General News

January 25, 2017 @ 10:11 am By JD Alois  |  

Breathometer, the “world’s first smartphone breathalyzer”, raised $138,437 on Indiegogo back in 2013. The following year, Breathometer visited the studios of Shark Tank where founder Charles Michael Yim “blew the sharks out of the water.” He asked for a mere $250,000.  And what happened? All… Read More

January 24, 2017 @ 5:06 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Jumpstartfund’s Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Inc. (HTT) announced on Tuesday it signed an agreement with the city of Toulouse, France to open a facility for the development and testing of the Hyperloop-related technologies. This news comes shortly after Hyperloop’s announcement of surpassing $100 million in in-kind and… Read More

January 24, 2017 @ 4:05 pm By Jessica Pham  |  

Online lending experienced a challenging year in 2016. Regardless of your base of operations, unexpected events created a bumpy ride for many platforms in this sector of finance. Crowdfund Insider last spoke to Zopa CEO Jaidev Janardana in mid-2016, just prior to the UK’s decision… Read More

January 24, 2017 @ 1:13 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Sleep technology startup Eight announced on Tuesday it raised $5 million during its Series A financing round, which brings the company’s total funds to $11 million. Investors including Yunqi Partners, Azure Capital, Y Combinator, Stanford StartX fund, Comcast Ventures, and Sinovation Ventures. This news comes just… Read More

January 24, 2017 @ 9:14 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Ford Motor Credit has partnered with fintech startup AutoFi to provide digital financing options to consumers, the companies announced in a joint press release. The program is available today to consumers near Ricart Ford in Groveport, Ohio — just outside of Columbus — and plans to… Read More

January 24, 2017 @ 8:38 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

On Tuesday, Equifax Canada (NYSE: EFX) announced it officially launched the first phase of a new multi-million dollar technology platform, which will provide Canadian financial institutions with insights to help them understand their customers’ needs and motivations. According to Equifax Canada, the new platform will… Read More

January 24, 2017 @ 8:38 am By Erin Hobey  |  

“We can do online voting on blockchain in a highly scalable way, and that’s what we did.” Focusing on solving the problem of securing public, private and proxy global election systems, Votem offers a blockchain-based solution which aims to give democracy back to the people by allowing… Read More

January 24, 2017 @ 7:53 am By JD Alois  |  

The EU has ambitious goals on fostering sustainable energy projects but frequently financing is hard to find.  A newly published position paper, produced in concert with Citizenergy, on the challenge is pointing to alternative finance as a significant part of the answer. According to the… Read More

January 23, 2017 @ 3:41 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

On Monday, equity crowdfunding platform for healthcare, RedCrow, announced  MindChild Medical successfully received FDA approval for a non-invasive fetal heart monitor. The RedCrow-backed company, which was founded in 2008, reportedly submitted a 510(k) in 2012 for its MERIDIAN M110 monitor, which is described as a medical marvel… Read More

January 23, 2017 @ 2:50 pm By JD Alois  |  

Numerous states have enacted “intrastate” crowdfunding regulations to help foster capital formation for local businesses. Some of the states have crafted crowdfunding rules that are superior to Title III of the JOBS Act, also called Reg CF.  Minnesota is one of those states that benefited… Read More

January 23, 2017 @ 12:18 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago and the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School have partnered again on the 2017 Americas Alternative Finance Industry survey. Research… Read More

January 23, 2017 @ 9:45 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

CoAssets Limited, a Singapore-founded Fintech firm that is listed on the ASX (ASX: CA8), announced over the weekend it has invested RMB 1 Million (approx. A$194,000) in Fujian’s Da Xian Bing Internet Technology Ltd (“Da Xian Bing”).  The company stated that the investment, for 10% of Da… Read More

January 23, 2017 @ 9:12 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Startupbootcamp FinTech announced on Monday it has selected 10 startups to join its inaugural program in Mumbai. The group was selected from the Top 20 teams that made it to this round, after four months of scouting and nearly 300 applications from roadshows across Asia,… Read More

January 22, 2017 @ 2:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

The concept of a Fintech Charter for emerging firms in the financial services industry has generated plenty of attention on Capitol Hill and with Fintech entrepreneurs. Originally pitched by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency towards the end of last year, a comment… Read More

January 21, 2017 @ 1:25 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

On Friday, global crowdfunding platform Indiegogo announced that some of its funded success films are heading to this year’s Sundance and Slamdance festivals. The funding portal shared: “We’re all about starting the New Year off right here at Indiegogo, and that’s just what we’ve been… Read More

January 20, 2017 @ 11:56 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

 A group of fintech companies announced on Thursday they have come together to create the Consumer Financial Data Rights (CFDR) group. This organization will notably defend consumers’ access to their data and fuels innovation in the fintech industry. Founders of the CFDR group includes leaders from Affirm, Betterment,… Read More

January 20, 2017 @ 11:01 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

FinTech Acquisition Corp. II, a blank-check company that acquires or merges with one or more businesses or entities in the fintech industry, announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 15.3 million units at a price of $10 per unit, for gross proceeds to the… Read More

January 20, 2017 @ 10:53 am By JD Alois  |  

OTC Markets’ OTCQX – or their best marketplace – is celebrating its 10th anniversary of operations. While OTC Markets’ lineage dates back to 1913, their “elite tier” of traded securities remains a pre-teen. Modeled after the London Stock Exchange’s successful AIM market, OTCQX was created… Read More

January 20, 2017 @ 9:16 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Philippine-based startup Ayannah, a provider of affordable and accessible digital financial services for the world’s unbanked, was named Best in Show by the judges at the Fintech Finals 2017 (FF17) pitch competition at PMQ in Hong Kong on Thursday night. The second annual event, which was… Read More

January 20, 2017 @ 8:02 am By JD Alois  |  

Entrepreneurial Scotland’s Saltire Fellowship program has opened for applications for its 2017/2018 program. The Fellowship is an intensive leadership development opportunity for Scotland’s most ambitious and entrepreneurially-minded individuals. Entrepreneurial Scotland’s Chief Executive, Sandy Kennedy, commented on the program; “The current landscape is changing both nationally… Read More