Curve, the banking platform that consolidates multiple cards and accounts into one smart card and even smarter app, has vastly expanded its wearables offering by partnering with Garmin, Fitbit and Sony’s Wena pay.

Curve, founded in 2015, describes itself as an ‘Over-The-Top’ banking platform.

It is not a bank, but acts as an umbrella for users to control their banking and finances, including paying for services.

Users load their cards to the Curve app, and select the account that they would like to pay with via their card, smartphone or smartwatch.

Starting with Google Pay and Samsung Pay in November, for the first time Curve customers were given the freedom and convenience of paying with their mobile phones, and has now further extended its smartwatch range. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1576164606.9768589/Paying-with-wearables?-London-based-Curve-just-partnered-with-Garmin,-Fitbit-and-Sony’s-Wena-pay-for-all-in-one-payments?ref=audio_experience

Embrace, a Los Angeles, CA-based performance monitoring and analytics platform built for mobile apps, raised $7.5m in funding.

The company intends to use the funds to continue to expand operations and its business reach.

Led by Eric Futoran, co-founder and CEO, Embrace works directly with mobile teams via a single comprehensive platform to proactively identify any issue plaguing end users, QA and even the CEO.

With Embrace, mobile teams can find every error and address the issues that cause customer churn and reduce user lifetime value (LTV.)

The company works with some of the world’s most popular apps, including Wish, OKCupid, Home Depot, and AllTrails. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1576162809.0851295/Embrace-Raises-$7.5M-in-Series-A-Funding?ref=audio_experience

The Centre has taken up with respective State Governments and Union Territory administrations the issue of unauthorised drones, according to Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Puri said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) keeps track of the registered civil RPAS.

"Regarding unauthorised drones, Government of India has taken up the matter with respective State Governments/Union Territory administrations," he noted.

Earlier in December, as many as 182 incidents of flying of drones have been observed along the country's border, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Further, Reddy said, the Indian Air Force is the main airspace control agency and continues to train all security agencies and all state and union territory police forces on anti-drone measures. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1576161006.86178/Centre-takes-up-unauthorised-drones-issue-with-states?ref=audio_experience

The big bancassurers might sit on long-term agreements with legacy banks—but the growth lies at digital bancassurance with neobanks.

In Mexico specifically, Santander (“Autocompara”) and Scotiabank (“FIU”) went in that direction with their car insurance offer.

The insurance offer better be specifically developed for that target group.

Converging fintech and insurtech– the “Finance Cockpit”If we can take away one thing from behavioral economics, it is this: people are lazy.

Digital bancassurance certainly has a bright future—for those who recognize its potential and act accordingly. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1576159207.9979193/Fintech-meets-insurtech:-a-perfect-marriage?ref=audio_experience

Global payments technology major Mastercard has joined hands with Federal Bank to provide an additional layer of security for digital transactions.

Mastercard has entered into a partnership with Federal Bank to offer identity check to the bank's cardholders, the company said in an announcement.

"The launch of the Identity Check programme by Federal Bank and Mastercard will go a long way in providing ease of payments with advanced security to shoppers," said Govind Setlur, Chief Executive Officer, Wibmo, payment solutions partner for Federal Bank.

"Mastercard is committed to creating innovative payments solutions that deliver enhanced safety and security at every touchpoint, to enable simple, frictionless consumer experiences," said Sujay Vasudevan, Vice-President, Cyber & Intelligence Solutions, South Asia, Mastercard.

While announcing the launch, Mastercard also said it had on-boarded B2B fintech-as-a-service provider, Rapyd as its first partner in the programme. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1576157407.733617/Mastercard-ties-up-with-Federal-Bank-for-identity-check-security-for-digital-transactions?ref=audio_experience

MrNeedsIndustry: Grocery DeliveryMrNeeds Logo | Failed StartupsMrNeeds was a grocery delivery startup founded by Hitashi Garg, Yogesh Garg, Ravi Wadhwa and Ravi Verma.

OvercartIndustry: Re-CommerceOvercart logo | Failed StartupsOvercart was the first Indian fintech player providing a platform to buy refurbished, over-stock and pre-owned items.

Some of the startups failed because of their highly anticipated models which was not appropriate for the Indians audience.

For an online startup company the customer services are important but in many of these cases, the customer services and the quality of products, both were lacking.

All the entrepreneurs in our list of failed startups were brave enough to take that step. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1576155607.3072202/A-Brief-Case-Study-of-10-Failed-Startup?ref=audio_experience

TipsterChat, a Barcelona, Spain-based startup which allows the user to access information, statistics or directly copy the bets of professional tipsters, raised €1M in funding.

Backers included business angels and funds from Spain and the United Kingdom.

The company will use the funds to expand operations and its business reach.

Founded by Eloi Montes, Dani Flores and Álex Lopera, TipsterChat provides an application through which users can access statistics, information or directly copy the bets of professional “tipsters” to be able to bet with more knowledge.

Launched in September 2019, the app has reached 13,000 users and €110,000 billing in its first two months of life. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1576153809.6244025/TipsterChat-Raises-€1M-in-Funding?ref=audio_experience

The Spanish startup GuruWalk has obtained a €1 million investment for its seed round.

Founded in 2017, GuruWalk is an international community that offers pay-what-you-please walking tours, or free walking tours.

Tours consist of guided visits of the most emblematic sites of a city, as well as themed visits or ‘alternative’ tours.

Furthermore, the startup is determined to establish itself in the Tourism Sector as the leading platform for pay-what-you-please walking tours.

“Our company has a Series A Funding round pending that we expect to close before August of 2020,” stated GuruWalk co-founder, Juan Castillo. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1576152007.7889695/Valencia-based-GuruWalk-gains-€1-million-to-revolutionise-‘free-walking-tours’?ref=audio_experience

For many new business owners, one of the biggest challenges is determining a fair price for their products or services.

How has that process changed between then and now?”Here’s what YEC community members had to say:How Much to Charge1.

You can start building prices for your products based on each one’s value to determine how you’ll meet your goals and how much you’ll have to sell to do so.” ~ Jared Atchison, WPForms2.

Double Your ‘Day Job’ Rate“When I first started as a freelancer, I took my “day job” rate and multiplied by two.

Charge Slightly Less Than Your Competitors“The best way to win over your competitors’ business is by creating prices that can’t be beat. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1576150308.3720021/10-Ways-New-Businesses-Can-Determine-Their-Ideal-Prices?ref=audio_experience

While those folks interested in building a deal desk typically have a growing or maturing sales organization, earlier stage founders or sales leaders often have a fair amount of questions first around how to build and scale their sales team.

In this post, I address five key questions that all founders and sales leaders should ask themselves as they build their sales organization, moving away from scrambling to get those first clients to refining the sales pitch, developing a dedicated sales team, and considering a first BDR hire.

Your first sales hire will play a crucial role in laying the groundwork for your sales organization.

Whether it’s your most senior sales rep, a VP of Sales, or a Head of Sales.

The development of your sales enablement materials and processes will mirror that of your sales organization, itself. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1576148421.532001/Building-a-Sales-Team-From-Zero-to-Ten?ref=audio_experience