Headline

We’re excited to back Deblock’s €30M Series A, led by Speedinvest, with CommerzVentures and Latitude, and participation from existing investors including 20VC, Chalfen Ventures, Triton Capital, and us. Why it matters: ↗️ A third wave of fintech is here: not just mobile‑first, but programmable and on‑chain, without compromising compliance. ↗️ Deblock is the first MiCA‑licensed French fintech to unite a euro current account with a true self‑custody wallet. ↗️ 300,000 customers in France since launch last year; Germany is next as Deblock scales across Europe. This round helps expand product and compliance coverage, scale infrastructure, and localize for Germany, so people can hold, pay, save, and access DeFi with full control in a single app. Congrats to Jean Meyer, Adriana Restrepo, Mario Eguiluz Alebicto, Aaron B., and the whole Deblock team on this big milestone! Dominic R. Wilhelm, Michael Kent

Gen Z feels locked out of the economy. But AI is breaking it apart, and rebuilding it around individuals. For Baby Boomers, wealth came from assets: real estate, pensions, compounding equity. For Gen Z, it’ll come from leverage: using AI to multiply time, talent, and output. Freelancers are spinning up one-person agencies. Creators are automating content studios. A new generation is using AI to earn like institutions by outsmarting systems. At the same time, consumers are waking up to a different truth: Centralized AI extracts value from users, but decentralized AI gives it back. The next wave of consumer fintech will flip both scripts by helping individuals own their leverage, and helping users take power back from platforms. We’re looking to meet founders building at the intersection of AI, ownership, and economic empowerment. If you’re working on this, let’s talk! Ketul Patel Matthew Brown

The AI app race is heating up, and Europe is firmly in play. Great read by Anna Heim at TechCrunch on where the advantage is shifting and what it means for builders and incumbents. What stands out: 💡 Distribution and UX are the moat: proprietary data + workflow depth beat raw model access. ⚡ Incumbents are bundling; startups win on speed and vertical focus. 🌎 The US remains ahead on GTM and capital; Europe’s deep talent and enterprise channels are closing the gap. 💶 Monetization is evolving toward usage- and workflow-based ROI, with trust, security, and governance as key requirements. Thank you, Anna, for the thoughtful piece and for mentioning insights from our AI 100 report! 💯 Read here: https://lnkd.in/eG73ir-u Jonathan Userovici Astrid Moullé-Berteaux Cyprien Benoist

Last week, Headline’s early-stage investors, Matthew Brown and Georgina McMillan, hosted an omakase dinner at our Library in the Presidio, bringing together a group of founders building across consumer and AI. Over sushi and sake, conversations ranged from the future of digital identity to how AI is reshaping the way people create, connect, and consume. A big thank you to our friends at Braze, including Victor Sanchez Grahm, who partnered with us to make the evening possible, and to all the founders who joined for such an inspiring night of conversation.

Fintech is in motion again, and you could feel it at 9AM in Vegas. Earlier this week at Money20/20, we co-hosted a Fintech Founders Breakfast with our friends at White Star Capital and Viola Credit, bringing together founders rethinking how money moves, how businesses manage capital, and how financial products get built and distributed. Huge thanks to everyone who joined us early, shared ideas, and made it one of the most energizing mornings of the week. At Headline, we’re proud to partner with founders building the financial infrastructure of the future. Until next year - more coffee, more fintech, more building. Eddie Lee, Michael Chen, Omri Tuttnauer, Spencer H., Ted Vinnitchouk, Ketul Patel  

In an AI-flooded web, being human is the ultimate premium. We are seeing a new wave of products that elevate people instead of replacing them. At Headline, we call it the 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪-𝘈𝘐 𝘈𝘐 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵; brands and tools built for authenticity, craft, and human presence in an automated world. Georgina McMillan Matthew Brown

Proud to have partnered with {Tech: Europe} on this weekend’s AI Hackathon in Munich 🥨. From AI infrastructure and developer tools to real-world workflow solutions, teams turned ideas into demos at remarkable speed. Munich’s energy is undeniable: talent, industry proximity, and builder-first collaboration coming together to raise the bar. Thank you to {Tech: Europe}, Tacto, OpenAI & all partners, mentors, judges, and every participant who leaned in to make it happen. Europe’s momentum is real, and this is how we sustain it: creating builder-first environments where ambition meets execution. Let’s keep creating more spaces like this! Grateful to be part of such an inspiring community. On to what’s next! 🚀 Bela Wiertz, Nico Bentenrieder, Alexander Worbs, Eva Spannagl, Jennifer Bemert, Jakob Banhardt, Dominic R. Wilhelm, Isabel Wrubel, Aikido Security, telli, Weaviate, ACI.dev, Beyond Presence, Runpod, Lovable, Kontext.dev, XAnge, IRIS

Paying for healthcare is confusing, frustrating, and leaves consumers feeling unsure they’re making the right decisions to optimize their healthcare spend. This challenge is especially acute for younger digitally native consumers just starting to make healthcare decisions, who are used to efficiency, information, and transparency in other aspects of their lives in the AI age. At Headline, we are excited about tools that simplify and demystify the often archaic healthcare system for today’s consumers to better optimize trillions of dollars of aggregate healthcare spending. From transparent provider marketplaces to AI-enabled billing and decision support providers, we see a massive opportunity to give consumers more transparency, information, and bang for their buck in navigating key healthcare spending decisions. Georgina McMillan Matthew Brown