Early stage European FinTech deals include STOKR, Zaver, Enfuce etc. We feature Q&As with Henri de Jong of Quantoz, Sheila Kagan of Paykey and Javier Correa of PostFinance AG.
Scaling Enterprise FinTech | The Handbook is out!
Launched in partnership with SixThirty Ventures and Finovate Europe, The Handbook includes proprietary research on ca. 65 Enterprise FinTech scaleups in #Europe, Q&As with 16 founders who have “been there and done it” as well as insights from 10 leading #venturecapital investors. Whether you are a founder with an idea, an early stage startup looking for inspiration and learnings, or an investor or financial institution looking to understand the difficult but rewarding journey to building a world-class Enterprise FinTech firm – download the Handbook here: http://www.fintechforum.de/sef/
If you are an early stage startup in Europe building the next big thing in FinTech, reach out to Frank Schwab or Samarth Shekhar.
7 Questions with Henri de Jong of Quantoz
About Quantoz: Quantoz shares a passion for transformative innovation and rapidly changing markets due to de-centralisation and technological developments. Their multi-award winning financial gateways NEXUS and QUASAR harness the power of blockchain technology and cryptography.
On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlhHLMMXzdI
Scaling Enterprise FinTech: with Sheila Kagan of PayKey
1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your company.
I joined PayKey in March 2020 after years of working as a chief executive at a variety of public and private tech companies in the advertising and gaming industries. Throughout my life I’ve been drawn to the dynamics of the banking industry, and once the opportunity came, I knew PayKey is a FinTech uniquely positioned to leave a mark on an industry that is traditionally lagging behind.
At PayKey we are putting banks at the forefront of embedded banking, by weaving the financial services customers need within their everyday lives. Our patented mobile keyboard solution allows customers to access a variety of mobile banking services including P2P payments, loans, investments and more within all the social & messaging apps they are regularly using like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and others. With our solution, banks can contextually bring their services to where customers today chat, transact, and make their financial decisions.
http://www.fintechforum.de/scaling-enterprise-fintech-with-sheila-kagan-of-paykey/
Scaling Enterprise FinTech with Javier Correa of PostFinance AG
1. A year since the first lockdowns- is this is a good time to be building or scaling an Enterprise FinTech (/ InsurTech) firm in Europe?
Yes, generally it always is, as long as there is a strong value proposition behind and clearly articulated. There is incremental talent looking to jump into an exciting journey. Customers and prospects have been made strongly aware of additional needs and/or of the advantages from innovative business models/technologies/products and services. In addition, deep pools of capital looking for attractive opportunities to support these teams.
http://www.fintechforum.de/5-questions-with-javier-correa-of-postfinance-ag/
Luxembourg-based STOKR lands €3.9 million to meet surging security token demand
Today STOKR, the EU’s pioneering digital marketplace for alternative assets, has announced the conclusion of its pre-series A funding round with strategic investments from Borderless Capital, Utopia Genesis Foundation, and G1 Ventures.
With over €3.9 million raised in total, STOKR plans to scale up its investment platform to meet the surging demand for EU-compliant security token offerings (STOs).
Founded in 2017, STOKR is a European pioneering digital investment marketplace for alternative assets, where smart investors connect with and fund innovative businesses. STOKR is the ‘all-in-one solution’ for young and growing ventures looking to raise capital in the EU.
Swedish fintech Zaver raises $5M to bring cardless payments and BNPL to ‘durables’ sector
Zaver, a Swedish fintech that enables merchants to accept cardless payments and offer buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) as an option, has raised $5 million in new funding.
The company, which began life focused on P2P payments for marketplace transactions, is now doubling down on the durables sector (think: automotive, health & beauty, craftmanship, etc.) for both online and offline commerce, after claiming to have found product-market fit.
Backing Zaver’s new round are VCs Inbox Capital (the firm that has invested in the likes of Revolut and Klarna) and Inventure.
https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/22/swedish-fintech-zaver-raises-5m-to-bring-cardless-payments-and-bnpl-to-durables-sector/
Finland’s Payment Services Provider Enfuce Secures €7M via Series B from Tencent, Maki.vc
Finland’s payment services provider Enfuce has secured €7 million in capital through a Series-B funding round.
Enfuce has received €5 million in funding from Tencent. Another €2 million that was part of the investment round came from previous investor Maki.
Prior investment has been supported by a debt and VC financing from several Finnish investors including Finnvera, LähiTapiola, and Nordea.
SCADAfence Secures $12M in Funding
SCADAfence, a NYC- Munich, Germany- Ramat Gan, Israel- and Tokyo, Japan-based provider of cybersecurity solutions for Operational Technology (OT) & Internet of Things (IoT) environments, secured $12m in funding.
The round was led by existing investor JVP, with participation from Rapid7 and other existing shareholders.
The company intends to use the funds to further expand its business reach across a diverse set of industries – including manufacturing, water treatment, critical infrastructure, oil & gas, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and building management systems (BMS), strengthen its full suite of OT & IoT cybersecurity solutions, and to continue to build its worldwide operations.
https://www.finsmes.com/2021/03/scadafence-secures-12m-in-funding.html
Digital Bank Zopa Raises £20 Million from Existing Investors, Reports £250 Million in Deposits
Zopa, a digital bank, has raised £20 million from existing investors, according to a release from the company. The Fintech said this is an indication of confidence in the initial success of its bank launch and growth of its latest products.
The round was led by IAG Silverstripe, with participation from a number of investors including Augmentum, Waterfall managed Alternative Credit Investments, and Venture Founders. Zopa originally launched as a peer-to-peer lending platform and helped to define the online lending sector.
Fintech startup Pollinate banks $50M round
Pollinate, a creator of cloud-based banking software, has secured a $50 million Series C led by Insight Partners. The London-based startup will use the funds for its international expansion, with a focus on North America. Pollinate’s platform provides onboarding, portals, data integrations, loyalty programs and other tools for small businesses and consumers.
https://pitchbook.com/newsletter/fintech-startup-pollinate-banks-50m-round
Berlin-based fintech MODIFI secures $60 million via Silicon Valley Bank Germany
Berlin-based fintech MODIFI has secured $60 million in from Silicon Valley Bank, now bringing their total capital to $111 million.
The funding is expected to address increased demands in existing marketing, as well as continue growth and market penetration, primarily in the US.
In a nutshell, MODIFI fronts the money for SMEs, buyers or sellers, to pay or receive payments for their invoice, with payments due 30, 60 or 90 days later, or outstanding invoices as soon as vendors ship the goods, respectively.
French Fintech PayFit Secures €90 Million Through Series D Funding Round
PayFit, a France-based fintech that specializes in payroll and HR, announced on Wednesday it secured 90 million through its Series D funding round which was led b y Eurazeo Growth, Large Venture, and BPI France with participation from Accel, Frst, and Xavier Niel.
Launched in 2016, PayFit describes itself as an “ultra-intuitive” SaaS solution that was created to digitize all the “complex aspects” of payroll and human resources. The company’s solution notably makes it possible to manage the hiring of employees, pay stubs, social declarations, paid leave, end of contract, and expense reports.
Salary Finance Raises $150M from Community Investment Management
Salary Finance, a Boston, MA-based global provider of financial education and salary-linked benefits for employees, received $150m in financing.
Community Investment Management (CIM) is providing the financing over the next three years.
The company intends to use the funds to expand access to low-cost loans for working Americans.
Founded in 2015 and led by Dan Macklin, CEO, Salary Finance is an organization that partners with employers to offer financial wellness solutions to employees. A United Way Worldwide corporate partner, the company works with over 600 of the world’s leading employers.
https://www.finsmes.com/2021/03/salary-finance-raises-150m-from-community-investment-management.html
Die Berliner Smartphone-Bank gehört zu den Großen der Finanzbranche. Seit 2013 hat N26 dafür einige Wandlungen durchgemacht. Was auf dem Weg zum Erfolg alles passiert ist.
Hinter dem bekannten Berliner Fintech N26 stehen die Österreicher Maximilian Tayenthal und Valentin Stalf. Beide kennen sich aus ihrer Jugendzeit. Tayenthal hat VWL, BWL sowie Jura studiert und danach unter anderem bei der Kanzlei CMS gearbeitet. Stalf begann seine Startup-Karriere mit einem Wirtschaftsstudium in St. Gallen und einem Job bei Rocket Internet.
Wie es dazu kam, dass ihr Unternehmen heute gestandene Bankkonzerne zum Nachdenken zwingt, haben wir für euch in einer Chronik zusammengefasst
https://www.businessinsider.de/gruenderszene/fintech/n26-fintech-firmengeschichte-r2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=n26-fintech-firmengeschichte-r2
Meet us at:
InsurTech Insights, 1-2 Sep. 2021, London
https://www.insurtechinsights.com/europe/
Meet Our Partners:
Heussen https://www.heussen-law.de
Nagarro https://www.nagarro.com/en
Opportunity Network https://www.opportunitynetwork.com/fintech-forum
Money2020 Europe https://europe.money2020.com
InsurTech Insights https://insurtechinsights.com
Finovate Europe https://informaconnect.com/finovateeurope/
FN FinTech 40 https://www.fnlondon.com