achieving a growth rate of 6.5x over the last three years.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Daon Inks Deal with South Africa’s Capitec Bank.
  • Lighter Capital Launches Capital Client Perks Program.

Around the web

  • Ping Identity integrates its multi-factor authentication solution, PingID, with Microsoft Azure Active Directory.
  • MoneyTap, DLT-based payment app developed by SBI and Ripple goes live in Japan.
  • OutSystems appoints Tim MacCarrick as new Chief Financial Officer.
  • Baltic International Bank finishes upgrade of its private, corporate, and retail banking offerings courtesy of a partnership with Temenos.
  • Sberbank customers can now add “cash postcards” – automated images with sound – to their money transfers.
  • CNBC features Plaid: the startup you’ve never heard of.
  • Arxan begins a month-long initiative to raise awareness for improved application security and threat intelligence.
  • RightCapital launches white-labeled, native 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.

Highlights of This Year’s Inc. 5000

Highlights of This Year’s Inc. 5000

Inc. has once again released its lists of the fastest-growing 5,000 private companies in the U.S. and Europe this week. A total of 13 Finovate alums made the U.S. list and 14 earned spots on the Europe list. To qualify*, companies were required to be privately-owned and independent.

Inc. 5,000 U.S.

The 5,000 companies on this year’s list collectively generated more than $206 billion in revenue. Here are the 13 Finovate alums that made the cut this year:

SeedInvest

  • Rank: 117
  • 2017 revenue: $4.7 million
  • 3-year growth: 33.8x
  • Founded: 2013
  • Employees: 30
  • Ranked number 4 in top financial services companies

SeedInvest demoed at FinovateSpring 2013.

Cardflight

  • Rank: 139
  • 2017 revenue: $5.1 million
  • 3-year growth: 29x
  • Founded: 2009
  • Employees: 192
  • Ranked number 5 in top financial services companies

CardFlight demoed at FinovateSpring 2013.

Alkami technology

  • Rank: 284
  • 2017 revenue: $26.8 million
  • 3-year growth: 17x
  • Founded: 2009
  • Employees: 299
  • Ranked number 10 in top Dallas companies

Alkami debuted under the name iThryv at FinovateSpring 2009.

Passport

  • Rank: 389
  • 2017 revenue: $12.3 million
  • 3-year growth: 12.6x
  • Founded: 2010
  • Employees: 96
  • Ranked number 4 in top Charlotte companies

Passport demoed at FinovateEurope 2016.

Emailage

  • Rank: 625
  • 2017 revenue: $16.6 million
  • 3-year growth: 8x
  • Founded: 2012
  • Employees: 79
  • Ranked number 6 in top security companies

Emailage demoed at FinovateSpring 2015.

Lighter Capital

  • Rank: 776
  • 2017 revenue: $11.9 million
  • 3-year growth: 6.5x
  • Founded: 2010
  • Employees: 39
  • Ranked number 11 in top Seattle companies

Lighter Capital demoed at FinovateFall 2013.

Tango Card

  • Rank: 912
  • 2017 revenue: $17 million
  • 3-year growth: 5.4x
  • Founded: 2009
  • Employees: 80
  • Ranked number 14 in top Seattle companies

Tango Card demoed at FinovateFall 2016.

WealthForge

  • Rank: 932
  • 2017 revenue: $8.9 million
  • 3-year growth: 5.3x
  • Founded: 2009
  • Employees: 29
  • Ranked number 6 in top Richmond, VA companies

WealthForge demoed at FinovateSpring 2016.

Unison

  • Rank: 1048
  • 2017 revenue: $2.3 million
  • 3-year growth: 4.7x
  • Founded: 2014
  • Employees: 10
  • Ranked number 4 in top Detroit companies

Unison demoed at FinovateFall 2017.

Acuity Systems

  • Rank: 1107
  • 2017 revenue: $12.6 million
  • 3-year growth: 4.5x
  • Founded: 2010
  • Employees: 26

Acuity Systems demoed at FinovateEurope 2013.

defi SOLUTIONS

  • Rank: 1176
  • 2017 revenue: $14.6 million
  • 3-year growth: 4.1x
  • Founded: 2012
  • Employees: 80

defi SOLUTIONS demoed at FinovateSpring 2014.

Interactions

  • Rank: 1550
  • 2017 revenue: $92.9 million
  • 3-year growth: 3x
  • Founded: 2004
  • Employees: 413

Interactions demoed at FinovateSpring 2014.

Cardlytics

  • Rank: 2886
  • 2017 revenue: $130.4 million
  • 3-year growth: 1.4x
  • Founded: 2008
  • Employees: 342

Cardlytics demoed at FinovateFall 2014. The company went public early this year.

Inc. 5,000 Europe

This is the fourth year in a row Inc. has ranked European countries. The rankings are based on three-year revenue growth. Here are the 14 Finovate alums that earned a spot on the list, including SumUp, which took the number one slot:

SumUp

  • Rank: 1
  • 2016 revenue: $63.7 million (€56 million)
  • 3-year growth: 143.7x
  • Founded 2011
  • Employees: 500

SumUp demoed at FinovateEurope 2013.

VATBox 

  • Rank: 91
  • 2016 revenue: $6.9 million (€6.1 million)
  • 3-year growth: 25x
  • Founded 2012
  • Employees: 140

VATBox demoed at FinovateEurope 2015.

Kantox 

  • Rank: 390
  • 2016 revenue: $4.9 million (€4.3 million)
  • 3-year growth: 12x
  • Founded 2011
  • Employees: 73

Kantox demoed at FinovateEurope 2013

HelpMyCash

  • Rank: 699
  • 2016 revenue: $2.96 million (€2.6 million)
  • 3-year growth: 8.3x
  • Founded 2007
  • Employees: 16

HelpMyCash demoed at FinovateEurope 2011.

Featurespace 

  • Rank: 901
  • 2016 revenue: $3.41 million (€3 million)
  • 3-year growth: 7x
  • Founded 2005
  • Employees: 62

Featurespace demoed at FinovateFall 2016.

Kalixa Payments 

  • Rank: 918
  • 2016 revenue: $42.3 million (€37.2 million)
  • 3-year growth: 7x
  • Founded 2008
  • Employees: 112

Kalixa demoed at FinovateEurope 2013.

Zopa

  • Rank: 1314
  • 2016 revenue: $46.3 million (€40.7 million)
  • 3-year growth: 5.4x
  • Founded 2004
  • Employees: 188

Zopa demoed at FinovateSpring 2008.

Feedzai

  • Rank: 1330
  • 2016 revenue: $13.8 million (€12.1 million)
  • 3-year growth: 5.4x
  • Founded 2008
  • Employees: 68

Feedzai demoed at FinovateEurope 2014.

Trustly

  • Rank: 1344
  • 2016 revenue: $36.7 million ( €32.3 million)
  • 3-year growth: 5.4x
  • Founded 2008
  • Employees: 83

Trustly demoed at FinovateEurope 2017.

Fenergo

  • Rank: 1882
  • 2016 revenue: $33.8 million ( €29.7 million)
  • 3-year growth: 3.8x
  • Founded 2012
  • Employees: 183

Fenergo demoed at FinovateEurope 2012.

Innofis

  • Rank: 2452
  • 2016 revenue: $8.2 million (€7.2 million)
  • 3-year growth: 2.6x
  • Founded 2012
  • Employees: 69

Innofis demoed at FinovateEurope 2016.

Quadient France 

  • Rank: 2966
  • 2016 revenue: $8.9 million (€7.8 million)
  • 3-year growth: 1.8x
  • Founded 2007
  • Employees: 21

Quadient demoed at FinovateEurope 2018.

True Potential

  • Rank: 3233
  • 2016 revenue: $88.5 million (€77.8 million)
  • 3-year growth: 1.5x
  • Founded 2007
  • Employees: 234

True Potential demoed at FinovateFall 2014.

Comarch

  • Rank: 4954
  • 2016 revenue: $35.6 million (€31.3 million)
  • 3-year growth: 59%
  • Founded 1978
  • Employees: 148

Comarch demoed at FinovateEurope 2017.


*Companies on the 2018 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2014 to 2017. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2014. They must be privately held, for-profit, and independent–not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies–as of December 31, 2017. (Since then, some on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2014 is $100,000; the minimum for 2017 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • TrueAccord Lands $22 Million to Humanize Debt Collection
  • Rising in the East: Asian Fintech Startups Shine in Showcase
  • BOKU to Raise $60 Million Ahead of London IPO

Around the web

  • UBS Card Center leverages AI technology from FICO to lower fraud write-offs.
  • D3 Banking adds new payment options, flexible card controls to its digital banking platform.
  • Thomson Reuters introduces new set of MiFID II reference data capabilities available on its data and analytics platform, DataScope.
  • Prosper Reports Third Quarter Growth; Closes $1.5 Billion of Securitizations in 2017
  • AngelList picks Quid as a top machine learning company.
  • Lighter Capital partners with Intuit to launch $15M fund for QuickBooks developers.
  • Blackhawk Network Expands Partnership with eBay to Provide B2B Gift Card Solutions

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.

12 Alums Earn Their Place on Inc. 5000 List

12 Alums Earn Their Place on Inc. 5000 List

Inc. released its lists of the fastest-growing 5,000 private companies in the U.S. and Europe this week. Eight Finovate alums made the U.S. list and four earned spots on the Europe list. To qualify*, companies were required to be privately-owned and independent.

Inc. 5,000 U.S.

Overall in the U.S., financial services companies saw a 151% growth rate, while IT services experienced 112% growth, security 171% growth, and software grew 134%. Out of the 5,000 companies listed in 28 industries, here are the eight Finovate alums that earned their place on the list:

Alkami Technology

  • Rank: 176
  • 2016 revenue: $11.9 million
  • 3-year growth: 24x
  • Founded: 2009
  • Employees: 192
  • Ranked number 11 in top software companies, number 8 in top Dallas companies, and number 13 in top Texas companies.

Alkami debuted under the name iThryv at FinovateSpring 2009 in San Francisco.

nCino

  • Rank: 361
  • 2016 revenue: $26.1 million
  • 3-year growth: 12.2x
  • Founded: 2012
  • Employees: 273
  • Ranked number 24 in top software companies and number 10 in top North Carolina companies.

nCino debuted its bank operating system at FinovateEurope 2017 in London.

Tango Card

  • Rank: 373
  • 2016 revenue: $10.6 million
  • 3-year growth: 11.6x
  • Founded: 2009
  • Employees: 57
  • Ranked number six in top Seattle companies and number six in top Washington companies.

Tango Card debuted its Rewards as a Service API at FinovateFall 2016 in New York.

Kabbage

  • Rank: 449
  • 2016 revenue: $172 million
  • 3-year growth: 9.8x
  • Founded: 2009
  • Employees: 325
  • Ranked number 24 in top financial services companies, number 14 in top Atlanta companies, and number 16 in top Georgia companies.

At FinovateSpring 2015, Kabbage debuted the Kabbage Card. Kathryn Petralia, the company’s President, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder, will be featured on our Digital Lending Summit panel on September 13. Register today to save your spot.

Lighter Capital

  • Rank: 634
  • 2016 revenue: $6.4 million
  • 3-year growth: 7.1x
  • Founded: 2010
  • Employees: 36
  • Ranked number 10 in top Seattle companies and number 11 in top Washington companies.

Lighter Capital debuted its Next-Generation Loan Analysis & Monitoring at FinovateFall 2013 in New York.

defi SOLUTIONS

  • Rank: 771
  • 2016 revenue: $11.4 million
  • 3-year growth: 5.9x
  • Founded: 2012
  • Employees: 59

defi SOLUTIONS showcased its loan origination solution at FinovateSpring 2014.

Cardlytics

  • Rank: 1069
  • 2016 revenue: $112.8 million
  • 3-year growth: 4x
  • Founded: 2008
  • Employees: 325

At FinovateFall 2013, Cardlytics showcased its geolocation application.

Payoneer

  • Rank: 1912
  • 2016 revenue: $100 million to $500 million
  • 3-year growth: 2x
  • Founded: 2005
  • Employees: 100 to 249
  • Is a five-time Inc. 5,000 honoree
  • Awarded as a Best Place to Work

Payoneer showcased its Commercial Account at FinovateAsia 2013.

Inc. 5,000 Europe

This is Inc’s third annual ranking of private companies in Europe, based on three-year revenue growth. In its analysis, Inc. ranked Paris, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia, and London as the top five regions with the highest number of fastest growing companies in Europe. Four Finovate alums landed on Inc.’s Europe list this year:

True Potential

  • Rank: 900
  • 2015 revenue: $52.6 million (€44.9 million)
  • 3-year growth: 6.9x
  • Founded 2010
  • Employees: 29

True Potential demonstrated impulseSave at FinovateFall 2014

Zopa

  • Rank: 909
  • 2015 revenue: $32.9 million (€28.1 million)
  • 3-year growth: 6.9x
  • Founded: 2004
  • Employees: 111

Zopa showcased its P2P lending platform at FinovateSpring 2008.

Fidor Bank AG

  • Rank: 4413
  • 2015 revenue: $35.5 million (€30.3 million)
  • 3-year growth: 2x
  • Employees: 148

At FinovateEurope 2011, Fidor Bank demonstrated its Fidor Pay account.

Truphone

  • Rank: 4183
  • 2015 revenue: $42.9 million (€36.6 million)
  • 3-year growth: 2.9x
  • Founded: 2001
  • Employees: 522

Truphone showed off Truphone Mobile Recording at FinovateEurope 2014.


*Other qualifying criteria include

  • Have started earning revenue by March 31st, 2013
  • Had revenue no less than $100,000 in 2013
  • Had revenue no less than $2,000,000 in 2016
  • Revenue in 2016 exceeds revenue in 2013

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • AlphaPoint Launches Solution for Initial Coin Offerings
  • Finovate Alums Prepare for Citi Tech for Integrity Challenge Finals

Around the web

  • Bellingham, Washington-based Whatcom Educational Credit Union (WECU) to deploy core processing technology from Fiserv.
  • Digital Wealth Insights reviews Moven Enterprise.
  • Ledger announces XRP support on Nano S and Blue.
  • IDology named one of 2017’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in Atlanta.
  • Bankless Times: Lighter Capital an alternative for tech startups.
  • Barefoot Innovation Group features Bill Harris, CEO of Personal Capital.
  • Check Point’s SandBlast Mobile receives Miercom’s Certified Secure Award.

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

On Finovate.com

  • NuCypher and Sureify Earn Finalist Spots at Startup Battlefield, MetLife’s Collab.

Around the web

  • Mobile identity scoring innovator Juvo appoints Prosper president Ron Suber as strategic advisor.
  • BBVA unveils new chatbot providing basic financial information over Facebook and Telegram.
  • IBM opens the doors on its Blockchain Founder Accelerator program for blockchain startups.
  • Spanish tax agency, AEAT, certifies Comarch’s Accounts Payable solution.
  • Puget Sound Business Journal Features Lighter Capital.
  • NuCypher wins finalist spot at Disrupt NY 2017’s Startup Battlefield.

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

On Finovate.com

  • nCino Helps Financial Institutions Benefit from Cloud Banking
  • LendUp Gives the Underbanked What No Traditional Bank Will

On FinDEVr.com

  • Check out this week’s FinDEVr APIntelligence

Around the web

  • BanQu teams up with Eastern Congo Initiative to launch secure data storage network for farmers.
  • TransferWise announces operational profitability and monthly revenues of £8 million.
  • Lighter Capital adds Former Silicon Valley Bank’s Head of Risk, Marc Verissimo, to its Board of Directors
  • Wells Fargo selects Uniken for accelerator program.
  • Wipro launches Nine Solutions to Accelerate Adoption of Blockchain Across Industry Sectors
  • Societe Generale partners with Open Bank Project to launch internal Open Banking Hackathon
  • South Carolina-based Community First Bank hires Insuritas to install and manage insurance agency.

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

On Finovate.com

  • “Fintech Favorites: Blockchain, the Banks, and the Underbanked”
  • Lleida.net Brings Connectaclick to Ecuador’s Banco Pichincha.

Around the web

  • Swiss fintech innovator Net Guardians to deploy its security solution, FraudGuardian, with National Bank of Malawi.
  • iSignthis partners with Leverate Financial Services, providing the online FX and CFD broker with its full Paydentity solution.
  • YourStory profiles Finovate newcomer MarketsMojo and its plan to make equity investing mainstream.
  • Frankfurter Allgemeine features Fintura in a look at the fintech scene in Frankfurt.
  • True Potential wins approval as workplace pension adviser from The Pensions Regulator.
  • PayPal reports mobile shopping represented a third of sales on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
  • Lighter Capital named the fastest growing private tech company in Washington state.
  • LTP lists BankBazaar, CoverHound, InforcePRO, and Sureify on its list of revolutionary insuretech startups.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.