USAA revs up online car dealership Zag
Zag, the online car-buying platform known for its transparent upfront and guaranteed pricing, just landed $37.4 million in strategic capital, most of it coming from financial services goliath USAA. Different from other car transaction sites in that it connects consumers with about 2,000 certified dealers, Zag says its mission is to improve the car-buying experience for the average consumer as much as possible.
And with sales climbing steadily (130 percent since December 2007), Zag appears to… Continue Reading
Q&A: Bill Me Later’s Gary Marino on surviving eight years before a (nearly) billion-dollar exit
Bill Me Later went through a few near-death experiences as a start-up in the payment services industry. The company had to revise its business plan before it figured out its real service: performing instant credit checks on Internet users so that they can buy goods online without using a credit card. When someone wants to buy something, Bill Me Later runs a credit check on them. If they are running up bills or they owe… Continue Reading
MFoundry, mobile financial services company, raises $15M more
MFoundry, a Sausalito, Calif., company that offers personalized mobile financial services over the mobile phone, said it has raised $15 million in a third round of funding.
It was led by Motorola Ventures. PayPal, NCR Corporation and an unnamed “leading wireless operator” also joined the round, along with existing investors Ignition Partners, GRP Partners and individual investors.
The company has raised just shy of $25 million in total.
In addition, NCR has said it had chosen mFoundry’s service… Continue Reading