13books Capital

Today, we’re announcing our second fund to support and fuel the next wave of financial technology founders. Totalling £121m, and focusing on investments from Seed to Series A stages, the fund showcases 13books Capital’s commitment to backing visionary founders reshaping the future of financial services. The fund, backed by British Patient Capital, KfW, Isomer Capital and IPGL, continues 13books Capital’s proven track record of successful investments in 19 fintech companies including hepster, Coincover, Runa, Billhop, Thirdfort, Arbolus, Banxware, Minna Technologies, Wert, Token.io, Roadzen (NASDAQ: RDZNW), getmomo, Crezco, Aria, Lune®, Ramify, DataMarked. As Michael McFadgen, Partner at 13books Capital said: “We believe European fintech is entering a golden period, and we thank our LPs and founders for their trust and look forward to supporting the next generation of pioneering fintech entrepreneurs.” Read more about how our fund will enable 13books Capital to continue supporting the best and boldest founders building tomorrow’s financial technology: https://lnkd.in/dmhNjBHT #fintech #fund #announcement #founders #financialtechnology

Is open banking (finally) becoming mainstream? 🌍 Todd Clyde, CEO of our portfolio company Token.io, joined a lively chat with Finextra to dive into the core of it all. As he points out, 84 countries are adopting instant payments and taking initiatives to make access to these systems easier. 💡 “The first generation of account-to-account payments often required screen scraping, direct debit, or single-country solutions. Now, we’re seeing solutions like UPI in India, PIX in Brazil, and #openbanking in the UK and the EU.” Todd sees open banking as a true payment method—“pay by bank” taking over cards for faster, cheaper transfers. It’s a game-changer, with Token.io providing the infrastructure to PSP companies like Ecommpay to make it a reality, powered to move money instantly and at lower costs. Catch more insights below!

Creator economy startup funding in the first half of 2024 nearly equates to all of 2023's VC dollars in the space, according to The Information. And as the market grows, so does the gap in it. Creators, with their irregular income streams and non-traditional career paths, simply don't fit into conventional financial frameworks. Could millions of subscribers be more creditworthy than one's credit score suggests? 👉 Some startups believe so – and this trend isn't just a flash in the pan. With projections pointing to 90 million freelancers in the US by 2028 and every second kid wanting to become an influencer, we're witnessing the early stages of a fundamental shift in how financial services are delivered. As #fintech continues to bridge the gap between traditional finance and the creator economy, we may see more of: 1. 🎬 Nuanced credit models that account for social media influence and content engagement metrics. 2. 💰 Specialized investment products tailored to creators' unique income patterns. 3. 📊 AI-driven financial forecasting tools that can navigate the unpredictability of creator earnings. How fast will financial technologies adapt to meet the needs of this evolving market? #CreatorEconomy

🎉 Big congrats to Minna Technologies on their exciting partnership with Capital One! This collaboration makes Capital One the first US bank to offer in-app subscription management, allowing credit card customers to easily view, manage, and even cancel subscriptions directly through the bank's mobile app. As 37% of US consumers have increased their subscription spending over the past year, it's clear that demand for tools like these is only growing. And with 73% of subscribers expressing interest in using a single app for subscription management—and 61% preferring to do this within their banking app—Minna's solution is perfectly positioned to meet their needs. Congrats again, Minna Technologies, for leading the charge in simplifying how consumers manage their finances. 🚀 #Fintech #SubscriptionEconomy

🚗⚡️ Proud to welcome The Electric Car Scheme to the 13books portfolio! They’ve just hit 160% year-on-year growth and secured fresh investment to power up even further! Their mission? Make electric cars more affordable for everyone through their salary sacrifice scheme. The recent surge in demand for used EVs (up 300%!) shows just how game-changing their approach is, helping UK employees access EVs at a 30-60% discount. And with the country’s 2030 ZEV deadline back in play, the timing couldn’t be better. We're excited to lead this round alongside our fellow investors Triple Point, Seedcamp, Adjuvo, Ascension, and Bayern Kapital. Huge congrats to Thom Groot, Tom Eilon, and the entire team for accelerating the UK’s journey to Net Zero. 🌍 Here’s to driving a cleaner and greener future!

What an eventful few months! 🔥 Between exits, fundraising rounds, rebrands, expansions, and recognitions, here's a roundup of exciting news from our portfolio companies just ICYMI: 💳 Minna Technologies was acquired by Mastercard. After helping over 120 million users worldwide manage their subscriptions, it is now part of Mastercard's strategy to expand into broader financial technology services. 💥 Najar (formerly Welii) raised €15M in Series A funding (and unveiled a bold rebrand!) to empower businesses with cutting-edge procurement solutions that are adaptable, reliable, and focused on long-term financial health. 💰 Infact raised £4M to revolutionize the credit bureau landscape and got FCA authorisation as a Credit Reference Agency, supporting innovation in credit products and modernising credit reporting. 🌳 Briink secured €3.85M to transform how companies handle ESG data. Their AI-powered tools turn mountains of data into actionable insights, ensuring it is accurate, comprehensive, and aligned with regulatory standards. 🧮 Ramify closed an €11M Series A round, which will fuel a new approach to wealth management and allow the data-driven 360º financial advisory platform to become the go-to investment solution for the new generation of affluent investors in France. 🏦 Token.io closed a partnership with Santander and was ranked one of the top two A2A payments infrastructure providers in the world by Juniper Research. 🌏 Runa continues its global network expansion, having announced its payout solutions are now available in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, South Korea, Brazil, Bulgaria, and more. A big shoutout to all the founders and teams across our portfolio for the inspiring work – keep going strong! 👏

Double big news! 🚀 Najar (formerly Welii) has just raised €15M in Series A funding and unveiled a bold rebrand. In an era where financial clarity is paramount, Najar empowers businesses with cutting-edge procurement solutions that are adaptable, reliable, and focused on long-term financial health. Through its AI-driven platform, businesses can confidently navigate the complexities of procurement, ensuring that every decision is visible, precise, and built to last. 🎯 We're proud to lead this round with Portage and TOMCAT and support Najar's mission. Najar has a stellar team of 75 in Paris, led by incredible co-founders Vincent Coste and Killian Buffard, who had real-world experience with the pains they aim to solve. More than 180+ customers across multiple countries already benefit from their innovative solutions. Congratulations to the entire Najar team on this milestone and the hard work so far! Here's to making procurement smarter, faster, and more efficient for businesses everywhere. 💪

Breaking: our portfolio company Token.io and Santander join forces to revolutionize open banking payments 💥 This partnership leverages Token.io's industry-leading open banking infrastructure to enhance Santander's customer experiences and develop innovative real-time payment solutions. Santander customers will soon enjoy seamless account-to-account payments for credit card repayments, eliminating manual data entry. Santander also plans to utilise Token.io's cutting-edge infrastructure to modernise real-time money movement for its retail banking clients. The collaboration highlights the growing importance of open banking and instant payments. 📊 According to Capgemini's World Payments Report 2025, A2A technology could offset 15-25% of future card transaction volume growth. Congratulations to Token.io CEO Todd Clyde and the entire team on this significant milestone! We're excited to see how this partnership will shape the future of banking and payments.

How do investors decide? Our Principal Aleksandra Tyurina recently had a chat with Thomas Yeddou on how we at 13books view the evolving fintech landscape: 🔭 Cross-sector innovation: We see fintech not as a vertical with subsectors, but as a horizontal layer cutting across every imaginable market. From embedded payments in real estate to monetizing users in gaming – this is where true differentiation happens. 🌐 Smart market entry: In a crowded space, your approach matters. We love seeing innovative strategies like Crezco's platform-first approach to B2B payments, unlocking massive distribution opportunities. 👥 Founder focus: For us, 90% of investing is about people. Founder-market fit, resilience, experience, chemistry… it's a long-term relationship after all. 📊 Metrics that matter: We look for early signs of commercial validation and numbers grounded in reality: the customers' love for the product, quality of growth, and payback period (over CAC/LTV), for example. Looking to fundraise soon? Understand how to stand out taking different criteria into consideration. Thanks, Thomas Yeddou, for sharing fintech and VC knowledge with the ecosystem!

Exciting opportunities alert! 🚨Our portfolio is buzzing with #fintechjobs that could be your next career move. Check out these hot openings: Briink: several BD roles - Berlin 🇩🇪 Crezco: Head of Business Operations - London 🇬🇧 hepster: Customer Support and Project Manager - Remote (EU) 🇪🇺 Runa: Senior Product Designer - London and Sofia 🇬🇧🇧🇬 Thirdfort: Revenue Operations Manager - London/Manchester 🇬🇧 Welii: BDRs and RevOps - Paris 🇫🇷 Ready to level up? Then you should check out the comments ✨