Announcements
Yellowstone Capital Funded $47 Million in June
June 30, 2017Yellowstone Capital funded $47 million to small businesses in June, according to an announcement the company made on social media. $40 million of that was funded in-house, the post said.
Yellowstone Capital was ranked by deBanked as one of the largest small business funders of 2016. The company could see their position rise this year since two companies ranked above them are no longer funding.
Pave Stops Lending
June 29, 2017Pave, an online lender that came on the scene several years ago by marketing fair funding to millennials, is no longer lending, according to their website.
American Banker reported that the company stopped making new loans earlier this month and was exploring strategic options.
Like many several online lenders of their time, Pave touted innovative underwriting beyond just FICO scores. “We start by reviewing the individual’s credit score and history, then incorporate additional factors like use of funds, work history, current employment, education and future earning potential,” Their website says. “This gives us plenty of opportunities to recognize how financially responsible a person can be, and it’s how we can give the lowest possible rate.”
To be eligible, applicants had to either have an income, a job offer, or plans to attend a school course.
In 2015, Pave announced that a consortium of lenders led by New York-based Seer Capital had agreed to invest up to $300 million in their loans.
Former CFO of RapidAdvance Moves On to Beyond Finance, Inc.
June 27, 2017Rajesh Rao has taken the CFO position at Beyond Finance Inc., according to LinkedIn. He served as RapidAdvance’s CFO and Head of Credit Analytics and Product Strategy from October 2015 to about the end of May of this year.
Rao had come to Rapid after 13 years at Capital One where his last title was Managing Vice President.
Square to Expand Beyond Business Loans to Consumer Loans
June 27, 2017Square is making the leap from business loans to consumer loans, according to the WSJ. The company, which already makes loans to its payment processing clients, will now begin offering loans to the customers of those clients. The WSJ reports that the loans will be available in six states including California, New York and Florida. They also used a wedding photographer and a veterinarian as examples of services that consumers may wish to finance.
Square Capital head Jacqueline Reses is quoted as saying that there are no plans to get into car loans or mortgages.
From the Board of Credit Suisse to the FinTech World – Gaël de Boissard joins the winner of last year’s Money20/20 Europe Startup Competition
June 27, 2017
New York, NY – 26 Jun, 2017 – Exactly one year after winning Money20/20 Europe Startup Competition, James (a FinTech in Credit Risk, formerly known as CrowdProcess) returns to Copenhagen after closing an oversubscribed investment round led by Ex-Credit Suisse Board Member Gaël de Boissard. This round also included ex-Deutsche Bank COO, Henry Ritchotte, and BiG Start Ventures, a VC focused on FinTech and InsurTech. As a result of this deal, Mr. de Boissard has now joined James’s Board of Directors, after having previously been at the board of Credit Suisse.
The company that successfully pivoted into the FinTech industry in late 2015 sees its ambition of building the first Credit Risk AI, together with the superb results achieved with banks’ risk departments as the major factors behind this successful investment round. According to Mr. de Boissard, “Having worked in banking and credit for more than two decades, I was always surprised to see how little progress was being made in advancing the science, data analysis, and process automation around credit risk. When I met James I knew that was the future I’d been looking for, and I’m incredibly excited to be part of implementing the first credit risk AI.”
Providing financial institutions with solid, scientifically-backed risk management tools can help prepare them against cyclical crisis and help protect their reputation, making the global financial system safer in the long-run. Additionally, the fact that the company has a track record of helping banks achieve results such as 30% default rate reduction and 10% acceptance rate increase has been the cornerstone of its growing reputation both in the US and in Europe.
After going through a product/market fit process that involved testing the solution with over 25 financial institutions in three different continents, the company is now focused on execution and growth. In order to fulfill this, company co-founder and lead researcher Pedro Fonseca recently handed over the role of CEO to his co-founder João Menano, who built the company’s strong international commercial reach. This marks the beginning of a new stage for the company, where the focus has shifted from finding product/market fit to reaching global scale.
This investment round will allow James’s team to grow accordingly to the market needs felt mainly in the US and in Europe.
About
James is a data science company focused on the credit industry. Founded with the goal of bringing the best of data science to every risk department, James is on its way to build the first Credit Risk AI. Currently operating in three continents, the solution was tested by over 25 financial institutions, from Tier 1 banks to alternative lenders.
Winner of last year’s Money20/20 Europe Startup Competition, the 20 person startup aims to one day place the best of data science in every risk department.
Contact
Name: Francisca Beija
Email: francisca@crowdprocess.com
Phone Number: +351 968 183 576
Pearl Capital Secures $15M in Financing From Chatham Capital Management
June 21, 2017
Pearl Capital Business Funding, LLC has closed on $15 million in financing from Atlanta-based Chatham Capital Management, according to the company. Pearl is a NY-based small business funder that was acquired in 2015 by Capital Z Partners, a private equity firm.
“We understand that despite personal credit issues, many small business owners have triumphed in building successful businesses,” said Pearl CEO Solomon Lax. “Locked out of the traditional bank financing channels, those small business owners turn to Pearl Capital Business Funding to enable their dreams. By partnering with Chatham, we are able to make those dreams a reality.”
Chatham has invested in other companies such as iPayment, Vitamin Shoppe, DirectTV, QVC, Neiman Marcus, and 5-hour energy, according to their website.
Pearl also secured $20 Million from Arena Investors, LP in July of last year.
CloudMyBiz and Ocrolus Announce Ground-Breaking FinTech Partnership
June 4, 2017
June 4, 2017 – CloudMyBiz, a leader in Salesforce development and implementation, is pleased to announce a new partnership with Ocrolus, an emerging innovator in bank statement review automation. The integration of the PerfectAudit API, powered by Ocrolus, into the Fundingo lending platform by CloudMyBiz, has created the industry’s first turnkey solution, revolutionizing Alternative Lending.
“For years, lenders have relied on inefficient and lengthy procedures for bank statement review, a critical part of the loan underwriting process. This is no longer the case. Combining the PerfectAudit API with our Fundingo Underwriting automation, we are taking the slowest part of the lending process and supercharging it. This partnership will have a huge impact on FinTech.” said Henry Abenaim, Founder and CEO of CloudMyBiz.
The PerfectAudit API analyzes uploaded bank statements with 99+% accuracy, replacing manual review with automation. Ocrolus technology enables lenders to review every borrower’s bank statement data automatically, regardless of whether or not the borrower provides sensitive bank login credentials. Through the partnership with CloudMyBiz, the PerfectAudit API will be integrated directly into Salesforce.
“Until we started plugging in the PerfectAudit API, even the elite, technology-driven lenders could not review every application digitally,” said Sam Bobley, Co-founder and CEO of Ocrolus. “Partnering with CloudMyBiz is a groundbreaking moment because it’s leveled the playing field, allowing lenders of all shapes and sizes to transition to a hyper-accurate loan determination process within days. CloudMyBiz takes on all the implementation work, so achieving greater accuracy and automation than firms who’ve invested millions into technology is now just a phone call away.”
About CloudMyBiz
The CloudMyBiz team, via the Fundingo suite of apps, empowers business through the Cloud and encourages streamlined collaboration between departments, clients, customers and partners. CloudMyBiz focuses on Salesforce Implementation, Migration, Integration and Development, Third Party Applications, and Custom App Development, all specializing for the lending industry.
About Ocrolus
Ocrolus is a technology company that automates the review of bank statements. The Company’s PerfectAudit platform analyzes statements from every financial institution with 99+% accuracy, generating account information, summary analytics and a comprehensive database of transactions. By replacing one of the few remaining manual underwriting procedures with hyper-accurate automation, Ocrolus strives to strengthen the FinTech ecosystem.
Contact Information:
Dennis Mikhailov
Business Development | CloudMyBiz, Inc.
P 818.732.4316 | M 818.419.7339
dennis@cloudmybiz.com
Sam Bobley
CEO, Ocrolus Inc.
o: 646.850.9090 Ext. 1
c: 516.233.4293
sbobley@ocrolus.com
No-Login-Required Bank Statement Review Automation Starts with Strategic Funding Source
May 5, 2017Wall Street, NY — Ocrolus, the emerging leader in bank statement review automation, is pleased to announce its arrival in the lending community with flagship customer Strategic Funding Source. The PerfectAudit API, powered by Ocrolus, analyzes uploaded bank statements with 99+% accuracy, replacing manual review with automation. Ocrolus technology allows lenders, for the first time, to review every potential borrower’s bank statement data automatically, regardless of whether or not the borrower provides sensitive bank login credentials.
“We are delighted to be working with Strategic Funding, one of the elite firms in the alternative lending industry,” said Sam Bobley, CEO and Co-founder of Ocrolus. “Strategic Funding helped us understand the pain points of reviewing bank statements as it relates to small business loan underwriting and we’re very thankful for their guidance. We are excited to enable Strategic Funding to conduct an automated, hyper-accurate bank statement review for every potential borrower.”
Over the last few months, Ocrolus and Strategic Funding Source have been working together on a retroactive analysis project, employing the PerfectAudit API to investigate loans that have already been funded. With evidence of the platform’s effectiveness, Strategic Funding Source will now also be utilizing the PerfectAudit API to analyze bank statements for new applicants.
“Taking on live applications for Strategic Funding Source represents our formal debut in the lending community,” said Victoria Meakin, President and Co-founder of Ocrolus, who has more than 125 accounting and law firm customers. “We look forward to rolling out our API to additional lenders who seek increased accuracy, automation, and standardization, which we believe are critical factors in managing credit risk.”
About Ocrolus
Ocrolus is a technology company that automates the review of bank statements. The Company’s PerfectAudit platform analyzes statements from every financial institution with 99+% accuracy, generating account information, summary analytics and a comprehensive database of transactions. By replacing one of the few remaining manual underwriting procedures with hyper-accurate automation, Ocrolus strives to strengthen the FinTech ecosystem.
To learn more about Ocrolus, visit www.ocrolus.com.
About Strategic Funding
Founded in 2006 and headquartered in NYC, Strategic Funding has been recognized by customers and the industry as one of the most reliable and respected names in small business financing. With flexible financing options, Strategic Funding provides small businesses with the working capital they need to take advantage of opportunities and grow.
To learn more about Strategic Funding, visit www.sfscapital.com
Ocrolus Contacts:
Sam Bobley
CEO
sbobley@ocrolus.com
o: 646.850.9090 Ext. 1
c: 516.233.4293
Victoria Meakin
President
vmeakin@ocrolus.com
o: 646.850.9090 Ext. 2
c: 917.941.5388
