Thanks for following Brad & Mark’s reviews of Finovate Startup! We’ve got a special guest getting in on the reviews this time! Jeff Stehpens from Creative Brand Communications gave us his two cents on the presenters! Read all of the reviews of the 40 demoing companies live all day long here at the Banktastic Blog! Let’s continue on with the third set of companies!
Expensr
Brad’s Review:
Was out conducting interviews and missed the demo.
Mark’s Review:
Late back from lunch and missed the demo. Wished I could have seen it, though!
Jeff’s Review: 
The two young and now probably rich guys announced that they have just been acquired by Strands, and are in the process of developing MoneyStrands a new PFM. Very casual guys, and with a sense of humor. I like it…though I’m not sure Ron agrees.
SmartyPig
Brad’s Review:
Was out conducting interviews and missed the demo.
Mark’s Review: 
A great app to get yourself in gear to actively save. Accounts require a recurring contribution from your personal accounts, so the commitment to save is really there. Also allows to cash out in gift card currency, giving you a boost!
Jeff’s Review: 
It’s all about reversing the trend of the “buy now, pay later” mentality…which I like. It helps people save for very specific goals, and makes those goals public. The site pays interest and is FDIC insured. For me it comes own to what the interest rate is. I would sacrifice the cool goal-oriented functions in trade for the highest interest rate possible through an online savings account like ING etc.
Invesra
Brad’s Review:
Was out conducting interviews and missed the demo.
Mark’s Review:
A mound of retirement goals and data geared towards the boomer generation. To me the look and feel is super old school, but maybe that’s what boomers want.
Jeff’s Review:
This is an aggregator that can be co branded by bank or credit union. It makes personalized recommendations based on info entered, risk profile the user submits, etc. The app then recommends a portfolio based on goals set in the system. The main purpose? To bring highly sophisticated capabilities to the average person, not just high-end market To Ron’s point, not a social network….amazing!
Tyfone, Inc.
Brad’s Review:
Missed the demo.
Mark’s Review:
You stick a special memory card in your smart phone and presto, you’ve got contactless payment through your phone. That means your phone can pay for stuff and transfer money to others. Kind of cool.
Jeff’s Review:
Giving a big shout out to Portland, Tyfone offers mobile applications for financial services. This guy said he had a slightly different presentation approach, with no demos…but then he did a demo. I’m a marketing and brand experience guy–this is a little techy and over my head, but is probably good for those who understand what he’s talking about.
Wesabe
Brad’s Review:
Basic overview of Wesabe. Another personal finance tool but with a community attached. It beats Mint in that regard. As much as I believe about community I think you only use community for a small amount when it comes to your financial decisions.
Mark’s Review:
Personal Finance Manager built with community and sharing at the forefront. Much more community feel than other PFMs.
Jeff’s Review:
Ahhh, the main competitor for Mint. The Wesabe community brings together collective data, including lots about the merchants themselves. It connects users to help make better financial decisions using “the Wesabe value engine.”
Wonga
Brad’s Review:
UK based startup. Payday lending for short term loans. Simple, looks like Euro only for now. Simple interface, what to learn more afterwards.
Mark’s Review: 
UK based online payday lender. Great layout and easy process, but payday lending is payday lending, even if it’s online.
Jeff’s Review:
From the UK, this guy came a long ways and brought his cool accent with him. Wonga provides small short term same day loans….solves immediate cash flow shortages. I like the very simple “sliding scale” interface on web; they also have a mobile service. good presenter, good story teller. i like it…even though it’s basically a pay day loan. at least i don’t feel dirty when i do it! honestly i can’t imagine doing it, but interesting idea.
Loanio
Brad’s Review:
Another Prosper competitor. This space is getting crowded fast. Didn’t see any sort of major differentiation between them.
Mark’s Review:
Another peer to peer lending application. It does allow co-borrowers, but other than that, it’s very similar to the others in the space
Jeff’s Review:
Lending site, auction style….will launch in a couple weeks. i think my blogging buddies here have different tastes than I…I’m bored by this. It’s an overly scripted presentation–he read to us, ad I don’t get how this is any different than Prosper.
Confident Technologies
Brad’s Review:
Multi-factor login but more secure. Passes FFIEC multi-factor requirement (my auditor hat is happy) How can a community bank use it when dealing with a vendor? Nothing outside the other vendors doing the same thing.
Mark’s Review:
Looks like a super user friendly multifactor authentication method. It uses dynamically displayed images and letters, allowing the user to identify the familiar ones.
Jeff’s Review:
Another dude from Portland, woohoo! His question is, “what happens after passwords when you log into a site?” His system uses visual images/photos so that a real human (and the intended human, specifically) have to answer or it won’t work. Very simple but makes good sense.
IP Commerce
Brad’s Review:
Tyler brings the thunder, great presentation skills. Looked like a really simple remote deposit capture implementation for the SMB. Left wanting to hear more.
Mark’s Review:
Allows businesses to quickly and securely ad payment capabilities to any application. Activation looks really easy. If you’re a small business or developer, might want to check it out.
Jeff’s Review:
Compared to the other speakers, Tyler was practically yelling, but was really showing his enthusiasm. I like his crazy hair, not very bankerly approach. “dynamic service provisioning”. Reviewed Rapid Receipts. was pretty clear and well presented…although a little techy for me (again…I know).
SimpleTuition
Brad’s Review:
They run through college/universities to make the process easy for students. Looks pretty straightforward, not really focused on selling to the consumer but a nice, simple interface.
Mark’s Review:
Comparison tools helping students find loan from traditional lending institutions. Simple and straight forward.
Jeff’s Review:
Not sure why are these guys dressed EXACTLY the same. Aside from that, it’s pretty simple and, I think, adds value. It seems kind of like a Bankrate type concept for choosing student loans. Only took 3 minutes to describe…always a sign of a good idea!
Also, we’d like to encourage you to check out another blog that’s covering Finovate! Go visit the Creative Brand Communication Blog for another perspective of Finovate’s presenters!
To check out the rest of the reviews from Finovate:
click here for the first set of 10 demo reviews,
click here for the second set of 10 demo reviews,
and click here for the last set of 10 demo reviews.