Fundraising FoxCastle Creek Launchpad
Venture capitalOakland · Seed–Series C · 6 people tracked
Also known as CASTLE CREEK LAUNCHPAD I GP LLC
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Investment thesis
CCLP invests in fintech companies shaping the future of finance with clear relevance to community banks, spanning Seed through Series D. The firm combines community banking experience with fintech venture expertise, seeking strong leadership, durable value propositions, scalable technology, and disciplined valuations. It targets technology that improves core banking products and services, tools that make bank operations faster and more scalable, risk and compliance solutions (fraud, cybersecurity, identity), infrastructure such as real-time payments, modern cores, AI and digital assets, and platforms enabling adjacent businesses like wealth, mortgage, embedded finance, insurance, and payments. Portfolio companies receive financial, strategic, and operational support.
Source: firm website, verified Oct 17, 2026.
Team · 6 people
from the firm's website & public directories
Founder and investor with over 25 years in global financial services and technology; founder of Launchpad Capital and general partner of its fintech venture funds. He serves as a director of River City Bank, advises Castle Creek Capital, and has founded or invested in companies including PropertyBridge, Billfloat/SmartBiz Loans, Eventbrite, and Square.
Partner and investor at Launchpad Capital who manages the deal pipeline, evaluates early-stage fintech investments, and oversees finance and operations. He is a member of the Investment Committee for Castle Creek Launchpad Fund I and previously worked at Propel Venture Partners and KPMG South Africa as a chartered accountant.
Partner at Castle Creek Launchpad leading strategic growth, investor engagement, and ecosystem partnerships, with a focus on community bank partners and portfolio company advising. She previously served as Publisher of Bank Director and founded FinXTech, and serves on the board of Locality bank.
Managing Principal at Castle Creek Capital who leads analytical processes for evaluating investment opportunities and portfolio risk management, and serves on several community bank boards. He is a member of the Investment Committee for Castle Creek Launchpad Fund I and previously worked at TW Associates Capital and Ernst & Young.
Managing Principal at Castle Creek Capital and member of the Investment Committee for Castle Creek Launchpad Fund I. He works with the boards of several community bank holding companies and previously held an operating role at MB Financial Bank. He holds an MBA from Chicago Booth and is a CFA Charterholder.
Vice President at Castle Creek Capital supporting the Castle Creek Launchpad Fund in analyzing and executing investments, LP communications, and portfolio founder support. He previously led strategy and product in HP's Gaming division and worked as a strategy consultant at Accenture and EY-Parthenon. He holds a BA from Stanford and an MBA from Kellogg.
What they invest in
from 11 of 18 portfolio companiesFintech ×10SaaS ×7Enterprise Software ×4AI & Machine Learning ×2PropTech ×2Consumer ×1E-commerce ×1GovTech ×1
HQs:United States×8
Who they back
founder profiles across 8 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×32 founders×43 founders×1
Investments · 18 tracked
founders shown can be your intro path
Alden Investment Group is a financial services firm offering investment advisory and wealth management services including mutual funds, alternative investments, annuities, and insurance products.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Co-investorsLaunchpad Capital
Raised seed funding to innovate customer engagement in banking.
Co-investorsLaunchpad CapitalTribeca Early Stage Partners
Central Payments provides embedded finance solutions including digital banking, payment card issuance, and money movement services for financial product developers and fintech platforms.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSSioux Falls, US
Nikkee Rhody(Chief Executive Officer)inEric Cotton(President and Chief Payments Officer)in
Co-investorsCastle CreekLaunchpad CapitalPropel Venture Partners
Crux provides relationship intelligence for banks and financial institutions serving small businesses, scanning markets to identify high-potential prospects, prioritizing them with lifecycle and growth signals, and surfacing portfolio expansion opportunities.
AI & Machine LearningFintechSales Tech
Extend provides product protection plans that merchants offer shoppers at checkout to cover product failures and accidental damage such as drops, breaks, and spills, handling repairs or replacements with online claims support.
E-commerceInsurTechRetail TechSaaS
Woodrow Levin(Founder)inJoe Moss(Founder)in
Co-investorsGraph VenturesGreatPoint VenturesLaunchpad CapitalPlug and Play VenturesSoftBank Vision FundB Capital+4 more
Grid is a consumer mobile app that offers cash advances, paycheck boosts, and credit-building tools to help users manage personal finances.
ConsumerFintech
Gernot Zacke(Founder)in
Co-investorsFikaKindred VenturesLaunchpad CapitalObvious Ventures
Immediate is a payroll platform designed to modernize how companies compensate employees, moving beyond traditional payroll cycles to address employee retention.
FintechHR TechSaaS
Matt Pierce(Founder and CEO)inJason Gwizdala
Co-investorsLaunchpad CapitalPropel Venture Partners
Marstone provides a digital wealth management platform that enables financial institutions to offer advisory and portfolio services to their clients.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Margaret J. Hartigan(Chief Executive Officer and Founder)inRobert Stone(Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder)Christopher D. LaVine(Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder)in
Co-investorsLaunchpad CapitalSlater Technology FundMendon Venture Partners
MBI is an event-driven pricing and promotions platform for banks and credit unions, connecting to an institution's first-party data sources to run configurable pricing and promotional campaigns without replacing legacy core systems.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Zach Bruhnke(Founder)inGermain Cassiere(Co-Founder)in
Co-investorsAcrew CapitalLaunchpad Capital
Miami Beach, US
Alexander Lopatine(Founder)Harry J Flood(Executive Officer, Director)David J Wright(LLC Manager)Scott W Killoh(Executive Officer, Director)Scott Killoh(Founder)
BoardCian Cotter(Director)in
Co-investorsCurql Collective, LLCInsight PartnersLaunchpad CapitalNext Level VenturesMendon Venture PartnersThe Banc Funds Company
Starlight provides an AI assistant that helps credit unions connect members to unclaimed government benefits and financial assistance programs—covering housing, food, healthcare, utilities, childcare, unemployment, and tax credits—then routes members back into credit union products.
AI & Machine LearningFintechGovTechNew York City, US
Shreenath R(Founder)
Co-investorsGaruda VenturesSymphonic Capital
Tongo provides financial products for 1099 professionals in the commission economy, offering commission advances and tailored financial solutions to help independent contractors grow their businesses.
FintechPropTechSaaS
Luis Scull(Executive Officer, Director)Jackson Feder(Director)Brandon Wright(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsElizabeth Street VenturesGood FriendsLAB VenturesLaunchpad CapitalMetaPropMetaProp Ventures+4 more
UpEquity provides real estate services that help homeowners buying and selling simultaneously by unlocking equity and removing contingencies to enable competitive offers.
FintechPropTechAustin, US
Timothy Herman(CEO)inLouis WilsonAndy Pruitt(CTO)Andrew Paulson(Engineering Manager)Jeff Boone(Director of Engineering)Josh Euers(Chief of Staff)
Co-investorsAlumni VenturesEarly Light VenturesGaingelsLaunchpad CapitalNext Coast VenturesOrigin Ventures+11 more
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Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
Alden WealthBellecourRiskscout
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Crux Analytics · tech.eu · Sep 27, 2026
UpEquity · fintech.global · Jul 25, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Castle Creek Launchpad made?
- Castle Creek Launchpad has 18 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited.
- What stage does Castle Creek Launchpad invest at?
- Castle Creek Launchpad invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C stages.
- What sectors does Castle Creek Launchpad focus on?
- Castle Creek Launchpad focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Crypto & Web3, Cybersecurity, Fintech, InsurTech.
- Where is Castle Creek Launchpad located?
- Castle Creek Launchpad is headquartered in Oakland, US.
- Who does Castle Creek Launchpad co-invest with?
- Castle Creek Launchpad most often shares deals with Launchpad Capital, Foundation Capital, Graph Ventures, among 36 tracked co-investors.
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