ICYMI fintech funding round-up: Dataships, JeelPay, Nevermined, and more
At FinTech Futures, we know that it can be easy to let funding announcements slip you by in this fast-paced industry. That’s why we put together our weekly In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) funding round-up so you can get the latest funding news.
Dataships lands $7m Series A
Irish regtech Dataships has secured $7 million in a Series A funding round led by VC firm Osage Venture Partners.
The round also received additional support from Lavrock Ventures and the Urban Innovation Fund.
Founded in 2019 and with offices in San Francisco and Dublin, Dataships operates a data privacy and security platform for e-commerce brands.
The company plans to use the funding to develop new product features, scale its engineering and support teams, as well as drive its market expansion efforts.
JeelPay, a Saudi-based BNPL start-up, has raised a SAR 25 million (around $6.6 million) pre-Series A funding round supported by AlJazira Capital, Joa Capital, and a group of unnamed angel investors.
Founded in 2022, JeelPay provides a flexible education financing solution, allowing parents to pay tuition fees monthly, while schools benefit from collecting the full amount upfront.
According to a translated LinkedIn post, JeelPay says the capital will help expand the “scope of education financing solutions through the Study Now, Pay Later model”.
Moreover, the funds have been designated to drive the company’s expansion, create new offerings, and partner with educational institutions.
Nevermined bags $4m
Nevermined, a Berlin-headquartered firm aiming to become the “PayPal for AI”, has landed a $4 million investment round.
The round was led by London-based VC firm Generative Ventures, with contributions from Arca, Factor Capital, Lyrik Ventures, Polymorphic Capital, NEAR, Halo Capital, and a group of AI angels.
Founded in 2022, Nevermined is building a decentralised AI payments protocol designed for Web3-standard AI-to-AI transactions.
The fintech enables AI developers to monetise their applications by handling payments, credit systems, and usage tracking, claiming it is “essentially acting as a finance and billing management platform for AI agents and tools”.
“The future of commerce isn’t just about humans trading with humans anymore. It’s about AI agents transacting with other AI agents, and we need entirely new payment systems to facilitate that,” explains CEO Don Gossen, adding that this funding will “allow us to accelerate our mission of building the financial rails for the emerging AI economy”.
In addition, the financing has been earmarked for expanding the company’s workforce and strengthening partnerships “within the AI ecosystem”.
Catalyst, a financial services firm based out of the Cayman Islands, has secured an undisclosed “significant growth investment” from Aquiline Capital Partners.
Founded in 2021, Catalyst offers a range of tax compliance and corporate services, as well as fund administration and client accounting solutions.
Commenting on the investment, Benji Reid, co-founder and co-managing partner of Catalyst, noted that since the company’s launch, “What I personally underestimated were the capital requirements and stresses that accompany a firm going through hyper growth and the importance of having growth capital to keep yourselves ahead of the curve.
“Recognising this challenge, a year ago, we set about searching for a new (capital) partner to assist us in continuing our vision.”
The capital has been allocated to improve Catalyst’s technology, extend its market presence, and grow its staff.
The deal expands Aquiline’s growing portfolio, a New York-headquartered private investment firm with $11.3 billion of assets under management, following its leadership in UK-based pensions fintech Smart’s $95 million Series E funding round in 2023.
