Fintech entrepreneurs now have a new player to turn to for early-stage investments—Rerail, a freshly launched $20 million fund from veteran investor Anthony Danon.
Known for his expertise in the fintech space, Danon’s latest venture targets startups at the intersection of fintech and adjacent industries, making it an attractive opportunity for founders looking for early support.
Danon has spent over a decade in venture capital, starting his career in 2014 with Anthemis Group, where he was involved in key investment rounds, including the seed round of fintech unicorn TrueLayer.
His experience in identifying promising early-stage fintech companies grew during his time at Speedinvest, where he led investments in companies such as Primer and Wayflyer.
Rerail is Danon’s solo effort after parting ways with Carmen Alfonso Rico, with whom he co-founded Cocoa, a small early-stage fund.
Together, they launched Cocoa three years ago with the goal of acting like angel investors—investing early but not leading funding rounds, instead helping startups connect with other investors.
The decision to launch separate funds stemmed from a divergence in investment strategies. While Cocoa focused on a broader range of industries, Danon was eager to narrow his focus to fintech and fintech-adjacent startups and expand his reach beyond Europe.
“Our strategy focus was diverging, so we made the tough decision to go our separate ways,” Danon told TechCrunch, without delving into specifics about Alfonso Rico’s plans. According to TechCrunch sources, Alfonso Rico remains actively involved in Cocoa, continuing to lead its operations and investment activities.
With Rerail, Danon has already closed $20.5 million in its first funding round, exceeding his initial target. He aims to raise slightly more before finalizing the fund, and he credits much of his success in fundraising to his network of founders and operators.
Danon’s approach with Rerail is to make investments ranging from $200,000 to $500,000, depending on the startup’s funding round. Although he has already made his first investment through the fund, he has opted not to reveal the name of the startup at this stage.
More than just a source of capital, Danon hopes to leverage his vast network and experience to offer strategic advice to founders at the early stages of building their businesses. He’s quick to acknowledge that he learns as much from the founders as they do from him. His goal is to use his connections and expertise to help startups open doors that might otherwise remain closed.
With Rerail, Danon is positioning himself as a key figure in the early-stage fintech ecosystem, building on his track record of success in spotting and supporting promising fintech ventures.
