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 […]
From Bootstrapping a $70M Company to Leading a VC Fund: Lessons for Founders
By Graeme Thickins Twin brothers Rob and Ryan Weber, founding partners of Great North Ventures, have raised two funds and invested in more than 50 startups to date and counting, throughout the Midwest and the rest of the county. Well before that success, however, they were founders themselves of their own ventures, beginning in their […]
Our Strategy: Vertical AI + Embedded Finance
At Great North Ventures, we back founders who can turn new technology into measurable business results. As former operators ourselves, we’ve built and scaled companies through multiple technology cycles — and we know the difference between hype and execution. With this in mind, we’ve sharpened our focus around two themes: Vertical AI and Embedded Finance. […]
How Two Midwest VCs Have Mastered Success Through Multiple Tech Cycles
by Graeme Thickins For twin brothers Rob and Ryan Weber, founding partners of Great North Ventures in Minnesota, entrepreneurship began in college, just as the Internet was taking off in 1996. As computer science majors (and Rob later switching to entrepreneurial studies), they learned quickly that Internet traffic could be monetized. Over a few years, […]
‘Embedded Everywhere’: Tim Li on the future of lending, AI, and VC scrutiny
Tim Li is a fintech veteran with two decades of experience working at the intersection of banking and technology. After earning a master’s in engineering and building microprocessors at Intel, he pivoted to financial services in the early 2000s, joining JPMorgan Chase to help launch its first digital banking platforms. As the financial crisis hit […]
From Frustration to 1109% Revenue Growth: The WithMe Inc. Story
It all started with Jonathan Treble facing a problem everyone can relate to. More than a decade ago, he had trouble printing concert tickets. That frustration led him to start a new company in 2014 that evolved into providing tech-enabled services for apartment buildings. As CEO, he’s grown WithMe Inc. to become a highly successful, […]