The early stage players raising funding this week include Standard Cognition, Genesis, Creditgate24, Spaceti etc. We also feature a Q&A with Manuel Silva Martínez of Santander InnoVentures and Sandro Matter of vlot.
Meet the first set of startups and investors who will be on stage at the 12th FinTech Forum, on 19th Nov. 2020 in Frankfurt:
(Click on the hyperlinked names to read our Q&A with the respective founders and investors)
KlickOwn: blockchain-enabled platform offering a superior real estate investing experience for everyone
CommneX: a digital brokering platform for credit- and deposits from municipalities and municipal enterprises
Finteum: a platform for interbank intraday lending, enabling treasurers to borrow and lend for hours at a time
We are pleased to confirm the following investors and financial institutions who will be sharing investment trends and opportunities in specific areas.
Astrid Freier: Partner, DACH, Vidici Ventures
Paula Blazquez Solano: Head of Investments at InnoCells (Banco Sabadell)
Manuel Silva Martinez: Partner, Head of Investments, Santander InnoVentures
Daniel Andemeskel: Head of Innovation at Universal Investment
If you are in the midst of a funding round, feel free to reach out to us via LinkedIn: Frank Schwab or Samarth Shekhar
Call for startups: apply to pitch at the 12th FinTech Forum, 19th Nov. 2020 in Frankfurt – email contact (at) fintechforum.de or reach out via LinkedIn. Investors & corporates: register here directly http://ftf12.eventbrite.com
7 Minute Pitch Template Essentials
In the past 7 years we at FinTech Forum have evaluated over 3,500 pitches and given a lot of feedback. More than 350 FinTech startups have presented their business models in 7 minutes each.
From this we developed a template. We recommend that all founders cover at least the following eight themes in their presentation.
http://www.fintechforum.de/7-minute-pitch-template-essentials/
7 Questions with Manuel Silva Martínez of Santander InnoVentures
1. Please tell us a bit about yourself, both at work and leisure.
I am Manuel Silva Martínez and run the Investments team at Santander InnoVentures. At work, I have built a team that oozes dynamism and intellectual curiosity. We are a very lean structure where free speech and constructive opinions are the basis for our team dynamics and decision-making as investors. In my spare time, I am an avid traveller (70 countries and counting), long-distance hiker (Camino de Santiago several times, Inca Trail in Peru, Kumano Kodo in Japan…) and love to discover new restaurants and foods in East London, where I live.
http://www.fintechforum.de/7-questions-with-manuel-silva-martinez-of-santander-innoventures/
Manuel Silva Martinez is among the investors who will be on stage sharing insights and investment trends in European FinTech at the 12th FinTech Forum, 19th Nov. 2020 in Frankfurt: https://ftf12.eventbrite.com
7 Questions with Sandro Matter of vlot
1. Please tell us a bit about yourself, both at work and leisure.
Having lived the first childhood years in Nigeria (my father in that time was heading up the marketing activities of the pharmaceutical company Roche for the African and Middle East region), I spent my entire school time in the area of Basle (Switzerland). After graduating from high-school and passing the mandatory Swiss military service (as an armed cyclist), I picked up my studies at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) – enriched by the invaluable experience of exchange semesters in Oslo (B.I.) and Sao Paulo (FGV), respectively.
Equipped with a master degree in Banking and Finance and one year of experience as a consultant in the financial industry, I took on various business management as well as strategy and business development roles for a leading global universal bank. After almost a decade, the decision matured for me that time was up for some real change … with the eventual result of launching vlot with my co-founder Daniel.
When it comes to leisure time, I have a great passion for outdoor sports – besides all kind of winter activities (skiing, cross-country skiing, ski touring) particularly race cycling. But above all, I try to spend good quality moments with my family (a lovely wife and two little girls in the age of 5 and 7) as well as dear friends.
http://www.fintechforum.de/7-questions-with-sandro-matter-of-vlot/
Standard Cognition Buys Checkout Technologies
Standard Cognition, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of an autonomous checkout solution that can be installed in retailers’ existing stores, acquired Checkout Technologies, a Milan, Italy-based developer od Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology for easy retail checkout.
The amount of the deal was not disclosed. The acquisition increases the size of Standard’s engineering team and expands its European presence.Led by Jordan Fisher, co-founder and CEO, Standard provides a machine vision and AI-powered autonomous checkout solution that works in any existing store and allows customers to walk in, take what they need, and walk out without waiting in line or stopping to scan or pay.
http://www.finsmes.com/2020/05/standard-cognition-buys-checkout-technologies.html
Genesis Acquires Vo1t
Genesis, a NYC-based provider of digital currency trading and lending solutions, acquired Vo1t, a London-based insured digital custody service.
The amount of the deal was not disclosed.
The new addition will supplement Genesis’s existing services, which include global over-the-counter trading and institutional lending, and enable the company to launch its Prime Services, a destination for trading, lending, and securing digital assets, later this year.
Led by Miles Parry, CEO and Co-founder, Vo1t has served as a leading digital custody service provider since 2015.
http://www.finsmes.com/2020/05/genesis-acquires-vo1t.html
Creditgate24 to Buy Rival Fintech
Lending start-ups Creditgate24 and Advanon are merging, as the coronavirus crisis prompts a round of consolidation in Switzerland’s fintech sector. Lending platform Creditgate24 is taking over Advanon, a debt financing platform, the two companies told finews.com.
Creditgate24 founder Christoph Mueller and Advanon co-founder Phil Lojacono stopped short of crediting the pandemic with their merger, an a joint interview with finews.com.
«Advanon hasn’t had any outages in the crisis, and our portfolio is very robust,» Lojacono said.
Prague-based Spaceti raises €3.5 million to expand its workspace solutions
Czech proptech Spaceti, which helps companies make more efficient use of their workspace and reduce associated costs, has received a second investment of around €3.5 million from Reflex Capital and Fast Forward, as well as from new investors Lighthouse Ventures and Kamil Vacek. This seed funding will be used to expand its solutions and help more companies create safe and healthy workplaces, while at the same time reducing costs.
Spaceti, founded in 2016, develops, produces, and markets technologies for the transparent use of offices and workspaces. The Spaceti system provides clients with a precise overview of the occupancy and intensity of use of individual workspaces, meeting rooms, and parking spaces.
prague-based-spaceti-raises-e3-5-million-to-expand-its-workspace-solutions
Brytlyt Raises $4M in Series A Funding
Brytlyt, a London, UK-based provider of data analytics and visualisation technology, raised $4m in Series A funding. Backers included Amadeus Capital Partners and Finch Capital.
The company intends to use the funds to build sales operations, enter new markets and grow its engineering team.
Led by founder and CEO Richard Heyns, Brytlyt provides large telcos, retailers and financial institutions with the SpotLyt tool to make sense of their data through analysis and visualization technology.
http://www.finsmes.com/2020/05/brytlyt-raises-4m-in-series-a-funding.html
Swiss startup PXL Vision raises €4.3 million for its ID verification tech
Zurich-based startup PXL Vision, whose AI-based software delivers secure and automated identity verification, has announced raising around €4.3 million to expand internationally.
The financing round was led by SIX Fintech Ventures, with participation from ZKB, High-Tech Gründerfonds, Arab Bank and business angels Beat Schillig and David Studer.
Billions of personal datasets are stolen every year and are frequently used for fraudulent purposes. Trust in digital interactions is therefore crucial.
Amid pandemic, London-based Thriva secures €4.5M funding to offer at-home health service
Once you get to know what’s going on inside your body, you can understand the impact of your lifestyle on your health and start to make small changes that add up to a healthier you.
While there was no simple and convenient method to track it, Thriva, a London-based startup changed it through personalised home-kit.
In the latest development, the UK company has secured a £4 million (approx €4.5 million) extension to its Series A funding round from Berlin-based VC Target Global.
The investment comes from Target Global’s new Early Stage Fund II.
London-based Freetrade closes €7.8 million crowdfunding for its investing app
Today UK-based fintech Freetrade, the smart app that makes investing easy for everyone, has defied the COVID-19 lockdown to raise €7.8 million from more than 8,000 people.
Working with Crowdcube, the company exceeded its €1.1 million target in just 4:33 minutes from existing shareholders before going on to raise €7.8 million in five days. Freetrade’s fundraise is the largest equity crowdfunding campaign to be completed in the UK this year so far.
Freetrade, founded in 2017, is a challenger stockbroker bringing mobile-first, commission-free investing to the UK and Europe.
UK insurtech startup By Miles raises £15 million Series B for pay-by-mile car insurance
By Miles, a UK insurtech company that offers pay-by-mile car insurance, has closed a £15 million Series B round led by CommerzVentures, with support from Octopus Ventures, Insurtech Gateway and JamJar.
The London-based startup aims to provide a flexible insurance scheme for the UK’s 19 million lower mileage drivers, those who drive less than 7,000 miles a year.
After a fixed upfront cost to cover the car while it’s parked, users get their own unique per-mile rates to cover driving.
“Car insurance needs a shake-up if it’s going to remain relevant in a world of semi-autonomous, connected and electric cars. And in the current climate, insurers can’t ignore that – drivers want more flexibility and fairer pricing,” explained Paul Morgenthaler, partner at CommerzVentures.
https://tech.eu/brief/by-miles-series-b/
Berlin-based Medwing gets €28 million to help healthcare sector hire and retain staff
Berlin-based startup Medwing, creator of digital HR management tools for the healthcare sector, has raised a €28 million Series B round led by Cathay Innovation, with participation from existing investors Northzone, Cherry Ventures and Atlantic Labs.
The German company has created digital tools that help hospitals and other medical care facilities with recruitment and HR processes, with the goal of keeping the healthcare sector fully (and more happily) staffed.
In a press release, Medwing cites a World Bank statistic that the global shortage of health professionals is projected to rise to 20 million by 2030.
“We have the technology to think and live healthcare completely differently – making it better for everyone,” says founder and managing director Johannes Roggendorf.
https://tech.eu/brief/medwing-series-b/
Contentsquare Raises $190M in Series D Funding
Contentsquare, a Paris, France- and NYC-based provider of an experience analytics platform, raised $190m in Series D funding.
The round, which brought total funding raised to date to $310m, was led by BlackRock’s Private Equity Partners team, with participation from existing investors Bpifrance (through their Large Venture fund), Eurazeo Growth, Canaan, GPE Hermes, Highland Europe, H14 and KKR, most of whom participated in this round.
Sapiance Capital Limited is also providing credit to the company. In conjunction with the funding, Nathalie von Niederhaeusern from BlackRock is joining Contentsquare’s Board of Directors.
The company intends to use the funds to continue to invest in innovation, including AI- based and predictive analytics, and expand its business across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Middle East.
Led by Jonathan Cherki, Founder and CEO, Contentsquare provides a platform that analyzes customer behavior through billions of anonymous web, mobile and app interactions, in respect of data privacy laws such as EU GDPR and California CCPA, and transforms this knowledge into intelligent recommendations for users to increase revenue, engagement and growth.
http://www.finsmes.com/2020/05/contentsquare-raises-190m-in-series-d-funding.html
We are proud to partner with Money20/20 Europe- now taking place from 22nd – 24th September 2020, still at the Rai, Amsterdam (rescheduled from the original date of 16th – 18th June 2020). Join us using discount code MP20FOR: https://europe.money2020.com
Meet us at:
NOAH Conference, Berlin, 4-5 Jun. 2020 https://www.noah-conference.com/noah-berlin-conference-2020/ (going virtual)
FinTech Junction, Tel Aviv, 1 Jul. 2020 https://www.fintechjunction.com (subject to decision based on COVID-19)
Swiss FinTech Fair, Zürich, 8 Sep. 2020 https://www.swissfintechfair.com
Money2020 Europe, Amsterdam, 22-24 Sep. 2020 https://europe.money2020.com
Bank+FinTech EFMA, Madrid, 21-23 Oct. 2020 https://www.efma.com/conference/748-bank-fintech-2020
Digital Insurance Agenda, Amsterdam, 28-29 Oct. 2020 https://next.digitalinsuranceagenda.com/dia-amsterdam-2020/want-to-attend/
MoneyConf / WebSummit, Lisbon, 2-5 Nov. 2020 https://websummit.com/moneyconf
12th FinTech Forum, Frankfurt, 19th Nov. 2020 http://www.fintechforum.de/events/
Our Partners: Heussen https://www.heussen-law.de | InsurTech Insights https://insurtechinsights.com | Finovate Europe https://informaconnect.com/finovateeurope/ | FN FinTech 40 https://www.fnlondon.com