Fynn
YC S19New York City, US · Founded 2019 · 26 employees · 2 known investors
Fynn offers private loans to finance trade school education for students entering fields such as electrical work, nursing, welding, and pharmacy.
Also known as Axite Labs · Silkswap · TradeUp · Fynn Credit
Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (S19)
Fynn was founded in 2019 by Eric Menees, Ethan Anderson, and Bhavin Gupta.
Investors · 2
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements- $11MseedMar 2023 · 4 sources
Susa Ventures (lead), Tenacity Venture Capital (lead), Village Global (lead), Watchfire Ventures (lead), Y Combinator (lead), Liquid2, Socially Financed
Source ↗
Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Fynn is a New York City-based fintech and education lending company that originates private loans for students attending trade schools in the United States. The company positions its offering as bringing fair and affordable private loan products to the trade education space, an area it describes as underserved by mainstream student lending.
The loans are intended to help students pursue in-demand skilled occupations, with the company citing electricians, nurses, welders and pharmacists as examples of the careers its borrowers train for. Fynn was founded in 2019 and participated in Y Combinator's Summer 2019 batch, where it is categorized under education and fintech. As of its Y Combinator profile, the company reported a team size of 26 and an active operating status.
Business model
Fynn extends private loans to individuals enrolling in trade school programs, placing it in the consumer lending segment of financial services rather than in tuition delivery or instruction.
Traction
Y Combinator lists Fynn as an active company with a team of 26. The company was the subject of multiple press articles during 2023 covering its trade school loan products and financing.
▸Full profile — market position, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
The company describes itself in shorthand as "SoFi for trade students," indicating a focus on the trade school segment of the private student lending market rather than on traditional four-year degree borrowers.
Go-to-market
Students in the United States seeking to finance trade school education, particularly those training for skilled trades and licensed occupations such as electrical work, nursing, welding and pharmacy.
Geography
Operations are focused on the United States, with the company headquartered in New York City, New York.
History
Fynn was founded in 2019 and went through the Y Combinator Summer 2019 accelerator batch. Press coverage in March and April 2023 focused on the company's trade school lending model and on an $11 million raise reported in March 2023, followed by additional coverage in July 2023.
Compiled by commissioned research from 5 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 1
launches, deals, and filingsAlleyWatch coverage, listed among Fynn's news items, reported that Fynn raised $11 million to make financing trade school education accessible.
$11M source ↗
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 5
primary sources listed
- Fynnfynncredit.com · web
5 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Fynn do?
- Fynn provides private loans that help US students afford trade school programs in fields such as nursing and welding.
- Who founded Fynn?
- Fynn was founded by Eric Menees, Ethan Anderson, Bhavin Gupta in 2019.
- Who are Fynn's investors?
- Fynn's investors include Y Combinator, Susa Ventures.
- Where is Fynn headquartered?
- Fynn is headquartered in New York City, US.