FinTech Collective
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These guys are the real deal — actual operators turned investors, not just MBA consultants with thick decks. Brooks and Gareth built and exited four fintech companies before starting FTC in 2012, giving them genuine street cred when they roll up their sleeves with founders. They're genuinely global (not just "we'll take a Zoom from London") with serious emerging markets chops, especially in Africa and LatAm where they've backed winners like Flutterwave. The 96% hit rate they tout is impressive, but remember they invest pre-revenue so "still active" doesn't mean profitable. They prefer warm intros (95%+ of deals) so cold emails are basically dead on arrival. Post-investment, they actually show up — their operator DNA means they understand the grind and can help with real operational issues, not just board meeting theater.
- —Best for: Seed/Series A founders who want hands-on operators, especially in payments/infrastructure
- —Watch out for: Need warm intros to get in the door; cold outreach rarely works
- —Known for: Global reach with emerging markets expertise and genuine operator backgrounds
FinTech Collective is a New York-based venture capital firm with a global footprint that partners with founders to reshape financial markets. Founded in 2012 by Brooks Gibbins and Gareth Jones—both experienced fintech entrepreneurs—the firm combines deep operating expertise with diverse markets experience to back innovative fintech companies across all stages and sectors. Our ambition is to create the future of financial services, bringing transparency and choice to developed markets and financial connectivity and socio-economic mobility to developing markets.
FinTech Collective invests primarily at the seed and Series A stages, with particular emphasis on early-stage opportunities where they can be the first institutional investor. FinTech Collective invests across the full spectrum of fintech verticals: Emerging Markets Focus: Payments, lending, and fintech infrastructure for underserved regions (Flutterwave, Simetrik, Mondu, Anyfin, Daisy) Payments Infrastructure: Cross-border, B2B, B2C solutions (Simetrik, Mondu, Minka, Flutterwave) Wealth & Capital Markets: Professional advisory, portfolio management (Vestwell, Quovo, Artivest, NextCapital) Lending Solutions: Consumer and SMB lending platforms (Anyfin, Lending Club alternatives) DeFi & Crypto: Protocols, infrastructure, and institutional tooling (UMA, Centrifuge, Rainbow, MetaStreet, Secured Finance).
Prior to becoming a venture capitalist, Brooks had a successful career as an entrepreneur and global operating executive in capital markets, payments, and enterprise tech. He was a key executive and officer at New York-based Multex, which successfully IPO'd and exited to Reuters; London-based Serverside, which successfully exited to Gemalto; and Oslo-based FAST, which successfully exited to Microsoft for over $1b. Brooks completed Harvard Business School's program for Management Development and graduated from Williams College with distinction.
Prior to becoming a venture capitalist, Gareth was a successful entrepreneur and business leader, who helped build and sell three category-leading fintech companies. These included Multex, which IPO'd and then successfully sold to Reuters; Serverside, which successfully sold to Gemalto, a European digital security company; and CardLab, which was successfully acquired by Blackhawk Networks, a global leader in prepaid gift, reward and incentive technologies and solutions. Prior to starting his career in fintech, Gareth spent three years 'double handing' a 36ft sailing boat 33,000 nautical miles from the UK to the Antarctic circle. Gareth has completed Columbia Business School's Senior Executive Program and graduated from the University of the West of England with a BSc.
Sean is a Partner on the investment team at FinTech Collective. He is Head of Digital Assets and leads the firm's decentralized finance (DeFi) work. A former entrepreneur and world-ranked poker player, Sean helped bring the practice of "poker staking" online using data and analytics. Sean spent five years as an investment banker at Credit Suisse covering financial services and technology companies. Sean graduated with an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BBA from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
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