While COVID accelerated interest life insurance products, a large portion of the UK population still does not have coverage or is underinsured. COVID also accelerated our adoption of digital solutions as in-person activity came to a halt. Yet, 80% of life insurance products are sold offline through financial advisors. Anorak is an online life insurance advice platform that’s focused on making life insurance more accessible to consumers in a digital-first era. For years, there have been online solutions that allow you to type in a few inputs and receive quotes from a small portion of available options with very little personalization. Anorak goes beyond that by holistically understanding your financial situation and obligations in order to tailor independent recommendations for policies that will meet your needs. Anorak services interested consumers through its website and is also available through APIs for its partner ecosystem of digital financial service providers, broadening the scope of the market it can serve. London TechWatch caught up with CEO and Cofounder David Vanek to learn more about how the pandemic has presented the momentum for innovation in the life insurance industry, the company’s strategic plans, and latest round of funding from investors that include Outward VC, Triple Point Ventures, Kamet Ventures, Nic Kohler, Paul Evans, Charlie Delingpole, and Will Neale.
Finance
GameStop, Dogecoin, and The Rise of Meme Investing: Why Robinhood’s IPO Could Send Retail Investing Social
A look at Robinhood’s role in the rise of meme investing.
GameStop, Dogecoin, and The Rise of Meme Investing: Why Robinhood’s IPO Could Send Retail Investing Social
A look at Robinhood’s role in the rise of meme investing.
Urban Jungle Adds Another $11.4M to Expand its Home Insurance Offering
Millennials are more apprehensive about getting any type of insurance than previous generations. As more and more millennials forgo homeownership, they are exposing themselves to financial risk when they choose not to secure renters’ insurance for their possessions while renting. Urban Jungle is a digital-first rental insurance platform that offers fast, flexible and affordable insurance options that start at just £5/mo. Targeted towards younger consumers interested in preparing for their financial future, the company was able to double its customer base to 40,000 during the pandemic with plans to expand its offering. AlleyWatch caught up with CEO and Cofounder Jimmy Williams to learn more about Urban’s Jungle experience building traction during the pandemic, strategic growth plans, and latest round of funding from investors that include Mundi Ventures and Eka Ventures.
A CEO’s 5-Step Guide on How to Manage Online Retail Finances: The Startup Edition
Synder is a personal financial assistant for small to medium-sized businesses in the eCommerce sphere. Synder carries out all bookkeeping and accounting tasks for your business. It doesn’t matter which sales channels or payment processors you use, whether it is Stripe, Square, Shopify, Amazon, eBay, PayPal, Etsy, or WooCommerce.
The 10 Australian Fintech Startups That You Need to Know About That Hit the Stage at Demo Day
This burgeoning Australian Fintech ecosystem is ready to showcase some of the leading Fintech innovators in Australia to the rest of the world. Here are ten-market ready startups that are poised for international expansion.
The Crypto Crash Isn’t a Crash, It’s a…
I’ve written 250+ crypto-related posts since I saw the crypto light on June 29th, 2017. The most widely read of all those posts is titled “7 Thoughts On Blockchain, Cryptocurrency & Decentralization After Three Months Down The Rabbit Hole”. The 5th thought was “ It’s A Bubble….So What”. I went on to explain: I say “so what” because […]
What Is NFT? Non-Fungible Token Guide
Like the internet in the 1990s or social media in the early 2000s, NFTs will go down in history as one of the most significant things to happen in modern technology and culture at large. Big statement — I know — so let me tell you why I’m so excited.
Osu Raises £2.25M for its Payment Management App for Self Employed Individuals and Freelancers
Self-employed workers tend to sporadic income streams and managing cash flow is critical. With the advent of Open Banking, there are new opportunities to help these individuals optimize their balance sheets. Osu is a payment app built for the needs of the self-employed. The app lets businesses collect instant payments, invoice, and generate payment reminders all without any transaction fees. The company only charges a simple, flat monthly fee without the need for any hardware; Osu’s platform is able to collect payments via SMS. London TechWatch caught up with CEO and Cofounder Noam Nevo to learn more about the opportunity to support self-employed individuals with automation and smart solutions, the company’s future plans, and recent round of funding from investors that include Creandum, Ada Ventures, Charles Delingpole, Will Neale, and Michael Pennington.
BCB Group Raises $4.55M to Provide Institutional Banking Services to Serve The Crytocurrency Economy
As concerns grow over inflation and increasing interest rates, the cryptocurrency market has been looked at as a natural hedge to preserve capital. This popularity has led to more and more institutions looking to build exposure to blockchain and cryptocurrency. BCB Group, a provider of crypto banking services, makes cryptocurrency more accessible for cryptocurrency exchanges, market makers, funds and corporate traders, and cryptocurrency-specific projects. The company provides a host of services including exchange services, treasury management, custodial, wealth management, interest accounts, and foreign exchange. London TechWatch caught up with CEO and Cofounder Oliver von Landsberg-Sadie to learn more about the inspiration behind the company, the state of the cryptomarkets, the company’s future plans, latest funding round from investors that include North Island Ventures, Blockchain.com Ventures, Pantera Capital, L1 Digital, and Pack Capital. This is best described as a seed follow-on or pre-Series A raise.