Luno Launches New Global VC Arm, Luno Expeditions, to support the best fintech and crypto/web3 founders
Luno, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Digital Currency Group (“DCG”), announces the launch of Luno Expeditions, a global, early-stage investment arm to support the best fintech and crypto/web3 founders on their journeys to build the next generation of financial services.
Building on DCG’s [7]-year track record in early stage crypto investing, Luno Expeditions will now spearhead all of DCG’s early stage investing (seed and pre-seed). The dedicated team will scale up investments (targeting 200-300 per year) and expand the focus beyond crypto into the broader fintech space, globally.
Luno Expeditions will be led by Jocelyn Cheng, who takes on the role of CEO. Speaking about her new role Cheng said: “I am thrilled to join Luno Expeditions as Chief Executive. These are incredibly exciting times in cryptocurrency and the broader fintech ecosystem. We’ve got ambitious plans to build a leading fund designed around the needs of early stage founders. It will be a privilege to work with ambitious entrepreneurs from all over the world, all intent on solving problems and building the next generation of financial service companies.”
Marcus Swanepoel, Luno co-founder and CEO commented: “We know how hard it is to build a company, especially in the fintech space, and with our deep experience building, scaling and operating fintech businesses in some of the hardest markets in the world, we’re looking to support a new generation of entrepreneurs from all over the world do the same.”
Whilst in stealth mode over the past few months, Luno Expeditions has already invested in over 20 leading crypto and fintech companies globally, including a crypto compliance solution in Israel, an NFT marketplace in the United States, a bank dedicated to women in Pakistan and a ground-breaking remittance solution in Tanzania.
Barry Silbert, founder and CEO of DCG, and Marcus Swanepoel, co-founder and CEO of Luno, are both closely involved in the initiative and will be part of the Investment Committee.
Meet the Luno Expeditions team
Jocelyn Cheng, CEO
Jocelyn has invested in global startup founders over the last 6 years as Managing Director at the impact investment VC, Global Innovation Fund. She previously held investing roles at CPP Investments, Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Linkedin Twitter
Mira Christanto, Director of Investments
Before joining Luno Expeditions, Mira was a senior research analyst at the leading crypto firm Messari. She moved full-time to crypto after working for 15 years at institutional investment funds between Wall Street and Hong Kong. Linkedin Twitter
Aditi Khimasia, Head of Legal
Aditi is an experienced legal professional with extensive VC experience both in house and at leading legal firms across a number of emerging and developed jurisdictions. She was previously Legal Counsel at Anthemis Group. Linkedin
Katharine Suy, Chief Marketing Officer
Katharine is a seasoned crypto marketer who has worked in the industry over the last 5 years. She joins Luno Expeditions with over 15 years experience in digital marketing, content creation and entrepreneurship across UK, Vietnam & Australia. LinkedIn Twitter
Margaux Dutertre, Investment Analyst
Before joining Luno Expeditions, Margaux worked with fintechs and payment partners across Africa for 3 years at Luno. She previously held finance roles at BNP Paribas and worked in France, Portugal and South Africa. She holds a Masters in Corporate Finance from Paris Dauphine. LinkedIn
About Luno
Luno is a leading global cryptocurrency company on a mission to upgrade the world to a better financial system. Headquartered in London with regional hubs in Lagos, Johannesburg and Cape Town, Luno now has a team of over 600.
With over nine million customers (wallets) spanning more than 40 countries, Luno’s products and services make it safe and easy to buy, store and learn about cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Luno was acquired by DCG, the world’s largest blockchain investor.
