Firenze is a Manchester based fintech that has raised £750,000 at a £3.75m valuation in a pre-seed angel round to accelerate its mission to democratise access to Lombard lending.

Launched in January by co-founders David Newman and Anna Curtis, Firenze provides an embedded finance platform that allows wealth managers to offer loans secured against investments to their clients from as little as £25k. These so-called Lombard loans have typically only been available to clients of private banks who have, as a minimum, £1m of investments. Firenze is helping a broader range of borrowers access this efficient liquidity solution typically reserved for the wealthy as well as helping wealth managers, investment platforms & financial advisors attract and retain AUM.

Firenze’s oversubscribed pre-seed round is one of the largest pre-seed angel raises to close in the last 18 months, and certainly one of the largest outside London. Notable investors include:

• The scout funds of top tier VC’s including a16z, Atomico, Ada Ventures & Lakestar;
• Leading fintech super-angels and operators such as Amir Nooriala (Oak North), Charlie Delingpole (Comply Advantage), Felix Leuschner (Drover), Keith Grose (Plaid), Michele Attisani (Faceit), Ricky Knox (Tandem), Seth Johnson (ICAP/NEX), Steve Lemon (Currencycloud);
• Top tier investors such as Andi Kazeroonian (Outward VC), Ara Yeromian (Ontario Teachers Pension Plan), Kaysan Nikkah (Edinvest Family Office) and Neer Nagda, Oliver Boom (both IPGL); and;
• Industry executives including senior figures at Rothschild, Julius Baer, Schroders and Cazenove.

“We’re humbled by the calibre of investors who have chosen to back us at this pivotal stage of the journey. It’ss a testament to the clear need for our solution in the market, with many of our investors intimately familiar with the value of opening up Lombard lending. We look forward to using this raise to propel our vision forward”

Anna Curtis, co-founder of Firenze

The fundraise allows Firenze to continue its team growth and start onboarding the first wealth managers and platforms.

About the Founders
David Newman is a second time founder having previously been the co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Delio which he helped drive from an idea to a c. $50m enterprise value when he exited the business at the end of 2022. Prior to Delio, David was a private banker at UBS & Barclays where he advised a small number of HNW, UHNW and Family Office clients.

Anna Curtis previously worked with David at Delio where she held a variety of roles, most recently Head of Account Management. Her extensive background covers a variety of finance and operations roles across small businesses and large corporates in the UK, Malta and Kenya.