Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • “Four Finovate Alums Land on Inc. Magazine Top 100″

Around the web

  • Check out Utah Business’s video interview of Ryan Caldwell, MX CEO, honored as one of Utah’s Fast 50. Come see what MX has for developers at FinDEVr this October.
  • Silicon Republic names WePay, Betterment, and OnDeck as companies to follow on Twitter.
  • Pymnts examines how Ripple Labs’ partnership with Earthport enables payments between global trading partners in real time.
  • TSYS hires Patricia Watson as Senior EVP and CIO.
  • Finovate, FinDEVr alums make Let’s Talk Payments’ list of payment companies raising money in 2015.
  • Waters Technology looks at the use of sentiment analysis by investment-oriented startups like Nous and Market Prophet.
  • BankNXT profiles the partnership between two disruptive businesses, Uber and Zopa.
  • Klarna valued at more than $2.25 billion after secondary offering.
  • Fidor Bank CEO Matthias Kroner calls bitcoin a “natural part of the digital lifestyle.”
  • TIO Networks initiates a non-brokered private placement of up to 2.1 million Common Shares priced at $1.08 CAD per share.
  • AcceptEmail names Ron Averett as president and CEO for U.S.A. and Canada.

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

  • “Xero Launches its New Android Touch App”
  • “Lending Club Reports Growth in Revenues, Originations for Q2 2015″
  • “CashStar Raises Captal: New Investment Boosts Total to $50 Million”

Around the web

  • Star Tribune column on robo-advisors features blooom.
  • ACI Worldwide and Computop partner to provide payments and anti-fraud solution.
  • Yodlee adds four companies to its International Acceleration Program. Join Yodlee at FinDEVr 2015 in San Francisco in October.
  • BankNXT’s look at fintech in Singapore features Dragon Wealth.
  • Let’s Talk Payments highlights Azimo, Currency Cloud, peerTransfer, TransferWise, and Ripple in its list of “remittance startups to watch for.”
  • CurrencyFair signs on with global payment network, Earthport.
  • LendUp deploys TaskRouter from Twilio to improve its call-center customer service. See Twilio at FinDEVr 2015 in San Francisco.
  • The Globe and Mail highlights Financeit in a look at financing options for small businesses.

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.

Five Finovate Alums Named 2015 Technology Pioneers by World Economic Forum

Five Finovate Alums Named 2015 Technology Pioneers by World Economic Forum

WorldEconomicForum_homepage

According to the World Economic Forum, whatever it takes to be a Technology Pioneer in 2015, a quintet of Finovate alums has got it.

Ayasdi, FutureAdvisor, Ripple Labs, Sedicii Innovations, and TransferWise were named as 2015 Technology Pioneers in the World Economic Forum’s Information Technology category.

AyasdiLogo_FF2014The Technology Pioneers program was launched in 2000 to give recognition to early stage companies developing new technologies that will have a “significant impact on business and society.” Previous winners have included AirBnB, Google, Next, SoundCloud, and Twitter.

futureadvisorlogoThe World Economic Forum chooses approximately 30 companies each year out of a pool of “hundreds” of applicants. The field is winnowed by a selection committee consisting of top technology experts, academics, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists who review the applications and submit a recommendation to the World Economic Forum. Since the program began, 600 companies from five continents have been represented in the Technology Pioneer program.

RippleLabs_logoCompanies interested in the 2016 program should apply before February 5, 2016. Applicants will be notified by mid-July 2016. More information about the program is available here.

Sedicii_logo_high-resAyasdi made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2014 in New York. The company raised $55 million in funding this spring, taking its total to more than $100 million. FutureAdvisor recently unveiled its FutureGift solution, to make it easier for friends and family to make contributions to a child’s college savings plan. The San Francisco-based company demoed its platform at FinovateFall 2013, and has total capital of more than $20 million.

Transferwise_logo_newRipple Labs picked up a $28 million investment and hired former Yahoo exec Brad Garlinghouse as its new chief operating officer in April. Irish startup Sedicii demoed its authentication solution at FinovateEurope 2015, and TransferWise, making its Finovate appearance at FinovateEurope 2013, began 2015 with a $58 million fundraising led by Andreessen Horowitz that boosted the company’s total capital to more than $90 million.

Finovate Alumni News

Around the web

  • i-exceed introduces Appzillon 3.1, featuring new widgets, style editors, over-the-air (OTA) support and more.
  • OnDeck unveils mobile app for small business owners.
  • Ripple Labs appoints former Treasury Department official, Michael Barr, as an adviser.
  • Zooz teams up with Bitnet to enable bitcoin payments on its platform.
  • Bendigo and Adelaide Bank to deploy Appian BPM platform.
  • NAMU Systems wins “Most Personalized Banking Experience” award from EPAM at the 2015 Citi Mobile Challenge in EMEA.
  • Coinbase earns a spot in MIT Technology Review’s 50 Smartest Companies in 2015.

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

  • “Redesigning the Value Chain: Q&A with Michiel Schipper of Topicus”

Around the web

  • Trustly appoints CCO from Société Générale and director of sales from Klarna Group.
  • Swiss Re partners with Backbase to develop a new digital platform for selling and servicing life and health products online. Come see Backbase at FinDEVr on 6/7 October in San Francisco.
  • PayItSimple launches in the United Kingdom.
  • Greater Nevada, $550 million in assets, hires Insuritas to launch insurance agency.
  • Paybefore: “How the Ripple Protocol Could Change Payments”
  • PayPal’s Braintree supports Apple Pay in the U.K. with its v.zero SDK. Come see Braintree at FinDEVr this fall.
  • Billhighway adopts SnapApp platform to develop and publish interactive content that increases market engagement.
  • ReadyForZero lists Prosper and Lending Club as 2 of the top 3 debt-consolidation loan companies.
  • Betterment launches SmartDeposit feature.
  • Market Prophit licenses its platform to Nasdaq’s Market Intelligence Desk.
  • The Flying Merchant to use digital eKYC solution from iSignthis to meet AML requirements.
  • The Economic Times India features ArthaYantra, Betterment, FutureAdvisor, and Wealthfront in a review of robo-advisors.

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

Around the web

  • American Banker focuses on how Open Bank Project uses open-source APIs.
  • TechCrunch looks at BioCatch’s newest patent on user’s interaction with phone’s accelerometer and touch screen.
  • “Ripple Labs Elected to Fed Steering Committee for Faster Payments”

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

  • Finovate Debuts: Token Creates a Secure Payment Ecosystem

Around the web

  • PYMNTS chats with Ripple Labs CEO Chris Larsen, co-founder.
  • Forbes lists Transferwise as 1 of 3 fintech startups you should know.
  • Inc. names Planwise, Trulioo, WePay, Flint in its look at the evolution of fintech.
  • After launching with Tradier, QuantConnect saw a 300% jump in user-engagement signals, including traffic, coding and backtesting.
  • Fiserv expands card-production capabilities to speed EMV chip-card migration.
  • TechCrunch column on fintech startups features Lending Club and LearnVest.
  • PYMNTS.com quotes LoopPay CEO Will Graylin in a discussion of how Apple, Google, and Samsung “pitch payments.”
  • Market Prophit adds Nasdaq Last Sale real-time data to its analytics platform.
  • Queens Gazette columnist calls MaxMyInterest “a way to get back at the banking industry for their pitifully low interest rates on savings.”
  • The Financial Times’ review of P2P lending for business and consumers features Zopa.
  • Ernst & Young name TransferWise co-founders Taavet Hinrikus and Kristo Käärmann “Entrepreneurs of the Year” for 2015.
  • Great Friday reading material! Draft co-founder Brad Lawler describes how he was inspired by Finovate.

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

  • TipRanks Takes Top Prize at IBM Watson Hackathon in Israel

Around the web

  • Greg Smith and Chris Costello of Blooom discuss simplifying 401(k) management with Fox Business News.
  • Nilesh Dusane, Ripple Labs VP for global sales and client relations, talks about distributed ledgers and the future of payments.
  • EZBOB announces Everline as the sole channel for intermediary businesses.
  • Nomis Solutions teams up with Oliver Wyman to help FIs boost profitability in their retail deposit portfolios.
  • Temenos opens new office in Helsinki, Finland.
  • The Financial Brand highlights the need for banks to compete with Mint, MX, D3, Yodlee, Meniga, Geezeo, and Strands.
  • Investopedia features FutureAdvisor’s use for college savings.
  • Ping Identity enhances partner program with new options, benefits and requirements for partners in three programs.
  • BCSG appoints Deutsche Telekom’s Simon Lunn as COO.
  • Strategic News Service FiRe tech conference names ValidSoft a 2015 FiReStarter Company.
  • ProfitStars Banno Mobile named a leader in the IDC MarketScape: North American Mobile Banking Software Solutions 2015 Vendor Assessment.
  • Huffington Post considers advice from Scott Cook, Intuit co-founder.
  • Remember, the application deadline for the Fall 2015 cohort for the SixThirty accelerator is Friday, 10 July 2015.

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

  • “Finovate Debuts: TrueAccord Provides Kinder, Gentler Automated Debt Collection”
  • “HedgeCoVest Adds Two New Models to its Platform”
  • “CashSentinel Closes Seed Round of Undisclosed Amount”

Around the web

  • Dunkin’ Donuts, Fandango, Sundance Catalog and Williams-Sonoma now accept Visa Checkout.
  • Moven updates Android mobile app.
  • The Fintech blog features Q&A with LendUp CEO Sasha Orloff.
  • Bank Innovation profiles Hedgeable and its “one simple trick.”
  • Westpac Banking Corporation and New Zealand Banking Group are testing Ripple for payment transfers between subsidiaries.
  • Ixaris announces €4m Open Payments Ecosystem (OPE) project to support developers building payment apps.
  • TSYS to support Apple Pay when it launches in the U.K. in July.
  • Omnichannel account-opening solution from Zenmonics goes live at BBVA.
  • Austin Energy to adopt PaySecure platform from Acculynk.
  • Investopedia column on the “Top 5 Myths of Robo-Advisors” features Betterment, Wealthfront, and Vanguard.
  • BrightScope launches Fund Pages to provide detailed information about open-ended mutual funds.
  • Sam’s Club using Lending Club to offer financing to SMB customers.
  • FitSmallBusiness.com names OnDeck best provider of small business loans.
  • SunGard terminal selects Heckyl news and sentiment analysis.
  • Pindrop Security granted patent for phone antifraud and authentication technology.
  • Top Image Systems taps Bob Fresnel as new TIS Americas President.

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

  • Kantox Picks Up $11 Million in Series B, Doubling Total Capital
  • Guide Financial Acquired by John Hancock Financial

Around the Web

  • Misys unveils its in-memory analytics engine, FusionBanking Insight.
  • True Potential launches its Apple Watch app.
  • Commonwealth Bank of Australia begins testing Ripple as intra-bank transfer solution.
  • Michigan-based Isabella Bank to deploy workflow suite from Jack Henry & Associates.
  • Lending Club CEO talks about the brand-building benefits of going public.
  • Jet Propulsion Laboratory partners with eSignLive from Silanis Technology for end-to-end digital e-contracting.
  • Bankless Times features Avoka and its friction-minimizing, customer-onboarding technology.
  • PayPal to provide Touch ID support for its iOS app.
  • Gold Bullion International announces expansion into Asia.
  • eBay partners with Taulia to launch Preferred Supplier 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.

$680 Million Raised by 29 Alums in Q1 2015

$680 Million Raised by 29 Alums in Q1 2015

cartoonmoneystackThe biggest surprise in our look at first-quarter funding is that the $677 million amassed by 29 Finovate alums was more than 20% of the $3.2 billion invested in the entire worldwide fintech sector.

The $677 million raised was $85 million (+14%) above the same quarter a year ago, and more than triple the first quarter of 2013.

Q1 2015 was also $133 million above the $544 million mark set in the fourth quarter of 2014.

It will be worth watching to see if this record-setting first quarter for Finovate alum fundraising will be a sign of more great things to come for capital-raising in 2015.

Top 10 Overall Investments

  1. Xero: $111 million in February
  2. Coinbase: $75 million in January
  3. Betterment: $60 million in February
  4. TransferWise: $58 million in January
  5. App Annie: $55 million in January
  6. Ayasdi: $55 million in March
  7. Motif Investing: $40 million in January
  8. Ripple Labs: $30 million in January
  9. Bill.com: $50 million in February
  10. Pindrop Security: $35 in February

Previous Quarterly Comparisons

  • Q1 2015: More than $676 million raised by 29 alums
  • Q4 2014: More than $544 million raised by 25 alums
  • Q1 2014: More than $600 million raised by 8 alums
  • Q1 2013: More than $155 million raised by 14 alums

January: More than $275 million raised by 14 alums

February: More than $264 million raised by 8 alums

March: More than $136 million raised by 7 alums

If you are an alum that raised money in the first quarter of 2015, and do not see your company listed, please drop us a note at [email protected]. We would love to share the good news! Funding received prior to becoming an alum not included.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • DRAFT, Fidor US, Roostify to Present Solutions at Yodlee Ynext Incubator
  • $680 Million Raised by 29 Alums in Q1 2015

Around the web

  • BizJournals lists BancVue as one of Austin’s Best Places to Work in 2015.
  • American Banker interviews James Varga, CEO of miiCard, on sharing identity information.
  • Motif adds new trading alerts.
  • P2Binvestor selected as new network company by Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network Colorado (BENCO).
  • MaineBiz takes a look at CashStar and its new offices in downtown Portland.
  • Mountain America rolls out its new biometrics login technology courtesy of EyeVerify.
  • Fuze Networks acquires LiveMinutes’ online workspace platform.
  • Jwaalla celebrates signing its 100th credit union client, Palisades FCU.
  • Business Insider looks at how Klarna and its one-click payment technology could help save the newspaper business.
  • Reid Hislop tapped as new chief marketing officer at Avoka.
  • Inc. Magazine features ID.me CEO Blake Hall in a column on veteran entrepreneurs.
  • Equities.com talks crowdfunding and real estate with Jason Fritton, Patch of Land CEO.
  • Financial News interviews Ripple CEO, Chris Larsen on the future of the financial infrastructure.
  • SocietyOne has originated more than $30 million on its platform since launching in 2011.
  • Prosper announces record first quarter, with $595 million in loans through the platform, up 200% from Q1 2014.
  • WattzOn to help Montana residents save on energy expenses via the Bozeman Energy Smackdown.
  • Larky selected by the Kentucky Bankers Association to provide mobile local rewards program for member banks.

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.