STEVE ROBERT Co-Founder & CEO of Autobooks.co
Small Businesses have always struggled with finance, cash- flow and bookkeeping. Most financial institutions provide small businesses with the same antiquated tools they provide to consumers and retail customers – thus limiting their potential and leaving them no choice but to look for alternatives from non- bank providers.
More than 80% of small businesses do not use an accounting system, contrary to popular belief – presenting a huge market opportunity, if only these business owners valued accounting and bookkeeping. But they don’t. They value cash- ow.
Autobooks, a fintech company based in Detroit, MI works with financial institutions to provide integrated payment and accounting so ware for small business, that integrates directly into internet banking. Put another way, Autobooks helps businesses bring money INTO the bank, similar to how Bill Pay has helped to move money OUT of the bank.
By helping businesses ‘automate’ bookkeeping, more businesses can get the bene ts of accounting, without needing to learn (or hire) an accountant.
As it turns out, banks have customers that need help with nances. Banks already have their trust and their attention – as they hold their money. Autobooks helps banks bring critical services down market to a new audience, providing contextually relevant and increasingly personalised services to support each of their customer’s respective stage; whether they are opening their first checking account, looking for convenient ways to get paid by their customers, or whether hiring employees or shopping for insurance.
By providing products and services customers actually want, to those who need them most (small businesses) and integrating them, making them easy to use and affordable – all banks, not just Mega Banks can compete for the next generation of businesses while at the same time rebuilding relationships that have drifted to non-bank providers.
Autobooks believes businesses with better cash-management tools have a higher likelihood to succeed; building larger, scally disciplined businesses that create wealth, increase GDP and have social & environmental impact on their communities.
SERGE VARTANOV CMO AutoGravity
As the rising adoption of smartphones has changed the way people shop, consumers – especially millennials, a digitally savvy population that makes up more than 50 percent of AutoGravity’s users – centre much of their lives around their phone and other digital platforms. Clothing, groceries, and even mortgages can be secured through apps, but until AutoGravity, there wasn’t a way to obtain financing to seamlessly purchase a vehicle.
AutoGravity is the digital glue that connects car shoppers, dealerships and lenders through a proprietary user experience that makes nancing a car quick and easy for the consumer, (it takes less than 10 minutes!) while retaining revenue streams for the lenders and dealers. Consumers can now shop for their next car the way they want to, bringing the process into the 21st Century and providing the industry with a modern mobile platform.
AutoGravity has experienced substantial growth since its first apps hit the marketplace in the summer of 2016. The company has had more than 700,000 downloads of its native mobile app. As the business grows, it is imperative that the company maintains its agile product development methodology to meet consumer demand. In order to do this the company is building squads to serve a broader spectrum of unmet needs, working in harmony to make the digital car purchase, nance, and ownership experience even more gratifying. We do this in part by maintaining an open office with frequent town halls, ensuring that any employee can reach any executive with feedback on any aspect of the product or business.
AutoGravity provides transparency for everyone in the car shopping and buying ecosystem: consumers, lenders and dealers, using technology to solve problems and create value for each of its key stakeholders.
With the onslaught of online shopping, high street retailers are constantly looking for new ways to better engage with their customers and increase retention. As it stands, most traditional loyalty and CRM programmes don’t cut the mustard.
Through its unique omnichannel point-of-sale acceptance network, Yoyo delivers combined payments and retailer loyalty experience for consumers, whilst providing retailers with the tools to better engage, reward and retain their customers.
For consumers, the Yoyo app provides secure mobile payment, automated retailer-specific loyalty and digital receipt collection, as well as offers personalised to their buying preferences, along with wider functions including in-store preordering.
For retailers, Yoyo uniquely identifies every customer at the point-of-sale by connecting their payment with their basket data, which turns anonymous shoppers into individuals with purchasing preferences and habits, which leads to enhanced engagement, personalised rewards and increased retention.
With the introduction of Open Banking, trusted third parties can now access a consumer’s banking data, which opens up a whole new world of opportunity. As we hurtle towards a cashless society, Yoyo wants to continue to transform the payments process for every retail customer, whether they pay through card or mobile. We’ve already started work on this by opening up retail loyalty to the wider banking experience through a unique partnership with Starling Bank.
Since launching, Yoyo has gained over 700,000 users, processed more than 20 million transactions at over 2000 retail outlets, and rewarded users with more than 2.7 billion loyalty points.
We started by targeting the trend setters – students – and soon became available in over 70 universities across the UK. Word spread and Yoyo then became a regular feature at more than 200 corporate canteens.
Yoyo is already available at chains including, Planet Organic, Harris + Hoole, HOP Vietnamese and Wrap it Up, as well as the UK’s third largest co ee chain, Ca è Nero.
David Mitchel, President of Nymbus
NYMBUS was founded with a simple concept in mind: Help community banks and credit unions embrace a digital- rst view of banking. We do this by providing an open, cloud-based core banking platform, which serves as the central nervous system processing all daily banking transactions and updates to accounts and other financial records. The core system not only drives the day-to-day operations of a bank, but also serves as the core IT platform for new capabilities and growth. We also accomplish this mindset by aligning on how and when our customers use banking technology. Today, it is through mobile. Our Internet and mobile capabilities give banking customers the freedom to bank when and where they need to.
Banking sector still needs to catch up to the expectations of consumers who want an Amazon or Google experience. It is essential to understand the needs of Millenials, and take the steps to align their values with the banking experience.
Our biggest challenge is arguably our great opportunity. Current legacy core systems that run most banks and credit unions are significantly ill-equipped to support the digital age. These legacy systems were typically built around an account and not a customer, thus were never designed with current digital- channel requirements in mind and are unsuitable to service the needs of today’s digital economy. NYMBUS was born in the digital age, for the digital age, so we’re approaching the industry problem differently and with open, modern technology. This innovative thinking and technology often requires a vision match with senior leadership at financial institutions.
NYMBUS aims to level the playing eld between large financial institutions and smaller community banks and credit unions.
