When it comes to fintech inspiration, including products, business models and of course user experience, the Y Combinator (YC) alum list is a great place to start. The incubator continues an important part of the startup ecosystem having incubated AirBnB, Dropbox, and multi-unicorn Stripe along and 1,000 others.
In its early years, fintech was an afterthought. Only 5 of 140 startups (3.6%) during YC’s first 5 years (2005 to 2009) were financial services related. Since then, 90 of 870 (10%) have are fintech.
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Table: YC Fintech Companies by Year
| Class | Total Companies | # Fintech Companies | % Fintech |
| 2016 | 211 | 24 | 11% |
| 2015 | 201 | 22 | 11% |
| 2014 | 109 | 13 | 12% |
| 2013 | 83 | 9 | 9% |
| 2012 | 117 | 8 | 7% |
| 2011 | 89 | 7 | 8% |
| 2010 | 61 | 6 | 10% |
| 2009 | 39 | 1 | 3% |
| 2008 | 43 | 1 | 2% |
| 2007 | 32 | 2 | 6% |
| 2006 | 17 | 0 | 0% |
| 2005 | 8 | 1 | 13% |
| Total | 1,010 | 94 | 9.3% |
Source: Y Combinator, yclist.com, TechCrunch, Finovate, BankingUX analysis
(see note 1 for fintech definition; does not include newer YC Fellows.
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List: YC fintech alums by year
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2016 (24)
- Airfordable: Payment plans for travel
- AlphaFlow: P2P real estate investment manager for individual investors
- Bonsai: Invoicing and payments tool targeted to freelancers
- Cover: Insurance-on-demand using a smartphone camera
- Emburse: Corporate prepaid cards that enforce spending rules
- Fellow: An API for working capital
- flexReceipts: Digital receipt platform
- Flutterwave: Payment processing in Africa
- Landed: Crowdfunding platform for mortgage down payments
- Legalist: Algorithmic litigation financing
- LendEDU: Student loan portal
- Lendsnap: Automating mortgage paperwork for lenders
- MeterFeeder: Enables all parking meters to accept credit cards
- Nova Credit: Global credit reports
- OneChronos: Next-generation financial exchange
- PayStack: Online card processor in Nigeria
- PocketSuite: Small businesses payment, invoicing, booking and communication application
- Selfycart: Mobile app for self-checkout & payment
- SmartPath: Financial advisor for main street families
- Stilt: Personal loans for international borrowers living in the United States
- Sway: Automated bookkeeping
- TrueBill: Subscription payment management for consumers
- UtilityScore: API for utility data & bills
- WorldCover: Crop insurance for the developing world
2015 (22)
- Bankjoy: Mobile banking for credit unions
- Branch8: Payments
- Captain 401k: Tax-advantaged investments
- Direct Match: A democratic marketplace for debt
- Drip Capital: Small business financing
- Final: A credit card built for the 21st century
- Give Campus: Philanthropy
- Greenshoe: Underbanked
- Instavest: Replicate the world’s best investments
- KickPay: Marketplace where businesses can sell their invoices
- Open Invest: Investing
- Open Listings: Home buying platform
- Razorpay: Online payments for India
- Second Measure: Investing
- Seed: Small business banking for innovators
- Serica: Payments
- Spark Gift: Give the gift of stocks and index funds
- Tab: Underbanked
- Tesorio: Small business
- Vest: Investing
- Xendit: Underbanked
- Xfers: Underbanked
2014 (13)
- Abacus: Say good-bye to expense reports
- BillForward: A highly flexible and unified billing platform; built for high growth and enterprise companies
- BitAccess: The easiest way to buy and sell bitcoin
- BlockScore: Real-time identity verification and due diligence
- ClearTax; The easiest way to e-file income tax returns in India
- Onename.io: Blockchain ID. A better identity
- Shift Payments: Shift Payments is changing the way money changes hands
- Sliced Investing: Sliced provides technology to help financial advisers deploy alternatives
- TradeBlock: Digital currency data and analysis
- Two Tap: Users can now order any product directly in your app with Two Tap
- Zen99: 1099 tax help for rideshare drivers, delivery drivers, housekeepers, and more
- Zidisha: Online microlending community
- Zinc: Pay with with Dwolla or Bitcoin, and manage all your orders in one place
2013 (9)
- Buttercoin: Trade bitcoin with ease
- PayTango: PayTango links cards in your wallet to your fingerprints
- RealCrowd: Featured investments available for funding
- SimplyInsured: Simple health insurance for small businesses
- Standard Treasury: APIs for commercial banks
- Swish: Mobile point-of-sale solution
- True Link Financial: Debit card with spending controls
- WeFunder: Opportunity to invest in startups.
- Zenefits: Online benefits and health insurance provider
2012 (8)
- Airbrite (exited): Cloud-enabled platform for mobile commerce
- Coinbase: Bitcoin wallet and exchange
- Crowdtilt: Allows users to pool funds online
- Eligible: Real-time eligibility checks for health insurance
- FundersClub: Equity crowdfunding marketplace
- LendUp: Reinventing the payday-lending industry
- SmartAsset: Bringing full transparency to the financial decision-making process
- ZenPayroll: Modern payroll
2011 (7)
- DebtEye: Automated credit-counseling solution
- Giftrocket: Gift card that works at any location
- GoCardless: U.K.-based service for merchants to set up interbank transfers for customers
- Leaky: Helps consumers make better decisions about insurance
- OrderAhead: Order from local merchants on your phone
- TrustEgg: Simple way to save for a child’s future
- SwipeGood: Enroll credit and debit cards to automatically round up every purchase to the nearest dollar for charity
2010 (6)
- CardPool (exited): Gift card exchange marketplace
- E la Carte: Tablets for restaurant point-of-sale
- FutureAdvisor (exited): Robo-adviser
- Indinero: Accounting, taxes and payroll for small business
- ReadyForZero (exited): Helping people control and reduce debt
- Stripe: Developer-friendly way to accept payments online
2009
- WePay: Online payments platform
2008
- Tipjoy (dead): Social payments engine for digital content
2007
- Buxfer: Personal finance manager
- SocialPicks (exited): Online investing community
2005
- TextPayMe (exited): SMS payment service acquired by Amazon
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Notes:
1. We are using a broad definition of fintech including payments, insurance, investing, etc.
2. A few YC companies are in stealth mode, so this list is not complete.
