B2B fintech start-up Blanco raises € 2 million for further expansion in the Benelux
Blanco, a B2B fintech start-up, raised € 2 million from investors Volta Ventures and KBC Start it Fund. Blanco wants to continue to grow in the Benelux and opts emphatically for these investors because of their extensive international network.
The founders of Blanco were previously responsible for BinckBank Professional Services and its software company and started this new fintech in 2015. The company now consists of an international team of experts in IT, banking, brokerage and asset management in a Business-to-Business setting. It is Blanco’s mission to enable asset managers such as investment firms and banks to focus more on their core activity by providing new technology and knowledge sharing.
Blanco was initially financed by its founders and some (finance and technology) entrepreneurs. Now the fintech opts for two venture capitalists with an extensive network in the rest of the Benelux: Volta Ventures that invests in various Belgian and Dutch start-ups, and the start-up fund of Belgian insurance-bank KBC. That choice matches with Blanco’s growth plans in the Benelux.
Blanco CFO Bernadette Wijnings says: “We are very happy to have Volta Ventures and KBC Start it Fund on board because of their extensive international network and unprecedented reputation. They are the ideal partners in the further rollout of Blanco in Belgium and Luxembourg. Their trust is also an additional proof of quality and guarantees continuity.”
Volta Ventures applies strict criteria and therefore invests in only 0.5% of the applications they receive. “The proposition of Blanco fits in perfectly with trends in asset and wealth management where margins are under pressure and regulations are changing at lightning speed. The large number of clients who chose Blanco in a short amount of time proves this relevance. Moreover, the team is very strong “, says Sander Vonk, General Partner Volta Ventures. “Together with KBC Start it Fund we are a strong team with focus on growth.”
About Blanco
Blanco was founded in 2015 by Joost Walgemoed, Dennis Overbeeke and Bernadette Wijnings. The B2B company helps asset managers such as investment firms and banks to grow. By providing innovative services, Blanco takes a large part of the IT and the operational and controlling work out of their clients’ hands so they can do what they do best: investing and serving their clients. For example, the company offers a fully automated KYC-tool and an investment platform for wealth management based on robo-wealth technology. Blanco’s Advisory Board consists of Kalo Bagijn (co-founder BinckBank), Leen Meijaard (former BlackRock executive) and Willem Meijer (former CEO of SNS Securities).
About Volta Ventures
Volta Ventures provides venture capital to internet and software companies in the Benelux through the active support of 30 angel investors. Volta wants to maximize its impact on every company in which it invests by identifying new markets and customers together with the entrepreneurs, by hiring talent, by being a sparring partner and by organizing subsequent funding rounds. The fund manages 55 million euros and is supported by EIF and ARKimedes-Fund II.
About KBC Start it Fund
KBC Start it Fund is a Venture Capital fund that provides capital to further grow start-ups. The fund focuses on companies within the Start it @KBC-program and the fintech industry. This enables companies to apply for appropriate financing in every stage of their development with KBC Bank, one of the most important Belgian banks.
