Finovate Alumni News– July 23, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgVirtual Piggy expands merchant base with Blee Inara’s handcrafted original jewelry.
  • Umbel forms NetAlliance partnership with Akamai. Come to FinovateFall to see Akamai’s live demo.
  • Fast Company talks with Alexa Von Tobel, LearnVest CEO. Check out LearnVest’s live demo at FinovateFall.
  • USA Today features Social Money’s SmartyPig.
  • Startup America features Bolstr. Come see Bolstr’s live demo at FinovateFall.
  • The Independent looks at how CurrencyFair helps cut cost of cash transfers abroad.
  • The Financial Brand looks at how ImpulseSave hopes to create spontaneous savers.
  • GigaOM reports Corduro aims to win over big organizations that want to modernize their payment systems.
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– July 18, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgInComm launches prepaid products in Brazil, partners with Peela.
  • Dwolla re-launches developers portal to make it more user friendly.
  • PC Mag recommends Dashlane to protect your password.
  • Number of small business owners using Lendio increased by 12x YOY in Q2.
  • ProfitStars announces remittance solutions for its relationship with the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA).
  • Rumors suggest Xero to announce acquisitions at annual conference.
  • Bill.com recognized as a JMP Securities “Hot 100” Software Company for third consecutive year.
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.

Xero Integrates with ADP to Give Users Ability to Conduct Payroll Activities

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Cloud-based accounting program, Xero, announced today it has integrated with ADP payroll services.

This enables customers to conduct payroll activities, not strictly accounting, through Xero. Jamie Sutherland, U.S. President of Operations, states that the integration is done using Xero’s API and will be an “add-on” for Xero users.

According to PandoDaily:

“They’ve been working on integrating the services for six to eight months and as Jamie Sutherland says, ‘it’s a real coup’.”

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To learn more about Xero, watch its FinovateSpring 2011 demo.

First Quarter 2012 Funding for Finovate Alumni, $150 Million Raised

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Since we are nearing the end of the first quarter, we wanted to look back at all of the Finovate alums who have raised funding over the past few months.

Here’s the month-by-month breakdown:

January — $25 million raised by 3 companies

February — $57 million raised by 5 companies
March — $68 million raised by 3 companies

Note: Funding that companies received before they demonstrated at Finovate was not counted. If you see any funding that is not on this list, please send the name of the company along with a link to the funding information to julie@netbanker.com and I will add it.

Xero Partners with Abukai, Helps MYOB Users Migrate Accounting Software

Thumbnail image for XeroLogo.jpgCloud accounting platform, Xero, disclosed two announcements this past week.

First, it announced that its teaming up with Abukai. The partnership will enable Abukai users to leverage Xero’s platform to report expenses.

On its blog, Xero describes how it works:

“Take a photo of your receipts and when ready, the expense data is automatically imported into Xero as an expense claim. A copy of the photo is attached to each receipt.”

Second, Xero announced that its partner, LiveMigrate, launched a standalone service to help MYOB customers migrate their accounting software from MYOB to Xero.

Cloud computing analyst, Ben Kepes, explains that LiveMigrate is about “showing people that there’s an easy way to get out of the hell which is MYOB”. Depending on the level of functionality consumers need, LiveMigrate will cost users anywhere from NZ$249 to NZ$749.
To learn more about Xero, watch its FinovateSpring 2011 demo.

Finovate Alumni News– March 30, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgMSN Money UK explains how Zopa represents the future of banking.
  • MintLife blog reviews FutureAdvisor. Come see their live demo at FinovateSpring.
  • Silicon Prairie News covers a SXSW panel discussion where Dwolla discussed growth. See its new tech at FinovateSpring.
  • Forbes interviews PaySimple CEO, Eric Remer, on how he began the startup. Come see PaySimple at FinovateSpring in San Fran.
  • MSN Business on Main interviews Dwolla’s Ben Milne, asks if it’s the next PayPal.
  • Currensee expands into Latin American region with Spanish website.
  • Xero partners with Abukai, helps MYOB users migrate accounting software.
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 26, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgXero acquires software developer Max Solutions.
  • The Myndset interviews Joe Salesky, founder of FreeMonee.
  • Business Insider walks through Personal Capital’s iPad app.
  • Smart Biz touts the benefits of Xero’s accounting software.
  • FeeFighters acquired by Groupon for undisclosed amount.
  • Monitise buys competitor Clairmail for $173 million.
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 20, 2012

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  • Mobile payments today reports MoneyGram and Fiserv hook up on mobile P2P payments.
  • Kony Solutions announces support for iOS 5.1.
  • The Republic identifies Mint and Expensify as two apps to help streamline finances.
  • Boot Camp interviews ReadyForZero on its platform.
  • SecondMarket launches ‘The Facebook Fund’ to buy shares before IPO.
  • CU Times looks at Superior FCU’s success from using Mortgagebot.
  • Forbes lists Alexa Von Tobel, CEO of LearnVest as a female founder to watch at SXSW 2012.
  • Xero moves to new headquarters.
  • All Things D looks at how Personal Capital fits into the trend of online wealth management.
  • Ping Identity launches PingOne for single sign on access to cloud-based applications.
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 13, 2012

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  • BrightScope adds Josh Brown, financial advisor & author to advisory board.
  • AppStorm shares how Enloop can help you move your business into the VC world.
  • GigaOM rumors that PayPal will launch a mobile payment dongle to compete with Square and Intuit.
  • The Urban Twist lists HelloWallet as one of seven scorching hot tech startups in D.C.
  • INTTRA, independent transactional network for ocean freight, and Tradeshift partner to help manage ocean freight invoices.
  • Entrepreneur lists Kashoo & Xero as 2 of 4 online apps that can be handy for tax time.
  • Backbase announces most successful year to date, doubling software revenue & adding multiple tier-1 customers.
  • eToro closes $15 mil funding round led by spark capital.
  • CashStar upgrades web gifting interface.
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 12, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgGov Info Security interviews Authentify CEO Peter Tapling about authentication.
  • Ping Identity partners with Winvale, a gov’t tech solutions provider.
  • Fox Business News looks at how to get more money from Kabbage.
  • Bill.com unveils revamped user support.
  • TechCrunch reports PayPal to unveil small business payments platform.
  • Kabbage & Outright announce partnership.
  • cbanc Network launches Backstage Pass to open its platform to vendors.
  • How Kasasa helps community banks give megabanks a run for their money.
  • Plastyc partners with IDology to make authentication more consumer friendly.
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.

Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures Contributes to Xero’s Recent $16.6 Million in Funding

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Earlier this month, online accounting software Xero announced a $16.6 million round of financing, funded partially by Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures. This is not this first time the famed investor has funded Xero.

TechCrunch reports:

“Thiel first invested $3 million in New Zealand-founded Xero back in 2010, with the aim of fueling expansion in the United States. The company says that’s also the reason for the latest round.”

MYOB co-founder Craig Winkler and Sam Morgan also participated in the round.

To learn more about Xero, watch its FinovateSpring 2011 demo.

Finovate Alumni News– February 15, 2012

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgAmerican Banker reports SmartyPig adds office in India.
  • American Banker reports PayPal digs even further into the prepaid card market.
  • TechCrunch Europe covers ETRONIKA’s FinovateEurope presentation.
  • VentureBeat lists Danny Shader, CEO of PayNearMe, as an entrepreneur using startups to change the world.
  • Since Aptys Solutions 2010 launch, over 1,000 commercial banks now use PayLOGICS platform to process payments.
  •  Diversinet Corp. appoints Dr. Hon Pak as the company’s CEO.
  • Cartera Commerce named to OnMedia 100 Top Private Companies List.
  • AccMan looks at how CurrencyFair solves multi-currency cost issues.
  • INDYCAR partners with Segmint to reward race fans.
  • MasterCard forms alliance with Silver Tail Systems.
  • Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures contributes to Xero’s recent $16.6 million in funding.
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.