Alumni News– November 5, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgBraintree announces new service that makes it easier for merchants to sign up for the platform.
  • MasterCard launches MasterPass in Czech Republic.
  • CAN Capital to offer loans via Yodlee’s Small Business solution.
  • PayPal’s Venmo to power payments for web and mobile chat app, Dasher.
  • Wall Street Sector Selector highlights Financial Guard and lists Betterment, FutureAdvisor, Jemstep, Nutmeg, SigFig, and Wealthfront in a column on using roboadvisors with retirement accounts.
  • SumUp partners with BitPay to integrate bitcoin into its mPOS solution.
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.

New Investment from Spark Capital Marks a $100 Million Year for Wealthfront

New Investment from Spark Capital Marks a $100 Million Year for Wealthfront

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Nothing says “the future’s so bright you gotta wear shades” like earning $100 million in investment capital in less than a year.

Following up on a $35 million dollar round in April, the investment of $64 million just announced by Wealthfront this week puts its total capital at $130 million. With this investment, the company is now worth $700 million, making it one of the more richly valued innovators in the so-called “robo-advisor” space.

New investor Spark Capital Growth led the funding round.
WealthfrontHomepage
Writing at the Wealthfront blog, Nash is keeping his eye on prize: the $7 trillion in liquid assets Millennials are expected to control within the next half decade. He is also keeping his eye on Charles Schwab, hoping to do for the Millennial generation what Schwab did for baby boomers – only a whole lot faster. “It took Schwab six years to reach its first $1 billion in client assets,” Nash writes, “It took Wealthfront less than 2.5 years.”
Schwab is likely on Wealthfront’s radar for another reason. TechCruch noted that Schwab has announced plans for its own robo-advisor service called “Intelligent Portfolios.” With competition in the space already intense, initiatives like this from legacy advisors will make the online investment management space that much more challenging for innovators.
Based in Palo Alto, California, and one of the oldest Finovate alums, Wealthfront demoed as “kaChing” at FinovateStartup 2009.

Alumni News– August 27, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgMonitise announces digital commerce and resourcing alliance with IBM.
  • ThinkAdvisor takes a look at the deal between the San Francisco 49ers football team and Wealthfront.
  • The Globe and Mail profiles David Lloyd and IntelliResponse as part of its Innovators at Work contest.
  • Fortune magazine column discusses Ripple and the “Internet of value exchange.”
  • ValueWalk: FutureAdvisor can be used as a free tool to rate your own investment decisions or a low-cost asset management service.
  • Chicago Tribune’s Blue Sky Innovation visits Bolstr for video interview.
  • Bill.com CEO and co-founder Rene Lacerte writes about the “new sharing economy” for Inc.com.
  • CashStar announces spot in Inc 500|5000 for a second year in a row.
  • EyeVerify opens new offices to accommodate recent growth.
  • Locaid partners with Danal to leverage location services in fight against financial fraud.
  • Wallaby Financial named finalist in Samsung Gear App Challenge 2014.
  • ZDNet: Xero continues march into U.S., launches partner marketplace.
  • The Independent looks at how BehavioSec uses behavioral biometrics.
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.

Alumni News– August 25, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgSan Antonio Federal Credit Union to integrate Geezeo PFM technology.
  • On Deck partners with Worldpay to provide access to financing for small and medium-sized merchants.
  • PaymentsSource features Dynamics ePlate among its list of “7 unusual emerging payments technologies.”
  • Top Image Systems announces patent for full page mobile image processing.
  • The New York Times profiles Financial Guard, Motif, Betterment, FutureAdvisor, Jemstep, SigFig and Wealthfront .
  • InStream Solutions launches comparison tool.
  • Moven expands internationally, signs deal with New Zealand-based Westpac.
  • HuffPo profiles Prosper, Lending Club, and Kabbage in column on the rise of online lending.
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.

Alumni News– August 15, 2014

  • Credit.com releases new version of its iPhone mobile app.
  • Pymnts: EBay in talks to accept Bitcoin through its Braintree unit.
  • Pymnts compares DoubleBeam to the Merchant Customer Exchange.
  • GoBank now holds mobile check deposits for less than 10 days.
  • Forbes features multiple Finovate financial management and wealth planning alums: LearnVest, Personal Capital, FutureAdvisor, SigFig, Wealthfront, Betterment, Motif, and Kapitall.
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.

Alumni News– August 12, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgUK peer-to-peer leader Zopa tops $1 billion.
  • TSYS launches its Enterprise Tokenization solutions to help boost e-commerce security.
  • Thomson Reuters introduces Watchlist Pulse, a buy-side app for its Eikon platform.
  • Jingit’s Co-CEO and Co-Founder Joe Rogness explains to PYMNTS how they combine advertising and payment transactions.
  • StockTwits adds Former Yahoo! CEO and Robert Peck, SunTrust Tech Analyst, to Board of Directors.
  • Nanalyze features Dynamics ePlate technology.
  • Australia’s The Age considers how Society One plans to undercut banks’ personal loan rates by 5%.
  • Knox Payments considers how Mint, LendUp, and Simple are empowering our increasingly cashless society.
  • Oink brings its youth payment technology to online game company, Smilegate West.
  • San Francisco 49ers football team adds Wealthfront to list of benefits for employees.
  • Luxoft opens new delivery center in Guadalajara.
  • CEB Blogs interview Wipro’s Chief Learning Officer Abhijit Bhaduri.
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.

Alumni News– August 11, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgMisys announces acquisition of Custom Credit Systems.
  • Wipit brings omni-payment functionality to its prepaid cash mobile wallet.
  • LendUp partners with MoneyGram to enable real-time offline loan repay.
  • Barclays Pingit adds eGift options through Blackhawk Network partnership.
  • WSJ reports how Wealthfront, Betterment, Future Advisor, Personal Capital, and Motif are changing the investment landscape.
  • Wired UK Magazine lists BehavioSec as one of Euorpe’s hottest startups. See BehavioSec at FinDEVr this September 30 through October 1.
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.

Alumni News– August 6, 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.jpgYahoo! Germany looks at financial innovation in Kreditech.
  • Prosper earns a spot on the 2014 AlwaysOn Global 250 Top Private Companies roster.
  • Feedzai launches anti-fraud, transaction scoring apps for Shopify and Big Commerce.
  • Forbes.com features Betterment, FutureAdvisor, Kapitall, LearnVest, Motif Investing, Personal Capital, SigFig, and Wealthfront in a discussion on Millennial generation investment habits.
  • Richard Hagen, CEO of TradeKing Advisors, named to WealthManagement.com’s “Ten to Watch in 2015”.
  • Insuritas announces partnership with Financial Partners CU to open and manage its turnkey insurance solution.
  • Bank Innovation highlights alums SigFig and Ripple in a discussion on “8 under the radar fintech startups you should know.”
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.

Alumni News– August 6, 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.jpgYahoo! Germany looks at financial innovation in Kreditech.
  • Prosper earns a spot on the 2014 AlwaysOn Global 250 Top Private Companies roster.
  • Feedzai launches anti-fraud, transaction scoring apps for Shopify and Big Commerce.
  • Forbes.com features Betterment, FutureAdvisor, Kapitall, LearnVest, Motif Investing, Personal Capital, SigFig, and Wealthfront in a discussion on Millennial generation investment habits.
  • Richard Hagen, CEO of TradeKing Advisors, named to WealthManagement.com’s “Ten to Watch in 2015”.
  • Insuritas announces partnership with Financial Partners CU to open and manage its turnkey insurance solution.
  • Bank Innovation highlights alums SigFig and Ripple in a discussion on “8 under the radar fintech startups you should know.”
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.

Alumni News– August 5, 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.jpgMasterCard’s Ajay Banga sees MasterPass in 14 markets by year’s end.
  • Fox Business interviews BillGuard founder and CEO Yaron Samid live from Tel Aviv.
  • BBVA Compass and Zenmonics to design and test a tablet-based sales app. See Zenmonics at FinovateFall 2014 in New York.
  • Thailand’s Kasikornbank selects core banking technology from FIS.
  • Los Angeles Times Business section features Oink.
  • Financial Samurai reviews FutureAdvisor, comparing the company to Wealthfront and Betterment.
  • MarketInvoice partners with Xero to speed financing for small businesses.
  • Blackhawk Network to bring eGift options to Barclays’ Pingit mobile banking platform.
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.

Alumni News– July 29, 2014

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  • Concur partners with Uber to allow Concur users to link their accounts and automatically send Uber receipts to their expense reports.
  • The Financial Brand looks at opportunity for banks and credit unions in the Loop Visa partnership. 
  • Open Bank Project making its API available during hackathon in September.
  • TechCrunch explores Pellucid Analytics’ take on PowerPoint pitch books.
  • Seed Me! Thinknum raises $1 million in seed funding round.
  • Feature on robo-advisors highlights seven alums: Betterment, Financial Guard, FutureAdvisor, Jemstep, Personal Capital, SigFig, and Wealthfront.
  • Macwelt reviews banking app Numbrs.
  • Bank Systems & Technology points to Moven as a nontraditional financial service provider “gunning” for banks.
  • Xero partners with MarketInvoice to bring faster funding to UK 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.

Alumni News– July 25, 2014

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgFox Business News features Kabbage’s small business lending process.
  • Huffington Post describes how DemystData’s big data analytics help evaluate creditworthiness.
  • Cartera Commerce’s CFO Karen Cambray named a finalist in Boston Business Journal’s 2014 CFO of the Year Awards.
  • Bloomberg: BillGuard programmers code in bomb shelters.
  • Coinbase launches Coinbase Vault to Better Secure Your Bitcoins.
  • MoneyDesktop appoints Brandon Dewitt as its first ever CTO.
  • SecondMarket CEO Barry Silbert stepping down in order to refocus his attention solely on bitcoin.
  • InvestmentNews features roboadvisors Jemstep, FutureAdvisor, Wealthfront, and Personal Capital.
  • The Irish Times looks at Holvi’s move into Ireland.
  • CMS Wire: Actiance wants to help companies curb social media mistakes.
  • Karen Webster of Market Platform Dynamics interviews Zooz CEO Oren Levy.
  • eToro announces new version of OpenBook for iOS.
  • Mobile Entertainment talks with Adam Levene, SVP of Strategy at Monitise Create.
  • LendingTree launches personalization platform.
  • Pymnts takes a look at the partnership between Malauzai Software and Trusteer. See Malauzai at FinovateFall in September.
  • Fortune.com interviews Bill Siegel, interim CEO of SecondMarket.
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.