Vine Secures Seed Funding, Forms Board of Directors

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vine Financial Inc., a commercial lending accelerator for banks and credit unions, has secured seed funding and assembled its board of directors.

Vine uses advanced AI tools to make commercial lending faster, more accurate, and more auditable. The platform provides one source for every tool a lender needs, from document reading to configurable spreading to document generation. With Vine, commercial lenders can deliver high-quality decisions faster.

The funding will fuel Vine’s growth and expand its ability to provide an alternative to traditional spreadsheets and legacy systems. The company will also expand the platform’s capabilities to transform the way financial institutions approach commercial real estate, agriculture and a wide variety of lending products.

The company’s distinguished team of strategic investors includes:

• Neeraj Vohra, Managing Partner of the Bankers Helping Bankers Fund;
• Zahid Afzal, a senior banking executive and investor;
• George Kelley, fintech entrepreneur and co-founder of Xtensifi and Gro Solutions;
• Blake Paulson, former Chief National Bank Examiner;
• Terry Ammons, fintech investor and former Wipfli Partner;
• Marco Bernasconi, former CEO, core fintech executive and currently Chief Operating and Innovation Officer at Massachusetts-based Country Bank;
• Joe Gomez, General Manager of Digital and Core Solutions for community banking at Finastra;
• Jeff Harper, fintech Chief Revenue Officer;
• Brandon Kunz, fintech entrepreneur and former co-founder and senior executive at Xtensifi and Gro Solutions;
• Ralph Marcucilli, Founder and Chairman of Allied Payments; and
• Tom Shen, fintech investor and founder of Software Dynamics, Inc. (SDI) and Malauzai Software.

This esteemed group of banking and fintech leaders is contributing their decades of industry and startup expertise to maximize the company’s growth and potential.

“Vine delivers innovation to commercial lending and credit administration, which is an area ripe for improvement,” Afzal said. “This investment brings a faster, more accurate, and auditable solution to the financial institutions looking to boost revenue and streamline lending operations.”

“This funding validates Vine’s vision and positions them to transform an industry that has been underserved by technology,” Vohra added. “They’re not just digitizing existing processes, they’re reimagining how commercial lending should work in the digital banking era.”

Vine has also finalized its Board of Directors, which includes founders David Eads and John O’Shaughnessy, Charles Potts, Executive Vice President of Innovation for the Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) and key Vine investors, Afzal and Vohra. Paulson and Kelley will serve as board observers.

This board brings unparalleled industry expertise spanning regulatory oversight, community banking innovation, financial technology development, and banking operations at the highest levels. Together, they provide Vine with a powerful combination of experience that will prove invaluable as the company scales its business.

“We’ve carefully assembled this group of investors and board members for their expertise and shared vision for transforming commercial lending,” said David Eads. “Having these industry leaders in our corner gives us an extraordinary advantage as we revolutionize a critical but historically underserved segment of financial services.”

About Vine Financial

Vine is a faster, more accurate, and more auditable Commercial Lending Accelerator for banks and credit unions. From document reading to spreading to document generation, Vine empowers lenders with the tools they need, all in one platform. With Vine, financial institutions can deliver faster decisions, provide more value and build stronger relationships. For more information, visit vinefin.com.