Finovate Alumni News– June 26, 2013

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgWalmart names InComm supplier of the year.
  • Crawford Technologies announces new partnership with Striata.
  • American Banker reports: Q2ebanking to Resell Andera Software.
  • SumUp launches plug and play POS tech.
  • Banno names Ben Metz as CTO.
  • Receivable Exchange closes $10M funding round led by current investors.
  • GoBank goes live, mobile banking app available on iOS.
  • Newfination interviews Sasha Orloff, CEO of LendUp.
  • IntelliResponse adds VOICES to virtual agent technology.
  • Lloyds Bank partners with Monitise to develop a suite of mobile card acceptance solutions for micro-merchants, start-ups and small business owners.
  • LICUOS wins Innotribe Startup Disrupt competition at Next Bank Madrid.
  • Realty Mogul tops $2 million raised one month after reaching $1 million raised mark.
  • Finect advises FIs not to panic when it comes to spot checks from FINRA.
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– May 9, 2013

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgForbes.com takes a look at the competition between Square and Flint Mobile.
  • Compass Plus presents instant card issuance in debut appearance at CARTES America conference.
  • SAGE SA names Amir Suleman as Head of Sales for Middle East.
  • Striata receives PCI compliance for its Grade 1 infrastructure in the UK.
  • New Europe Online interviews eToro’s Head of Product Marketing, Alon Levitan, about how eToro is changing online trading.
  • Good.is features SaveUp’s Priya Haji.
  • PEHub interviews Drew Sievers, who led mFoundry to an acquisition by FIS.
  • Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee leverages Billhighway Give to Reach Fundraising Goals.
  • Perfectsen selected as a semi-finalist for the Innotribe Startup Challenge 2013.
  • OneID wins 2013 North America Frost & Sullivan Award for New Product Innovation. Come see their presentation at FinovateSpring next week.
  • Locaid earns extended relationship with LaaS company Timesheet Mobile. See Locaid demo at FinovateSpring in San Francisco.
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– March 18, 2013

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgBella Dati opens office in Singapore.
  • Business solutions company Neopost USA to use Striata as its electronic document delivery partner.
  • Mitek facilitates more than $40 billion in check deposits.
  • GigaOM reports Braintree’s recent move overseas helps double its payments volume to $8B.
  • Blackhawk Network files for IPO of up to $200 million.
  • miiCard 1 of 50 listed on the 2013 FinTech 50 Watchlist, a list companies in Europe that are redefining financial services.
  • Kashoo to partner with InfoStreet’s SkyDesktop.
  • Consumers.com asks whether Klarna will become a “major player” in online 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– November 8, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgBill Dwight, CEO of FamZoo, interviewed by Unlock Your Wealth Radio.
  • TechCrunch reports BillGuard Teams Up With Lemon’s Mobile Wallet, Will Alert Users To Fraudulent Charges.
  • MyBankTracker reviews Betterment’s gift registry feature.
  • Tech in Asia describes why Striata caught its eye at FinovateAsia.
  • Personal Loan Finder looks at SocietyOne.
  • BetaKit reports ShopKeep adds employee time tracking feature to iPad POS system.
  • SecureKey launches Online Authentication Service for Government of Canada.
  • TechCrunch reports Lending Club Surpasses $1B In Personal Loans, Hits Profitability.
  • PaySimple Launches ReceivablesPro Turnkey Private-Label Solution.
  • Campaign Asia reports London-based Innovation Agency launches in Singapore.
  • At FinovateAsia, Barclays announces the launch of PFM powered by Strands.
  • SG Entrepreneurs covers Perfectsen’s launch of The Hook at FinovateAsia.
  • Des Moines Register covers Dwolla’s MassPay.
  • e27 lists 3 finance startups that caught their eye at FinovateAsia 2012.
  • Pando Daily reports Bazaarvoice replaces its CEO and acquires Longboard Media.
  • Finextra reports Authentify opens Japanese subsidiary.
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.

Striata’s Interactive eBill Helps Paperless Adoption

Thumbnail image for StriataLogo.jpg

Then, Striata took the stage with its interactive eBill solution:

“Utilizing the power of email; Striata’s next generation interactive PDF eBill can be read and paid on any email-enabled device. Our paperless adoption technology eliminates registration and allows customers to switch off paper in just one click. This results in optimal adoption and faster ROI. Striata will demonstrate the powerful interactive bill which is encrypted, has integrated eConsent, shared password security, instant dispute capability, and mobile one click pay.”

Product Launch: February 2012
HQ: New York, NY, USA
Founded: February 1999
Metrics: Privately owned / Investment Trust; 13 years of revenue growth and profitable for the past 12 years; 100+ employees
Website: striata.com
Twitter@Striata
Finovate demo video: Demo videos will be posted next week

Introducing Michael Wright (CEO) and Keith Russell (Sales Director Asia Pacific)

IMG_0878.JPG
IMG_0879.JPG

FinovateAsia 2012 Sneak Peek: Part 2

FALogoSm.jpg

Here is the second and final look at the companies that will demo at FinovateAsia on November 6 in Singapore. Each company provided a short summary of the innovation they will debut on stage. In case you missed it, check out Sneak Peek Part 1.

Don’t miss the opportunity to experience the hottest innovations in financial technology at the very first FinovateAsia. Get your FinovateAsia ticket here.

___________________________________________________

ayondo shows the newest and third generation of their web application which will be the next 

ayondoLogo.jpg

generation of social trading. Simply follow the best traders automatically with your brokerage account.
Innovation type: Banking, investing, PFM

Thumbnail image for BackbaseLogo.jpg

Backbase delivers Bank 2.0 Portal software that provides a new user experience layer on top of underlying infrastructure and IT systems. It gives financials the opportunity to create interactions that link customers to relevant information and applications to fit their needs and preferences. With its modern, widget-based architecture, Backbase Bank 2.0 Portal provides the flexibility and speed to create modern portals that truly empower the customer.

Innovation type: Marketing, mobile, online
BankBazaar.com will demo its 7-minute Credit eApproval 

BankBazaarLogoSm.jpg

process highlighting the platform’s real-time integration with underwriting engines, loan origination systems, net-banking systems, and online payroll management tools. Combined with a full service CRM system powering credit and sales work flow management, the platform delivers 7-minute eApproval via online, mobile, and tablet interfaces.
Innovation type: Lending, mobile, online

Clari5Logo.jpg

Clari5 iRM brings extreme real-time intelligence to Relationship Managers (RMs) on the move. Typical RM mobile apps are screen extensions of CRM and are not connected in real-time to the underlying core systems. Consequently RMs are the last ones to know when a significant moment of truth event happens. 
Clari5 iRM is a next generation product that interprets customers’ structured/unstructured events in real-time and provides an inference instantly empowering RMs to provide more personalized services. Clari5 iRM also leverages the full power of the device by using its real-time push, GPS, voice recognition, video, and screen sharing capabilities.
Innovation type: Marketing, mobile, sales

Thumbnail image for DemystLogo2.jpg

Can publicly available information gleaned from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other online sources 
help financial institutions predict financial risk?
DemystData helps financial institutions tap into the explosive growth of online, social, and internal data to make better customer decisions. Our latest innovation navigates some of the world’s newest data sources to provide our clients with a deep, holistic view of the modern day consumer, and then uses this information to assess consumer risk and behaviour.
Innovation type: Identity, lending, marketing

FigloLogoSm.jpg

Need an onboarding tool that increases customer engagement? Figlo offers a complete solution to gain insight in financial matters on a consumer level. Financial planning is now accessible to everyone on any device anywhere.
Innovation type: Marketing, online, PFM

Thumbnail image for LuminousLogo.jpg

See how financial institutions can save millions by implementing BankFiling, a new innovation from Luminous that delivers short ROI yet requires limited investment. A whole new approach to commercial and business banking. A must see for all financial institutions!
Innovation type: Banking, lending, small business
PandaiLogo.jpg

Pandai.cn delivers next generation peer-to-peer 2.0 lending services in China by answering what the future of peer-to-peer lending should be. It should be safe, transparent, inclusive and easy-to-understand. 
You’ll see how easy it is to invest in creditworthy borrowers that have passed our robust credit risk management system.
Innovation type: Investing, lending, PFM

PendoSystemsLogoSm.jpg

Can you tag your financial position, identify the cross vertical exposure by currency, industry, issuer, region real-time; on-demand? The last 30 years have seen amazing advances in technology that have transformed the world. In the world of financial technology, all of this power has been applied to develop more complex instruments – derivatives, swaps, CDO’s CDS’s – faster and faster trading platforms – “flash trading” and co-location, and risk analytics and trading models.
But, the ability to track and account for this explosion of trading vehicles and volumes is right where it was 30 years ago. Not anymore, come see the future of transparency.&n
bsp;
Innovation type: Back office, insurance, investing

PocketsmithLogoSm.jpg

PocketSmith is the comprehensive personal finance app with cashflow forecasting. 
We think that the best way to organize and control your money is to relate it to events in your life by using a calendar. This way, financial planning becomes a part of your daily routine rather than a chore.
As you plan, PocketSmith’s calendar shows you the progress of your money over time, so you will better understand how your financial decisions affect your future.
Innovation type: Mobile, online, PFM

Thumbnail image for StriataLogo.jpg

Want to know the secret to getting 60% of your customers to say yes to eBilling? All it takes is 7 minutes to see why email delivery of bills and statements is what gets customers to turn off paper forever.
Join Striata as we demonstrate our powerful interactive bill which is encrypted, has integrated eConsent, shared password security, instant dispute capability, and mobile one click pay.
With registration-free push email billing, you can drive traffic to your portal, cut your costs and deliver bills and statements right into your customers’ hands. Convenient, secure, mobile ready.
Innovation type: Communications, payments

TagitLogo.jpg

In the last 4 years, Tagit Mobility Platform Mobeix has been adopted by several leading enterprises. But, we believe mobility should be for all– large, medium and small enterprises. 
With this vision, we started our journey to build the Mobeix Open Platform through which enterprises can build, launch and manage apps on their own. Using the Tagit Open Platform, merchants and enterprises will be able to develop and deploy apps for their customers and employees in no time. We will demonstrate how easy it is for anyone to register and start building apps.
Innovation type: Banking, mobile, security

TradeHeroLogoSm.jpg

TradeHero empowers ordinary people to make money from the financial markets. Traders are able to place real-time virtual trades against stock exchanges and TradeHero generates performance rankings of the trader community. 
Members of the TradeHero community can follow the top-ranked traders for a fee. Traders can build a following around themselves and monetize off their trade-feeds while those following get relevant, pertinent and timely financial trading tips and feeds.
Innovation type: Investing, mobile, payments

ZighraLogoSm.jpg

The world is increasingly adopting smartphones and social media. Leading FIs are beginning to leverage these seismic shifts in communications for competitive advantage, reducing costs and generating new revenue streams. Smartphones change user expectations about online banking services, functionality, and interactivity. They also present new risk vectors that cannot be ignored. 
Zighra’s patent pending mobile technology provides unique interactivity, building closer customer relationships by increasing security, trust, and satisfaction while significantly reducing fraud and associated costs.
Innovation type: Communications, mobile, security

Finovate Alumni News– August 8, 2012

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpg

  • MyBankTracker.com profiles Virtual Piggy.
  • Check out this month’s CEO interview Michael Wright of Striata.
  • FreeMonee brings in $34 mil in series B funding.
  • Bazaarvoice partners with consulting firm Booz & Company.
  • InComm partners with Galaxia Communications to distribute gift cards to Korean retailers.
  • Citywire’s WealthManager interviews Nick Hungerford CEO of Nutmeg.
  • Information Week profiles Franck Fatras of Capital Access Network.
  • Virtual Piggy to provide child-safe e-commerce solution for Under-18’s to The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
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.

CEO Interview: Michael Wright of Striata

Thumbnail image for StriataLogo.jpg

This month we interviewed Michael Wright, CEO of Striata, to get a look inside of the New York-based company’s email billing solution.

Striata has presented twice at Finovate, both at FinovateEurope 2011 and FinovateEurope 2012.

Thumbnail image for StriataWrightIMG.jpg

Finovate: What sparked the idea behind Striata?
Wright: We started life as an email company, and as our knowledge and understanding of the email world grew, we decided to specialise rather than just be a generalist. Electronic billing was in an embryonic stage and using email to deliver a bill seemed like a no-brainer. We quickly discovered that we were pretty much pioneers in utilising email as a delivery tool, as everybody else was using a website. All the fundamentals of a good business were there; disruptive technology, short ROI, environmental benefits and a first mover advantage.
Finovate: How have you seen the e-billing industry change since launching Striata in 1999?
Wright: There have been a number of phases in the eBilling world and it almost feels like it’s coming full circle. In the very beginning, everybody wanted to be the gorilla consolidator and to paraphrase my favourite movie (The Highlander) ‘there can be only one’. Most of the consolidators were too premature for the market and the eBilling space moved on to a biller direct model, pulling consumers back to a website. This gained some traction, but quickly plateaued. For many years adoption of eBilling stagnated between 5% and 15% globally. Emphasis then moved to online banking bill pay, but this has only had a limited impact in turning off paper. We’re now seeing the second tide of consolidators enter the market, but the fundamentals are the same – ‘there can be only one’! Right now no-one knows who to choose.
In parallel, the ‘Push’ email billing model is growing from strength to strength, with adoption rates averaging between 50% – 90%. 
Finovate: You’re a global business, what are the challenges of opening a business in different markets? 
Wright: We quickly realised that our software and solution was globally applicable, and after a recce to the U.K. and U.S.A. we made plans to expand into both these regions. We subsequently opened an Asia Pacific operation with offices in Sydney and Hong Kong. In each of these regions, we sent someone we knew to be our pioneer. This meant that we had an immediate alignment of culture and understanding, but no network. In hindsight, the jury’s still out on whether this was the best idea. Each region has its own nuances, business processes and low hanging fruit – the trick is to go into each region with an open mind as to what will work. It is however clearly evident that you have to have a permanent presence to establish your bona fides.  
Finovate: You use email as an alternative to the post office, how do you develop the trust in the medium?
Wright: In today’s ‘always on anywhere’ world, email is part of the fabric of our lives. Striata is at the forefront of email authentication tools and techniques. For us, every message matters because it impacts on the cash flow of our clients. We focus on the deliverability of our messages far more than the average ESP. Our clients start to appreciate the value of an email address as an operational tool as opposed to just a marketing opportunity. 
Finovate: Can you share what are you seeing in terms of Striata’s e-billing usage, adoption, growth, and cost savings?
Wright: We have a great opening line to our conversations “we guarantee you a savings of 50% on your paper delivery costs”. Our ROIs are typically 3 – 6 months and we are double, if not triple, the market average for customer adoption of paperless processes. We focus on turning the paper off, not just turning the electronic process on. This is important because the market suffers from ‘double-dippers’ who sign up for electronic billing but then don’t turn the paper off. Each year is a record year for Striata, as our existing volumes increase substantially and as we sign up new billers. 
Finovate: What advice would you give to a biller who is using Striata for the first time?
Wright: “You’ve made a good choice, now please listen to my team’s advice. They have done this before and they understand how to make this a success.  Don’t accept anything that is not automated in your internal and external processes, especially data hygiene. Take every opportunity to collect and update your email database. We welcome your feedback and are keen to prove both our service delivery and the solution at every point”.
Finovate: Why should competitors fear Striata?
Wright: It’s taken 10 years for the market to realise that they require a multi-channel approach, including print, online and email as well as potentially banks and consolidators. Each of these is attractive to a segment of the market; however the biggest segment always tends to be email. Striata has over a decade of experience in doing this and our competitors are trying to play catch up, which is tough because every year our customers request new features – this means we are continuously innovating in this space.
Finovate: How do you see Striata expanding its operations in the future?
Wright: We’ve only just scratched the surface. Globally, there are over 100 billion bills, invoices and financial documents printed every year – each one of these is an opportunity to suppress the paper. We are seeing a huge interest in secure document delivery of related documents that are not necessarily bills, but go to customers on an ad hoc or regular basis. Every letter or document is an opportunity to interact digitally; bill payment, online signatures and meter reading requests are all examples of value added services our clients are using.
To learn more about Striata, watch its FinovateEurope 2012 demo.

Finovate Alumni News– July 24, 2012

  • Silver Tail Systems announces the availability of Forensics 3.0 software.
  • International utility, National Grid, selects Striata for email billing and transactional services.
  • Social Trading Guru describes Currensee’s new leverage option.
  • Kabbage rolls out new tagline and logo design.
  • InComm forms partnership with Plastic Jungle and Zeevex.
  • Check out the latest CEO interview with Figlo’s Albert van den Broek.
  • Blackhawk Network to implement Prepaid Resources’ BenefitsDirect 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– April 3, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgProfitStars partners with ACH Alert to introduce new solutions to mitigate losses from ACH and wire fraud.
  • Striata partners with Tricubes, an ID authentication specialist, to provide Malaysian clients with secure document delivery.
  • Forbes discusses Dwolla’s location-based payments service.
  • Thomson Reuters named one of Ethisphere’s 2012 “World’s Most Ethical Companies” for fourth successive year.
  • HelloWallet announces V2 of its iPhone app with account setup, budget creation, & manual transactions.
  • SaveUp launches pilot program at 20 credit unions.
  • Utiba takes on ValidSoft’s security solution.
  • Ping Identity educates consultants to better serve end users.
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.

Striata Partners with IHS Telekom to Bring eBilling to Turkey

Thumbnail image for StriataLogo.jpg

E-billing payment solution, Striata announced today that it partnered with IHS Telekom, a registrar and systems integrator accredited by ICANN.

The agreement, signed in January, brings Striata’s eBilling and eStatement solutions to banks, utilities, and telecommunications companies in Turkey.

Michael Wright, Striata CEO comments:

“Striata’s partnership with IHS allows us to bring value-added push email billing and payment services to this market. IHS has the market experience and is well networked to successfully introduce Striata’s innovative services to utilities, telcos and financial institutions in Turkey”

To learn more about Striata, watch its FinovateEurope 2012 demo.

Finovate Alumni News– March 29, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgCartera Commerce launches OfferLink rewards solution for local businesses.
  • MyBankTracker features PayNearMe and shares how to pay your utility bill at 7-Eleven.
  • American Banker shares how Plastyc is 1 of 3 prepaid card providers to adopt or test a disclosure box to inform consumers of fees.
  • ReadyForZero launches its Facebook timeline.
  • LearnVest launches a tool to help decide if you should outsource a task or do it yourself.
  • Forbes describes how Lending Club and Prosper have opened up the consumer debt market.
  • VentureBeat shares how Outright can assist during tax season.
  • Striata partners with IHS Telekom to bring eBilling to Turkey.
  • David Marcus named President of PayPal.
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.