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Lightyear Raises $23M to Expand AI-Driven European Investing Platform

Fintech and Financial Services

Business Honor - Lightyear Raises $23M, Expands Platform

Business Honor
24 July, 2025

London fintech Lightyear secures $23M to build out European retail investment with AI-based solutions.

Lightyear, a fintech firm based in London backed by some of Estonia's top tech entrepreneurs, is fast becoming an important retail investment player in Europe. Founded in 2021 by former Wise employees Martin Sokk and Mihkel Aamer, Lightyear offers an app through which investors can trade over 5,000 shares, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and money market funds across 25 countries. The firm recently said it has raised $23 million in a new funding round led by European venture capital fund NordicNinja backed by Japanese investors. Other prominent Estonian angel investors, such as ride-hailing unicorn Bolt co-founder Markus Villig, Wise co-founder Taavet Hinrikus, former CTO at Checkout.com Ott Kaukver, and Skype founding engineer Jaan Tallinn, also joined the round. The new funds will support Lightyear's expansion into five new markets quickly.

Lightyear CEO Martin Sokk said that the company didn't necessarily require additional capital in urgent need but appreciated the chance to work with experienced investors who understood scaling companies within complicated, regulated environments. He commented on the difficulty of working through local market conditions in each country and pointed out the underpenetrated retail investment landscape in Europe as the area to be innovated. To stand out in the competitive fintech space, Lightyear is concentrated on catering to long-term investors instead of pushing high-risk products such as margin trading and crypto. Still, the company intends to launch a crypto product in the near future with a long-term view strategy.

Lightyear is also integrating artificial intelligence into its platform with features like “Why Did It Move,” which helps investors understand stock price movements, and AI-generated “bull” and “bear” theses. The startup’s valuation is now estimated between $200 million and $300 million, significantly up from its 2022 valuation. With robust support and advanced equipment, Lightyear has plans to shake up Europe's retail investment market and stake its claim with major rivals such as Robinhood, Revolut, and Trade Republic.