wajve secures €5 million in seed funding led by EQT Ventures

By Megha Bhattacharya

Berlin-based financial app for Gen Z wajve has raised a €5 million seed round, led by EQT Ventures with participation from 468 Capital. The funding will be used to accelerate the roll-out of the platform, which has just launched, for the first customers in Germany before expanding into other European markets.

Bastian Krautwald, CEO and Co-Founder commented, “EQT Ventures expertise in fintech and scaling companies internationally made them stand out as an investor. It’s our ambition to become a trusted financial advisor to Gen Z across Europe, supporting the next generation to achieve financial stability and independence. It was clear that the EQT Ventures team joined by the 468 team understood the importance of this, so working together was a natural fit.”

Along with EQT Ventures and 468 Capital, the new FinTech wajve has attracted support from Finleap, the European FinTech ecosystem and business angels including Lucas von Cranach (CEO of OneFootball), Roland Grenke (co-founder of Dubsmash and Acapela Group), and Christian Gaiser (CEO of COSI).

Lars Jörnow, Founding Partner of EQT Ventures said, “Swiftly after initial discussions, we saw the team’s unparalleled understanding of the needs of Gen Z. As a trusted financial advisory app, wajve has the opportunity to become a key fintech player in the European market, going where no company has before. Bastian’s long-term vision and the company’s strong go-to market strategy made wajve an irresistible opportunity for EQT Ventures to team up with”.

Alexander Kudlich, General Partner of 468 Capital, added, “We currently see a very large potential for reimagined banking solutions that also really solve needs for Bastian’s generation. With wajve, we will aim to fill this gap in Europe and provide the new generation with guidance in the sometimes overwhelming financial ocean.”