Investor Profile: Fasanara Capital — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

Finding Fasanara Capital funding means approaching one of Europe's most distinctive fintech investors. Founded in London in 2011 by Francesco Filia, Fasanara is an FCA-authorised and regulated alternative asset manager with roughly $5.5bn in assets under management, best known as a pioneer of fintech-originated asset-based lending — and, increasingly, as a venture backer of the next generation of fintech and Web3 startups. For founders building in digital lending, payments or digital assets, it is a funder worth understanding.

Thesis & focus

Fasanara's core business is technology-driven alternative credit: its platform is integrated with 141 fintech lenders across more than 60 countries, and it runs one of Europe's largest and longest-standing fintech lending funds. The firm has financed more than $30bn of digital loans and receivables since inception. Its venture arm extends the same thesis — technology transforms how financial services are built and distributed — into equity, backing early-stage fintech innovators through dedicated venture capital vehicles and using its central position in the ecosystem to identify transformative companies.

Sectors & stages

The venture funds focus on fintech and Web3 at seed to Series A: digital lenders, crypto and digital-asset infrastructure, revenue-based finance and embedded-finance platforms. Sitting at the centre of Europe's digital-lending market gives Fasanara unusual dealflow visibility — it sees which models are scaling in real credit portfolios before they appear on a typical VC's radar.

Fund size & cheque size

Fasanara closed its third venture fund at $350m in September 2022, dedicated to finding the next generation of global fintech and Web3 startups — its first venture fund opened to external investors, backed by the European Investment Fund and major European pension funds and insurers. Its first two venture funds raised roughly $550m combined. The firm does not publicly disclose per-deal cheque sizes, so founders should treat amounts as unlisted and expect the conversation to start with the fit, not a number.

Fasanara Capital funding wins: notable portfolio

The venture portfolio numbered 29 startups and scaling businesses at the third fund's close, including Scalapay and Grover — both of which reached unicorn status — plus Twig and Viceversa, the revenue-based financing platform for e-commerce companies. On the credit side, its financing has reached hundreds of fintech originators, with community lending volumes running into the tens of billions across its portfolio.

Partners & team

The firm is led by founder and CEO Francesco Filia, alongside managing partner and head of investments Matteo Amaretti and Margherita Mauro, VP of investments. With around 120 professionals globally and teams spanning credit, digital assets and quantitative strategies, it operates more like a multi-strategy platform than a traditional VC — something founders should weigh when deciding whether they want a specialist equity partner.

How to apply for funding

Fasanara runs no public pitch portal, so there is no standardised application form for the venture funds. Founders should make contact through the firm's contact channels on its official site, fasanara.com, with a concise deck that shows traction in fintech metrics the team lives by — origination volumes, repayment performance and unit economics. Expect diligence to be data-heavy: this is a quant-minded house.