Michael Goldfarb

Capi helps businesses in Africa pay their overseas suppliers. Importers of goods in Africa pay up to 10% to settle an invoice and wait weeks for the payment to arrive. We’re on a mission to give businesses in Africa the same price and speed as businesses expect in the US and Europe. Were backed by Firstminute Capital, Y Combinator, General Catalyst, Raba, Kima Ventures, Africa Fintech Collective, Musha Ventures, Four Cities, former a16z and YC partners (including Paul Graham), scouts from a16z and Sequoia, and co-founders and operators from Onfido, Taptap Send, McKinsey, Earnest, GiveDirectly, and Turquoise Mountain

Ponto Software, Inc. is a software technology company innovating in web3, building products that bridge fiat and web3 worlds. Bridge Trust, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ponto, is a state-chartered trust company regulated by the Nevada Financial Institutions Division. In addition to meeting the requirements of a qualified custodian, Bridge Trust offers its clients seamless access to DeFi, OTC swaps, and support for more than 1,100 digital assets. Together, Ponto and Bridge Trust offer a secure platform for businesses and consumers to safely custody and manage their digital assets, without compromising on the flexibility of web3.

Functional Finance is a financial operations platform purpose-built for the insurance industry. By automating billing, payments, reconciliation, and premium financing, the platform helps MGAs, wholesalers, and insurers scale efficiently, cut costs, and improve financial accuracy. It streamlines premium collection and disbursements for MGAs, automates collections and financial workflows for wholesalers and insurers, and optimizes operations for insurtech innovators driving industry excellence. The platform eliminates manual errors with automated reconciliation and reporting, delivering real-time financial accuracy. It integrates seamlessly with policy administration systems, accounting platforms, and ERPs while offering configurable workflows to handle even the most complex financial processes. Since its founding, Functional Finance has grown rapidly, achieving over 2,500% year-over-year premium payment volume growth. Clients report saving $15 per invoice processed, improving cash flow with faster payments, and scaling effortlessly using the platform. Backers include Walkabout Ventures, Munich Re Ventures, Phil Edmundson, NEA, Altai Ventures, and Hank Greenberg’s Starr Insurance. The team combines deep insurance expertise from leaders at CoverWallet, Commerce Insurance, and other industry pioneers, alongside technical talent from MIT, Amazon, Google, and Carnegie Mellon. Functional Finance brings together seasoned professionals dedicated to transforming financial operations for the insurance industry with innovative, purpose-built solutions. Functional Finance is modernizing financial operations, replacing complexity with clarity, and enabling businesses to focus on growth, underwriting, and innovation—not back-office friction.

Capi helps businesses in Africa pay their overseas suppliers. Importers of goods in Africa pay up to 10% to settle an invoice and wait weeks for the payment to arrive. We’re on a mission to give businesses in Africa the same price and speed as businesses expect in the US and Europe. Were backed by Firstminute Capital, Y Combinator, General Catalyst, Raba, Kima Ventures, Africa Fintech Collective, Musha Ventures, Four Cities, former a16z and YC partners (including Paul Graham), scouts from a16z and Sequoia, and co-founders and operators from Onfido, Taptap Send, McKinsey, Earnest, GiveDirectly, and Turquoise Mountain

Ponto Software, Inc. is a software technology company innovating in web3, building products that bridge fiat and web3 worlds. Bridge Trust, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ponto, is a state-chartered trust company regulated by the Nevada Financial Institutions Division. In addition to meeting the requirements of a qualified custodian, Bridge Trust offers its clients seamless access to DeFi, OTC swaps, and support for more than 1,100 digital assets. Together, Ponto and Bridge Trust offer a secure platform for businesses and consumers to safely custody and manage their digital assets, without compromising on the flexibility of web3.

Functional Finance is a financial operations platform purpose-built for the insurance industry. By automating billing, payments, reconciliation, and premium financing, the platform helps MGAs, wholesalers, and insurers scale efficiently, cut costs, and improve financial accuracy. It streamlines premium collection and disbursements for MGAs, automates collections and financial workflows for wholesalers and insurers, and optimizes operations for insurtech innovators driving industry excellence. The platform eliminates manual errors with automated reconciliation and reporting, delivering real-time financial accuracy. It integrates seamlessly with policy administration systems, accounting platforms, and ERPs while offering configurable workflows to handle even the most complex financial processes. Since its founding, Functional Finance has grown rapidly, achieving over 2,500% year-over-year premium payment volume growth. Clients report saving $15 per invoice processed, improving cash flow with faster payments, and scaling effortlessly using the platform. Backers include Walkabout Ventures, Munich Re Ventures, Phil Edmundson, NEA, Altai Ventures, and Hank Greenberg’s Starr Insurance. The team combines deep insurance expertise from leaders at CoverWallet, Commerce Insurance, and other industry pioneers, alongside technical talent from MIT, Amazon, Google, and Carnegie Mellon. Functional Finance brings together seasoned professionals dedicated to transforming financial operations for the insurance industry with innovative, purpose-built solutions. Functional Finance is modernizing financial operations, replacing complexity with clarity, and enabling businesses to focus on growth, underwriting, and innovation—not back-office friction.

Centerbridge Partners, L.P. is a global alternative investment firm founded in 2005 on the complementary relationship between Private Equity, Private Credit and Real Estate with over $43 billion in assets under management. Centerbridge employs a One Team approach that offers us the capability to pivot across strategies, sectors and market cycles and capitalize on investment opportunities. Centerbridge is committed to delivering enduring value to all of our stakeholders by investing in diverse and inclusive teams, fostering safe workplaces, and supporting the communities in which we work. Through the Centerbridge Foundation, we support organizations that are strengthening communities by building pathways to education and employment opportunities.

Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. Blackstone seeks to deliver compelling returns for institutional and individual investors by strengthening the companies in which the firm invests. Blackstone’s $1.3 trillion in assets under management include global investment strategies focused on real estate, private equity, credit, infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, secondaries and hedge funds. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow @blackstone on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Instagram.