David Newman is Co-Founder and CEO at Firenze, a Manchester-based fintech democratizing Lombard lending for wealth managers and financial planners. Firenze's embedded finance platform enables investment-backed loans without clients needing to move or sell assets.

David worked in private banking at UBS and Barclays, where he discovered Lombard lending and its potential to reduce wealth inequality. He previously co-founded Delio in 2015, a wealthtech platform for private markets that grew to £5 million ARR and 70 employees before his exit.

David holds a CFA designation and grew up in Nottinghamshire, starting his first business at age 14 with Newman's Bouncy Castle Hire. He is based in Manchester and is passionate about making exclusive financial products accessible to mass affluent investors.

Firenze raised £2.5 million seed funding in April 2025 led by Outward VC, followed by an oversubscribed £6 million round in April 2026 led by AlbionVC. The company has signed partners managing over £200 billion in assets and secured a £160 million credit facility.

Firenze won WealthBriefing Awards for Most Promising New Entrant in 2025 and Innovative Client Solution in 2026. The company has onboarded 15 partners with combined assets under management exceeding £115 billion and aims for a £7 billion loan book within seven years.