# Michael Fanfant

> Michael Fanfant is a General Partner at Runa Capital, a $200M+ early-stage VC firm, where he backs B2B SaaS and regulated-industry startups in fintech, edtech, and digital health. Before turning investor, he co-founded Octane Lending — a point-of-sale financing platform for powersports vehicles that hit a $900M+ valuation in 2021. A Stanford economics graduate, Kauffman Fellow (Class 27), and Events & Community Chair at BLCK VC, Fanfant brings the operational credibility of a builder and the pattern-recognition of an investor to every check he writes.

- **Role:** General Partner at Runa Capital
- **Organizations:** Runa Capital, Octane Lending, BLCK VC, Defy Ventures, Kauffman Fellows
- **From:** Seattle, Washington, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Octane Lending, scaling it to a $900M+ Series D valuation by 2021., Promoted to General Partner at Runa Capital in 2022, overseeing the firm's US investment strategy., Selected as a Class 27 Kauffman Fellow, joining the largest network of VC and innovation leaders globally.

## Career timeline

- **~2010-2013** — Corporate strategy at Capital One, focused on retail banking growth, credit card partnerships, and the prepaid card industry.
- **2014** — Co-founded Octane Lending as COO, creating a point-of-sale financing marketplace for powersports vehicles (motorcycles, jet skis, snowmobiles, ATVs).
- **2014** — Helped launch Roadrunner Financial, a near-prime lender within the Octane Lending ecosystem for powersports vehicles.
- **2017** — Joined Runa Capital as a Partner, focusing on early-stage B2B SaaS and regulated industries in North America.
- **2021** — Octane Lending raised a Series D at a $900M+ valuation in August 2021, validating the powersports fintech thesis.
- **2022** — Promoted to General Partner at Runa Capital alongside Konstantin Vinogradov, anchoring the firm's US strategy.
- **2022** — Runa Capital launched its Opportunity Fund I in May 2022, raising $69M by Autumn 2022.
- **2023** — Completed a three-week research trip across Asia, visiting Indonesia and Japan to assess emerging fintech markets.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Octane Lending, scaling it to a $900M+ Series D valuation by 2021.
- Promoted to General Partner at Runa Capital in 2022, overseeing the firm's US investment strategy.
- Selected as a Class 27 Kauffman Fellow, joining the largest network of VC and innovation leaders globally.
- Serves as Events & Community Chair at BLCK VC, expanding diversity in venture capital.
- Launched Roadrunner Financial, a near-prime powersports lending product, as part of the Octane Lending suite.
- Holds board seats at Revegy, ClearMechanic, AppBuddy, and Octane Lending.

## Latest updates

- **2023-06** — Appeared on the London Fintech Podcast (Episode 229) discussing key themes in US fintech past, present, and future, and sharing insights from a recent Asia research trip.
- **2023-02** — Featured in a FinTech Silicon Valley interview discussing empathy in VC, intellectual honesty in founders, and the normalization of valuations post-2021 boom.
- **2022-09** — Runa Capital closes its latest fund (Opportunity Fund I) at $69M, with Fanfant anchoring the US early-stage strategy as newly promoted General Partner.

## Links

- Website: https://runacap.com/people/michael-fanfant/
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-fanfant-6776a770
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mfanfant
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mfanfant

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/michael-fanfant
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-18