General News

January 18, 2017 @ 2:12 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Onfido, a global identity verification company, announced this week it is helping to bring financial services to the 2 billion unbanked individuals worldwide with its Machine Learning-based solution. The company stated it plans to use its proprietary technology to verify people’s identification by comparing an identity document… Read More

January 18, 2017 @ 10:51 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Seed&Spark, the independent film crowdfunding platform, announced on Wednesday the launch of its latest entertainment initiative, #100DaysofDiversity, which is described as a movement that’s joining creators, audiences, brands, festivals, and organizations to actively increase representation in entertainment in 100 days starting January 20th. The crowdfunding platform… Read More

January 18, 2017 @ 9:06 am By JD Alois  |  

The Crowd Data Center is out with a report stating that seed crowdfunding is more effective in delivering more money to businesses than the UK government’s program: 40% more funding in 2016 than the government funded Startup Loans scheme. The Crowd Data Center has collected… Read More

January 18, 2017 @ 8:03 am By JD Alois  |  

Fourth Quarter UK Peer to Peer Lending Hits £844 Million The UK Peer to Peer Finance Association (P2PFA) has published Q4 data for both SME and consumer lending. The P2PFA said “fourth quarter of 2016 has demonstrated continued growth, with the expansion in lending volumes… Read More

January 17, 2017 @ 4:48 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

BeatStars and Play Impossible are set to close their crowdfunding campaigns through Indiegogo and MicroVentures’ equity crowdfunding platform. The two initiatives were among the first to use the new funding portal, which went live on November 15th. Play Impossible is a new gaming company using powerful,… Read More

January 17, 2017 @ 4:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

Here is a list that Cleveland can be proud to be a part of, and not only that, it is at the top! HomeUnion, a new online real estate management platform that helps landlords invest in property and then rent it out, has published their… Read More

January 17, 2017 @ 3:46 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Small business lender OnDeck announced on Tuesday it formed a strategic partnership with corporate and small business payment solutions, WEX. OnDeck reports that under the new partnership agreement, WEX customers will gain access to the OnDeck product suite of loans up to $500,000 and lines of… Read More

January 17, 2017 @ 2:11 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Business commerce platform Tradeshift announced on Monday it is partnering with CNBC to host the second annual leadership event, Sanctuary, during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. Those reportedly attending the event include leaders of Water.org, Planet, NASA, Ogin, Blockchain, General Motors, and… Read More

January 17, 2017 @ 12:00 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals announced on Tuesday the 39 judges for the ninth annual SXSW Accelerator Pitch Event, which will be taking place March 11-12 during the SXSW Startup Village Track at the Hilton Downtown Austin. The 2017 judges include Phil Libin of… Read More

January 17, 2017 @ 6:15 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Aromics, a privately-owned development stage pharmaceutical company founded in 2005, is based in Barcelona, Spain and focused on developing novel first-in-class therapies for the treatment of human diseases. The company has received the seal of Innovative SME from MINECO and achieved different R&D awards from international,… Read More

January 17, 2017 @ 5:34 am By Erin Hobey  |  

First Investors Financial Services Group has inked a partnership with digital car financing platform AutoGravity, which will bring the financial institution’s 4,000 dealer partners into AutoGravity’s ecosystem announced the platform. “The world is changing; there is a whole population that really doesn’t do anything unless… Read More

January 17, 2017 @ 5:14 am By Erin Hobey  |  

China Rapid Finance Limited, a large Chinese consumer lending marketplace launched in 2001, added to its recent haul of awards and recognitions by being named to Hurun Report’s “2017 China New Finance Top 50.” CRF’s inclusion on the list reflects the company’s stable growth in consumer… Read More

January 17, 2017 @ 4:37 am By Erin Hobey  |  

UK-headquartered Platform Black Limited announced that it has rebranded as Sancus Finance Limited with immediate effect. The move comes as part of a strategic review of operations by Platform Black’s owners, GLI Finance Limited. The strategic review, designed to simplify GLI’s structure, included a transfer of its holdings… Read More

January 16, 2017 @ 12:30 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Australia’s startup accelerator H2 Ventures is set to receive a $2 million loan from Jobs for NSW. The funds will reportedly give H2 Ventures access to a $4 million loan from Investec Australia, along with helping the accelerator create 400 jobs for 40 fintech startups in… Read More

January 16, 2017 @ 9:41 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Innovate Finance, the independent membership organization representing UK’s global fintech sector, announced on Monday it is heading to Davos, Switzerland for the 2017 World Economic Forum.  The World Economic Forum, which was established as a not-for-profit foundation in 1971 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, aims to… Read More

January 16, 2017 @ 9:18 am By JD Alois  |  

The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) is in the midst of a research push. The CCAF is in the midst of not one, but three different surveys on the alternative finance ecosystem. Late last year, the CCAF announced a unique partnership with the Financial… Read More

January 16, 2017 @ 7:50 am By JD Alois  |  

Venture Capital investment into European companies increased in Q4 in comparison to Q3 2016 and the same quarter year prior. This is according to Dow Jones European Venture Capital Report that described Q4 as a “rebound”. Dow Jones tallied 19 European venture capital funds raising €1.60… Read More

January 13, 2017 @ 1:16 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Following the 2017 CES, which was held in Las Vegas last week, global crowdfunding platform Indiegogo shared its very own recap of the annual technology event. The Indiegogo team shared: “Thank you to everyone who joined us at CES 2017, we hope you had as… Read More

January 13, 2017 @ 11:42 am By JD Alois  |  

In a discouraging sign, investment in venture capital backed companies tanked in Q4 of 2016. This is according to the PwC / CBInsights MoneyTree Report. Both deals and dollars sagged, 16% and 20% respectively. The report said the global market experienced a similar decline with… Read More

January 13, 2017 @ 8:30 am By Jessica Pham  |  

UK-based Crowdsurfer has secured over £1 million (over $1.2 million) in its latest funding round with angel investors.  Backers included Mustard Seed — which backed the company last July — as well as individual investors including the following: Former Global CEO of Standard Chartered Peter Sands; Former Deputy… Read More