10 Notable Fintech Fundraises From September
September’s funding rounds show the ongoing momentum for the enabling tools that underpin how businesses carry out day-to-day operations. For example, fleet software now handles fuel payments, while workforce platforms are adding payroll capabilities. Under the hood, infrastructure companies are connecting payment networks and handling the rules and processes that make financial transactions happen. We’re […]
FinovateFall Notes: Three Tests for Embedded Finance
As embedded finance matures, questions around the durability of its use cases, sustainable economics and culture are defining the next phase. By Grant Gibson At FinovateFall wrapped up in New York last week, one thing that struck me was how far embedded finance has come in a relatively short time. A decade ago, giving ride-share […]
10 Notable Embedded Fintech Fundraises From August
August’s funding rounds show us how embedded finance is advancing on two fronts: AI-native systems are taking on more financial work inside accounting and industry-specific software, while payments, credit and insurance infrastructure is giving those platforms more ways to move money and manage risk. Those themes were also central to Great North Ventures’ September 2 […]
How Yardstik Is Moving Background Screening to Full Workforce Lifecycle Protection
The Minneapolis-based startup is using continuous monitoring, fraud detection and embedded screening to compete in a growing employment-screening market. Contractors and candidates typically undergo a background check before starting work. But the risks don’t end after that initial screening. Months later, a worker’s license could expire, they could commit an offense or could have been […]
How CapitalOS is building the financial layer for vertical software
CapitalOS enables software platforms to embed cards, bill pay, and wallets for their users and AI agents, while handling the complex infrastructure behind them, including underwriting, risk, compliance, and capital. By Ryan Weber For decades, business owners working as plumbers, electricians and other field-service technicians paid for expenses they incurred on the job with personal […]
What Stripe’s OpenRouter Deal Means for Embedded Finance
Embedded finance is moving deeper into business workflows and closer to the decisions made before a payment is made. On August 19, Stripe agreed to acquire OpenRouter for a reported $7.5 billion. The deal shows embedded finance is moving beyond payments and into the decision flows that generate them. OpenRouter is a three-year-old company whose […]
Building the infrastructure for modern loyalty
Benji CEO Nick Anastasiades in The Financial Revolutionist Loyalty has long been constrained by one-off integrations that are expensive to build, slow to launch and difficult to scale. As a result, many brands have been limited in how they can expand rewards ecosystems, while consumers are left with points and miles that often remain trapped […]
The Unconventional Path That Took a Small Midwest Startup to a Multi-Billion-Dollar Fintech Success
Its founders met at MBA school, faced some scary challenges over the years, but kept their eye on the consumer. Now valued at $3.5B+ on the Nasdaq, Sezzle isn’t done yet embedding value into its app and platform. by Graeme Thickens I first met cofounders Charlie Youakim and Paul Paradis in 2016, just months after […]
Why Loyalty is the Next Big Infrastructure Play (And Why We Doubled Down on Benji)
Why We Backed BenjiMost brands want loyalty partnerships. Almost none have the infrastructure to launch them fast. Loyalty is one of the fastest-growing parts of the consumer economy, yet it still runs on custom deals and manual integrations, with engineering timelines that can stretch a year or more. Benji is building the modern tooling that […]
The New York Times highlights Waterlily’s approach to long-term care
Long-term care costs upwards of $80,000 a year at home and $130,000 for a nursing home bed, yet only 15% of Americans over 65 have any insurance to cover it. Government has no comprehensive answer for it, making it one of the largest uninsured risks in American life. Our portfolio company Waterlily uses AI and […]