Uncategorized

October 12, 2015 @ 11:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Market Authority in New Zealand is increasing the amount of competition in the online lending space. The FMA has now approved the application of Lending Crowd – the 4th P2P lender to join the arena alongside other established lending platforms. Lending Crowd will… Read More

October 12, 2015 @ 2:42 pm By JD Alois  |  

Regulatory consultancy Bovill states that many aspiring peer to peer lending platforms are having a change of heart.  According to a release published by the firm, 26% of P2P lending applicants have withdrawn their request as they are concerned they will not be able to meet… Read More

October 12, 2015 @ 2:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

AngelList has posted a “few announcements” on their blog today.  CSC Upshot, a new venture capital firm, has raised a $400 million fund to invest in startups on AngelList.  According to AngelList this is the 3rd largest seed stage fund ever.  AngelList has raised approximately… Read More

October 12, 2015 @ 1:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

Global consulting firm Accenture has published research reflecting on how difficult it is for big corporations to incorporate an innovation culture: One that not only embraces change, but empowers it to thrive. Accenture  did a survey of 1000 large companies, along with a poll of… Read More

September 28, 2015 @ 3:41 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Last week, smart lifestyle products retailer, Brookstone, announced that Indiegogo success Axent Wear’s Cat Ear Headphones is now available for pre-ordering through its website. Axent, which was created by two UC Berkeley Alums, took to the global crowdfunding platform with the headphones late last year. They are considered… Read More

September 21, 2015 @ 4:20 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Last week, Stroud-based startup Fashion for Change launched an equity crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube to raise £300,000 for the expansion of its online fashion-recycling boutique. Fashion For Change, which was created by experienced entrepreneur Isla D’Aubigny, is described as an online fashion-recycling boutique dedicated to fundraising. It enables donors to easily… Read More

September 16, 2015 @ 1:38 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

NonProfitEasy (NPE) announced on Wednesday that it has formed a strategic alliance with Points of Light to offer their 250 Affiliates its latest cloud-based volunteer management system, Fundly Connect, formerly known as VolunteerEasy. This news comes just one week after the all-in-one data management software solution acquired the… Read More

August 26, 2015 @ 4:43 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

American Homeowner Preservation (“AHP”) secured its first institutional investment. Scarab Funds, a socially responsible investment fund, recently invested in AHP’s Series 2014B, providing capital to purchase nonperforming mortgages from banks and then offer viable solutions to struggling homeowners. AHP has purchased close to 500 mortgages… Read More

August 25, 2015 @ 11:32 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Of course readers want to know what’s in your portfolio! Fundrise’s CEO Ben Miller just posted that he indeed invests in Fundrise’s offerings, 28 deals to date. “As a developer myself, I understand that there are risks in any real estate project and not everything… Read More

August 23, 2015 @ 11:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

Bondora, previously doing business as isePankur, is one of the faster growing peer-to-peer lending platforms in Europe. Based in Estonia, but also approved by the FCA in the UK, Bondora recently updated its legal approach to dealing with loans in default. Loans that go bad are… Read More

August 18, 2015 @ 11:43 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Today CBR‘s Jimmy Nicholls posted research regarding London’s fintech scene, highlighting which companies have drawn the most money in their funding rounds. His results follow: 1. Funding Circle – £96m Perhaps the largest peer-to-peer lender in London is Funding Circle a technology start-up that began life… Read More

July 18, 2015 @ 10:59 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

FRESHLY, the meal delivery company that ships healthy, ready-made meals to your doorstep each week, today announced the close of a Series A financing round of $7 million. This investment round was led by Highland Capital Partners and includes other investors White Star Capital and Jason Finger (co-founder… Read More

July 14, 2015 @ 4:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

Funding Circle is on a trajectory to originate around $1 billion in loans for 2015. The direct lender facilitated $100 million in loans in both the US and UK combined for the month of June, according to CEO and founder Samir Desai. The marketplace lending… Read More

July 13, 2015 @ 5:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

New York City based Coinsetter has announced the availability of margin trading to all account holders. The Bitcoin exchange also stated that users will be able to short Bitcoin as well. According to the company; “Previously only select businesses were able to receive margin on… Read More

June 25, 2015 @ 11:00 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

Investing in complex technology startups can be cause for a deep breath, but Propel(x) is helping demystify investing in these startups with the debut of its crowdsourced Diligence Insights capability, according to a recent press release. Propel(x) connects deep technology startups with angel investors and… Read More

June 24, 2015 @ 9:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

Everything is soon to be “smart”. The internet of things (IoT) will touch and change just about everything. Interconnected devices will soon be the norm, not the exception. But today a team of former Warby Parker and Birchbox operatives have launched a new smart lightbulb… Read More

June 10, 2015 @ 12:55 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

The equity crowdfunding market is worth over £50 million a year in the UK, doubling in size last year as an increasing number of individuals look for an alternative place to invest their capital. Despite its size however, there is very little research into market… Read More

June 7, 2015 @ 2:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

New Lending Program has Provided More than $200,000 to Philly Small Businesses Announced at the end of 2014, Kiva City Philadelphia is celebrating a successful first 6 months of lending.  The Philadelphia program is part of a broader strategy created by Kiva to provide micro loans… Read More

May 8, 2015 @ 4:05 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Chris Hansen’s Kickstarter project Hansen vs. Predator raced through its initial funding goal with 7 days left on the campaign clock. Nearly 1,000 backers have pledged over $77,000 in show of support for the new investigation to bring sexual predators to justice.  Clearing this goal means that a new investigation… Read More

April 9, 2015 @ 1:01 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Zivix, the technology company striving to make music accessible to everyone, continued its commitment to education, announcing more than 100 jamstik+ SmartGuitars are earmarked for Little Kids Rock, Romeo Music, MacPhail Center for Music, MyMusicRX, Notes for Notes and other amazing organizations. This mission coincides… Read More