Approach | Sella Direct Ventures - Sella ventures partners 2025
Our approach
We tailor the solution that best suits you. With over two decade of experience in fintech, technology, and regulated markets, we bring deep expertise in bringing the evolution.
Direct Investments
Investing with Insight
Our multi-decade fintech expertise powers our approach to partnerships. Our investments go beyond capital, we bring industry connections, regulatory insight, and collaborative mindset to purpose-driven entrepreneurs creating positive impact in financial services.
Partnering for success
We represent a privileged gateway to access to Italian market, leveraging on the experience and network of the most innovative and pioneering financial player in the market. We double down on our companies supporting them with our connections, knowledge and support.
Our Investment
Preferences
Preferences
FOLLOWER INVESTOR
Co-invest alongside a lead.
GEO FOCUS
Italy and Europe, including the UK.
TICKET SIZE
€250k-€500k
STAGE FOCUS
Seed to Series A, with emphasis on seed stage.
Key Focus
Areas
Future of Payments
New payments systems that reduce costs and frauds, while improving users and merchants' experience.
Embedded & Vertical Finance
Industry-specific SaaS with integrated financial capabilities, alongside embeddable finance solutions that seamlessly integrate into third-party platforms and business workflows.
Impact
We support entrepreneurs who tackle societal challenges with innovative solutions, including financial inclusion and accessibility, people's welfare and wellbeing.
Compliance & Risk Oversight
Automated solutions transforming regulatory requirements from burden to advantage through intelligent monitoring, risk management and preventive actions.
Lending & Banking
Finance is based on enabling people to access and keep capital and this is why we seek solution to continuously improve how consumers and businesses access these services.
Financial Infrastructure
Banking systems, data frameworks, capital markets infrastructure, and blockchain solutions building the secure backbone of tomorrow's financial ecosystem.
FAQs
We primarily invest in Italy and Europe, including the UK.
We usually invest between €250k and €500k. We are early-stage investors doing mostly Seed and Series A, with a particular emphasis on late-seed rounds.
We typically do not lead rounds, as we prefer to co-invest with strong financial investors leading the round. However, we like to have observer seats when they align with the needs of the company and where we can provide strategic guidance.
We are a semi-operational investor, offering active support through our extensive industry expertise and long-standing relationships within the financial and regulatory sectors. We work closely with founders, and we provide valuable knowledge-sharing, workshops, guidance, and access to our network.
You can contact us via our website’s section “Contact”.
Our investment process typically starts with a few meetings to assess strategic fit. After that, we move into due diligence, including business calls for further evaluation. While the timeline can vary depending on the deal's complexity, we generally aim to complete everything within 6 to 8 weeks, including investment team discussions and an IC review.
As a strategic corporate venture investor, we offer deep expertise in regulated markets and provide hands-on support with a long-term focus. We help founders drive sustainable growth and, when there’s a strategic alignment with the group, we seek to develop partnerships that add value to the company.
Fund Investments
KNOW-HOW TO FOSTER MUTUAL SUCCESS
With centuries of experience in financial services innovation and decades in venture capital, we can leverage this massive asset internally and share it to our external partners for they own success.
RELATIONSHIPS BUILT ON TRANSPARENCY AND MUTUAL FEEDBACK
We don't stop at money but seek open and transparent collaborations on a number of further aspects that may be relevant for us and our portfolio funds. We seek clear understanding of each other's purposed from Day 1 to avoid subsequent misalignment.
DOUBLING DOWN ON ALIGNED GOALS
Our fund strategy has several targets, from simply financial returns to combinations of financial, strategic and impactful outcomes. Our success is always our portfolio funds' success, and we typically increase our effort towards those with stronger synergies.
A GRANULAR STRATEGY AND NETWORK FOR EVERYONE'S BENEFIT
Typically writing smaller LP cheques than an average Fl investing in VC funds, we can help GP's with broader market intelligence and insights, when applicable, besides access to a network augmented by organizations such as Endeavor or Kauffman Fellows.
Grounded in building strong partnerships, identifying high-potential opportunities
Core Parametres
Manager profile
We invest in both emerging and established managers-including solo GPs. For solo GPs, we look for a clear plan to manage both investing and fund operations effectively.
Sectors
While we are not sector-restricted, we back managers whose investment activity may offer strategic synergies with the broader Sella Group-particularly across financial infrastructure, Al applications in financial and enterprise services, cybersecurity, open banking, web3, and adjacent sectors. We also invest in select generalist funds.
Impact
Primarily in North America and Western Europe. On a limited basis, we also invest outside these regions when there's a clear strategic fit and strong conviction in the manager and market opportunity.
Ticket Size
Typically, € 500k-€1+M for new relationships, fostering long-term growth.
Our Investment Lens
Solid Processes and Playbook
We invest in funds with an institutional-grade setup and clear thesis and execution frameworks, with full-time investor commitment, and professional operations-and not proof-of-concept vehicles or part-time efforts.
Strategic and Long-Term LP
We are a strategic, long-term LP-prioritizing firms with strong financial performance and a bi-directional partnership mindset, growing together across multiple vintages and cycles. We seek collaborative relationships built on trust, knowledge-sharing, and mutual access, rather than rigid terms.
Generalist Outposts and Future of Finance
We focus on firms that take a forward-looking approach to both innovation and fund strategy. We're especially interested in investors with a strong view on the next wave of market and financial evolution.
Impact Investing
We also invest in firms that are committed to impact investing, who have a clear focus on intentionality, additionality, and measurability-and are working to solve some of the hardest and most important problems in Europe (and beyond.)
FAQs
Check the dedicated page "Approach"
Our goal is to connect before a fund is actively raising. We value relationships and want to understand the team—who they are, how they think, and why founders seek out that investor for their cap table.
The process typically begins with a few conversations with the GP(s) to assess potential fit. If there’s alignment, we move into diligence— including calls with portfolio companies, limited partners, and peer investors, and a deep dive in the data room and fund model. From when we begin our official diligence to investment committee decision, the process usually takes 6–8 weeks.
No.
We typically seek no more than 10% fund ownership.
As a strategic corporate investor, we combine capital with deep expertise and global network (Kauffman Fellows, Endeavor Global, etc.) in regulated markets and financial innovation. We support our portfolio with a long-term perspective, candid feedback, and hands-on collaboration — especially when there’s alignment with the broader Sella Group and opportunities to add strategic value.
You can contact us via our website’s section “Contact”