Cardo AI, a next generation asset-based finance and private credit technology platform, has completed its $15mn Series A round. The investment was co-led by Blackstone Innovations Investments, Blackstone's early-stage strategic investment arm, FINTOP Capital and JAM FINTOP. Andy Horwitz and Kevin MacDonald, co-founders of Black Mountain Systems, also participated in the round.

The $40 trillion asset-based finance and private credit market continues to operate with outdated systems, manual processes and fragmented data. As the market expands with increasingly complex investment strategies, Cardo AI is modernizing the sector's operations with advanced portfolio modeling and collateral data management technology. The platform facilitates investment decision-making and portfolio monitoring of multi-strategy credit portfolios for industry stakeholders—from investors to banks and servicers—leveraging advanced software workflows, a powerful data engine and predictive AI algorithms. The platform also supports servicers, trustees and fund administrators in streamlining operations and reducing costs.

Founded in 2018, Cardo AI rapidly expanded its presence throughout Europe, with early support from Fasanara Capital, before entering the U.S. market earlier this year. Over the past few months, Cardo has onboarded several of the most sophisticated private credit and asset-based finance investors in the U.S. In addition to co-leading the Series A round, Blackstone is leveraging Cardo AI's technology in its Credit & Insurance operations to support direct lending and asset-based finance transactions.

Co-leads FINTOP Capital and JAM FINTOP bring deep operating expertise and a strategic network of nearly 100 regional and community banks. Rick Kushel leads the investment for FINTOP and brings over three decades of experience building companies such as iLevel Solutions and DealCloud.

Altin Kadareja, Founder and CEO of Cardo AI: "Our expansion into the US market, supported by such prestigious institutions, highlights Cardo AI's ability to deliver powerful technology for the alternative credit industry. We are excited to collaborate with new investors and are confident that our platform will play a significant role in scaling the market and enhancing operational excellence for our clients."

John Stecher, Chief Technology Officer at Blackstone, said: "At Blackstone we have seen firsthand the rapid growth in alternative credit. To keep pace, the industry needs to move away from manual, spreadsheet-based processes to embrace scalable technology solutions. Our Credit & Insurance team has been impressed by Cardo AI's robust portfolio management capabilities for complex instruments."

Rick Kushel, Managing Partner at FINTOP Capital said: "We see enormous potential for Cardo AI to transform an industry that has been slow in adopting technological innovation. With decades of experience, their team brings the expertise needed to tackle the challenges this market faces. We are excited to support them in setting the standard in asset-based finance and private credit technology."