Welcome to From the Launchpad, Propel Venture Partners’ update on financial services, technology, and exciting innovators who are rethinking and rebuilding the industry.... Read More

What do successful startup founders and VC investors have in common? They get out ahead of funding rounds and keep revisiting possible deals. At the Propel Summit in April, experienced founders and our peers in venture capital talked about the same journey from their different vantage points, and offered similar advice about raises: start talking early and keep circling back.Read more... Read More

We were delighted that so many founders and friends were able to join at the 2019 Propel Summit at the Presidio earlier this month. Here are highlights from the conversations that took place on stage: While Brexit delays were in the top headlines that morning, Jekaterina Govina from Bank of Lithuania explained how regulators in Lithuania are inviting fintech startupsRead more... Read More

A panel debate on how APIs affect the deeper levels of financial technology today and how that is changing.... Read More

We are excited to be partnering with the team at Grabango on their mission to reinvent in-store commerce — eliminating checkout lines and saving people time. Led by world-class technologist and entrepreneur Will Glaser, Grabango has built commercial relationships with some of the nation’s largest retailers. The solution is enterprise-grade, built for a checkout-free shopping experience for existing stores. Like all industries, theRead more... Read More

Today, we are excited to announce our first investment in India — welcome to the Propel family, Groww! Over the past year, consumer fintech in India has been a key focus area for my colleague, Rohit, and me for a number of reasons. Accessing simple financial services products has traditionally been confusing and expensive, recent policy reforms and initiatives have set theRead more... Read More

In a fast-moving, tech-enabled, and decentralized world, millions of workers have seen their previously reliable jobs with steady income and employer-sponsored benefits change and often disappear. Fewer jobs in fast-growing sectors fit the 9–5 mold, as the nature of work changes. Full time jobs are giving way to flexible arrangements — shift work, part-time contracts, and gigs that when combinedRead more... Read More

Portland to São Paulo In 2013, weeks after joining BBVA Ventures, I found myself in Portland with Jay Reinemann, meeting with the co-founders of Simple, Josh Reich and Shamir Karkal. Following the trip, investment discussions turned into to acquisition discussions, and over the next few years between Portland, Madrid, and San Francisco we learned from the pioneers of digital banking. Today, Neon announced a SeriesRead more... Read More

I’ve long appreciated Israel’s contributions to fintech from afar, but during my first trip to the “Startup Nation” I was amazed by the maturity of its startup ecosystem. I was part of “FinTech and Falafel,” a delegation of investors sponsored by The Israel Economic Mission to foster collaboration between USA/Canada and Israel. Some of my observations: Israel takes government R&DRead more... Read More

Small to medium-size businesses have traditionally lacked the tools and data to effectively manage travel and expenses. To help change that we are excited to announce Propel Venture Partners’ investment in TravelBank, an expense and travel platform that aligns incentives between employers and employees. Propel joins DCM and Danhua as new investors in the Series B round, alongside existing investorsRead more... Read More