Early stage European FinTech deals include Insha, MindLabs, RaiseNow etc. We feature Q&As with Morgan Deane of Spherium Labs as well as with four investors who will be sharing their insights at the 12th FinTech Forum’s digital edition on 19th Nov. 2020. Check out the near-final line-up and agenda, and register here: http://ftf12.eventbrite.com. If you have any questions, reach out to Frank Schwab or Samarth Shekhar.
As media partners of Money2020 Europe we are proud to invite you to register for MoneyFest (live on 26-29 Oct. or recordings thereafter): 100+ of money’s greatest minds delivering razor-sharp insights on navigating tomorrow’s digital-first future https://bit.ly/33cOsAe
7 Questions with Morgan Deane, Board Member & Strategic Advisor at Spherium Labs
1. Please tell us a bit about yourself, both at work and leisure.
I’m a lawyer by profession but have spent my career working in investment banking across Europe, Asia and the US. Currently I am the CEO of a Swiss based international investment bank.
I have always had a disruptive & inquisitive mindset, and in 16 years of working in investment banking, I have frequently seen things that have been ripe for change.
This led me to be a keen supporter of Blockchain from the early days and I remain convinced it will be a catalyst for major change in the global financial system…
Morgan is among the startups presenting at the 12th FinTech Forum digital event on 19th Nov. 2020
Countdown to the 12th FinTech Forum: Q&As with the investors “on stage”
With just three weeks to go, get to know the investors who will be sharing their insights at the 12th FinTech Forum via our Q&As:
- Astrid Freier of Vidici Ventures
- Daniel Andemeskel of Universal Investment
- Manuel Silva Martinez of Mouro Capital (earlier Santander InnoVentures)
- Paula Blazquez Selano of InnoCells / Banco Sabadell
German fintech insha scoops €2.5m and sets sights on European expansion
The sharia-compliant banking app, which won AltFi’s Pitch Off at the Berlin Summit in 2019, is hoping to launch in the UK with the fresh funding.
German challenger bank insha has closed a €2.5m seed round and has set its sights on European expansions.
The round, which was led by Turkish payment service provider Param, will be used by the fintech to further expand its ethical banking product.
Berlin-based insha is focused on capturing Europe’s Muslim community, which is often neglected by other digital banks, helping its customers to achieve savings goals, budget and track spending, all without breaking sharia-related banking rules.
MindLabs Raises £1.4M in Pre-Seed Funding
MindLabs, a London, UK-based digital mental health company, raised £1.4m in pre seed funding.
The round was led by Passion Capital, with participation from Seedcamp, Alex Chesterman OBE (founder of Cazoo and Zoopla), Neil Hutchinson (founder of the Forward Internet Group), Steve Pankhurst (founder of FriendsReunited), James Hind (founder of Carwow) and Jack Tang (founder of Urban).
The company intends to use the funds to grow its engineering, video production and content teams and to continue to develop the platform ahead of launch next year.
Founded by Adnan Ebrahim and Gabor Szedlak, who previously ran the VC-backed automotive phenomenon Car Throttle, MindLabs will combine live video from professionals in therapy, psychology and mindfulness with an online community and analytics allowing users to track their current levels of stress or relaxation.
https://www.finsmes.com/2020/10/mindlabs-raises-1-4m-in-pre-seed-funding.html
RaiseNow Raises USD6M in Series A+ Funding
RaiseNow, a Zurich, Switzerland-based charitable giving technology provider, raised USD6M in Series A+ funding.
The round was led by SIX Fintech Ventures, with existing investor PostFinance and individual investors participating in the round. Ivo Francioni, a private investor and fintech veteran, will also join RaiseNow’s Board of Directors.
The company intends to use the funds for further investment in its technology capacity.
Founded in 2015 and led by Marco Zaugg, CEO, RaiseNow provides a fundraising solution to handle all the needs of a nonprofit organization – from online donation and payment processing, to peer-to-peer fundraising and integrations with existing tools.
https://www.finsmes.com/2020/10/raisenow-raises-usd6m-in-series-a-funding.html
British fintech platform PrimaryBid raises €42.2M from global investors for international expansion
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant troubles in equity capital markets in 2020, but stocks are recovering as economies reopen globally. In a recent development, a UK-based fintech company PrimaryBid, an online funding platform that enables investors to gain access to placings and fundraisings of listed companies, has raised $50M (approx €42.2M) in its Series B investment round.
Investors in this round include the London Stock Exchange Group (LSE), Draper Esprit, OMERS Ventures, ABN AMRO Ventures, and Fidelity International Strategic Ventures. Existing investors Pentech and Outward Ventures also invested in this round.
https://siliconcanals.com/crowdfunding/primarybid-raises-42-2m/
Money2020 MoneyFest: Money’s greatest minds are hitting your screen
Broadcast live from our studio, Money20/20’s world-class content will be coming to your screens on October 26-29 with our first-ever MoneyFest. Be a part of money’s biggest conversation with the industry’s greatest minds discussing the resetting, reimagining and rebuilding of the future of money. Gain your unfair advantage, knowing first-hand what’s next for Payments, Banking, FinTech, FinServe, Big Tech, Cybersecurity and so much more to ensure your business thrives in tomorrow’s new unknown.
Register here: https://bit.ly/3iE2Ec1
“Meet” us at:
Money2020 | MoneyFest, Online, 26-29 Oct. 2020 https://www.money2020.com/moneyfest
12th FinTech Forum, Frankfurt, 19th Nov. 2020 http://www.fintechforum.de/events/
FinTech Junction, Tel Aviv, 24 Nov. 2020 https://www.fintechjunction.com/annual/
MoneyConf / WebSummit, Online, 2-4 Dec. 2020 https://websummit.com/moneyconf
Meet Our Partners:
Heussen https://www.heussen-law.de
Nagarro https://www.nagarro.com/en
Money2020 Europe https://europe.money2020.com
InsurTech Insights https://insurtechinsights.com
Finovate Europe https://informaconnect.com/finovateeurope/
FN FinTech 40 https://www.fnlondon.com