A trailblazer in Financial Technology (FinTech), First Circle was founded by Patrick Lynch and Tony Ennis to empower Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in growth markets by financing their business-to-business (B2B) trade transactions. Thus helping them grow by providing convenient access to financial services. First Circle believes that strong businesses should have access to capital based on meritocracy; not hindered by insufficiencies of collateral or the mere relationships and connections one may have.
Since our public launch in 2016, we have significantly grown our customer base. Led by a team of ex-Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, Amazon, and Web Summit management members with experience in technology, financial services, and e-commerce, we are currently providing SMEs from various industries with millions of dollars worth of financing. This is a clear confirmation of the trust we have earned from businesses nationwide.
At First Circle, we are proud of our international culture with over 10 nationalities working together - each motivated by the company’s purpose. Our investors have previously supported world-leading technology companies, like Uber and PayPal; and our Advisors sit on the Board of the biggest FinTech companies around the world.
As we are looking forward to the future with financial optimism, we gear toward partnering and empowering more and more SMEs in the Philippines - and soon the rest of Southeast Asia.
Trusted by the Philippine government, First Circle is the official Finance Partner of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). We are also a pioneer data provider to the Credit Information Corporation (CIC) and the very first FinTech company to ever be licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the Philippines.
Since our public launch in 2016, we have significantly grown our customer base. Led by a team of ex-Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, Amazon, and Web Summit management members with experience in technology, financial services, and e-commerce, we are currently providing SMEs from various industries with millions of dollars worth of financing. This is a clear confirmation of the trust we have earned from businesses nationwide.
At First Circle, we are proud of our international culture with over 10 nationalities working together - each motivated by the company’s purpose. Our investors have previously supported world-leading technology companies, like Uber and PayPal; and our Advisors sit on the Board of the biggest FinTech companies around the world.
As we are looking forward to the future with financial optimism, we gear toward partnering and empowering more and more SMEs in the Philippines - and soon the rest of Southeast Asia.
Trusted by the Philippine government, First Circle is the official Finance Partner of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). We are also a pioneer data provider to the Credit Information Corporation (CIC) and the very first FinTech company to ever be licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the Philippines.
Location: Philippines, Metro Manila, Taguig
Employees: 51-200
Total raised: $37.1M
Founded date: 2015
Founders name: Patrick Lynch
Founders Related Locations: Indonesia, Southeast Sulawesi; United Kingdom, England, London
Funding Rounds 3
| Date | Series | Amount | Investors |
| 02.08.2024 | Series B | $8.6M | - |
| 02.10.2018 | Series A | $26M | - |
| 11.04.2017 | - | $2.5M | - |
Persons 1
| Date | First Name | Last Name | Title | |||
| - | Patrick | Lynch | Co-Founder... | linkedin.c... | - | - |
Mentions in press and media 12
| Date | Title | Description |
| 06.04.2025 | Navigating the Agritech Landscape: TechCoop's Bold Move in Vietnam | In the heart of Vietnam's agricultural landscape, a startup named TechCoop is sowing seeds of innovation. Founded in 2022 by Hao Diep, a former executive at Nafoods Group, TechCoop recently secured a staggering $70 million in Series A fundi... |
| 06.04.2025 | Southeast Asia's Tech Landscape: A Dual Narrative of Resilience and Innovation | Southeast Asia is a vibrant tapestry of innovation and challenge. The region's tech landscape is a mix of promise and peril. On one hand, we see green shoots in greentech logistics. On the other, agritech ventures are pushing against skepti... |
| 02.04.2025 | VN startup banks on co-ops to defy agritech skeptics | Premium Content It takes our newsroom weeks - if not months - to investigate and produce stories for our premium content. You can’t find them anywhere else. Elyssa Lopez · 2 Apr 2025 · 5 min readVN startup banks on co-ops to defy agritech s... |
| 02.08.2024 | PH fintech startup First Circle raises $8.6m in IFC-backed Series B round | Philippine fintech startup First Circle has raised $8.6 million in fresh equity funding as part of a Series B round, show regulatory filings. |
| 11.10.2018 | Philippine lending platform First Circle raises $26m | First Circle, a lending platform for SMEs in the Philippines, has raised $26 million in its Series A funding round, led by Venturra Capital and with participation by Insignia Ventures Partners, Silverhorn Investment Advisors, and tryb Group... |
| 05.10.2018 | First Circle Raises US$26M in Series A Funding | First Circle, a Philippine-based lending platform dedicated to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), secured an additional US$26m in Series A funding. International firms Venturra Capital, Insignia Ventures Partners, Silverhorn Investment Ad... |
| 03.10.2018 | PH Fintech Startup First Circle Raises $26m, Launches Credit Facility For SMEs | Philippine-based fintech startup First Circle has raised fresh investments of $26 million (P1.5 billion) in a Series A round led by Venturra Capital even as it launched a new credit facility backed by the Department of Trade and Industry (D... |
| 03.10.2018 | Fintech startup First Circle secures $26m as it eyes regional SME market | Philippines small medium enterprise (SME) lending startup First Circle raises US$26m in a Venturra Capital-led Series A financing round, bringing its total fundraising up to US$28.5m to-date. Other backers of this round include Tryb Group, ... |
| 03.10.2018 | PH fintech startup First Circle raises $26m in Venturra Capital-led Series A round | Premium Philippine-based fintech startup First Circle, which operates a lending platform for SMEs in the country, has raised $26 million in its Series A funding round led by Indonesia-based venture capital firm Venturra Capital, in what cou... |
| 02.10.2018 | Philippines SME lending startup First Circle raises $26M ahead of regional expansion | This year has been a breakout one for micro-financing startups in Southeast Asia, which are becoming among the most funded within the region’s fintech space. Next in line to raise capital is First Circle, an SME-lending service that’s based... |
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