Fintech operators turned fintech investors

QED invests exclusively in fintech companies, from traditional banking products like credit and lending to insurance, wealth management, proptech and banking-as-a-service. QED also invests in embedded finance companies where a financial product is wrapped around a non-traditional finance company, such as shipping logistics.

QED invests globally, with portfolio companies in 20 different countries across five continents. QED has been investing in the U.S. since 2007, in Europe since 2012 and in Latin America since 2014. QED hired its first investment professional to focus on India and Asia in 2021 and for Africa the following year. QED is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, with investment team members in the U.S., England, Singapore, Mexico and Brazil.

Investments from the early stage fund have an average size of approximately $15 million, although typical initial checks are in the $3-10 million. QED anticipates investing in 12-15 companies a year. Growth Fund II will likely make 5-7 investments each year, with an average total investment size of $15-20 million.

QED invests in companies across their entire lifecycle from pre-seed to IPO. Initially, QED’s sweet spot was at the Series A stage. Over time, QED has evolved to support both earlier- and later-stage companies. In addition to supporting seed and pre-seed companies, QED also works with founders and entrepreneurs on formation stage businesses at the Powerpoint stage through its Belay and its Fontes by QED vehicles. Since 2021, QED has operated a growth-stage fund for “early-stage” growth companies. This affords QED the opportunity to double down on its breakthrough businesses while having optionality to invest in other companies that it may have missed the first time around.

You can contact us via the submission form below where you can share your pitch deck for review. All of our investment team members are on LinkedIn and several utilize other social media sites, such as X, formerly known as Twitter. The majority of our non-investing platform team members are also active on LinkedIn. You can also connect with our team members at many top fintech industry events and conferences, and you can sign up to our newsletter and networking mailing lists to learn more about when we are in your city.

We are looking for businesses and teams tackling real problems in financial services. We're not looking for companies that have a new technology and are looking to find a place to utilize it -- in other words, we're not looking for hammers searching for nails. We believe that durable, successful businesses are built on a strong foundation of unit economics. We also believe in building lasting relationships with founders and serving in a consigliere role with companies through thick and thin. We're incredibly hands on and we pride ourselves in proving the best advice in fintech because of our extensive operational background building financial services companies. If you are looking for a passive investor who contributes capital but then steps to the sidelines, we're likely not the right fit for your cap table.

QED believes in the power of lasting relationships, many of which will be eight- or 10-year commitments. It is never too early to connect with the QED team, and we advise entrepreneurs to build relationships with our investors well before they are raising money.

The majority of QED’s investment team have built, scaled or exited financial technology companies. In total, the team has more than 250 combined years of operational experience. That experience provides valuable data points and pattern recognition that cannot be taught elsewhere and it allows our investors to give specific, nuanced advice. Building financial services companies are devilishly hard. There are many obstacles to overcome, from fraud, compliance and regulatory to unit economics, treasury and culture. QED helps entrepreneurs navigate these problems, often seeing around corners and identifying issues before they even arise.

QED has built a preeminent platform in VC. It is hands-on when it comes to supporting and advising its portfolio companies, often serving in a consigliere role and as an extension of the leadership team. QED’s brand promise is to provide the best advice you can receive in fintech – it does this through a sole focus on fintech and by drawing on years of operational experience. In addition to the support you will receive directly through your deal champion, you will also have access to QED’s slate of resources, including other investment team members, operational support in PR and communications, professional services support in areas including compliance, B2B growth, coaching and org support, credit and analytics, and access to a boutique in-house executive search firm. QED also hosts a number of highly anticipated marquee events each year, including an annual three-day CEO Summit, a one-day Fontes Summit and a one-day Demo Day.

QED invests exclusively in fintech companies, from traditional banking products like credit and lending to insurance, wealth management, proptech and banking-as-a-service. QED also invests in embedded finance companies where a financial product is wrapped around a non-traditional finance company, such as shipping logistics.

QED invests globally, with portfolio companies in 20 different countries across five continents. QED has been investing in the U.S. since 2007, in Europe since 2012 and in Latin America since 2014. QED hired its first investment professional to focus on India and Asia in 2021 and for Africa the following year. QED is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, with investment team members in the U.S., England, Singapore, Mexico and Brazil.

Investments from the early stage fund have an average size of approximately $15 million, although typical initial checks are in the $3-10 million. QED anticipates investing in 12-15 companies a year. Growth Fund II will likely make 5-7 investments each year, with an average total investment size of $15-20 million.

QED invests in companies across their entire lifecycle from pre-seed to IPO. Initially, QED’s sweet spot was at the Series A stage. Over time, QED has evolved to support both earlier- and later-stage companies. In addition to supporting seed and pre-seed companies, QED also works with founders and entrepreneurs on formation stage businesses at the Powerpoint stage through its Belay and its Fontes by QED vehicles. Since 2021, QED has operated a growth-stage fund for “early-stage” growth companies. This affords QED the opportunity to double down on its breakthrough businesses while having optionality to invest in other companies that it may have missed the first time around.

The majority of QED’s investment team have built, scaled or exited financial technology companies. In total, the team has more than 250 combined years of operational experience. That experience provides valuable data points and pattern recognition that cannot be taught elsewhere and it allows our investors to give specific, nuanced advice. Building financial services companies are devilishly hard. There are many obstacles to overcome, from fraud, compliance and regulatory to unit economics, treasury and culture. QED helps entrepreneurs navigate these problems, often seeing around corners and identifying issues before they even arise.

QED has built a preeminent platform in VC. It is hands-on when it comes to supporting and advising its portfolio companies, often serving in a consigliere role and as an extension of the leadership team. QED’s brand promise is to provide the best advice you can receive in fintech – it does this through a sole focus on fintech and by drawing on years of operational experience. In addition to the support you will receive directly through your deal champion, you will also have access to QED’s slate of resources, including other investment team members, operational support in PR and communications, professional services support in areas including compliance, B2B growth, coaching and org support, credit and analytics, and access to a boutique in-house executive search firm. QED also hosts a number of highly anticipated marquee events each year, including an annual three-day CEO Summit, a one-day Fontes Summit and a one-day Demo Day.