The biggest news in the FinTech space- the acquisition of Plaid by Visa for $5.3 billion- comes from the US this week, but it should be music to the ears of several European FinTechs in the area of APIs, Open Banking and PSD2, and to the sector in general. French payment app Lydia’s $45m Series B is an interesting validation of the “FinTech for millennials” pitches that have been doing the rounds. Check out a collection of 30 Best Pieces of Advice for Entrepreneurs in 2019. Registrations for the 12th FinTech Forum (19th Nov. 2020 in Frankfurt) are now open: http://ftf12.eventbrite.com – looking forward to the startup applications! Finally, check out the events we plan to attend, as well as our special discount for Finovate Europe (11-13 Feb. in Berlin).
7 Questions with Gabriele Musella, CEO of Coinrule
1. Please tell us a bit about yourself, both at work and leisure.
At the moment, I am the co-founder and CEO of Coinrule — a smart assistant designed exclusively for cryptocurrency traders. I say lucky, because finding the right people to start a business is probably the most difficult think in life, even harder then finding love. After 15 years of work in several sectors, such as Telco (at Nokia Siemens and Vodafone), Academic Research (MIT, Network Science institute and Harvard) and Fintech /Banking (at Lloyds, UBS, Homeserve, etc.) and after having lived in Finland, USA, Hungary, Italy I finally find the eco-system that fits with my lifestyle: London.
http://www.fintechforum.de/7-questions-with-gabriele-musella-ceo-of-coinrule/
Mobile payment app Lydia raises $45 million round led by Tencent
French startup Lydia is raising a $45 million Series B round (€40 million). Tencent is leading the round with existing investors CNP Assurances, XAnge and New Alpha also participating….The company has become a ubiquitous mobile payment app, especially for people under 30 years old. Think about it as a sort of Square Cash or Venmo, but for France.
https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/15/mobile-payment-app-lydia-raises-45-million-round-led-by-tencent/
Zurich-based quant trading platform AlgoTrader snaps €3.4M
AlgoTrader, an algorithmic trading software solution for quantitative hedge funds, has recently secured 3.7 million CHF (approx €3.4 million) funding in a Series A round led by an undisclosed global Tier 1 bank. Other investors, including investiere, BlockChain Valley Ventures, and a seed-round investor, NeueCapital, also participated.
https://siliconcanals.com/news/zurich-based-quant-trading-platform-algotrader-snaps-e3-4m/
German insurtech sum.cumo acquired by Sapiens for over €28 million
sum.cumo, the German insurtech company, has been acquired by Sapiens International Corporation, a global insurance software provider, for €28.4 million. sum.cumo enables traditional insurance companies to launch e-commerce components, consulting clients on user experience, marketing, and technology solutions. https://tech.eu/brief/german-insurtech-sum-cumo-acquired-by-sapiens-for-over-e28-million/
Amsterdam-based mobile trading startup BUX acquires social crypto exchange platform Blockport
In the recent development, BUX announced the official acquisition of Blockport, a European social cryptocurrency investment platform. Upon this acquisition, Blockport will be rebranded to BUX Crypto and will be fully integrated under the BUX brand. The rebranded platform is currently being tested with a pool of clients and will launch in Q1 of 2020.
DPL Raises £1.3M in Funding
DPL, a London, UK-based data tech startup that enables clients to automate the application of artificial intelligence and behavioural science insights to improve marketing effectiveness, raised £1.3m GBP in new funding.
The round was led by the Angel CoFund (ACF).
http://www.finsmes.com/2020/01/dpl-raises-gbp-1-3-m-funding.html
UK-based tech start-ups enjoy £10bn funding bonanza
Investment in UK-based tech start-ups exceeded £10bn for the first time last year, jumping 44 per cent over 2018, as Europe finally starts to close its longstanding funding gap with the US and China….In November alone, a trio of European VCs together raised more than $1.5bn: Northzone, an early Spotify investor, announced a $500m fund; Balderton, a backer of Revolut and Darktrace, raised $400m; and EQT Ventures, part of the Swedish investment group, raised €660m ($730m).Â
https://www.ft.com/content/7a3739e0-36f3-11ea-a6d3-9a26f8c3cba4 (Paywall)
The 30 Best Pieces of Advice for Entrepreneurs in 2019
The new year always presents a twofold opportunity: to reflect on the past and then draw from those insights to shape our future. Every January, the Review’s tapped into this duality to make a tradition out of both looking back and gazing ahead. In what is somehow the seventh installment of our annual retrospective, we’re revisiting the thoughtful individuals and bold ideas that shaped company-building in 2019.
https://firstround.com/review/the-30-best-pieces-of-advice-for-entrepreneurs-in-2019/
Everyone Wants a Piece of Enterprise Tech Companies
…According to PitchBook data compiled for Bloomberg, last year the normal order of funding in venture capital flipped. Enterprise technology companies, which specialize in software or services for businesses—long the dowdiest landing pad for venture dollars—attracted $30.42 billion, PitchBook data shows, about one-third more cash than consumer technology companies.
Finovate Europe 2020 is coming to Berlin!
For the first time ever, FinovateEurope will take place in continental Europe – bringing you a truly pan-European fintech event. The event is moving to Berlin, Germany this February with a showcase of fintech solutions, insights that deliver real-world value and meaningful connections with senior financial decision makers.
https://finance.knect365.com/finovateeurope/
FinTech Forum community members: book your tickets at a 40% special discount- click here https://bit.ly/30tEJn9 or use the code FKV2368SMA.
Meet us at:
Holland FinTech / Moving FinTech Forward, Amsterdam, 17 Jan. https://hollandfintech.com/Events/moving-fintech-forward/
Paris FinTech Forum, Paris, 28-29 Jan. https://parisfintechforum.com/
Holland FinTech / Annual Member Summit, Amsterdam, 30 Jan. https://hollandfintech.com/Events/annual-member-summit-2/
Plug-n-Play InsurTech Winter Expo, Munich, 5th Feb. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/plug-and-play-insurtech-winter-expo-tickets-82574808475
Finovate Europe, Berlin, 11-13 Feb https://finance.knect365.com/finovateeurope/
Cyber FinTech Summit 2020, The Hague, 20 Feb. https://uktech.nl/cfs2020
Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, 25-27 Feb. https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/
InsurTech Insights Europe, London, 17-18 Mar. https://www.insurtechinsights.com/europe/