Investec funding for H2’s fintech accelerator backed by NSW government
Niche lender Investec has increased its funding facility for the fintech accelerator H2 Ventures by $4 million, in a deal that has been partially underwritten by the NSW government, which says it is willing to provide more guarantees to encourage venture capital funding. H2 Ventures says it remains committed to raising an unlisted, $30 million fintech investment fund this year, after it was forced to pull the ASX float of H2Ocean last October despite the backing of high-profile technology industry investors when it failed to raise minimum subscription levels. The unlisted version will invest in several of the 40 new fintech start-ups that will enter the H2 accelerator over the […]
Neu Capital ready to disrupt mid-market fundraising
While Cyrus Church and Edward Jones were working for Royal Bank of Scotland in Sydney offloading corporate loan portfolios in the wake of the financial crisis, the opacity of fundraising for mid-market companies became starkly apparent. Church recalls large sales of RBS loans such as Royal North Shore Hospital and the Cross City Tunnel running smoothly as “they were clean processes, the universe of investors was known and the information quality was sound. But as soon as you delve into some of the smaller, mid-market companies, it was extremely clunky and manual. We thought: surely there is a way to use technology to make the process more efficient?” Inspired by […]
Bitcoin tipped to replace gold as portfolio staple
Digital currency is increasingly being seen as serious asset class, but investors need to get in soon to mine the opportunity, says a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur. Speaking to InvestorDaily from San Francisco, Australian-born entrepreneur Michael Dunworth, CEO of Wyre and a former staffer at Midwinter Financial Services, said professional investors and advisers are waking up to the bitcoin opportunity following strong market performance. “Bank of America, hedge funds and high-net-worth individuals – they’re all getting into digital currencies as part of their diversified portfolio,” Mr Dunworth said. “There’s no getting away from it. It has been one of the best performing assets for the past five years, with no serious […]
High-net-worth investors embracing robo-advice
Robo-advice platforms’ capacities are expected to continue growing in the coming year, according to Finovate, expanding their functionality to include broader wealth management functions and cater to high-net-worth customers. The “myriad” financial needs facing Millennials, coupled with increasing longevity risk confronting older investors, has driven change in the robo-advice space, Finovate research analyst David Penn said, with the improving abilities of such services now extending beyond “traditional boundaries”. “The growing capacity of robo-advisers to help manage other aspects of personal finance supports a more expansive view of wealth management and financial planning,” he said. “This includes everything from health care planning, insurance, even real estate, education and leisure.” As robo-advice […]
Crowdfunding’s $100m kickstart making Aussie start-ups pozible
Platforms Australia-based Pozible, which launched in 2010, tops Australian campaigns launched (about 11,400), most successful campaigns (around 6500) and dollar value raised (about $46 million). Pozible also has the highest success rate at 58 per cent. At about 24 per cent, New York-based Kickstarter, which opened to Australians in 2013, has a lower success rate. But on average Kickstarter campaigns raise more money, with about 1500 Australian campaigns raising nearly $32 million dollars. A list of the top 20 Australian projects on San Francisco-based Indiegogo shows more than $27 million has been raised since the platform launched in Australia in 2010. However, about 67 per cent of Indiegogo’s total dollar […]
Robo advice start-up Six Park closes $1.5m capital raise
Melbourne-based robo-adviser Six Park has closed a $1.5 million capital raise from a powerful group of investors that includes a former finance minister.
Why we need to change how we talk about Superannuation
Mike Goodall, Corporate and Industry Fund Sales Manager at Ignition Wealth has over 30 years experience working with retail and industry superannuation. Mike has a real passion for helping the industry super funds to connect more meaningfully with their clients. With record levels of disengagement the industry is ripe for disruption and Mike is committed to helping the superfunds revolutionise from inside, through the utilisation of the best emerging technologies. It’s no secret member engagement is the biggest challenge facing the superannuation industry in Australia. Despite collectively having more than $2.1 trillion invested in super, the majority of people don’t view superannuation as an investment or nest egg – at best they […]
VentureCrowd completes first Israeli crowdfunding deal with Knowmail
VentureCrowd, Australia’s leading alternative assets investment platform, today announced the successful completion of a $155,000 crowdfunding round for Knowmail. The company is the first Israeli startup to be funded through VentureCrowd under a partnership with investment management firm Kentgrove Capital. VentureCrowd raised $155,000 in convertible notes, as part of a larger US$3 million funding round led by reputable venture capital firms CE Ventures, AfterDox, Plus Ventures and 2B Angels. The investment gave sophisticated investors on the VentureCrowd platform the opportunity to access convertible notes at an interest rate of 4.5 per cent per annum. Knowmail, one of few startups to participate in the Microsoft Accelerator Program, is creating an artificial […]
