{{Multiple issues|{{Advert|date=May 2024}} {{Unreliable sources|date=May 2024}} {{Citation style|date=May 2024|reason=citations are placed randomly throughout the sentences}}}}{{Infobox company | name = BillGuard | type = Private | logo = BillGuard logo.png | hq_location_city = New York City | hq_location_country = United States | products = Rich web application, Mobile application | founded = 2010{{citation needed|date=September 2016}} | founder = Yaron Samid (CEO), Raphael Ouzan (CTO) <ref>{{cite web|title=Raphael Ouzan interview on Startup Camel Podcast|url=http://startupcamel.com/ep-63-raphael-ouzan-billguard|accessdate=28 February 2015|publisher=Startup Camel|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320232832/http://startupcamel.com/ep-63-raphael-ouzan-billguard/|archive-date=20 March 2015|url-status=usurped}}</ref> | industry = Computer software, Internet, Personal finance | website = {{url|www.billguard.com}} }}
'''BillGuard''' was a personal finance security and productivity company. Its mobile and web applications scanned credit and debit card transactions, alerting users to potential scams, billing errors, fraudulent charges, and hidden fees.<ref>{{cite news|title=Personal-Finance Security Firm Raises $10 Million|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/10/18/personal-finance-security-firm-raises-10-million/|work=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=BillGuard (iPhone)|url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2424246,00.asp|publisher=PCMag | first=Kathy|last=Yakal}}</ref>
As of October 2014, BillGuard reported flagging over $60 million in suspect charges on behalf of its users, based on more than $1 billion in monitored transactions.<ref>{{cite news|title=Analytics Startup BillGuard Has Flagged $50M in Suspect Charges|url=http://www.americanbanker.com/issues/178_75/analytics-startup-billguard-has-flagged-50-million-in-suspect-charges-1058447-1.html|newspaper=American Banker}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=BillGuard Launches iPhone App To Help Credit Card Users Catch And Dispute "Grey Charges"|date=25 July 2013 |url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/07/25/billguard-iphone-app/|publisher=TechCrunch}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = https://thenextweb.com/apps/2014/06/19/billguard-now-helps-brits-aussies-new-zealanders-combat-credit-card-fraud-hidden-merchant-fees/|title = BillGuard now helps Brits, Aussies and New Zealanders combat credit card fraud and hidden merchant fees|date = 19 June 2014|website = |publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref>
In September 2015, BillGuard was acquired by Prosper Marketplace<ref>{{cite news|title=Israeli Startup BillGuard Bought for Reported $40m|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/business/2015-09-25/ty-article/israeli-startup-billguard-bought-for-reported-40m/0000017f-e155-d7b2-a77f-e357703c0000 | first=Inbal|last=Orpaz}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ranking|url=http://netho.me/hncw9m.com|accessdate=27 September 2016|archive-date=27 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927212936/http://netho.me/hncw9m.com|url-status=dead}}</ref> and subsequently renamed Prosper Daily.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}
On August 31, 2017, Prosper discontinued the Prosper Daily service, recommending the Clarity Money app as an alternative, stating that it "offers many of the same features as Prosper Daily."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.prosper.com/daily|title=Prosper Daily|website=www.prosper.com|access-date=2018-09-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928021131/https://www.prosper.com/daily|archive-date=2018-09-28|url-status=dead}}</ref>
BillGuard was recognized as "one of the top online banking innovations of all time" by MarketConsensus<ref>{{cite web |title=BillGuard – One of the Top Banking Innovations of all Time |url=http://www.marketconsensus.com/news/billguard-one-top-banking-innovations-all-time/ |publisher=MarketConsensus |access-date=2015-06-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620233452/http://www.marketconsensus.com/news/billguard-one-top-banking-innovations-all-time/ |archive-date=2015-06-20 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and named a "Top 10 Tech Company" by ''American Banker''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 10 Tech Companies to Watch|date=3 December 2012 |url=http://www.americanbanker.com/gallery/top-ten-tech-companies-to-watch-1054884-1.html|publisher=American Banker}}</ref>
BillGuard was also ranked as the "Top 2015 Most Powerful Financial Protection App" by AdvisoryHQ News.<ref>{{cite web |title=BillGuard Review & Ranking (Is BillGuard Safe?) |url=http://www.advisoryhq.com/articles/billguard-vs-mint-billguard-review-is-billguard-safe-most-powerful-finance-app/ |publisher=AdvisoryHQ}}</ref>
==Products==
In July 2013, BillGuard launched a free iPhone app, encouraging users to take a more active role in monitoring their charges compared to the company's earlier "set-and-forget" web application.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/07/25/billguard-iphone-app/|title=BillGuard Launches iPhone App To Help Credit Card Users Catch And Dispute "Grey Charges"|last=Lawler|first=Ryan|date=July 25, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theappzine.com/content/billguard-app-manage-your-spending-easily|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708011847/http://www.theappzine.com/content/billguard-app-manage-your-spending-easily|url-status=usurped|archive-date=July 8, 2015|title=BillGuard app manage your spending easily|work=TheAppzine |date=26 June 2015 |publisher=theappzine.com, Retrieved 26 June 2015}}</ref> In May 2014, BillGuard introduced a free Android app.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://techcrunch.com/2014/05/15/billguard-android/|title = BillGuard Launches Its Personal Finance App On Android And Adds Data Breach Alerts|date = May 15, 2014|website = |publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref>
BillGuard provided personalized data breach alerts, notifying users if they had shopped at a merchant that had experienced a breach.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://lifehacker.com/billguard-alerts-you-when-a-retailer-or-bank-you-use-is-1576605774|title = BillGuard Alerts You When a Retailer or Bank You Use Is Breached|date = May 15, 2014|website = |publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref>
BillGuard utilized a combination of crowdsourced user feedback, data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, complaints posted online, and proprietary algorithms to identify charges to highlight for users through email and smartphone push alerts.<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 10 Tech Companies to Watch|date=3 December 2012 |url=http://www.americanbanker.com/gallery/top-ten-tech-companies-to-watch-1054884-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121206082322/http://www.americanbanker.com/gallery/top-ten-tech-companies-to-watch-1054884-1.html|url-status=live|archive-date=December 6, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Personal Finance Security Start-up Closes $10 Million Round|url=http://www.inc.com/news/articles/201110/billguard-closes-$10-million-round.html)}}{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
BillGuard Resolve directly connected merchants with customers seeking to inquire about charges on their cards.<ref>{{cite web |title=BillGuard®; {{!}} BillGuard Resolve™ for Merchants |url=https://www.billguard.com/merchants |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214093815/https://www.billguard.com/merchants |archive-date=14 February 2014}}</ref> BillGuard FI, designed for financial institutions, aimed to reduce transaction inquiry and dispute processing costs.<ref>{{cite web |title=BillGuard® {{!}} BillGuard FI™ for banks |url=https://www.billguard.com/fi |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214083938/https://www.billguard.com/fi |archive-date=14 February 2014}}</ref>
==History== The company was founded in 2010 by Yaron Samid (CEO) and Raphael Ouzan (CTO), with $3 million in seed funding from Bessemer Venture Partners, Founder Collective, SV Angel, IA Ventures, Social Leverage, and Yaron Galai.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/02/02/billguard-raises-3m-to-track-hidden-fees-billing-errors-on-credit-card-bills/|title=BillGuard Raises $3M To Track Hidden Fees, Billing Errors On Credit Card Bills|last=Rao|first=Leena|work=TechCrunch|access-date=2018-01-26|language=en}}</ref>
BillGuard launched at TechCrunch Disrupt New York in May 2011, where it won second place.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/05/25/and-the-winner-of-techcrunch-disrupt-nyc-is-getaround/|title=And The Winner Of TechCrunch Disrupt NYC Is…Getaround!|last=Rao|first=Leena|work=TechCrunch|access-date=2017-11-29|language=en}}</ref> In 2011, the company raised a $10 million financing round from its seed funders, along with Vinod Khosla’s Khosla Ventures, Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, and Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.pehub.com/2011/10/18/billguard-gets-10m-from-khosla-ventures-founders-fund-innovation-endeavors-others/|title=BillGuard Gets $10M From Khosla Ventures, Founders Fund, Innovation Endeavors, Others - PE Hub|date=2011-10-18|work=PE Hub|access-date=2017-11-29|language=en-US}}</ref> BillGuard was awarded "2011 Big-Data Startup of the Year" at the O'Reilly Media Strata Conference<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://conferences.oreilly.com/strata/strata2011/public/cfp/148|title=Strata Startup Showcase: Strata 2011 - O'Reilly Conferences, February 01 - 03, 2011, Santa Clara, CA|website=conferences.oreilly.com|access-date=2017-11-29}}</ref> and won ‘Best of Show’ at the Finovate conference in both 2011 and 2012.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://finovate.com/finovatefall-2011-best-of-show-winners-named/|title=FinovateFall 2011 Best of Show Winners Named - Finovate|date=2011-09-21|work=Finovate|access-date=2017-11-29|language=en-US}}</ref>
''The Jerusalem Post'' writer Joseph Sherman notes: <blockquote>"Business Schools around the world study how the Rothschild family transformed the world of international banking. In a practical spin on the story, today, on Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv, Raphael Ouzan is living his dream in Israel as the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of a start-up that is changing how consumers monitor their credit and debit card spending, and helping us get our money back from unwanted and deceptive charges."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sherman|first1=Joseph J|title=High-Tech Aliya: A start-up immigrant shares secrets to success|url=https://www.jpost.com/LifeStyle/High-Tech-Aliya-A-start-up-immigrant-shares-secrets-to-success-321519|accessdate=29 July 2014|work=The Jerusalem Post|date=2013-07-30|quote=Business Schools around the world study how the Rothschild family transformed the world of international banking. In a practical spin on the story, today, on Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv, Raphael Ouzan is living his dream in Israel as the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of a start-up that is changing how consumers monitor their credit and debit card spending, and helping us get our money back from unwanted and deceptive charges.}}</ref></blockquote>
===Grey Charges Report===
In July 2013, BillGuard and the Aite Group released a comprehensive "Grey Charges" report, which found that in 2012, U.S. cardholders received over $14.3 billion in deceptive and unwanted credit and debit card charges.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.billguard.com/report/BillGuard_-_2013_Grey_Charge_Report.pdf|title = The Economic Impact of Grey Charges on Debit and Credit Cardholders and Issuers|year = 2013|last = Aite Group|access-date = 2013-11-12|archive-date = 2013-11-12|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131112100453/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.billguard.com/report/BillGuard_-_2013_Grey_Charge_Report.pdf|url-status = dead}}</ref> According to the report, one in three American cardholders receives at least one grey charge each year, averaging $215 per person annually.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/credit-graycharges-advice-idUSL1N0FV1TI20130726?feedType=RSS&feedName=everything&virtualBrandChannel=11563 | work=Reuters | first=Mitch | last=Lipka | title=YOUR MONEY-How to avoid 'gray charges' on credit card bills | date=July 26, 2013 | access-date=June 30, 2017 | archive-date=September 24, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924183341/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/26/credit-graycharges-advice-idUSL1N0FV1TI20130726?feedType=RSS&feedName=everything&virtualBrandChannel=11563 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://video.foxnews.com/v/2566768291001/are-gray-charges-draining-your-wallet/ | work=Fox News | title=Are 'gray charges' draining your wallet? | date=July 26, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2013/07/25/consumers-unwanted-charges-in-billions/2568645/ | work=USA Today | first1=Hadley | last1=Malcolm | title=Consumers rack up $14.3 billion in 'gray' charges | date=July 25, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/six-ways-merchants-fill-your-credit-card-unwanted-gray-charges-1C7481282?franchiseSlug=technolog| title=Six ways merchants fill your credit card with unwanted 'gray charges' | website=NBC News | date=7 December 2012 }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|2}}
Category:Software companies of Israel Category:Financial services companies established in 2010 Category:Online financial services companies of the United States Category:Internet properties established in 2010 Category:IOS software Category:Finance websites