LendInvest co-founder Christian Faes launches US-based “fix and flip” lender

Christian Faes, LendInvest’s co-founder and non-executive chair, has launched the first venture out of his new fintech investment firm Faes & Co.

F2 Finance is a bridging finance business in the US, and it is partnering with technology partners to lend into the “fix and flip” short-term property market.

It is the first move for the lending-focused investment firm, which Faes launched exclusively on AltFi a few months ago, and has been lending since April.

F2 Finance has been focusing on markets in Texas, Florida and California — though is not currently lending in the latter — but is now looking to launch to the wider market with the aim of being a nationwide bridging lender. 

“[The US is] a huge market that’s going through a period of significant disruption at the moment — very much like when we set up LendInvest in the UK back in 2008,” Faes said.

Faes co-founded LendInvest, a now publicly listed fintech with approximately £3.7bn in funds under management, out of the financial crisis in 2008.

“We believe that this disruption presents a particularly interesting opportunity to enter the US market at this time,” Faes continued.

“With this, we will be launching a portfolio of unique and innovative products that sit outside the usual credit box and constraints that most of the market conforms to here.”

F2 Finance is currently live with a tongue-twister offering of “fast and flexible finance for fix and flip investors” and its own proprietary funds.