VanEck, a global investment management firm, is expanding its venture capital footprint by launching a $30 million fund targeting early-stage companies in fintech, digital assets, and artificial intelligence (AI). The fund, called VanEck Ventures, will focus on startups in pre-seed and seed stages, with individual investments ranging from $500,000 to $1 million. This strategic move reflects VanEck’s growing interest in emerging technologies.
VanEck Ventures will be managed by Wyatt Lonergan and Juan Lopez, former leaders of Circle Ventures, the venture arm of stablecoin issuer Circle. The fund aims to back 25-30 high-potential projects that offer both financial and strategic benefits. Four investments have already been made.
CEO Jan van Eck emphasized that VanEck’s legacy of recognizing disruptive trends continues with this venture capital initiative. “Our firm has always embraced transformative opportunities, from pioneering gold investing in 1968 to identifying Bitcoin’s potential in 2017. With VanEck Ventures, we aim to support the next wave of fintech disruptors and those shaping the future of finance,” he said.
VanEck Ventures is particularly interested in companies developing tokenized assets, decentralized financial marketplaces, and advanced payment systems built on stablecoins. The fund is infrastructure-agnostic, seeking projects at the application layer that align with their long-term vision.
With a 69-year history of identifying and capitalizing on emerging trends, VanEck continues to push deeper into the digital asset space, complementing its suite of crypto-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
Fariha Karim