Latest news with #PayPalVentures
Finextra
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Finextra
German fintech Aufinity raises $26m in Series C funding
The German fintech Aufinity Group today announces the successful completion of a Series C funding of $26m. 0 This content is provided by an external author without editing by Finextra. It expresses the views and opinions of the author. The round is led by BlackFin Capital Partners, a leading European private equity firm focused exclusively on financial services buyouts and fintechs. Existing investors PayPal Ventures and Seaya Ventures are re-investing after leading the company's Series B financing last year. The rapid success of its international business and high demand from the market prompted the Aufinity Group to implement this financing round earlier than planned. The fintech will use the capital to further drive its European expansion and strategic partnerships with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). 'With this round, we are focusing on accelerating our growth across Europe even further. Through new strategic partnerships with leading OEMs and by continuing our focus on dealerships, we are preparing to redefine the industry standard for the whole of Europe,' explains Lasse Diener, Co-Founder and CEO of the Aufinity Group. 'Our core business in Germany is already solidly positioned. However, the high level of interest from the international market has prompted us to push ahead with our expansion into more countries earlier than planned, which is a great market confirmation for our business and platform.' With the platform Aufinity, the fintech is the market leader for payment management in the automotive sector. It offers car dealers and OEMs a digital, white-label-capable appearance and optimized payment management across the entire automotive market - from vehicle sales to after-sales. Optimized payment processes ensure faster incoming payments, higher liquidity, more efficiency and a better customer experience. 'We have been closely monitoring the company for a couple of years already and have been impressed by the execution skills of the team. The success of their recent expansion abroad convinced us to invest in the company to support the European rollout and further enrich the payment orchestration capabilities of Aufinity', says Maxime Mandin, Managing Director at BlackFin Capital Partners. PayPal Ventures and Seaya Ventures already led the Series B financing of the Aufinity Group in 2024. With this investment, the company started its expansion in Italy and Spain in the same year. 'Since our initial investment, the team has executed exceptionally—scaling their annualized platform volume and expanding successfully into after-sales, enterprise, and new geographies like Iberia and Italy. Doubling down on our support was a natural next step,' said Alexandros Bottenbruch, Investor with PayPal Ventures. Aris Xenofontos, Partner at Seaya, adds: 'We are excited to continue supporting Lasse, Ulrich, Markus and the team in next phase of the growth of the business. Since our investment, we have been impressed with the team's ability to capture successfully the strong demand in international markets, such as Spain and Italy.
Economic Times
15-05-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Bureau brings ex-PayPal, Visa Vanita Pandey as Chief Marketing Officer
Bureau has appointed Vanita Pandey as CMO to spearhead the company's global go-to-market (GTM) engine. Bureau, an identity and risk decisioning platform, has appointed Vanita Pandey as Chief Marketing Officer to spearhead the company's global go-to-market (GTM) engine and power its next phase of growth. Vanita will lead the next wave of Bureau's innovation-led marketing—from pioneering AI-driven GTM strategies and executing demand generation engines, to strengthening the company's position as the go-to digital trust partner across both mature and high-growth markets spanning the Americas, Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Vanita's appointment follows Bureau's recent Series-B round led by Sorenson Capital and PayPal Ventures, and the addition of Chief Analytics and Risk Officer Venkat Srinivasan — milestones that underscore Bureau's momentum as it expands its global identity and risk decisioning footprint. Vanita brings 15+ years of deep domain expertise at the intersection of digital identity, fraud prevention, and financial services. Previously, she has held senior marketing roles at US-based Arkose Labs, Simility (acquired by PayPal), ThreatMetrix (acquired by LexisNexis), Visa, Capital One, and most recently LATAM-based CAF—where she consistently built impactful marketing programs, drove international expansion, and shaped go-to-market narratives in complex, regulated industries. Vanita's appointment serves a critical purpose in Bureau's mission to become the de facto trust infrastructure for the digital economy. She will closely work with the product and sales teams to improve Bureau's product positioning and develop a thought leadership platform that anticipates market inflection points and emerging risk vectors. Her tightly aligned strategy would be crucial in building compelling narratives that establish Bureau as the preferred identity and risk intelligence partner among fintechs, banks, and digital-native businesses. Bureau's Founder & CEO Ranjan R Reddy said in a statement, 'In a market where trust drives growth, clarity and narrative are strategic advantages. Vanita knows how to turn complex risk and identity challenges into stories that win customers and shape industries. Her leadership will be key as we scale globally and become the first call for companies serious about fighting fraud and managing risk. Her proven ability to build global demand engines from the ground up will be instrumental in the realization of Bureau's vision.'Speaking about joining Bureau, Vanita said, 'What excites me is Bureau's mission-critical approach to scale—driven by the aim to future-proof the digital economy. I look forward to scaling a global brand that doesn't just react to market shifts but operates ahead of them, shaping how businesses worldwide think about identity, risk, and trust.'
