Better Tomorrow Ventures (BTV) is a shining example of early-stage innovation in financial technology in the busy heart of San Francisco’s tech ecosystem. BTV was started in 2019 and has carved out a niche by supporting pre-seed and seed-stage companies that are changing the way money moves in a world that is becoming more digital. The company believes that “financial technology will create a better tomorrow.” It doesn’t just invest money; it also gives entrepreneurs the operational knowledge and connections they need to turn big ideas into businesses that can grow. BTV’s recent closure of its third fund at $140 million, which happened in October 2025, shows that the company is still committed to fintech, even though the market is changing. This milestone fund, which is almost as much as the $150 million raised in 2022 during the boom in zero-interest rates, shows that people are optimistic about an industry that is ready for change.
The co-founders of BTV, Sheel Mohnot and Jake Gibson, are both entrepreneurs who started the company. Mohnot has run many fintech companies before. He built and sold two of them, including Mount Jicarilla, which was one of Credit Karma’s first competitors. As a general partner at 500 Startups, he learned how to spot new opportunities in the financial services industry. Gibson, on the other hand, helped start NerdWallet, a personal finance site that made credit cards and loans easier to understand for millions of people before turning it into a public powerhouse. They started BTV together to fill a gap they saw as founders: there weren’t enough venture partners who really understood how hard it is to build fintech from the ground up. “We’re building the fund we wish we had,” Mohnot often says, stressing a hands-on approach that combines the strictness of Wall Street with the flexibility of Silicon Valley. This founder-first approach has drawn a group of operators-turned-investors, like Lauren Messner and Nihar Bobba, who have worked for companies like Sequoia and Goldman Sachs. Their total AUM is now around $300 million, which is being used to invest in 70 portfolio companies.
BTV stands out in the crowded VC space because it has a very focused thesis on the untapped potential of fintech. The company focuses on industries where manual processes are still common, like accounting, payments, and lending. They say that finance is still very much not digitized, even though it makes up 20% of the world’s GDP. In a recent interview with TechCrunch, Mohnot said, “Many financial transactions are still done by hand.” This shows that there are chances for AI and automation to make processes easier. BTV’s checks are between $500,000 and $4 million, and they do 30 to 35 deals per fund. They look at a wide range of businesses, including vertical SaaS, marketplaces, and embedded finance. They invest all over the world, including in the U.S., Brazil, India, Kenya, and more, because they know that fintech has an impact that goes beyond borders. BTV has been able to support a wide range of founders who are working on local problems, such as cross-border remittances in Africa and credit access for gig workers in Southeast Asia, thanks to this global perspective.
BTV’s portfolio includes 12 unicorns and five acquisitions that show how smart it is. Their ability to spot scalable infrastructure plays is shown by their early bets on Mercury, the neobank for startups that has since grown into a $2 billion darling. BTV is great at working in emerging markets, as shown by OneCard, India’s first metal credit card company, and Chipper Cash, Africa’s first payments unicorn with 5 million users. Basis, an accounting automation tool that raised $34 million in a Series A round led by Khosla Ventures; Layer, an embedded accounting platform for small and medium-sized businesses; and InScope, which automates the writing of financial statements for audits, are all recent investments that show how they are moving toward AI-driven efficiency. These aren’t just numbers on a balance sheet; they’re tools that help small businesses compete with big ones. Portfolio founders love BTV’s help. Selfbook says they helped them become a full hotel transaction engine, and Deck’s co-founder Fred Lavoie praised their “smooth as silk” process in a recent X post. BTV’s returns aren’t just financial; they’re proof of how fintech can help people make money. Companies like Peanut and Divibank are still growing, and exits like Mount Jicarilla show that.
The announcement of Fund III in early October 2025 was a big deal for venture capital. After ZIRP, a lot of companies backed off from risky bets, but BTV doubled down, saying that fintech was strong. “We’re bullish because the opportunity is huge,” Gibson said in a LinkedIn survey of 100 VCs and LPs. He said that problems in the industry, like regulatory hurdles, can be solved with smart tech. The fund’s size lets BTV keep its “boots-on-the-ground” philosophy. It not only gives money but also hosts events like “The Mint,” a series of talks about design partners and building a career. Recent meetings with Mercury’s Immad Akhund and investor Lauren Messner have drawn hundreds of people, creating a space where founders can share their experiences with launching products and dealing with growth pains. BTV’s handle on X, @btv_vc, is full of news, like the $6 million seed round led by Slow Ventures and 8VC for Meroka, which uses AI to give financial insights. BTV is more than just a check writer; it’s a fintech accelerator because it combines thought leadership with deal flow.
BTV’s vision goes far beyond balance sheets in the future. As AI becomes more integrated into financial systems, the company expects a lot of new ideas in personalized lending, fraud detection, and predictive analytics. Mohnot wants to see a world where “unnecessary problems” in finance, like hidden fees and slow reconciliations, go away and are replaced by tools that work smoothly and fairly. There are still problems: economic problems, geopolitical tensions, and changing rules could all slow down adoption. BTV has shown that they can adapt, though. They have made it through the downturn in 2022 by focusing on strong verticals like B2B payments. With Fund III, they’re ready to invest in more than 30 startups, focusing on those with strong founder-market fit and defensible moats. Their annual “How I Built This Career” series, which features up-and-coming stars like Messner, is an example of how they want to bring in more diverse investors so that fintech’s future includes voices that aren’t often heard.
Better Tomorrow Ventures is an example of optimism based on action in a time when people are losing faith in banks and other financial institutions. BTV isn’t just investing in companies; it’s building a more inclusive economy by supporting founders who digitize the ordinary and come up with new ideas. Gibson says, “Fintech is a great way to make people’s lives better.” With $140 million just pledged and a full pipeline of possibilities, BTV is ready to keep that promise, one seed round at a time. This is the start of the road to tomorrow, and it’s looking better than ever.
