Top 10 Startup Investors in Tennessee Who Fund Fintech Startups

Tennessee is becoming a Fintech hub, with startups tackling everything from digital banking to payment automation.

However, aside from the successful startup stories, there are many businesses that never get past the early stages…

Is it because they have poor ideas or a bad business model?

Not really.

Most of these ideas can't become a business not because of bad ideas but because they can't raise capital.

And by raising capital, we mean finding investors who understand fintech, have the right connections, and can open doors to partnerships, mentorship, and scaling.

Sounds hectic and stressful to do so?

Well, forget the long research hours because we have prepared the list of top startup investors in Tennessee who invest in Fintech startups.

Top 10 Startup Investors in Tennessee Who Fund Fintech Startups

Here’s a quick table to summarize the list!

Brian Green

• Focused Sectors: technology and consumer industries, with a focus on business software, consumer products (including food and beverage), and industrial tech startups​
• Present In: Active primarily in the United States (notably the West Coast and Pacific Northwest) while engaging in deals globally.
• Notable Investments: Theo Chocolate, Earth Class Mail, and Zapproved (enterprise legal software)​

Brian Green is a Senior Vice President at PineBridge Investments, a global asset management firm. Since joining PineBridge in 2020, he has been responsible for sourcing and monitoring investments within the firm's middle-market private credit business.

Prior to his tenure at PineBridge, Mr. Green served as a Vice President at Abacus Finance Group. His career also includes a role as an Associate at Granite Bridge Partners (formerly Wafra Partners), a private equity firm.

As an investor, Brian focuses on startups at the earliest stages that are led by experienced entrepreneurs and capable teams. He invests at the seed-stage and looks for long term partnerships.

Jay Baker

• Focused Sectors: Healthcare technology and enterprise software, as well as marketing and analytics startups.
• Present In: : Based in the Southeastern United States (Nashville, Tennessee)
• Notable Investments: Digital Reasoning​, Emma, and Aspire Health

Jay Baker is an angel investor based in Nashville, Tennessee, with a focus on early-stage startups. He is currently an Assistant Vice President at Tranquility Partners.

When funding startups, Jay looks for companies that can generate 3-4x ROI and are dealing in advertisement, fintech or enterprise sectors. He partners with experienced founders who have served in their industries for at least 4-5 years.

The investment range of Jay Baker can go up to $150,000.  

Luke Roush

• Focused Sectors:  healthcare and fintech
• Present In: Roush operates in both the United States and emerging Asian markets.
• Notable Investments: SendGrid (cloud email API, later acquired by Twilio)​, oneforty, and Integrate

Luke Roush is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Sovereign's Capital, a private equity and venture capital firm established in 2012.

As a private investor, Roush focuses on investing in companies that are driven by community goals and can generate high ROI. He usually invests in early/seed stage startups that are just starting with an idea and a small team.

Through his firm, Roush targets profitable, lower middle-market companies with revenues between $10 million to $100 million and owner’s earnings of $3 million to $20 million.

As an individual investor, he usually invests around $100,000 to $500,000.

Mike Faith

• Focused Sectors: : Consumer internet, Fintech, and SaaS ventures
• Present In: Silicon Valley and Tennessee​
• Notable Investments: : SendGrid, Xoom, and UserTesting

Mike Faith is a British-born entrepreneur and angel investor, best known for founding Headsets.com in 1997. Under his leadership, the company has grown to serve over 700,000 customers, achieving annual revenues exceeding $30 million.

When funding startups, Mike likes to invest in companies that are building the future of finance. He invests at the earliest stages of a business and likes to partner with founders who are solving modern fintech problems.

The investment range of Mike Faith is around $100,000.

Todd Dean

• Focused Sectors: enterprise software, fintech, consumer products, and industrial technology.
• Present In: Seattle and Tennessee
• Notable Investments: Theo Chocolate, Creative Motion Control, Earth Class Mail

Todd Dean is an experienced angel investor and entrepreneur. Originally from Montana, Dean has been working as in many roles and also founded  Todd Dean & Co. He has served as a key partner at Blackhawk Partners and VP at Zedcor.

As an investor, Dean focuses on investing in startups that are revolutionizing the fintech scene and easing payment procedures. He usually makes his investments through seed rounds or through investor meetings.

The investment range of Todd Dean lies between $25,000 and $250,000.

Trey Shelton

• Focused Sectors: : technology-driven services and software.
• Present In: : Tennessee

Trey Shelton is a seasoned entrepreneur and angel investor with over 15 years of experience in the startup ecosystem. He is the founder of Position, an executive search and organizational design firm based in Nashville.

Before establishing Position in 2018, Shelton founded Music Interactive in 2005. Following this venture, he transitioned into executive recruiting, becoming a Partner at Safire Partners from 2015 to 2018.

As an investor, Shelton has a strong interest in early-stage tech startups. He seeks companies that have strong growth potential, innovative solutions, and capable leadership teams. The investment range of Trey Shelton is between $50,000 to $150,000.

Dan Roselli

• Focused Sectors: : payments, banking software and insurance technology
• Present In: Charlotte and Nashville
• Notable Investments: : Baebies, Signalfire Compliance, and InHerSight

Dan Roselli is a prominent figure in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. He has a huge career in marketing, working with Fortune 500 companies such as General Mills, Colgate-Palmolive, and M&M/Mars. He later served on the Operating Committee of Bank of America as the Brand & Advertising Executive.

As an angel investor, Roselli focuses on early-stage startups, particularly in the fintech sector. He invests in businesses with innovative solutions and strong leadership teams.

The average check size of Dan Roselli is around $50,000.

Jonathan James

• Focused Sectors: Software and data-centric startups.
• Present In: All across the US and Canada
• Notable Investments: Granify (an AI-driven e-commerce conversion platform based in Canada)​

Jonathan James is an angel investor known for his involvement in early-stage technology startups.

James makes most of his investment through investor-meetings, accelerator, and fundraising platforms. He has shown interest in technology-driven startups, particularly those offering innovative solutions in the e-commerce sector.

The investment range of Jonathan James lies between $75,000 to $100,000.

Sid Chambless

• Focused Sectors: Early-stage technology companies, with an emphasis on healthcare technology and new media​
• Present In: : Nashville, Tennessee​
• Notable Investments: Shareable Ink (digital health documentation)​, Confirmation.com (fintech audit confirmation platform)​, Aspire Health (home palliative care)​

Sid Chambless is a prominent angel investor and Managing Partner at Nashville Capital Network (NCN).

He leads NCN alongside Managing Partner Chase Perry, overseeing venture capital funds and investment activities. Under his leadership, NCN has expanded its investor network to over 130 professional investors, collectively investing more than $425 million into local companies.

As an investor, Sid focuses on early-stage companies, those in fintech, consumer services, and healthcare services. He seeks startups with proven management teams and estimated ROI of 2-5x ROI.

The investment range of Sid Chambless lies around $100,000.

Teja Yenamandra

• Focused Sectors: : Developer-centric platforms and finance
• Present In: : Nashville
• Notable Investments: Reaction Commerce and Paystack

Teja Yenamandra is the co-founder and CEO of Gun.io and an investor who funds across multiple stages, such as seed, pre-seed, Series A, Series B, and early-stage ventures.

As an angel investor, Yenamandra has shown interest in startups operating in different markets, including product design, freelancing, open source, Python, virtual workforces, and web design. He mostly invests in companies that align with his expertise and experience, particularly those innovating in the freelance or fintech.

The investment range of Teja Yenamandra is around $300,000.

Wrap-Up:

Finding the right investor is about partnership.

Research on investors who align with your industry, funding stage, and vision. Look at their portfolio companies and past investments to see if they’ve backed startups like yours.

When shortlisting, focus on investors who bring more than cash, such as mentorship, connections, and industry expertise, which can be game-changers.

For pitching, keep it simple:

1. Personalize your approach, mention why they’re a great fit.
2. Highlight traction, revenue, users, or market demand.
3. Be clear on your ask about funding and explain how you’ll use it.