DRW Venture Capital

We partner with phenomenal entrepreneurs who have the vision and drive to reinvent financial services, investing from the earliest seeds of startup life to businesses scaling for growth. We support leading companies across all sectors of financial services, including lending, credit & banking, payments, insurance, capital markets & investments, personal finance, enterprise financial stack and real estate finance. Our distinctive approach to fintech venture capital is crafted around a curated network of global macroeconomic thinkers and investors. Launched in 2015, Clocktower Ventures is the technology investing affiliate of Clocktower Group, a global macro investment firm. We are based in Santa Monica, CA and invest worldwide.

DB1 Ventures’ vision is to be a strategic partner of choice for early-stage to growth-stage fintech start-ups along the capital markets infrastructure value chain. Through targeted start-up investments, we aim to gain access to innovations and technologies that are core or adjacent to Deutsche Börse Group’s strategy, generate attractive investment returns and add strategic value to the growth plans of our portfolio companies. Our mission DB1 Ventures considers itself as Deutsche Börse Group’s “eyes and ears” in the global venture capital and fintech ecosystem. Its focus is set on areas of strategic interest to the Group to help the company drive innovation. Investment strategyGeography agnostic €5–25 million investment size Active investment philosophy Minority, significant minority stakes Lead and co-participate in investments Return targets: 1) Financial KPIs; 2) Strategic value Focus on early-stage to growth-stage companies (post-Series A) Fintech start-ups, with a specific focus on capital markets infrastructure Value proposition We help early-stage and growth-stage start-ups scale better from a technical and business connectivity perspective by working closely with our product, technology and operations teams. We provide connections to the financial world from issuers to intermediaries, traders and investors, who appreciate our neutrality and the high quality of market services we provide. We understand what it means to operate within the capital markets space and can help start-ups strategically with our expertise and connections to relevant players in the space. We bring the experience and brand of one of the largest market operators – a strong brand in the industry, standing for quality, independence, reliability and innovation.

Fin Capital is a full lifecycle global asset manager exclusively focused on FinTech. As ESG investors, we seek impact on several dimensions and our mission is to build a long-term legacy for our investors, founders, firm and team members – the "Fin Family." We are passionate about rolling up our sleeves and partnering with repeat entrepreneurs that have deep financial services experience, audacious goals, differentiated products, and a global platform mindset. We call ourselves "FinTech Nerds with Capital" as we are operators at our core with deep corporate and start-up leadership experience - we know intimately what it’s like to walk in entrepreneurial shoes. Through our "OS" Lighthouse and hands-on operating playbook, we add meaningful value beyond capital throughout the partnership lifecycle.

FRAMEWORK was founded in 2018 and has set the benchmark for active capital investing for early-stage companies. FRAMEWORK combines a unique, data-driven model with a high-touch collaborative engagement approach designed to assist Founders and CEOs in high-growth markets to scale while becoming better, smarter and more prepared for the next phase of growth. FRAMEWORK Partners provide cutting-edge resources, opportunities and top-tier, empathetic counsel to Founders–becoming a trusted partner on the scaling journey. Partners Peter Misek, Barbara Dirks, Ajay Gopal and Jean-Michel Texier, make use of a collaborative model of working that leverages decades of experience building, launching and reimagining businesses to the benefit of the FRAMEWORK portfolio. FRAMEWORK primarily invests in Series A and Series B technology companies that have a strong purpose and mission to change the world for the better. The Startup Scorecard and Investor Network, accessible to all investors and Founders, aim to reinvent the early-stage ecosystem, eliminate bias in the investment process and empower Founders with the data they need to assess performance and drive growth. Visit our website to learn more and to benefit from the Startup Scorecard and Investor Network. A NEW MODEL OF ACTIVE CAPITAL TO EMPOWER FOUNDERS WITH MORE THAN A FORMULA FOR SUCCESS.GROUNDBREAKING DATA: Benchmarking progress begins with monitoring the right metrics over time. FRAMEWORK’s proprietary database of 30,000+ startups generates insights to drive growth and guide decision-making. This data-driven approach allows us to analyze companies in a fundamental and comprehensive way. With deep experience in venture investing and financial services, our team can quantify intricate models to evaluate businesses. ESTABLISHED FRAMEWORKS: World-class is hard. Entrepreneurs need tools for overcoming challenges in the scaling journey. Our tried-and-true frameworks and solutions are designed for financial systems, technology and product, go-to-market, sales and marketing, talent, and governance. Whether it’s building a team, fostering culture, developing financial systems or forging new partnerships, FRAMEWORK gives Founders customized strategies to assist growth. OPERATIONAL EXPERTISE: When FRAMEWORK invests in you, a team of industry leaders has your back. Because each company is one-of-a-kind, FRAMEWORK Partners help Founders navigate their unique path with empathy and enthusiasm for the startup journey. Portfolio companies work closely with our experts to uncover blind spots, expose opportunities for improvement and enable faster experimentation and growth. REINVENTING THE VENTURE CAPITAL ECOSYSTEM FOR EARLY-STAGE STARTUPS.STARTUP SCORECARD: By providing their own data, any startup can assess their performance against a database of more than 30,000 others at a similar stage or in the same vertical. The Scorecard produces quantitative benchmarks and insights to guide action based on numerous structured data fields. This innovative platform is designed to connect early stage Startups with potential investors. Startups can also opt-in to be matched to potential seed and pre-seed investors, through curated lists made available to the Investor Network. INVESTOR NETWORK: The Investor Network is designed to connect LPs and early-stage investors with interesting new companies that fit their investment strategy and reduces the burden associated with early-stage investing by providing valuable, systematic metrics that often determine success and growth. FRAMEWORK is a collaborative model of venture capital. Our team shares its network and partnership opportunities with the entire portfolio; Our investors and industry partners often build direct relationships with portfolio companies. ATOMIC GROWTH FRAMEWORK: The foundation of our working relationship with portfolio Founders and leadership teams, The Atomic Growth Framework generates alignment around the smallest units of growth within a company and uses that to build a forward-looking operational plan. This open, exploratory format is designed for introspection, while building strong alignment, shared goals and synergies between teams. EXCEPTIONAL STARTUPS DESERVE EXCEPTIONAL PARTNERS.TRUST: Our model of active capital creates strong alignment between Founders and VC partners. We provide invaluable, trusted counsel for portfolio leaders through honesty, adaptability, an eagerness to act, and the confidence of industry leaders who are ready to listen. DETERMINATION: Drive. Tenacity. Perseverance. Resilience. Whatever you call it, we are committed to backing companies and founders who are determined to change the world. We work tirelessly with and for our founders, helping our portfolio companies succeed in their missions. EXCELLENCE: FRAMEWORK is a top-performing venture fund. As a company, we model a culture of excellence and we help build it in our portfolio. Our extraordinary partners help startups become better, stronger, smarter quicker and ultimately more prepared for the next phase of growth.

FTV was an early partner to companies at the Intersection of financial services and technology. We continue to help exceptional companies anticipate and meet evolving market demand. In 1998, as the financial services industry was beginning to channel the power of the Internet, our founders, Jim Hale, Bob Huret and Richard Garman, sought to leverage deep connections from their financial services careers to aid entrepreneurs with innovative technology and service offerings targeted at the corporate enterprise. Known then as FTVentures (Financial Technology Ventures), we began cultivating this strategic network of executives who shared exceptional market insight into the pain points and opportunities that enterprises were facing. Armed with this information, we invested in high-growth companies that were delivering solutions to meet these enterprise needs. We then tapped these strategic connections to open doors and accelerate commercial opportunities for our portfolio companies. In 2008, we renamed our firm FTV Capital to better reflect our growth equity strategy. Since our founding, we have raised $6.2 billion across seven funds and invested in over 140 high-growth companies, creating more than $40 billion in enterprise value. We attribute that success to our persistent work to harness the value of our deep domain expertise and our strategic connections, now called the Global Partner Network, to deliver transformative growth opportunities to our portfolio companies across our consistent core sectors of enterprise technology and services and financial technology and services.

As Venture Capitalists, we invest in smart people solving difficult problems. Our mission is to generate world-class investment returns over the long term. Wavelaunch is an investment VC firm backing the best founders and entrepreneurs who are just getting started; whether it’s pre-seed, seed, or Series A. At Wavelaunch, we work closely with companies to help them get in the best shape possible before we pitch them to our investors. Our initial investment ranges from 500K-2 Million and ideal ownership is 7-12%. Our Vision 1. Create a high-value ecosystem of startups, financial institutions, founders, engineers, executives, regulators, academics, and thought leaders driving financial services disruption, and connect them with people who want to be a part of it. 2. Invest in (and profit from) the technology-driven financial startups that are transforming the industry. Our current portfolio consists of a globally diversified portfolio of best-in-class, high-growth, digitally native financial services companies. 3. Provide financial services and technology companies with strategic and investment advice and tools to help them meet the needs of 21st-century consumers and businesses by forcing them to reconsider investment opportunities, business models, design, user experience, data, technology, and customer success. 4. As a pattern for the economy, build one of the world’s greatest diversified financial services companies with a dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 5. Bring together and invest in outstanding entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and change agents in the world of finance to reinvent finance for the information era. Our Philosophy If you look at a few venture capital websites, you’ll realize that they all sound the same. They all claim to work with exceptional founders. You will hear terms like “We believe that technology can change the world” or “From the beginning, we have backed excellent businesses.” That hasn’t always been the case though. Seed-stage financing was not a thing a few years ago, and many people thought it would survive. Founders who afterward became investors were outliers. Every VC promises founders access to folks and networks that will help them succeed. Even multi-stage and mega-growth corporations are getting into seed-stage investing, putting money into startups that are only a few people with a great idea. However, speak with a few Wavelaunch Founders and they’ll explain how we’re different. They’ll tell you how we’ve helped them go from a great founder to a great CEO by understanding how difficult and lonely the startup path can be. They’ll discuss how we helped them establish a better company by focusing just on the first two years - in part because we’re not available to lead their Series A or B round. They’ll tell you that instead of stuffy board meetings, we believe in working sessions when you’re just getting started - jam sessions when we dive deep on a topic. That their Wavelaunch partner is the first person they phone and call, their corner coach - and the kick in the back when they need it the most. The startups we’ve backed will gush about how we helped them get their most critical hiring, position their business, and design their sales playbook. Skyler Joves from InfluenceBLU will tell you that she met her co-founder Reiner through us. Ranveer from Otipy will remember how we worked with him as his head of marketing early on to brand for its success. And Brand05’s founders will gladly discuss how they fine-tuned their sales pitch with their first 20 customers, all of whom were Wavelaunch companies. They’ll almost certainly note that through the Wavelaunch Review, we give the greatest tactical tips to help other entrepreneurs achieve the same. While the word “community” is bandied around a lot these days, they’ll say that our efforts to connect founders across Wavelaunch companies have given them the most beneficial collection of peers. They’ll tell you that our Founder Retreat was “hands down” the “most valuable professional event” they’ve ever attended. That this group of peers not only assists them in dealing with tactical issues but also gives them a sense of belonging. They’ll tell you how exhausting and time-consuming getting finance may be, and how much Pitch Assist helped. How a specialized Series A capital team assisted them in crafting a compelling narrative, determining the best strategy, and creating a visually appealing presentation that got the job done. They’ll tell you that they never expected to spend 50 hours honing their pitch, but that this fundraising boot camp is one of the main reasons why 80 percent of First Round-backed firms “graduate” to Series A. (compared to an industry average of 31 percent ). They’ll tell you that we’re quality-obsessed and always striving to improve. We start small and iterate quickly, as do all great founders. That Fast Track began by putting together a small group of mentors and mentees in the hopes of learning something over a quarter. It is presently a program that provides approximately 1500 people with structured learning and development programming regularly. 83 percent of mentees feel their jobs have altered as a result of their mentorship. Above everything else, they’ll tell you that we always do the right thing, even when it’s difficult. We believe in long-term thinking, and we will not be out there trying to make $0.10 on our dollar if the company is shut down. They are well aware that we may be the first to check into their next venture. It’s difficult to explain how we’re different when every venture capital website says the same thing. Fortunately for us, not every VC receives the same treatment from founders. Sincerely, Team Wavelaunch