General News

December 27, 2016 @ 5:07 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Less than one year after Indiegogo success Lazer Team hit theaters, director and producer, Matt Hullum announced filming for Lazer Team 2 is set to begin spring 2017 in Texas. The film received over $2.3 million during its crowdfunding campaign in 2014 and raised an additional $1 million in theatrical release… Read More

December 27, 2016 @ 11:00 am By JD Alois  |  

  Michael Markowski is making a bold prediction stating Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) will be the first company to breach the $1 trillion mark in valuation.  It is only this year that Microsoft topped $1 trillion in total lifetime revenues.  Microsoft is in the race for securing… Read More

December 27, 2016 @ 5:01 am By Emma Peck  |  

2016 brought with it many positive developments for startups in terms of capital access and tax policy. Investment crowdfunding finally went live, a number of bills to facilitate capital formation passed the House, and the startup community galvanized around a tax bill that would make… Read More

December 26, 2016 @ 6:11 am By JD Alois  |  

Echo Laboratories, a startup microscope maker, has closed a $2 million funding round led by Tech Coast Angels (TCA). The round was completed in less than two months and was said to be the Angel network’s largest funding round for the year.  Tech Coast Angels… Read More

December 26, 2016 @ 5:48 am By Jessica Pham  |  

Do you often get phone calls and mailers from your college alma mater asking for donations?  I do, and as a recent grad, I wonder how much help I really contribute with my puny annual $5-10 donation.  Enter crowdfunding among alumni for high school and… Read More

December 23, 2016 @ 6:57 am By JD Alois  |  

AIM (Alternative Investment Market), a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange (LSE), has released their end of year numbers. Accoring to AIM, they have had a pretty good year: New AIM companies in 2016 up 39% post-IPO 38 IPOs raised record average of £30m Market… Read More

December 22, 2016 @ 5:02 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Earlier this week, CEO of online lender SoFi, Mike Cagney, sat down with Caroline Hyde on “Bloomberg Technology” to discuss the platform’s plans for 2017 along with revealing details about the lender’s competitors. SoFi, which was founded in 2011, currently offers various types of lending options…. Read More

December 22, 2016 @ 2:04 pm By Thomas LeTrent and Aaron Schwartz  |  

Market credibility and an emphasis on better transparency will be two key factors for marketplace lending in 2017. 2017 will be a pivotal year for the marketplace lending (MPL) space as the market will seek stabilization in both confidence and venture funding, following a challenging… Read More

December 22, 2016 @ 1:37 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Earlier this week, famous brewing company BrewDog announced it projected a £70 million turnover during the 2016 fiscal year. This news comes just a few weeks after the brewery launched its mini bond on Crowdcube, which is currently nearing £7.6 million thanks to more than 2100 investors…. Read More

December 22, 2016 @ 7:23 am By Jessica Pham  |  

During the first half of 2016, regulators feared that Fintech would become all too powerful.  Then, in November, they concluded that the Fintech sector was not threatening.  At the cusp of 2017, it also appears that other observers have concluded that the FIintech boom is… Read More

December 21, 2016 @ 4:05 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Last week, Malaysia’s largest bank, Maybank, announced it is expecting Maybank Samsung Pay to boost the number of customers using contactless payments among its cardholders by at least 100% by end 2017. The Maybank Pay launched in Malaysia this summer and already received nearly 40,000 installations… Read More

December 21, 2016 @ 3:23 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

WorldRemit’s expansion plans continue. Less than a week after announcing it was expanding into Russia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Western/Central Africa and Pakistan, the digital money transfer service announced it was launching a new cash pick up service in Lebanon. Through its app or website, WorldRemit’s users in more… Read More

December 21, 2016 @ 2:09 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Cardlay, a front-end card management platform and cardholder application based in Denmark, announced it secured $4 million from a group of private investors during a funding round. The company stated it now form partnerships with banks to serve as a front-end platform and will assist… Read More

December 21, 2016 @ 11:16 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Peer-to-peer lender ThinCats announced on Wednesday it appointed Jill Sandford and Damon Walford to the board of directors. According to the lender, both Sandford and Walford will be responsible for driving business growth, with a specific focus on originating loans and broadening the platform’s network… Read More

December 20, 2016 @ 12:31 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Following the news that BlueVine secured $49 million during its Series D funding round, the fintech startup announced it was launching a new scholarship program specifically for young entrepreneurs. The company stated its Young Entrepreneurs Scholarship program aims to motivate and support aspiring business owners… Read More

December 20, 2016 @ 6:29 am By Erin Hobey  |  

This time of year is a natural time of reflection for most, and the fintech industry isn’t an exception.  This week SyndicateRoom co-founder Tom Britton posted his year review comments, summarizing 2016 as a year of radical change, “politically, economically and socially.” “Brexit, Trump, the Italian… Read More

December 20, 2016 @ 5:49 am By Erin Hobey  |  

In the last five days WorldRemit announced expansion into Russia, Ethiopia, Uganda and Western and Central Africa. Add Pakistan to the list. WorldRemit is on fire! The digital money transfer service today announced a partnership with global money transfer brand Xpress Money to open up new… Read More

December 20, 2016 @ 5:17 am By Erin Hobey  |  

PrimaryBid, an online crowdfunding platform that enables investors to gain access to equity capital raises of AIM-listed companies, has facilitated £30 million in crowdfunding during 2016. In its first year of operation, since the formal launch in March 2016, the platform has undertaken 14 crowdfunding transactions for publicly quoted… Read More

December 20, 2016 @ 5:03 am By Erin Hobey  |  

“India has seen a spectacular growth in the alternative investment market. Numerous HNI Investors have been putting money into Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) for the past 3 years,” assessed Association of International Wealth Management of India CEO Aditya Gadge. ah! Ventures, aiming to be a major player… Read More

December 19, 2016 @ 5:20 pm By Jessica Pham  |  

Iowa is aiming to become the Most Connected State in the Midwest as Governor Terry Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds announced a crowdsourced project to provide broader access to broadband.  The Blue Ribbon Initiative will be a private-public partnership that aims to raise $2… Read More