Announcing Rerail with Anthony Danon - our most awaited episode this year! 😍

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Announcing Rerail with Anthony Danon - our most awaited episode this year! 😍

Join Andreas and Anthony fora discussion on the future of fintech, angel investing as a VC and the big unveil of his new €20M angel fund Rerail. What a champ 💞

Oct 15, 2024

Transcript

Today, we’re thrilled to bring you one of the most anticipated episodes of the year with Anthony Danon about the official announcement of Rerail, his brand-new $20M angel fund. You ofc already know Anthony as one of the hosts of our SuperAngel podcast series and part of the powerful duo behind Cocoa together with Carmen 🍫. But now he’s built Rerail to pursue his powerful "FinTech is everything" thesis, placing $200-500K checks into early-stage companies that are transforming the future of finance and beyond. And my god are we excited for this.

He focuses on pre-seed and seed investments in three core areas:

Fintech: Backing companies driving innovation across all finance sub-verticals, tapping into the potential of AI and cutting-edge technologies.
Fintech-powered sectors: From climate tech to healthcare and logistics, Anthony looks for startups leveraging fintech to disrupt and enhance industries far beyond traditional finance.
Not-yet Fintech: Seeking companies that may not be fintech today but have the potential to use fintech as a strategic advantage, whether in their revenue model, customer base, or business approach.

This is one of the biggest and most important episodes we’ve done because we think Anthony will be one of the European venture's true trailblazers.

Watch it here or add it to your episodes on Apple or Spotify 🎧 chapters for easy navigation available on the Spotify/Apple episode.

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✍️ Key takeaways

From FinTech operator to solo GP

Anthony opens up about his unique path, starting as a fintech operator before shifting to venture capital. He shares how early experiences in startups, such as leading deals at TrueLayer and Wayflyer, prepared him for launching Rerail.

Venture transformation: His switch to VC and learning from both European and US markets.
The road to Rerail: His love for early-stage investing and fintech’s vast potential led him to start his fund.

FinTech is everything: defining the thesis

Anthony shares his FinTech is everything philosophy, where fintech isn’t just a vertical but a strategic advantage across various industries. He breaks down his thesis into three key areas:

Core FinTech: Innovating traditional financial services like payments and banking.
FinTech-powered sectors: From healthcare to logistics, using fintech as a revenue model.
Emerging intersections: Identifying software companies working with fintech or regulated markets.

Rerail: a fund backed by founders

Rerail One is a $20-25M angel fund backed primarily by founders and operators. Anthony discusses the fund’s focus on pre-seed and seed investments, supporting founders at the earliest stages.

Check sizes: $200-500K with collaborative investments at pre-seed and seed stages.
Founder relationships: How Anthony prioritizes trust and support, especially at the angel and friends-and-family rounds.

The power of networks over domain expertise

Anthony emphasizes his network-first approach. Rather than being a domain expert in every aspect of fintech, he leverages deep relationships with founders and operators to gain insights and drive value.

Collaborative edge: Why co-investing with other VCs and partnering with strong fintech players is key to his strategy.
Flexibility & humility: Stay open to founders’ insights and the evolving fintech landscape.

Going global: expanding beyond Europe

Though Rerail primarily focuses on Europe right now, Anthony shares his plans for expanding globally, tapping into his strong U.S. and international VC network. He sees a long-term opportunity in becoming a more global player.

Global ambitions: Europe remains the core, but global relationships prepare the way for future opportunities.
Strategic flexibility: Anthony explains how his fund structure and network position him to grow globally over time.

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