Archie, a new fintech "acceleration partner" founded by industry veterans including Anthony Thomson and Steve Brennen, aims to support early-stage fintech companies globally. Archie has added its first two portfolio companies: SME banking and payments firm wamo, and climate-focused outfit ekko.
- Established by notable figures in the fintech and banking sectors, including Atom and Metro Bank co-founder Anthony Thomson, alongside executives from Uber, PayPal, Zip, and Tandem Bank. This team brings a wealth of expertise and industry connections to support early-stage fintechs.
- It operates on an equity model, providing operational support, networks, expertise, and proven growth strategies in exchange for equity stakes in the companies they back. This approach aims to address the challenges fintechs face in scaling up, beyond just providing capital.
- Archie's initial investments are in wamo and ekko. Wamo focuses on SME banking and cross-border payments, aiding European SME growth. Ekko offers sustainability solutions, including carbon tracking and offsetting, with Anthony Thomson on its board.
Steve Brennen, CEO, archie, says: “As we know, capital alone isn’t enough to help fintechs successfully scale. And sadly, scale-up mode is where many great ideas and businesses fail. archie’s here to fix that."
