{"id":385254,"date":"2020-11-19T10:03:12","date_gmt":"2020-11-19T15:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/?p=385254"},"modified":"2020-11-19T10:03:12","modified_gmt":"2020-11-19T15:03:12","slug":"financial-venture-studio-closes-first-fund-with-13-million-to-invest-in-early-stage-fintech-startups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/financial-venture-studio-closes-first-fund-with-13-million-to-invest-in-early-stage-fintech-startups\/","title":{"rendered":"Financial Venture Studio Closes First Fund with $13 Million to Invest in Early Stage Fintech Startups"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Financial Venture Studio<\/u><\/a>, a venture firm focused on early stage fintech startups in the US, today announced the final close of its inaugural fund, FVS Fund I. The Fund closed with over $13 million in commitments from an array of leading institutional investors, including pension and institutional funds, insurance companies and commercial banks, as well as family offices and notable individuals from the venture capital ecosystem.<\/p>\n

Financial Venture Studio invests in great teams that it believes can improve the way that Americans conduct their financial lives. Selected companies receive an investment, as well as a bespoke six-month networking program, designed to help companies navigate critical elements of the financial services industry. To date, the firm has invested in 18 companies<\/u><\/a> through three cohorts of its program, as well as a handful of other later-stage fintechs, including Dave<\/u><\/a>, Point<\/u><\/a>, Propel<\/u><\/a>, and Digit<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Financial Venture Studio was founded in 2018 by Ryan Falvey and Tyler Griffin, who met through their work together at the $30 million Financial Solutions Lab, an accelerator funded by JPMorgan Chase through the nonprofit CFSI. Griffin had previously founded payments company Prism Money, which he sold to PayNearMe.<\/p>\n

The firm has had two exits from its investments since inception: the sale of Sheltr<\/u><\/a> to Hippo Insurance, and the sale of Joust Banking to ZenBusiness. Seventy-five percent of the program\u2019s alumni have raised a total of nearly $60 million in follow-on capital from notable venture firms including QED, Valar, Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins and Matrix, among others.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince selecting our first cohort of fintech startups two years ago, we have proven our program\u2019s strength in helping early stage founders navigate some of the most critical parts of being successful in fintech,\u201d said Ryan Falvey, co-founder and Managing Partner. \u201cOur emphasis on building a network designed to accelerate growth has captured the attention of many top co-investors, some of whom have gone on to provide Series A funding rounds for our companies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a former fintech founder, I know all too well the difficulty in connecting with the right people, whether bank partners or influencers. I also know the importance of making early connections in the regulatory area, making the right technical architecture choices, and forging early relationships in the capital markets,\u201d said Tyler Griffin, co-founder and Managing Partner. \u201cOur program provides the access and insights needed in these critical areas to help fintech startups grow truly transformational companies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cathrine Andersen, the Danish co-founder and CEO of Roger, selected for the first FVS cohort, found her experience in the program invaluable. \u201cThis is probably the most valuable program you can do as an early stage fintech anywhere in the world. Our participation took us where we wanted much quicker than we could have on our own,\u201d she said. Roger has since raised a Series A led by QED Investors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe FVS program was hugely helpful in our journey of starting, building, and selling Sheltr,\u201d said Andrew Wynn, co-founder and CEO of Sheltr, which was acquired by Hippo Insurance shortly after completing the FVS program. \u201cThe team’s expertise, connections and programming are all best in class. However, their willingness to spend a ton of time working with\u2014and sometimes for\u2014us is what really stood out to us about this program and this team.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the firm\u2019s Limited Partners is Brian Plum, CEO of Blue Ridge Bank. \u201cAs a community bank that seeks partnerships with fintech startups, we have seen a lot of companies,\u201d Plum said, \u201cThe FVS team has an uncanny ability to pick the best of the best of them, and help make them better. I\u2019m excited by the Fund\u2019s strong early performance, and I can\u2019t wait to see what\u2019s next.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Highlights from the FVS<\/strong>
\n portfolio include:<\/strong>\n <\/p>\n