In the run-up to the WatchIT Forum on 17th Oct. 2023 at the DHBW Mosbach, we are excited to feature Prof. Wolf Wössner‘s Q&A with Frank Schwab  on the digital transformation of banks. If you are a FinTech founder or investor, this is a quick journey through nearly 3 decades of European banking and FinTech. Q: Frank Schwab, the digital side of banking has been a common thread throughout your career from the very beginning. One of your first positions was “Head of Online Banking” at what was then “Deutsche Bank 24” around the turn of the millennium. Was that already ..read more

Q&A with Herman Kienhuis of Curiosity VC 1. Please tell us a bit about yourself, both at work and leisure. I am the founder of Curiosity, a new community-driven VC firm that invests in AI software companies that aim for a positive impact on businesses and society. I’ve always been intrigued by new technology and aim to support entrepreneurship, education, sustainability and equality. I am married with an amazing art historian, writer and personal coach. We have three unique (adult) children and live just outside Amsterdam, along the river Amstel. I love live music, movies, vintage design a ..read more

1. Please tell us a bit about yourself, both at work and leisure. I am the founder of Curiosity, a new community-driven VC firm that invests in AI software companies that aim for a positive impact on businesses ánd society. I’ve always been intrigued by new technology and aim to support entrepreneurship, education, sustainability and equality. I am married with an amazing art historian, writer and personal coach. We have three unique (adult) children and live just outside Amsterdam, along the river Amstel. I love live music, movies, vintage design and slow food with friends and family. 2. What ..read more

The Big Idea / your startup “in a Tweet”: We believe that everyone deserves access to reliable investment opportunities that can help them build a brighter future. This is how we came up with Nectaro – an online investment platform that offers an easy, safe, and reliable way for savvy investors to back their futures with passive investments in financial instruments. Nectaro was developed by Dyninno Group of Companies – a technology conglomerate with almost twenty years of experience in fintech, travel, and entertainment technologies. The team of experienced professionals at Nectaro leverages ..read more

The Big Idea / your startup “in a Tweet”: In the ever-volatile global economy, it can be difficult to accurately predict the best time to buy or sell currency. This can lead to a huge amount of risk and uncertainty, leaving businesses vulnerable and unable to protect their bottom line. Businesses that don’t have the right tools or data to make informed decisions about currency are putting themselves at a major disadvantage. Without a holistic approach to currency management, companies may miss out on potential savings or, worse, lose money due to unpredictable market forces. With Monetor’s Cu ..read more

The Big Idea / your startup “in a Tweet”: Natural catastrophes have increased by 345% in the last 50 years because of urbanization and climate change, creating an aggregated economic loss of $ 5,2 trillion. Our solution leverages satellite data and proprietary ML algorithms to forecast the probability and impact of specific climate risk events to improve insurance policy creation and prudential disclosure on ESG risks. Tell us a bit about yourself, both at work and leisure. I am an innovation enthusiast that has a simple goal: help the companies of today understand the planet of tomorrow. I a ..read more

The Big Idea / your startup “in a Tweet”: Valutico provides the financial services industry with groundbreaking data-driven tools so that they can conduct their analysis more efficiently and in a methodological fashion. Valuation advisory is complex, however Valutico’s integrated valuation solution reduces the time it takes to do a valuation from days to merely hours. Tell us a bit about yourself, both at work and leisure: When I’m not working I spend the weekend with my family either in the mountains or in the city. I am based in Vienna and though we are a remote working company I like to go ..read more

Early stage European FinTech deals: Devego “Only 11% of payments in the SEPA regions are instant. In Spain, this number goes up to 46,89%, way above the European average.”; Eoliann “Extreme weather events have increased by 345% in the last 50 years because of urbanization and climate change, creating an aggregated economic loss of $ 5,2 trillion.”; Atoa “merchants then  receive funds in their bank accounts instantly instead of having to wait 1-2 days as is the usual case with card machines and debit cards.” If you are an early stage startup building the&n ..read more

European FinTech deal this week include Asset Class, Griffin, Oxbury Bank, Zilch, Cleo, YuLife, ArK Kapital, WeFox We feature Q&As with Brian Nolan and Zbi Czapran of Finteum and Christian Knott, Capnamic Ventures If you are an early stage startup in Europe building the next big thing in FinTech, reach out to us: Frank Schwab or Samarth Shekhar. Check out the B2B FinTech Radar, our microsite focused on SaaS / Enterprise FinTech founders with global ambitions 7 Questions with Brian Nolan and Zbi Czapran of Finteum 1. Please tell us a bit about yourself, both at work and leisure. Hi, we are ..read more

European FinTech deal this week include Flowdesk, Hokodo, SumUp We feature Q&As with Christian Knott of Capnamic Ventures and Shane Riedel of Elucidate If you are an early stage startup in Europe building the next big thing in FinTech, reach out to us: Frank Schwab or Samarth Shekhar. Check out the B2B FinTech Radar, our microsite focused on SaaS / Enterprise FinTech founders with global ambitions 7 Questions with Christian Knott of Capnamic Ventures 1. Please tell us a bit about yourself and your company. Well, I am the typical business student, did my bachelor in Cologne, Master in Leipz ..read more