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About.

What we do.  How we work.

Assembly Capital Partners was set up to provide investment advice to private partnerships investing in early stage FinTech companies.  Professional investors or relevant companies looking for investment should visit the regulated section of this site.

Today, Assembly Capital Partners, outside of its regulated activities, offers its expertise in a number of ways.  An extraordinary range of experience by business model and geography allows us to act as Board members, C-suite advisors and consultants as well as taking on short-term executive positions.  Experience of managing large teams in multiple businesses, with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds informs our advice on recruiting, managing and growing the best people for your business.  With a heritage in global financial markets the team are especially knowledgeable and networked in financial services, markets, investment across asset classes and capital structure optimization.

We are highly selective in choosing the firms with which we work and, once we are involved, highly committed.

“Assembly has been a source not just of capital but also of wise counsel and a great network.  Michael has challenged and supported us in equal measure, which is exactly what founders and management teams need as a business scales. He is one of the first people I call when I have an idea I want to test or an issue has come up where I need advice.”

John Goodall, Founder and CEO, Landbay

“We’re also particularly pleased with our choice of financial partner. I can’t give the team at Assembly enough plaudits. They are emotionally and strategically invested in us – not something you can say about all VCs. They also really understand insurance and the dynamics of insurance technology businesses. Sales cycles can be long so capital needs to be patient.”

Tim Hardcastle, Founder and CEO, Instanda

“There are many investors who claim to be Fintech specialists. In reality, very few really understand the challenges that financial services are going through and the opportunities that exist within fintech. Michael is one of the few that really does.  He doesn’t get caught up in “fads” or “the next big thing”. He looks at the big picture and takes a long-term view. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Assembly to any fintech that is looking for a partner.”

John Goodall, Founder and CEO, Landbay

“Assembly is a hugely supportive investor providing much more than just capital. Michael has been invaluable to the development of our business providing much needed perspective as an advisor, sounding board, and confidant.”

Rupert Taylor, Founder and CEO, Brismo

Team.

Decades of financial markets experience

Michael Baptista

Few people set up successful venture businesses without having worked previously in a VC firm. In 2018, after a long career in investment banking, and having worked in London, Tokyo and Hong Kong, Michael founded Assembly Capital Partners. This unusual path means he shares a great deal with Founders of growth firms. At the same time, he brings to their businesses the knowledge and networks from his prior investment banking experience.  This ranged from being an equity analyst covering banks to running research departments and heading an equities business. He has managed large, multi-location, multi-cultural teams and was an ExCo member for the Markets business of a globally significant FI.

Michael grew up in London and lived and worked in Paris, Rome, Tokyo and Hong Kong before returning home. He has an unusually wide range of interests and holds degrees from the University of Oxford and from the University of London in English Literature (BA), Philosophy (MA) and Classics (BA July 2023). 

David Shannon

Macro, trading and risk meets venture capital. David has over thirty years of experience in trading, risk management and private investment.  He has run investment bank trading businesses across a range of asset classes on both a regional and global basis, including ten years based in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore.  He set up the Asian office of a large established hedge fund.  Most recently in banking he was Head of Market Risk at a leading investment bank. Since setting up Assembly in 2018, he has always looked to filter out the considerable fiction in the venture space from the facts.

David holds an MEng in Manufacturing Sciences and Engineering.

Our Offering.

Experience that is wide and deep

  • Public and private markets

  • Insight, support, challenge

  • Macro economics and products

  • Viewpoint as equity analyst

  • An insider outside view

  • Fund boards

Posts.

A selection of our updates and opinion

  • The Long and Winding Road

    George Kaye, Founder and CEO of Derivitec, shares his thoughts on creating a startup

    Published On: 25 April, 2023Views: 6155

  • When to be stubborn

    Assembly is an active investor which helps businesses scale. Our portfolio firms tell us we add value whilst we, in turn, learn from the teams we work with.

    Published On: 25 September, 2020Views: 8828

  • Open Letter to UK Chancellor

    Dear Chancellor, You have your hands full, so I will keep this short. I’m a British venture capitalist; the firm I founded, Assembly Capital Partners, is a FinTech specialist.

    Published On: 23 March, 2020Views: 7505

  • Paul Romer

    If there’s a patron saint of Venture Capital, it probably isn’t a venture capitalist but Paul Romer, the economist who put innovation and ideas at the heart of growth theory

    Published On: 10 October, 2018Views: 7078

Contact.

Let’s talk.

To find out more on how we can help you please get in touch with some details using this contact form.

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