Citrine Venture Partners is a US based venture capital firm created by fintech veterans Ruth Foxe Blader and Dan Dall’Asta to back startups operating at the intersection of AI and financial services. The firm focuses on founders who are redefining how fintech products are built and delivered, especially beyond traditional banking channels. Citrine was launched to capitalize on a new wave of financial infrastructure, where AI makes it possible to build faster, automate complex workflows, and serve entirely new customer segments.
Citrine Venture Partners held its first close on a 50 million dollar fund in January 2026. The fund targets early stage companies building AI powered solutions that streamline or reimagine expensive, slow, or infrastructure heavy financial processes.
The partners note that fintech’s buyer base has expanded far beyond banks, with new incumbents like Stripe and Ramp creating demand for products built on modern stacks. The vehicle also supports founders tackling entrenched industry challenges such as slow loan underwriting, outdated cybersecurity systems, and capital intensive compliance processes. Citrine plans to invest at pre seed and seed, with the ability to incubate startups directly within the firm. The strategy reflects the partners’ view that AI is enabling a new generation of financial tooling and opening markets previously locked behind legacy enterprise systems.
Leadership
The firm is led by co founders and general partners Ruth Foxe Blader, former partner at Anthemis, and Dan Dall’Asta, an early partner at Route 66 Ventures.
Investment Strategy
Citrine backs founders building AI systems that deliver speed, automation, and cost reductions across financial services. The firm targets categories where early stage startups struggle to connect with legacy institutions and offers support to bridge that gap. Citrine looks for crisp technical execution, clear AI advantage, and products that can plug into modern financial back ends. The firm prefers companies that can sell to both emerging fintech platforms and traditional institutions adapting to new infrastructure.
Notable Investments
Citrine is actively building its first portfolio across AI driven risk management, cybersecurity, payments, underwriting tools, insurance management, and commerce infrastructure, with several companies also incubated directly inside the firm.
Notable Exits
Not publicly disclosed.
Other
Founders should expect deep sector guidance from partners with long track records in fintech. Citrine focuses on helping startups navigate the expectations of financial institutions, refine compliance strategies, and shorten enterprise sales cycles. The firm views AI as a structural shift that enables faster build cycles and broader distribution opportunities.
United States
