October 05 2018
Company we're impressed with: Meeum - How to code
There has never been a better time to learn to code with schools throughout the world integrating this into their curriculums. It’s becoming second nature with kids, but the hard part for adults is approachability to the subject. This is where Meeum comes in. Their company statement is “At Meeum, we believe that technology is for everyone. Our mission is getting you started in coding in the best possible way.”
They will come to any big city or any smaller town if you contact them, and will organise a workshop to teach you the skills required to code; “with clarity and a strong sense of purpose”. If you’re after a boost in knowledge or have been interested in learning to code, get in touch with them.
Product we're watching: Revolut coming soon to Australia!
It only took Revolut three years to earn unicorn status, confirmed when it raised $250 million that led to a valuation of $1.7 billion. The Series C round was done to boost hiring and fuel the company’s insatiable appetite for expansion.
After starting off as a foreign exchange card with no fees, Revolut has expanded into areas including cryptocurrency trading, property investment and insurance. The business, which has more than 2 million customers and has processed more than $27.4 billion worth of transactions is planning a move into the Australian market in the near future so keep your eyes open!
Person we're learning more about: Sophie Gerber
We came across Sophie Gerber as a part of the annual Women in Finance awards. Sophie is a director of Sophie Grace, a legal and compliance consultancy business for the financial services industry. She co-founded TRAction Fintech, which “exists to make it easy for you to seamlessly report transactions and open positions across all OTC derivative asset classes with built-in reconciliation and monitoring capabilities.”
Something we want people to see: Why robo-advisors won’t replace human financial advisors
As convenient as it may be to obtain advice online when it comes to advising on complex financial matters, humans interaction will always be needed. These sentiments were reinforced by founder and CEO of United Capital, Joe Duran which stated “Our natural instinct, especially when it comes to money is to do the wrong thing,” and “The reality is, technology is never going to be able to say to you, ‘I’m not sure that’s a great idea.'”
The best practice going forward for advisors is to ensure the technology (e.g. mobile apps) is being utilised to our advantage by “leveraging that technology to improve efficiency by providing access to investment portfolios, document vaults and client portals.”
Quote of the Week:
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes."
MARCEL PROUST