Vitruvian partners German fintech start-up Moonfare, invests $35m

London-based growth capital firm Vitruvian Partners has partnered with Berlin-based digital private equity investment platform Moonfare and is investing $35 million in the start-up.

Moonfare CEO Steffen Pauls

Moonfare allows individual investors who want to diversify their portfolios to invest directly in private equity and venture capital funds via a digital platform.

Founder and CEO Steffen Pauls says: “With current geopolitical changes and market uncertainties, Moonfare’s consistent growth and global expansion indicates a growing demand for the digital private market investing opportunities we offer.”

Founded in 2016, the start-up already has a presence in 13 countries across Europe and Asia with offices in Berlin, Hong Kong, London and Luxembourg.

The firm claims it is the only private market fund platform globally that transacts with individual investors and family offices, banks and other advisors.

Thomas Studd, partner at Vitruvian, says: “Private equity investments are barely available to retail investors, despite significant take-up by sophisticated institutional investors around the world.” He adds Moonfare’s offering “addresses that gap”.

In November, Moonfare raised $125 million in a Series C funding round, led by New York-based VC firm Insight Partners.

This latest funding from Vitruvian brings the company’s total capital raised to date to $220 million.

Moonfare has €1.6 billion in assets under management as of March 2022, a 150% increase year on year, and has recently launched in Scandinavia, Israel and Portugal.