From pioneering innovative lending solutions to scaling a fintech start-up, David Newman’s career is a masterclass in ambition, resilience, and creating value. As the CEO of Firenze, a company revolutionising lending options for wealth managers and financial planners, David is opening up opportunities traditionally reserved for the ultra-wealthy to a much broader audience. We sat down with him at MOW to unpack his journey, his insights, and his aspirations for the future.

The Spark Behind Firenze

David Newman didn’t just stumble into the world of Lombard lending—he fell in love with it during his time in private banking at UBS and Barclays. His moment of epiphany came courtesy of a client who used Lombard loans to amass a portfolio of Tesco Express properties.

“He’d borrow from us at, like, 2%,” David recalls. “He’d go to auctions and buy Tesco Express buildings with 10-year leases and yields of 7-8%. He wasn’t selling his investments, wasn’t triggering capital gains tax, and was making a killing. Within 18 months, he had a portfolio of nine Tesco Express buildings and a Subway.”

This innovative approach to leveraging investments planted a seed. “I was jealous, to be honest,” David admits. “I had £50,000 in my stockbroker’s portfolio and thought, ‘I’d love to borrow £10,000 against this to invest in something.’ That’s where the idea for Firenze really started.”

“When I exited my first business a few years ago, I lasted about five months of doing a bit of angel investing and hanging out … but then I wanted to go again”

Years later, after exiting his first start-up, Delio, David found himself unable to shake the thought that this form of lending could be made more accessible. “It felt like the last type of lending that could be opened up to a mass affluent audience,” he says. And with that, Firenze was born.

Breaking Barriers in Lending

Firenze focuses on allowing wealth managers to offer lending secured against their clients’ investment portfolios, making it an alternative to selling assets. Whether it’s helping parents fund their children’s first homes or offering an alternative to traditional bridging loans, Firenze is creating flexibility for people to leverage their wealth without compromising it.

“Our typical client has around £300,000 in investments and wants to borrow £100,000—maybe to help their kids with a deposit or to invest in a business opportunity,” David explains. “We only lend against liquid investments, like stocks and shares, and clients can use the funds for anything they like.”

This solution is particularly exciting for wealth managers, opening new markets and creating more value for their clients. “We’re targeting the sweet spot: wealth managers who manage over £500 million in assets but whose average client has less than £3 million,” David says. “It’s about unlocking opportunities for a wider audience.”

Lessons from Delio and Building a Start-Up

David’s entrepreneurial journey began with Delio, a business he co-founded in his mid-20s. Delio built software to help wealth managers and private banks manage private equity investments—essentially providing the technology behind high-end deal-making.

“We built it from scratch with no real idea of what we were doing,” David laughs. “But by the time I left, we’d grown to around £5 million in ARR and were working with major clients like UBS. It was a steep learning curve, but it taught me a lot about technology, compliance, and scaling a business.”

Those lessons have been invaluable as he builds Firenze, but the challenges remain. “Hiring the right people is always tough,” David says. “When you’re small, the wrong hire can be a big problem. It’s about balancing experience with hunger, remote working dynamics, and cultural fit. The team is everything.”

Proud Milestones and Future Ambitions

For David, the journey with Firenze is still in its early days, but the wins are already stacking up. “We’ve signed one of the ten largest wealth managers in the UK—they manage £35 billion in assets,” he shares.

“For a business of our size, signing a client like that feels huge. It’s a testament to the demand for what we’re doing”

Looking ahead, Firenze has bold ambitions: a £7 billion loan book within seven years. “The next 18-24 months are all about signing up partners and driving uptake,” David says. “Our goal is to partner with wealth managers managing over £300 billion in assets by March 2027. It’s ambitious, but we’re laser-focused.”

Lessons in Leadership

David is candid about the toll entrepreneurship can take and the importance of balance. “During my first start-up, I burnt out badly,” he admits. “It cost me relationships, health, and I didn’t realise how much I was struggling until I came out the other side. This time, I’m making a conscious effort to prioritise family and not let work consume me entirely.”

As the father of a four-year-old, David’s perspective has shifted. “She keeps me busy outside of work,” he says with a smile. “Anything related to entertaining a four-year-old is my life now.”

When asked for his top piece of advice, David says it boils down to two things: hiring and value creation. “The one I’ve learnt the hard way is ‘hire slow, fire fast.’ But more than that, obsess over value. Whether it’s for clients, employees, or investors—if you’re not consistently creating value, you don’t have a business. You have a project.”

Helping the Community

David is eager to give back to the MOW community, particularly in two areas: raising capital and selling into complex organisations. “Asking people for money—whether it’s investors or clients—can be daunting,” he says. “But I’ve done it enough times now to know what works and what doesn’t.”

His advice for fellow entrepreneurs? Focus on the value you’re creating and be relentless in communicating it. “If you can measure and demonstrate the value you’re providing, the rest takes care of itself.”

Get in Touch

When he’s not busy building Firenze, you’ll often find David at MOW on Mondays or Tuesdays (yes, he’s a fan of cake day). Otherwise, you can reach him via LinkedIn or email for a chat about lending, start-ups, or anything in between.

Firenze is already making waves in the world of lending—and with David at the helm, the future looks bright.