ICYMI fintech funding round-up: Fierce, Wisor AI, Cenoa & Habitto
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 for you to get the latest funding news.
Fierce comes out of stealth with $10m
US fintech start-up Fierce has launched out of stealth with $10 million in seed funding.
The round saw participation from Pendrell, AP Capital, Wheelhouse Digital Studios, Space Whale Capital, and several angel investors.
Founded in 2021 by Rob Cornish, ex-CIO of the New York Stock Exchange, Fierce has developed a mobile app offering consumers an FDIC-insured checking account, stock trading with passive yield, and 24/7 live customer support.
Fierce intends to use the new funds to support the rollout of additional products, with plans to launch a rewards credit card and crypto trading services later in the year.
Israeli freight booking software provider Wisor AI has secured $8 million in a seed funding round led by Team8.
The funding round also included participation from Ocean Azul and Hico Investment Group, as well as pre-seed investors fresh.fund, Atooro Fund, The Dock, Seed IL Ventures, and Izaki Ventures.
Wisor’s solution targets freight forwarders, allowing them to automate the “cumbersome, manual process” of aggregating pricing data as well as the optimisation of shipping routes across the global freight ecosystem, including airlines, ocean liners, trucking, and rail companies.
Wisor says its algorithms also optimise pricing in the background, allowing businesses to cut costs and improve margins “even further”.
Founded in 2021, the start-up is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel.
“Borderless” wallet fintech Cenoa has raised $7 million in seed funding, led by Quiet Capital and Underscore VC.
Cenoa raises funds
Additional investors include Human Capital, Ulu Ventures, Acrew Capital, and Collective Spark.
With its global wallet, Cenoa aims to improve access to digital dollar-based savings products for people in emerging markets. It has built its non-custodial service on blockchain technology, which it says has “radically” cut intermediary costs and eliminated “inefficient” TradFi procedures.
Cenoa will use the new funds to grow its operations. It has plans to develop more products and expand into new markets in Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
The cash will also be used to hire talent across different business functions – from product development to engineering – for its fully remote global team.
Founded in 2022 and based in Singapore, Cenoa plans to launch operations in 35 countries from 2023, claiming over 10,000 users are currently subscribed to its waitlist.
Japan-based fintech start-up Habitto has raised $3.9 million in a pre-Series A funding round, co-led by Saison Capital and Cherubic Ventures.
New investors in the round include DG Daiwa Ventures, GMO Ventures, Kyokuto Securities, Epic Angels, and a number of angel investors. The start-up raised a seed round of $3.4 million in 2021.
Habitto provides a mobile app through which users can access savings, investments, and life insurance products in one place. It concluded a closed beta in December and plans to launch in Q2 this year.
