PolicyGenius’ road to traction.

PolicyGenius’ road to traction.

“We’d walk into meetings with VCs and receive a huge number of blank stares from investors who said, ‘I don’t get insurance. I don’t get what you guys are doing. It feels like this probably exists already.’” That was the rough reception delivered four years ago to ex-McKinsey consultant Jennifer Fitzgerald

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Marketplace lending sobering needs more time.

Marketplace lending sobering needs more time.

The ongoing rationalization of the marketplace lending space still has a way to go, says Ryan Gilbert of Propel Venture Partners, who notes that “too many princes have wanted to be kings, and they will not all be successful.” The fact that OnDeck and Lending Club posted upbeat Q2 earnings this past

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Bridgewater’s Ray Dalio, gold and Bitcoin.

Bridgewater’s Ray Dalio, gold and Bitcoin.

This past week, Bridgewater’s Ray Dalio took to Linkedin to discuss why investors should allocate up to 10 percent of their portfolios to gold. His reasons appear to be predicated on: a) an ongoing feud between President Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un that has gone from humorous to dead serious;

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Low volatility is not the core reason for Wall Street’s employment malaise.

Low volatility is not the core reason for Wall Street’s employment malaise.

We were interested in CNBC’s Bob Pisani’s recent article pointing out the so-called “paradox” in equities hitting a record high while Wall Street headcounts and compensation head south. Our contention with his argument is that it ascribes much of the paradox to recent years of low market volatility

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A regulatory framework for the era of vacuum tubes.

A regulatory framework for the era of vacuum tubes.

A white paper just out from the Milken Institute and fintech specialist Jackson Mueller says that developing a fintech hub “requires more than just a press release or a news soundbite.” It contends there must be an impetus for change that leads officials from the top down to wade into uncharted regulatory territory.

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Fintech M&A activity stays active in August.

Fintech M&A activity stays active in August.

It’s gratifying to see start-ups highlighted in our Company of Note section receive their just validation. A case in point is ClearGraph, which we highlighted in March as a compelling solution to help financial institutions better harness their raw data. This week, the firm agreed to become part of business intelligence and analytics firm Tableau.

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Jon Butler, Heather Tuason and Jeff Kelisky

Jon Butler, Heather Tuason and Jeff Kelisky

Jon Butler has left his senior technology role at Goldman Sachs to join Deloitte’s technology consulting practice. Also this week, Heather Tuason, formerly of Capital One, has joined StreetShares, a small business lending marketplace. Given the company’s dedication to helping America’s veterans

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COMPANY OF NOTE: Privitar.

COMPANY OF NOTE: Privitar.

Advanced analytics and machine-learning applications present financial services firms with a challenge. On one hand, consumers want their financial institutions to utilize technology to provide new and more frictionless services. But they also want their sensitive personal data to be protected to the fullest extent possible.

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