Here are the news headlines we posted this week on Twitter (follow it here).
DebtGoal raises first round of VC funding – In its first round of institutional funding, DebtGoal raised $2 million. The round was led by Tugboat Ventures, with participation from seed investor New Cycle Capital. To date, DebtGoal has raised a total of $3.1 million. http://bit.ly/bZxzq4
Diversinet awarded two patents – Diversinet was awarded two patents for mobile technology. One patent was awarded for a system that detects and classifies mobile devices, allowing apps to be matched with handsets. The other is for security technology for mobile digital data delivery. http://bit.ly/cDkHOU
Finovate Alums Among Webby Award Honorees – Finovate alumni FiLife, Kapitall, Lending Club, and SimpliFi are among the 12 honorees in the Financial Services category of the 14th annual Webby Awards. Fifteen percent of Webby nominees received honoree status. The actual Webby awards, presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, will be announced June 14th. http://bit.ly/cqC9Fa
GreenSherpa holds contest for savings tips – GreenSherpa is hosting a contest for reader-submitted money-saving tips. On April 21, two winning tips will be randomly selected. Winners receive annual subscriptions to GreenSherpa. http://bit.ly/cDakPl
Lending Club raises $24.5 million – Lending Club received $24.5 million in investment funds from Foundation Capital, Morgenthaler Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, and Canaan Partners. The company says it will use the capital for new loan products, new investment tools, and website improvements. http://bit.ly/9zU4lO
Lending Club also recently announced its fourth Twitter contest, in which daily winners will be rewarded for tweeting about the company’s ongoing photography contest. Twitter winners will receive shirts, messenger bags, and other products. http://bit.ly/d19g5g
Mint adds new feature to track cash spending – Mint added a new feature that allows users to manually enter spending data. Previously, all transactions had to be automatically uploaded from financial accounts. http://bit.ly/a3EtRb
Monitise reports more than 2 million registered users – Monitise has passed the 2 million registered user mark. The company stated that the increase in users was driven by increased uptake of its smartphone apps. Monitise serves more than 240 banks and financial institutions in the U.S. and U.K. http://bit.ly/cjMh7R
SecondMarket launches asset-backed securities market – SecondMarket, which provides a marketplace for trading in illiquid assets, announced that it launched a market for asset-backed securities. The move adds a ninth asset class to SecondMarket’s platform. http://bit.ly/b2GHFc
The company also announced $70 million in private company stock transactions this March, the highest amount that SecondMarket has ever traded in one month. In contrast, the company traded $44 million in private stocks in February. The company reported that 41% of the transactions were Facebook stock trades. http://tcrn.ch/bpcXpQ
SeerGate announces new COO – Jim Fancher has joined SeerGate as its new chief operating officer. Fancher was previously general manager at FIS subsidiary Endpoint Exchange Network and has also served as senior vice president of marketing at VECTORsgi and CEO of Gilson & Associates. http://bit.ly/9FilPo
SmartyPig recognized at Prometheus Awards – SmartyPig was honored Breakout Company of the Year by the Technology Association of Iowa in its fifth annual Prometheus Awards presentation. http://bit.ly/bUi0Hf
ThreatMetrix provides fraud detection for OnlineLabels.com – ThreatMetrix is providing fraud detection for OnlineLabels.com, which produces laser and inkjet-printable labels. The company’s online ordering system is automated, making it an easier target for credit card fraud. ThreatMetrix helps the company analyze transactions to detect suspect orders. http://bit.ly/bGRFMl
Transparent Financial Services adds business verification system – Transparent Financial Services, also known as TransFS, added a business-verification system that speeds up the company’s submission process. The new system identifies businesses based on their name and ZIP code. http://bit.ly/amDwqf
Zopa honored for innovation – Zopa was recognized by the U.K.’s Nesta, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, in its Open 100 competition, which honors firms for open innovation. Peer-to-peer lender Zopa was awarded in the open business category. http://bit.ly/bs82cL
anthonyuchung 