Rerail, a new angel fund focused on fintech created by Anthony Danon of Cocoa.

A new early-stage investment fund, known as Rerail, has been launched to capture opportunities in the fintech sector. This fund, created by Anthony Danon, can be classified as a micro-fund, a single-partner fund, or an angel fund. Danon, who has a ten-year track record as an investor, began his career at Anthemis Group in London in 2014, participating in significant rounds like the seed round of TrueLayer. He quickly ascended in the venture capital world and became a partner at Speedinvest, focusing his attention on fintech startups. He has invested in promising emerging companies like Primer and Wayflyer.

Danon emphasizes that he sees fintech as a horizontal approach rather than a vertical one. "It’s a support function for all markets," he commented, suggesting that instead of being limited to digital banks, lending, and payments, its application should be considered in sectors such as health, insurance, logistics, and commerce. In 2021, Danon began conversing with Carmen Alfonso Rico about the possibility of launching a joint fund. They shared a friendship and similar experiences in venture capital.

Together, they founded Cocoa about three years ago, a small fund designed to operate as an angel investor, where they are never the lead investors but can attract other investors to support startups. After making 35 investments, they decided to go their separate ways and create individual funds, as Cocoa's investment thesis was not solely focused on fintech, which did not align with Danon's aspirations to concentrate more on fintech startups and related areas, not just in Europe.

Rerail aims to raise $20 million, and Danon has already achieved an initial close of around $20.5 million. He intends to raise a little more, thus surpassing that initial target. Most limited partners are founders and operators, which he considers essential for the value it brings. Additionally, some institutional funds are also involved. Danon plans to invest between $200,000 and $500,000, depending on the size of the funding round, and he has already made his first investment with Rerail, although he has not disclosed the name of the startup.

With his network of founders and the ability to attract investors, Danon hopes to provide valuable advice to entrepreneurs starting their journey. "I never pretend to know more than the founders; I learn from them, but we speak the same language," he stated, adding his hope of being able to open nearly all doors that arise.