BankTech Ventures Research
Investment Thesis
BankTech Ventures exists to make community banks better. Founded in November 2021 by leaders in the community banking ecosystem, the fund runs a distinctive "LP-as-customer" model: it raises capital directly from more than 125 community and regional banks, then invests that capital into technology companies whose products those same banks can adopt. Portfolio companies get direct, warm access to a network of banks as pilot customers and design partners, while the banks get an early look at technology that can improve revenue growth, deposit growth, security, compliance, data, and customer marketing. The firm frames its role as sourcing, vetting, and investing in "bank-enabling" technology on behalf of its bank LPs, evaluating over 1,000 companies a year and running founder calls at a similar pace.
Sector Focus
The portfolio is concentrated in technology that plugs directly into community bank operations:
- Core banking connectivity and embedded finance (Infinant, PortX)
- Cybersecurity and governance for banks (Adlumin, Beauceron Security, Finosec)
- Payments, stablecoins, and digital assets (Coinbax, BillGo, Stablecore)
- Lending, credit, and underwriting (SOLO, Blooma, Vero Technologies, Torpago)
- Compliance, debt/collections, and entity management (Equabli, Filejet, Spring Labs)
- AI-driven marketing, automation, and customer data (Micronotes, DeepSee, Revio Insight)
- Community finance and financial wellness (CNote, Immediate)
Stage Focus
BankTech Ventures is primarily a Series A investor, with selective participation at seed (e.g., Coinbax's $4.2M seed round) and in later rounds alongside other investors (e.g., PortX's $16.5M Series B). It positions itself as an early, strategic check that unlocks bank-customer access rather than a pure growth-stage investor.
Check Size
Fund II (BTV 2, closed 2025) carries an LP investment minimum of $750,000, and the fund's own checks into portfolio companies are typically in the low millions. Recent disclosed activity includes six investments totaling $13.5M in 2023 and more than $15M deployed across new and follow-on fintech investments in the first half of 2026 — implying individual checks generally in the $1M-$5M range, though exact per-deal amounts are rarely disclosed.
Lead Tendency
Mixed. BankTech Ventures leads or is the named strategic investor in most of its announced deals (Coinbax, SOLO, Torpago, Vero Technologies, Finosec, Micronotes), but it has also participated alongside other investors in larger syndicate rounds such as PortX's Series B.
Recent Activity
The firm closed its first fund in August 2022 with nearly 100 participating community banks, then announced Fund II (BTV 2) in 2025 with a $150M target size and a first closing around Q1 2025. As of mid-2026, BankTech Ventures reports more than $150M under management and over 125 participating banks. In the six months leading up to a June 2026 announcement, it deployed more than $15M across new and follow-on investments including Coinbax, Filejet, Infinant, InvestiFi, Spring Labs, and Immediate, with a growing emphasis on AI-native automation and stablecoin infrastructure. The fund is actively deploying and evaluating well over 1,000 companies annually.
Portfolio Highlights
Notable exit: Adlumin, a cybersecurity/XDR platform, was acquired by N-able in November 2024 for up to $266M — the fund's clearest realized outcome to date. Other portfolio companies span core banking infrastructure (Infinant, PortX), stablecoin payments (Coinbax), open banking data networks (SOLO, processing $400M in monthly loan volume across its bank network), and wholesale/commercial lending technology (Vero Technologies, Torpago). The portfolio spans 25+ active bank-technology companies.
Team
- Carey Ransom — Managing Director. SaaS entrepreneur, executive, investor and advisor who has started, grown, or led eight B2B and consumer SaaS companies; also President of Operate.
- Brandon Oliver — Principal
- Katie Quilligan — Principal
- Tal Sigura — Principal
- Rumika Sharma — Investor
- Ryan Walsh — Community and Operations Manager
The firm also draws on an advisory/board layer of community bank executives (including leaders from Sunwest Bank, Coastal Financial Corp, Hovde Group, and ICBA), reflecting its bank-LP-centric governance model.
Decision Process
BankTech Ventures operates with an investment-committee-style process shaped by its unique LP base: because its LPs are the same community banks that ultimately use the portfolio companies' products, deal sourcing and diligence lean heavily on bank-partner feedback and pilot interest before capital is committed.
Founder Preferences
The fund favors founders building infrastructure, compliance, security, or data products purpose-built for community and regional banks — companies for whom fast, credible access to bank customers and compliance validation is a bigger unlock than pure growth capital.
Geographic Focus
United States-focused, with no stated regional restriction; the fund's value proposition (access to 125+ U.S. community and regional banks) is inherently domestic.