Last Thursday night, almost 200 entrepreneurs jammed an auditorium in London’s East End where Barclays Plc unveiled the 11 ventures chosen for its latest financial-technology boot camp.
The winners described their startups like contestants on a business version of the X Factor, drawing applause from the crowd. There was Cuvva Ltd., a firm that delivers auto insurance through a smartphone app in less than a minute, and DigiSEq Ltd., which lets consumers make payments with wearable devices. Perhaps the biggest surprise was the one led by the guy in the dark pinstripe suit.