May 14, 2015 @ 2:28 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

In a Wednesday hearing titled “Bridging the Small Business Capital Gap: Peer-to-Peer Lending,” Funding Circle‘s co-founder and managing director Sam Hodges presented to the House Committee on Small Business​. According to the committee’s website, “The purpose of the hearing was to examine the rise of peer-to-peer lending platforms… Read More

May 13, 2015 @ 2:23 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

In Australia, startups recently received good news from Treasurer Joe Hockey: new tax incentives for startups, specifically around crowdfunding, also known as crowd-source equity funding (CSEF), notes Gizmodo Australia. The tax incentives are part of the new 2015-16 federal budget. Gizmodo notes, [AU] $7.8 million will be spent getting the… Read More

May 12, 2015 @ 2:39 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Twitter recently banned harassing and violent language, such as direct threats and tweets promoting violence toward others. The company’s expanded policy is part of a growing recognition of online harassment issues, and the significant negative effects felt by victims (ex. Zelda Williams). Now, a platform providing real-time support to individuals experiencing online… Read More

May 11, 2015 @ 2:00 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

  Web search results for “Claire Cockerton” will have her bio featured on one of Europe’s largest technology accelerators, financial services conferences or a listing of women in fintech (to name a few) – providing a snapshot of what her LinkedIn profile confirms: Claire is a serial entrepreneur and… Read More

May 9, 2015 @ 4:10 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

No book teetering on your head as you slowly walk down the hallway, arms outstretched as if you were on a tightrope: BetterBack, a posture-improving product now overfunding on Kickstarter, says that wearing the company’s device just 15 minutes a day can retrain your default… Read More

May 9, 2015 @ 3:00 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

A new type of mortgage launched by National Family Mortgage, a Massachusetts-based marketplace for peer-to-peer loans, is offering a homeowner’s own family, rather than a bank, the chance to receive tax-free cash borrowed against a home equity line of credit (HELOC), according to a recent story in the Washington Post…. Read More

May 8, 2015 @ 2:29 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Digitzs, a payment processor platform that allows merchants to be paid the next day and choose their fees from a 0-3 percent range, is now raising funds on crowdfunding platform Crowdfunder. Among Digitzs’ investors, who have helped the company raise $380,000 thus far, is Kevin Harrington, investor… Read More

May 7, 2015 @ 1:59 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Effortlessly, hummus manages to be a perfect food. It pairs just as well with a spoon as with a warm pita. But rather than tick off all its pros–vegan, gluten-free, high-fiber, low glycemic index and delicious–just pause and consider how many people you know who… Read More

April 30, 2015 @ 2:29 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

One of India’s largest peer-to-peer lending marketplaces, Faircent.com, today announced its alliance with Yodlee, a U.S.-based leading cloud-based technology and applications platform for digital financial services, according to India.com. Faircent is the first P2P lending marketplace to align with Yodlee in Asia, India.com noted. Yodlee, led by CEO… Read More

April 24, 2015 @ 3:14 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Without the cloud, a PC or having to pay a single fee, MEEM, a charger cord that automatically backs up the personal data from your phone when it is charged, is now crowdfunding on Crowdcube. The company is also negotiating with a leading multinational company to… Read More

April 23, 2015 @ 1:46 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Folk2Folk, a leading UK people-to-business finance company, has just introduced funding to help deliver the £400 million Langarth Farm mixed-use development on the edge of Truro in Cornwall, England, according to the Western Morning News. Folk2Folk to back £400m Langarth Farm development http://t.co/CljPNJAFrF @Folk2FolkUK pic.twitter.com/Gz9N7UP3it — WMN… Read More

April 22, 2015 @ 2:30 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Judging by the photos of newly bejeweled fingers on my social media feeds, and the abundance of bridesmaid dresses in the “special occasions” section of local department stores, it’s time to cue the music (Canon in D): Wedding season is now. And Honeyfund, a free honeymoon… Read More

April 17, 2015 @ 2:03 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Beijing-based peer-to-peer lender Yirendai.com plans to raise about $300 million in a U.S. initial public offering, notes a recent BloombergBusiness story, citing people with knowledge of the matter. If the IPO takes place, Yirendai could become the first Chinese online-loan platform to list overseas, following the likes of offerings by U.S…. Read More

April 16, 2015 @ 1:25 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Megadeth, a Los Angeles-based heavy metal band famous for songs such as “Holy Wars … The Punishment Due: and “Peace Sells,” is now crowdfunding its upcoming 15th album on online direct-to-fan platform PledgeMusic, notes A.V. Club. The legendary group, which has gone platinum six times, and sold about… Read More

April 16, 2015 @ 12:46 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

StartUp Health, a New York-based technology accelerator, is now among the earliest accelerators to begin health-investing syndicates on AngelList, according to a recent story in Wall Street Journal’s blog, Venture Capital Dispatch. The accelerator also calls itself an “academy,” due to its multi-year involvement with digital-health startups. Companies… Read More

April 15, 2015 @ 2:00 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

  OnDeck Capital, which offers short-term loans to businesses of between $5,000 and $250,000, and Prosper Marketplace, a peer-to-peer lending marketplace, today announced their new strategic partnership, according to a story in New York Business Journal. The partnership was made public at the LendIt financial tech conference… Read More

April 14, 2015 @ 3:26 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Waking up in Tuesday’s territory, your day may have started with good intentions: a proper breakfast, replying to all your work emails by noon, a brisk noon run…and avoiding ending the day with a slurp of instant ramen and Wednesday headache already in place. Congratulations if any or… Read More

April 10, 2015 @ 1:50 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

  JustGiving, a UK-based fundraising platform, has just gone live with its crowdfunding capabilities, offering crowdfunders the chance to be part of the JustGiving community of 12 million, according to a recent press release by the company. Since launching in 2001, JustGiving has enabled over 22 million people across 164… Read More

April 9, 2015 @ 1:23 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

  Solar roofing can be difficult if you can’t install solar panels on your roof. But a new start-up, Yeloha Inc., allows consumers to be “solar sharers,” with or without a roof. The company recently launched its service with limited availability in Massachusetts this week,… Read More

April 8, 2015 @ 2:15 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

To officially launch the Draper Ecosystem’s “Fintech Connection,” the company’s new mentoring program targeting early stage fintech start-ups, the Fintech Connection Forum will take place on the afternoon of Monday, April 20, at Hero City in San Mateo, Calif. The invite-only event will offer fintech start-ups and investors to… Read More