Firenze

# Firenze: High-Level Overview

Firenze is a Manchester-based fintech company that provides an embedded lending platform democratizing access to Lombard loans—investment-backed loans traditionally reserved for wealthy private banking clients.[1][3] Founded by second-time fintech entrepreneur David Newman alongside co-founder Anna Curtis, Firenze launched in January 2024 and has quickly established itself as a category-defining player at the intersection of wealth management and lending.[1][3]

The company solves a critical market inefficiency: Lombard loans have historically been available only to clients of private banks with minimum investments of £1 million.[3] Firenze's platform enables wealth managers, investment platforms, and financial advisors to offer these loans to a much broader audience—clients with as little as £25k in investments can now access loans ranging from £65k to £5m, secured against their portfolios.[1][3] The platform operates on a cross-custody basis, meaning borrowers' assets remain wherever they are held, eliminating the friction of traditional lending processes. Loan decisions are made within 24 hours and disbursed within 72 hours, transforming what was once a months-long process into a seamless experience.[1]

Firenze has demonstrated strong early momentum, having secured distribution partnerships representing almost £75 billion in assets under management (AUM), including a top 10 wealth manager.[1] The company has also secured £160 million in funding from Monument Bank to support lending operations.[1]

# Origin Story

Firenze emerged from founder David Newman's experience as a second-time fintech entrepreneur who recognized structural inefficiencies in the Lombard lending market.[1] Launched in January 2024 alongside co-founder Anna Curtis, the company quickly attracted institutional validation.[3] The founding team raised £750k in a pre-seed angel round at a £3.75 million valuation—one of the largest pre-seed raises outside London in the preceding 18 months.[3] This oversubscribed round included participation from scout funds of tier-one venture capital firms (a16z, Atomico, Ada Ventures, Lakestar) and senior executives from major wealth management institutions including Rothschild, Julius Baer, Schroders, and Cazenove.[3]

Following this early success, Outward VC led Firenze's £2.5 million seed round, alongside Form Ventures, Portfolio Ventures, and additional angel investors.[1] This rapid capital progression reflects strong market validation and investor confidence in the team's ability to unlock a significant, previously underserved market.

# Core Differentiators

• Embedded distribution model: Firenze operates as a white-labeled solution integrated directly into partners' platforms, eliminating the need for end-users to navigate a separate lending provider.[1]

• Cross-custody architecture: Unlike traditional lenders requiring asset custody transfer, Firenze's technology allows borrowers to keep portfolios with their existing custodians, dramatically reducing friction and operational complexity.[1]

• Speed and accessibility: Loan decisions within 24 hours and disbursement within 72 hours represent a radical improvement over traditional Lombard lending timelines.[1]

• Standardized legal and operational frameworks: The platform has developed proprietary legal protocols and standardized processes governing relationships between all participants—technology, legal infrastructure, and funding are integrated end-to-end.[1]

• Third-party capital model: By securing external funding facilities (£160m from Monument Bank), Firenze avoids balance sheet constraints and can scale lending volume independently of its own capital.[1]

• Strategic partner base: Distribution partnerships with firms representing £75bn+ in AUM provide immediate market access and credibility.[1]

# Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Firenze exemplifies a broader fintech trend: unbundling and democratizing exclusive financial products through technology and embedded distribution.[1] Historically, wealth management services and premium lending products were gatekept by institutions requiring minimum account sizes. Fintech companies like Firenze are systematically lowering these barriers by combining three elements: sophisticated technology platforms, partnerships with existing distribution channels, and alternative funding models.

The timing is particularly favorable. Wealth management platforms are under pressure to expand service offerings and deepen client engagement; Firenze provides a turnkey solution that adds lending capabilities without operational disruption.[1] Simultaneously, the mass affluent segment—individuals with £25k-£5m in investable assets—represents a massive addressable market currently underserved by traditional private banking. Firenze sits at the intersection of these forces, enabling partners to capture this segment while solving genuine user pain points around liquidity access.

The company's success also signals investor appetite for fintech infrastructure plays that solve structural market problems rather than simply replicating existing services at lower cost. The caliber of institutional and industry investor participation reflects recognition that Lombard lending represents a genuine market opportunity with defensible unit economics.

# Quick Take & Future Outlook

Firenze is positioned to become a category-defining platform in investment-backed lending, much as companies like Plaid redefined financial data access or Stripe simplified payment infrastructure.[1] The company's early traction—substantial AUM partnerships, rapid capital raises, and strong investor backing—suggests it has identified a genuine market gap with significant expansion potential.

The critical next phase involves scaling partner adoption and demonstrating strong unit economics and credit performance. As Firenze onboards more wealth managers and platforms, it will establish itself as the standard infrastructure layer for Lombard lending distribution. The company's ability to maintain credit quality while expanding access will determine whether it becomes a durable financial services platform or a niche player.

Longer term, Firenze's embedded lending model could extend beyond Lombard loans into other investment-backed credit products, creating a broader platform for alternative liquidity solutions. The fintech infrastructure trend toward white-labeled, cross-custody solutions will likely accelerate, and Firenze's early-mover advantage in this specific market positions it well to capture significant value as wealth management platforms increasingly compete on service breadth rather than asset minimums alone.