Venture capital

Now approved by Fannie Mae, the digital servicer aims to shake up the status quo by reducing costs caused by a “monopoly in the market.”

The fintech world is expanding at a sometimes breathtaking pace. Much of that growth is driven by venture capital, but how do VCs decide which companies to invest it in--or not? Join Greycroft partner Will Szczerbiak in a discussion with Olugbenga Agboola, the founder and CEO of Flutterwave, the San Francisco-based startup building the largest payments infrastructure in Africa. Guest host James Ledbetter, editor and publisher of the fintech newsletter FIN, will explore these questions: What are VCs looking for in a fintech startup? What are the hottest fintech sectors in 2021? How has the rise in fintech valuations affected the market? Where will growth be strongest in the next few years?

After doubling its valuation in five months, Blend plans to use its latest funding to strengthen its digital lending experiences for banking and mortgages.

Bee Mortgage App will use blockchain and automation provided by Elphi to create "a COVID tool for real estate agents" to get fully digital mortgage approval in under three minutes.

The substantial Series D fundraise fuels speculation on whether Better.com will be the next mortgage company to hop on the IPO trend.

Record-low interest rates, high origination volumes and social distancing created a perfect storm for mortgage fintechs like SnapDocs and LoanSnap to score a cash infusion.

Fintechs are facing unique challenges in the pandemic. There might be a resurgence in funding on the horizon, but startups are looking to see what they can do now to weather the storm.

In the latest example of a new wave of mortgage-related fintech investment, Snapdocs will boost its artificial-intelligence capabilities with its new $25 million funding round.

Blooma has developed a software product that combs databases to create property profiles for commercial real estate lenders. It can drastically cut origination costs and approval times and help banks identify safer loans, the company says.

Better.com has added new capital to support its growth and, in a separate deal, New Residential has agreed to use some its funds to buy property management firm DGG RE Investments.