Flyweel, an Australian fintech startup founded in 2025, has raised $2.41 million in a pre-seed round led by Ten13 with support from Antler, QIC, and fintech leaders to fund AI-driven financial products that help businesses manage and finance advertising spend in real time.
- Flyweel raised $2.41M pre-seed led by Ten13 and Antler
- Financial products enable real-time ad spend financing and control
- US market targeted first due to strong early demand
What happened
Flyweel has raised $2.41 million in a pre-seed funding round to develop and launch AI-powered financial products that transform how businesses manage their advertising budgets. The round was led by Ten13 and supported by Antler, QIC, and prominent fintech founders and executives. These funds will enable Flyweel to release lending products that finance upfront ad spend and offer tools like spend cards and bill pay services to give businesses granular control over their budgets.
Founded in 2025 by Reuben Scheckter and Matteo Calo, Flyweel connects advertising platforms, customer relationship management, and accounting software in real time. The company has already managed over $110 million in ad spend across nearly 1,000 businesses. Their goal is to address the cash flow challenges businesses face between paying for ads and receiving revenue, by treating advertising expenditure as a measurable investment rather than just a cost.
Why it matters
As AI accelerates the pace at which companies allocate funds to digital advertising, the need for real-time financial control and upfront funding solutions intensifies. Flyweel’s products aim to solve the common issue of cash gaps that force businesses to limit successful ad campaigns, despite strong returns. By providing immediate capital and enhanced visibility into ad spend productivity, Flyweel enables companies to scale campaigns confidently and optimize marketing efficiency.
The involvement of fintech veterans who have worked at companies like Adyen and Mollie underscores the strength of Flyweel’s financial infrastructure expertise. Investors view Flyweel as a pivotal player building the underlying financial rail necessary for the next generation of AI-driven advertising ecosystems, positioning the startup for potential major influence in the online advertising finance market.
What to watch next
Flyweel plans to launch its financial products first in the United States, where it has seen the most significant early traction. The upcoming release of Performance Capital and spend management tools will be pivotal to proving the company’s value in a competitive market. Observers should monitor how the startup scales adoption beyond its initial customer base and how well it integrates with emerging ad platforms driven by AI.
Additionally, the startup’s ability to sustain investor confidence and continue innovating as AI further changes advertising workflows will be key. Flyweel’s approach of enabling businesses to see ad spend as capital investment could reshape finance options in digital marketing, especially as in-house AI tools increasingly replace traditional agencies in campaign management.