She Built a Funding Platform & Raised $6M

Here’s How

Author

Marco Fazio
February 13, 2025

📍 Dublin, Ireland (Techspresso)

It started with a problem every entrepreneur faces.

You have a great idea. You need funding to grow.

But after months of applications, bank meetings, and endless paperwork... nothing.

This is what Andrea Reynolds saw happening to thousands of small businesses.

Banks were slow. Grants were confusing. Investors? Impossible to reach.

So in 2018, she built Swoop—a platform that helps businesses find the right funding, whether it's loans, grants, or investors.

But investors weren’t convinced.
"SMEs are too fragmented, too risky," they told her.

She didn’t listen.

Andrea bootstrapped Swoop, proving demand by helping thousands of businesses get funded before raising a single euro.

Then came the breakthrough: A $6M investment round, backed by top fintech investors.

Swoop has now helped 50,000+ businesses raise capital.

Her lesson? Build first. Prove demand. Then investors will follow.

Startups Raising Right Now

These startups are actively fundraising. Who will be the next success story?

🔹 Xente (Uganda) – A digital payments & lending platform for African businesses.

🔹 Wowzi (Kenya) – AI-powered influencer marketing, helping brands scale.

🔹 Refive (Germany) – A digital loyalty platform for brick-and-mortar retailers.

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Every great founder story starts with an idea.

If you’re looking for funding, learn from those who’ve done it before.

Stay inspired, stay ambitious, and keep building!

— Marco

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