Synctera

More Than $232 Million Raised by Nine Alums in Q1 2025

More Than $232 Million Raised by Nine Alums in Q1 2025
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: eSelf.AI, FutureVault, Highnote, Hypori, Kani Payments, LeapXpert, Method Financial, Napier, Quarterly Funding, Synctera, Zeta

Funding for Finovate alums rebounded significantly in the first quarter of 2025, year-over-year. Nine Finovate alums raised more than $232 million in funding, topping 2024’s first quarter tally by more than a million dollars.

Previous quarterly comparisons

  • Q1 2024: More than $113 million raised by nine alums
  • Q1 2023: More than $453 million raised by 13 alums
  • Q1 2022: More than $365 million raised by 11 alums
  • Q1 2021: More than $3.3 billion raised by 26 alums

January was the biggest funding month of the quarter, with two of the quarter’s top three equity investments coming in the first month of the year. That said, the fact that two of February’s investment totals were undisclosed means that February—often the lowest funding month of the quarter—might have been a bigger funding month than it appears.

Top equity investments from the quarter

  • Highnote: $90 million
  • Zeta: $50 million
  • Method Financial: $42 million

As noted above, the big investment bucks arrived early for Finovate alums in 2025. The largest fundraising for alums in Q1 was Highnote’s haul in January. The company, which offers modern card issuance and program management, secured $90 million in a Series B round led by Adams Street Partners. Highnote made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2022 in San Francisco.

The Highnote investment was almost as large as the next two biggest funding rounds for Finovate alums in Q1 2025. Method Financial also announced a major fundraising in January, securing an investment of $42 million in a Series B round led by Emergence Capital. Zeta announced raising $50 million from an undisclosed “strategic investor” in February.

Here is our detailed alum funding report for Q1 2025.

January 2025

More than $164 million raised by four alums

February 2025

More than $50 million raised by three alums

March 2025

More than $18 million raised by two alums

If you are a Finovate alum that raised money in the first quarter of 2025 and do not see your company listed, please drop us a note at [email protected]. We would love to share the good news! Funding received prior to becoming an alum not included.

Photo by cottonbro studio

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BaaS Provider Synctera Secures $15 Million in Funding

BaaS Provider Synctera Secures $15 Million in Funding
By David Penn Posted on
Categories: Alumni News, Funding, Synctera
  • BaaS platform Synctera secured $15 million in funding in a round co-led by Fin Capital and Diagram Ventures.
  • The investment takes Synctera’s total funding to date to $94 million.
  • Headquartered in Palo Alto, California and founded in 2020, Synctera made its Finovate debut last September at FinovateFall 2024.

Banking and payments platform Synctera has raised $15 million in funding. The round was co-led by Fin Capital and Diagram Ventures, and featured participation from existing investors First & Main, Evolution, and True Equity.

The investment takes Synctera’s total capital raised to date to $94 million. The firm indicated that the additional capital will help fuel its current expansion plans, including better serving its growing customer base. “This is a vote of confidence that enables us to continue to drive scalable growth and excellence for our customers and community of banks,” Synctera Co-Founder and CEO Peter Hazlehurst said.

Synctera’s banking and payments platform provides companies with the tools they need in order to build and scale a variety of innovative financial services products: from bank accounts to card programs to money movement services. The company’s technology also enables sponsor banks to better manage compliant partnerships with fintechs.

Synctera’s funding announcement comes just days after the company announced inking a deal with its largest customer to date: Bolt. A fintech that specializes in one-click online checkouts, Bolt—supported by its bank partner, Midland States Bank—will soon offer new financial services to consumers courtesy of its new relationship with Synctera.

“Bolt has always been incredibly driven to deliver the absolute best online checkout experience for consumers of some of the largest brands on the planet,” Bolt Founder and CEO Ryan Breslow said. “We’re excited to partner with Synctera to arm brands with more ways to engage with their customers.”

Additionally, Synctera recently announced a new partnership with fellow Finovate alum Hawk. The alliance will integrate Hawk’s AML and CFT technology into Synctera’s platform, strengthening Synctera’s status as a category leader in risk management and compliance.

“The reason we built Hawk was because we wanted to combine AML and fraud use cases in one platform. Native, Explained AI, and our capability to handle (the) largest volume in real-time position us well to support Synctera’s growth plans, which we love to be a part of,” Hawk Co-Founder and CEO Tobias Schweiger said.

Headquartered in Palo Alto, California and founded in 2020, Synctera made its Finovate debut last September at FinovateFall 2024 in New York. At the conference, the company demomstrated how its platform gives banks an end-to-end solution to start or scale a compliant Banking-as-a-Service program.

Photo by MART PRODUCTION

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FinovateFall 2024 Sneak Peek Series: Part 4

By Madeline Clines Posted on
Categories: APIMatic, Corsound AI, CSS, FinovateFall 2024, FinovateFall 2024 Sneak Peek, GPTadvisor, QuAIL Technologies, Synctera, TIFIN AG

A look at the companies demoing at FinovateFall in New York on September 9 and 10. Register today using this link and save 20%.

APIMatic

APIMatic’s developer experience platform adds a layer of technology between fintech APIs and developers to make integrations faster through automation and AI.

Features

  • Automates the creation of SDKs
  • Includes dynamic use case guides
  • Delivers AI-generated integration code

Who’s it for?

Payment providers, banks, and fintech startups.

Corsound AI

Corsound AI enhances security against voice fraud with patented voice-to-face technology and deepfake detection, backed by over 200 autonomous AI patents.

Features

  • Offers revolutionary security – the future of verification technology
  • Delivers unique voice-to-face matching that matches a face to a voice without a database
  • Provides deepfake detection: No enrollment needed, agnostic to new tools

Who’s it for?

Banks, credit unions, identity verification companies, and more.

CSS

CSS introduces IMPACT 3.0, an innovative debt collections platform with AI Copilot Assistants, enhancing compliance, efficiency, and debtor communication.

Features

  • AI Collector Copilot: Real-time collections advice for agents
  • AI Automation: Design processes by chat
  • AI Executive Insights: Instant financial and performance data by chatting

Who’s it for?

Credit grantors, loan servicers, billing agencies, collections agencies, hospitals, government taxing authorities, legal collections firms, debt buyers, banks, and credit unions.

GPTadvisor

GPTadvisor is the assistant for wealth managers. Their advanced generative AI, in a powerful SaaS platform, enhances productivity for wealth managers across day-to-day activities.

Features

  • Provides conversational investment product analysis
  • Includes portfolio reporting and analysis
  • Delivers hyper-personalized advice

Who’s it for?

Commercial banks with a private banking arm along with purely wealth management and advisory firms. GPTadvisor’s product also fits the needs of IFAs and includes a licensed SaaS version, as well.

QuAIL Technologies

Q(Fin) by QuAIL Technologies allows financial advisors to elevate productivity and grow their business with powerful AI that is safe, secure, and compliant.

Features

  • Elevates productivity through automated workflows
  • Enhances customer engagement with highly personalized content
  • Improves investment outcomes with deeply integrated AI

Who’s it for?

Registered Investment Advisors and wealth managers.

Synctera

The Synctera Platform equips banks with the tools, infrastructure, and data insights they need to scale a compliant sponsor banking program.

Features

  • Efficiently manages compliance with a complete set of tools and workflows
  • Centralizes data and streamlines reconciliation with the Synctera Ledger
  • Maintains complete data visibility

Who’s it for?

Banks and companies launching fintech or embedded banking products.

TIFIN AG

Through advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning, rich data partnerships, and data science expertise, TIFIN AG provides personalized and actionable insights to drive organic growth.

Features

  • Unifies data and delivers AI-driven insights and recommendations
  • Empowers advisors to make data-driven decisions
  • Enhances client growth and retention
  • Integrates seamlessly with existing technology

Who’s it for?

RIAs, broker-dealers, wealth managers, banks, credit unions, and insurance platforms.

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