Investors Pick AI, Treasury As Top Funding Targets This Week In a bit of a mixed bag for B2B FinTech venture capital (VC), investment backers stayed fairly quiet this week, racking up nearly $90 million in funding. VC firms' largest show of support was for artificial intelligence (AI), and there was a substantial growth equity round for a veteran treasury technology firm. But, while small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in financial services landed only minor funding rounds, investors' interest in the space shouldn't be ignored. Read More... |
Prime And Alexa Scores, Amazon Stock Soars A big bump in North American sales, combined with a stronger than expected result from AWS, pushed Amazon's results into surprisingly strong territory for the approaching holiday season. Alexa and its expanding ecosystem also got its share of shout-outs â and the market was happy with the Q4 guidance for whatâs next. Investors rewarded Amazon with a stock price that shot north of $1,000 a share, as after-hours trading kicked into high gear. We have the five need-to-know stats. Read More... |
| SMB Banking | FinServ Frustration Pushing Entrepreneurs To Try Something New Scandals, cumbersome paperwork and an impersonal experience make banking with big FIs unpleasant for small business owners, says Seed CEO Brian Merritt. Switching to a community bank may mean friendlier, more helpful service, but also means giving up access to high-tech products. Merritt spoke with PYMNTS about this bank-switching catch-22 facing entrepreneurs at a time of economic change. Although it can be scary for new business owners, it can be really exciting, too, he said, if the FinServ space is willing to embrace a younger, more demanding small business customer. Read More... | |