Finovate Alums Make Fast Company’s Top 10 Most Innovative in Finance

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Who knew? More than half of the world’s top 10 most innovative companies in finance are Finovate alums.

Don’t just take our word for it. Fast Company published its roster of innovation in the financial space as part of their quest to find those companies that are “creating radical new approaches to move cash from one place to another.” 

And among such widely-known and talked-about entities as Square and Bitcoin, we find more than a handful of innovators who have used the Finovate stage to help show their technology to the world.

Take a look at the companies below, accompanied by Fast Company’s take on just what makes each innovator truly unique.

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Fast Company: “For connecting banks and other clients to frazzled end users when problems arise.”

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Fast Company: “For daring to take on the fee-laden credit card establishment.”

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Fast Company: “For slashing pesky foreign-exchange costs by creating a transparent peer-to-peer network.”

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Fast Company: “For establishing a single login for web users and taking a giant leap toward eradicating the scourge of the Internet: passwords.”
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Fast Company: “For luring international customers with a mobile-payment network that lets them purchase with a simple click.”

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#10 eToro
Fast Company: “For creating a social network that lets traders emulate those with skin in the game.”
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Finovate Alumni News– April 15, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgTransferWise announces more than $1 billion in P2P transfers.
  • Insuritas picked by Nutmeg State Federal Credit Union to open and manage its turnkey insurance agency. See Insuritas demo at FinovateSpring in San Jose.
  • Streetwise reports: HelloWallet Signs Another Big Deal with Aon Hewitt.
  • CardFlight wins Electronic Transactions Association’s 2014 Technology Innovation 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– March 24, 2014

  • TransferWise recognized as “boldest small company” in winning FT’s Boldest in Business award for 2014.
  • BBVA follows Simple acquisition with launch of new digital banking unit.
  • Currency Transfer featured in Wired UK as Startup of the Week.
  • BillGuard invites beta testers to try its new Android app.
  • Mail Tribune highlights the importance of Credit Karma and Credit Sesame.
  • Ping Identity purchases Accells Technologies to make mobile devices into a tool for logging you in to all of your cloud-based services in one shot.
  • BellaDati launches the next level of visual data discovery with new release.
  • Matt Turck examines opportunities for Kensho and Quantopian in a Bloomberg-dominated world.
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– February 24, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgNICE Systems named to Fast Company’s 50 most innovative companies list.
  • American Banker takes a look at BBVA’s acquisition of Simple.
  • MasterCard brings in-app payments to MasterPass; acquires m-wallet startup, C-Sam.
  • CNBC Finance hosts Kasasa CEO Gabe Krajicek to discuss the drive to local banks and credit unions.
  • Arxan Technologies partners with IBM to protect mobile apps against attacks.
  • HelloWallet launches Insights app to help HelloWallet users better understand their financial habits.
  • InterAksyon features TransferWise in column about transferring money overseas.
  • Realty Mogul’s real estate portfolio surpasses $85 million mark.
  • ExactCPA Tax Solutions introduces its app of the week: Kashoo Accounting.
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– February 4, 2014

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgNous makes it to the finals of UK’s Million Pound Startup competition. Check them out at FinovateEurope in London.
  • Luminous partners with Jack Henry & Associates. Come see them both at FinovateEurope next week.
  • Pindrop Security achieves record growth in 2013 fueled by rising phone-based fraud.
  • Sun Hearlad features Finovera as a new site to help manage personal finances.
  • In yet another partnership, Refundo partners with Stripe to process payments for tax preparers.
  • CNB Texas launches responsive design website from Banno for greater cross-sell potential.
  • Top-Five U.S. Bank makes million dollar investment in software licenses for Kofax’s Mobile Capture. Come see Kofax’s live demo at FinovateEurope.
  • VentureBeat lists TransferWise among London’s hottest startups.
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– January 30, 2014

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgArxan appoints Patrick Kehoe as Chief Marketing Officer.
  • GRANCO Federal Credit Union to offer Geezeo powered PFM.
  • Mitek’s Mobile Photo Payments now offered by a large, unnamed cable, telecomm and media companies.
  • Lighter Capital extends 40th loan.
  • Lodo Software changes its name to D3 Technology.
  • miiCard adds former SWIFT CEO Lázaro Campos, previous VP of SecureWorks Richard Lewis, and prior Clydesdale executive Kenny White to its Board of Directors.
  • Zopa secures £15 million from London-based Arrowgrass Capital Partners.
  • Crowdfund Insider looks at SeedInvest and its comment letters to the SEC on crowdfunding and the JOBS Act.
  • LendUp launches educational video series to help combat identity theft.
  • Flint Mobile announces start of partner program for ISOs, MSPs, and ISVs.
  • Financial Times column on online banking and the cloud features Fidor Bank.
  • Your Story features TransferWise and its co-founder Taavet Hinrikus.
  • InComm and H&R Block enable consumers to reload their H&R Block Emerald Card at more than 60k Vanilla Reload locations in the U.S.
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.

19 Finovate Alums Selected for 2014 European FinTech 50 Awards

The FinTech 50 awards highlight 50 European-based companies to watch over the coming year. The companies are selected by a panel of 15 fintech professionals. This year, 19 of the selected companies are Finovate alums.

Here are the Finovate alums selected, listed in alphabetical order:


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AcceptEmail, for its electronic billing and payment system that allows customers to make payments straight from their email.

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BehavioSec, for its technology that uses behavioral biometrics to verify users, creating a secure environment without extra friction.

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Credit Agricole Apps, for its online app store where financial apps are co-created between clients and developers.

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eToro, for its social trading and investment network

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ETRONIKA, for its full suite of ebanking channels and BANKTRON management platform.

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Fidor Bank, for its innovative online banking community.

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Five Degrees, for its integrated banking platform that extends from back-end systems to client-facing technology.

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FreeAgent, for its SMB-focused online accounting system.

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Help my Cash, for its recommendation engine that informs consumers of their options when choosing and negotiating financial services.
Holvi, for its smart checking account for group activities.
Ixaris, for its innovative global applications based on open-loop prepaid card schemes.

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Klarna, for its e-commerce payment solutions.

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mBank, for its Bank 3.0 approach to online and mobile banking.

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Meniga, for its white-labeled PFM and next-generation online banking solutions.

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Nutmeg, for its online savings and investing service that helps users manage their money.

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The Currency Cloud, for its Cross Border Payments as a Service product that optimizes exchange rates and payment networks for both parties in a currency exchange.

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TransferWise, for its platform that allows expats, foreign exchange students and businesses to move money globally.

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Wonga, for its service that provides small, short term cash advances to UK consumers online.

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Zopa, for its P2P money lending service that allows borrowers and lenders to deal with each other directly.

Finovate Alumni News– January 21, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgFenergo taps Stan De Schepper for SVP, Americas.
  • National Bank of Andrews, AimBank to adopt Temenos T24 core processing platform. See Tememos at FinovateEurope in London.
  • Business Review Europe takes a look at Azimo’s expansion into Austria.
  • GMC Software Technology recognized as industry leader in latest Forrester Research Wave report.
  • Technics and Time feature PayPal and TransferWise in list of ways to pay without your wallet.
  • Swipely unveils its “Winter ’14” release to extend its service to help restaurant and hospitality customers make smarter decisions.
  • SafetyPay signs agreement with Brazilian firm Privalia.
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 Raise $825 Million in 2013, Up 79%

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Cheers to a new year! After ringing in 2014, we wanted take a look back at the capital raised by Finovate alumni in 2013. It was quite a year, with alums pulling in $825 million, $365 million more than in 2012 for an increase of about 80%.
2013 funding summary:
    • 62 companies raised $825 million
    • Q4 had the most capital, with a total of $294 million raised by 17 companies (more than half by Xero, which landed $150 million). 
    • October was the busiest month, with $177 million raised (mostly Xero’s $150 million)
    • May was second highest with $91 million raised by 7 companies
2012 comparison
Last year Finovate alums took in almost twice as much as 2012, when 44 Finovate alums collectively raised $460 million. The chart below shows the quarter-by-quarter comparison for both years.
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Quarter 1 — blog post
More than $155 million raised by 14 companies
January — $57 million raised by 6 companies
February — $56 million raised by 5 companies

March — $42 million raised by 4 companies


Quarter 2 — blog post
More than $205 million raised by 15 companies
June — $81.7 million raised by 6 companies
May — $91.5 million raised by 7 companies
April — $32 million raised by 2 companies

Quarter 3 — blog post
More than $171 million raised by 22 companies

July — More than $63 million raised by 8 companies
August — More than $26 million raised by 6 companies
September — $82 million raised by 9 companies
Quarter 4
More than $294 million raised by 17 companies

October— $177 raised by 6 companies
November — More than $87 million raised by 7 companies
December — More than $30 million raised by 6 companies

Note: Funding that companies received before they first appeared at Finovate was not counted. Questions? Comments? Email us at julie@finovate.com or david@finovate.com.

Finovate Alumni News– December 6, 2013

  • Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgMoney Under 30 reviews the Moven app.
  • Bloomberg BusinessWeek takes a look at Comarch’s report on banking in London’s “Tech City”.
  • Taavet Hinrikus, co-founder of TransferWise, weighs in on the state of the UK’s financial technology industry.
  • ThreatMetrix protected 1 in 4 U.S. e-commerce transactions on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
  • Cartera Commerce launches American Airlines’ Mobile AAdvantage shopping site.
  • The Guardian profiles “robo-advisors” Betterment, LearnVest, FutureAdvisor, Wealthfront, and Jemstep.
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 21, 2013

  • Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgHPC Wire takes a look at the partnership between Toopher and Texas Advanced Computing Center.
  • Regulators green light IDology plans for New Jersey expansion.
  • Jackson Free Press uses data from Manilla to source column on student loan debt.
  • Michigan-based ECCU introduces a responsive designed website powered by Banno.
  • MyBankTracker reports: SimpleTuition’s SmarterBank to Shut Down Due to Low Participation.
  • International Business times considers how Holvi and TransferWise are revolutionizing banking.
  • Tagit powering Maybank P2P m-payment Service in Singapore.
  • BancVue’s Kasasa wins Five 2013 MarCom Awards.
  • Betterment CEO Joe Stein talks about the online RIA industry with RIA Biz.
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 25, 2013

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgCardFlight wins best startup at New Jersey Tech meetup.
  • Firmology interviews Jason Richelson, CEO of ShopKeep POS.
  • Humanitarian organization Oxfram partners with TransferWise to help British Indians avoid fees.
  • InComm launches Cashtie cloud match service.
  • Flint raises $6 million in Series B funding.
  • Taulia was recently announced as a 2013 Bully Award winner.
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.