SCALE-UP CAPITAL
Why the funding ladder breaks between Series A and C
22 July 2026
The FinTech specialist for the missing middle.
We lead Series A+ to C rounds, backing founders from proven model to category leader.
The Evidence
A first fund, not a first vintage.
Niva is a newcomer; however, our partners possess extensive experience in the FinTech scale-up journey, having invested in and advised across emerging markets.
Series C
KSA / UAEPre Investment: Dec 2022
tabby
Series B
Egypt / GCCPre Investment: 2022
paymob
Series A
Bengaluru, IndiaPartner Investment: 2020–23
Wealthsimple
Series A
Bengaluru, IndiaPartner Investment: 2020–23
pine labs
Series A
SwedenPre Investment: Mar 2023
tinkA Visa Solution
Series B
GermanyPre Investment: Mar 2023
Finanzguru
Series A+
EuropePre Investment: Apr 2024
pliant
Series A
South AfricaPre Investment: 2021
stitch
Series A
IndiaPartner Investment: 2020–23
mintOak
Series A
IndiaNiva Investment
Series A
IndiaNiva Investment
Series A
IndiaNiva Investment
10
Cities of curated community.
Across startups, growth companies, and category-defining businesses over the years.
25
Cities of curated community.
Across startups, growth companies, and category-defining businesses over the years.
50
Cities of curated community.
Across startups, growth companies, and category-defining businesses over the years.
11
Cities of curated community.
Across startups, growth companies, and category-defining businesses over the years.
THE PARTNERS
Built by FinTech specialists. From J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank to Portage and PayPal Ventures, Niva is our first independent fund, not our first time investing in FinTech.
Ashish Aggarwal
Co-Founder & Founding Partner
InvestorBankerM&A & IPO
Ashish took FinTech 1.0 public - Worldline, Nets, Worldpay - and advised on landmark M&A at Deutsche Bank before executing over $6B of acquisitions for PayPal. As a Partner at PayPal Ventures he built the international franchise, backing Pine Labs, Tabby, Tink and Stitch among others. He invests where payments meet software, and stays close to founders long after the round closes.
Alex Bottenbruch
Co-Founder & General Partner
Investor & OperatorBankerGrowth
Alex was Portage's first investment hire and an operator at CLARK, where he led growth through the EUR 69M Series C. Most recently a Partner at PayPal Ventures across EMEA and APAC, he has backed 20+ FinTech and commerce companies across 11 countries. J.P. Morgan-trained; product-led to the core.
Deep, authentic relationships with founders. Hands-on at board, hiring, partnerships and exit planning. Founder-friendly, while being disciplined and fair.
How we invest
Conviction, not auction. We focus only on FinTech, investing EUR 6-10M in scale-up companies where we believe we can become the reference investor.
Our thesis-led approach helps us build relationships early, understand the market before a round begins, and back companies through the scale-up phase with the focus and hands-on support needed to become category leaders.
View portfolio
Where we invest
- Payments
- Infrastructure
- Embedded Finance
- Lending
- Wealth
- Insurance
- AI
The Niva Network
Hyper-local, by design. Closed-door gatherings connecting founders, operators and investors in the cities where FinTech is being built.
Madrid
London
Berlin
Doha
Dubai
Madrid
London
Berlin
Doha
Dubai
Madrid
London
Berlin
Doha
Dubai
The Signal
Our Notes. What we are seeing across FinTech's markets and categories.
Read the signals
SCALE-UP CAPITAL
Why the funding ladder breaks between Series A and C
22 July 2026
SCALE-UP CAPITAL
Why the funding ladder breaks between Series A and C
22 July 2026
The right conversation starts before the round.
For FinTech founders scaling and institutional investors looking for specialist sector access.