We invest in and support a diverse group of founders building global fintech companies that address the needs of billions of mass market consumers.
We find talent first and invest early
Investing early in these founders means we’re working with champions from the ground floor, up. We help them to build global fintech businesses and to grow into their full potential. We diligently seek these founders out and work with them before others do. We take a different approach than most investors which is why we aren’t missing top talent in emerging markets.
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Our knack for sourcing, our extensive network, and our due diligence help us build our strong portfolio.
We help founders build startups for the future of fintech
We are focused on building startups that will thrive in the digital economy of the future, including the arrival of global platform players. Being at the forefront of fintech innovation means that we aren’t just making a powerful social impact in terms of financial inclusion, but there is also an impressive financial opportunity as our startups scale in the future digital economy.
And scale, they do.
We connect emerging market talent with global expertise and funding to seize scaleable fintech opportunities
We work in the markets our startups are serving which gives us critical local context, but our network is spread across the world, from San Francisco to London to Nairobi. We offer unparalleled experience investing in and working shoulder to shoulder with emerging market fintechs. We’ve built our community of +250 experts, disbursed over 26 countries with our hands on approach.
We have mentors from all over the world
Our mentors are located in hubs like San Francisco, New York City, Nairobi and London, but we have people on the ground across emerging markets in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, too.
Participant Perspectives
“I’ve worked with a lot of startup accelerators but I have not seen one as effective as DFS Lab. It’s not about the number of people but the diversity and the difference of thought that this team brings together.”
– Bertram Dsouza
Mentor
Kotak Bank
“DFS Lab has been instrumental to our growth. Their hands on mentoring and feedback has not only shaped our product, strategy, and talent foundation, but has also moved us closer to our vision of bringing hope, equality, and inclusion to the low income borrowers in Africa.”
– Hilda Moraa
Entrepreneur
Pezesha
“If you look at the 18 months up to the Sprint, we got one pilot and then in the one week of the Sprint we got two pilots. It’s been an incredibly productive week for Teller.”
– Somil Ghelani
Entrepreneur
Teller
Recent Features
