Michele Mattei’s Post

Happy New Year! I'm back and raring to go for another year covering startups and the venture capital ecosystem. As a reminder, I predominantly focus on fintech and AI companies, so to kick off the year, here are some predictions from CEOs and founders in Europe. Fintech has had a tough couple of years, but industry founders are bullish on the use of AI ahead of what's set to be another difficult period for fundraising and growth in 2024. Thanks to Marit Rødevand, Maik Taro Wehmeyer, Denise Johansson, Levent Altunel, Ante Spittler, Patrick Stäuble, and Raffael Johnen for their input. You can check out their thoughts here: https://lnkd.in/epC9BwXm #fintech #funding #growth #startups #AI #tech #vc

Not surprised that investors recognize the value Pagos delivers, and glad to see the recognition. Innovations in Card Issuing, Payfac and Marketplace offerings has introduced what I would call a Fintech Revolution. As a result of massive expansion of "card" product types, there are more permeations of card association rules, regulations and interchange requirements and qualifications than ever seen before, not to mention increasing compliance challenges. Merchants are increasingly dependent on how payment service providers (for merchants and issuers) code to the card association new product, authentication and authorization protocols. Payment Orchestration is no longer limited to who has local acquiring. Even large and "mature" merchants are struggling to understand the changing environment and impacts. Smaller merchants and startups without comparable investments in access to actionable data can't compete. All merchants increasingly need to align strategies between their payments, fraud, product development and finance teams, and the common language is data. Pagos provides a merchants with a departmental neutral source for critical data that can help drive detection, analysis, investigation and mitigation of payment inefficiencies. What makes Pagos impactful is the deep roots and autonomic intellect of not only the founders and the intellect and skill of the people that work there! Well deserved recognition indeed!

Morning! I just came across this article on the ever-changing landscape of VC & FinTech. (https://lnkd.in/eepBpi5x) Here are some key takeaways that got me thinking: 💥Maturing Fintech Ecosystem: The article outlines how the fintech sector is set to mature by 2024, signalling a phase of consolidation and refinement. This speaks volumes about the resilience and adaptability of fintech start-ups. 💥Deeper Integration of AI: As AI continues to transform industries, the fintech space is no exception. The article highlights the increasing integration of artificial intelligence, paving the way for smarter, more efficient financial solutions. 💥 Shift in Regulatory Dynamics: The evolving regulatory landscape is a key factor in shaping the future of fintech. Understanding these changes will be crucial for start-ups and investors navigating the fintech ecosystem in the coming years. 💥 Global Expansion: The article points to a trend of fintech start-ups looking beyond borders for growth. This global perspective indicates a broader market reach and a need for cross-border collaboration. What are your thoughts on these insights? #FintechInnovation #VentureCapital #FutureOfFinance #BusinessInsights

According to McKinsey, revenues in the fintech industry are expected to grow almost three times faster than those in traditional banking. In such a rapidly growing space, how can founders standout in the crowd? 🎯 Enter Fintech Fast Pass--an initiative by Machinelab Ventures and IBM Cloud for Financial Services, a growth-centric hub offering unparalleled advantages without disrupting your business flow or demanding equity. 🧠 The Brains Behind the Operation: - The advisory board is a collection of industry stalwarts, thought leaders, and founders, each bringing a unique perspective that to help guide your growth. - Dr. Melissa Sassi : "Building and scaling a fintech is demanding... We’re here to help fintechs flourish. We see Fintech Fast Pass as a movement towards a more innovative, inclusive, and forward-thinking financial world." ✨ Meet Our Advisors: - Dr. Melissa Sassi (Machinelab Ventures) - Shahjahan Chaudhary (Machinelab Ventures) - Prakash Pattni (IBM Cloud for Financial Services) - Arun Aggarwal (Lloyds Banking Group) - Theodora Lau (Unconventional Ventures) - Mercedes Tunstall (Cadwalader, Wickersham, and Taft) - Dan Roselli (RevTech Labs & CFV Ventures) - Helen Yu (Tigon Advisory Corp.) - Scott Mills, APR (William Mills Agency) - Adam Mastrelli (Woodstock Fund) - Roxana Nasoi (IP3 Studio) - Alex Murphy (CMO Balance) - Samrah Kazmi (RESRG) - Neel Nathan (DD Venture) - Nathalie Schwarzkopf (Blackfin Capital Partners) - Nuno Afonso (Start Ventures) Read about the board and learn more about Fintech Fast Pass here! https://lnkd.in/dRRXiWgC

NayaOne secures $4.7 Million to drive fintech innovation with Sandbox-as-a-Service platform. #NayaOne announces a fresh funding round of $4.7 million, led by EJF Capital LLC Capital and supported by Valley Ventures and Carthona Capital. This investment underscores NayaOne's impressive growth trajectory and its potential to revolutionize financial services with its cutting-edge sandbox-as-a-service platform. NayaOne's platform is at the forefront of accelerating technology adoption within the finance industry, enabling financial institutions to quickly adapt to the evolving #fintech ecosystem. This is crucial in an era where only a small fraction of banks opt to develop technology in-house, relying instead on external innovations to drive strategic growth. The platform's arrival is timely, coinciding with the finance sector's urgent pivot towards digital transformation. It offers institutions the agility needed for revenue expansion, customer retention, and effective crisis management. Karan Jain, CEO of NayaOne, views the funding not just as capital for growth but as a catalyst for setting a new pace in a sector undergoing fundamental shifts. EJF Ventures' Michael Cherepnin highlights NayaOne's role as pivotal infrastructure at an early stage of the banking and capital markets tech revolution. Meanwhile, Neal Kapur from Valley Ventures and Dean Dorrell of Carthona Capital praise NayaOne's ability to streamline fintech vendor vetting processes and its evolution from an early-stage entity to a fintech leader. This funding round marks a significant milestone, positioning NayaOne to lead the digital-first transformation in financial services. The announce on #NayaOne website in the first comment. Want to stay up to date with the market? Here my newsletter: - Linkedin: https://t.ly/s541W   - Substack: https://lnkd.in/dzfGJzmW

Totally agree w/ Charles Moldow. Many founders come to #fintech with a view that "we did a lot of AI before at XYZ big tech firm, AI is our secret sauce here for this big finance problem". #AI almost always never is. Understanding asset and flow operations, understanding risk and capital supply chains, understanding corner cases, is where the secret sauce almost always is. When founders's (and investors's to be fair) depth of knowledge gets there, how AI is put to use is just one (important) part of your tech stack / product design / potentially your GTM. Often, we find fairly simple models that are robust / interpretable outperform the sexiest NeurIPS et al (and the reasons why are very entranched into financial specifics). Even when the sexier model outperforms, there are commonly implications on your opex that may not be justified, and you may find that your clients don't care / that the willingness to pay more is inconsequential.

Look into the fintech crystal ball and explore our predictions on upcoming trends set to redefine European fintech in 2024. The entire startup ecosystem, particularly fintech, had a reset in 2023. As fundraising slowed down and capital was not as deployable, startups and investors adapted and doubled down on profitability and cost reduction. With 2023 behind us, let’s look forward to what’s on the horizon for European fintech.

Get insights from Kelly Fryer, Executive Director of Fintech Sandbox, as she discusses the exciting journey of the incubator, the value of data for startups, and her predictions for the future of #fintech. Read the full interview with The Financial Revolutionist here: https://bit.ly/3R0Iz3e #FintechNews #DataDriven #FintechInsights #FutureOfFintech

#FinTech has revolutionized the financial industry and presents incredible benefits for individuals, businesses, and the economy as a whole. Startups in this area have significantly increased accessibility to financial services, especially for underserved or unbanked populations – something we have seen a great deal with FinTech startups serving #latinamerica. Because of its transformative impact, Fintech has been a hot spot for #venturecapital despite the downturn of the last couple of years. This article addresses the state of Fintechs globally and the concerns as to the regulatory issues applicable to the sector specially for foreign Fintechs, which may directly or indirectly have contact with the United States. Specifically, the article points out to the far-reaching arms of American and European jurisdictions in enforcing their laws and regulations even beyond borders. Thus, this topic deserves special attention from both investors and #startups. #venturecapital #mergerandacquisitions #latam #fintech #neobanks André Thiollier