Phoebe Kitchen, Principal at Molten, shares why Molten's unique combination of heritage and ambition stood out to her, the opportunities she sees in AI and fintech, and the achievement outside work she's most proud of.
What attracted you to Molten?
For me, it was the combination of Molten's heritage and where it's heading next. Being a listed business brings a level of credibility, but it's really the depth of the network, expertise and relationships the team has built over more than 20 years that stood out to me. I'm excited to be part of the next phase of that journey as Molten continues to evolve.
Tell us a bit about your role at Molten.
I'm a Principal in the investment team, where I lead much of our work across fintech, while also spending time on AI and software opportunities. My background is in growth investing, so I also focus on later-stage companies, particularly Series B and beyond, helping identify businesses with the potential to scale.
What did you do before joining Molten?
I've spent the last six years investing in technology businesses. I began at one of Canada's largest pension funds, OTPP, investing in European technology companies before IPO, backing businesses including Trade Republic, ComplyAdvantage, Epic Games and Graphcore.
After that, I helped establish the London office for Canadian growth investor Inovia Capital, focusing on sourcing and investing in later-stage technology companies. Before moving into venture capital, I spent more than three years in M&A at Deutsche Bank.
From your previous experience, what are you excited to bring to Molten?
My experience has largely been in growth investing, and I'm looking forward to bringing that perspective to the team. Molten has a fantastic mix of backgrounds, from founders and operators to investors, and I think my experience evaluating later-stage companies adds another lens to how we assess opportunities and support businesses through their next stage of growth.
Are there any particular investment themes you're focused on?
Fintech remains my primary focus, where I tend to think about the AI opportunity across several different layers.
Use case: businesses applying AI to specific, high-value and typically highly regulated workflows, such as compliance, fraud prevention and risk management.
Industry: areas of financial services where AI is enabling new forms of adoption or service delivery that weren’t previously possible. I see significant potential in wealth management, for example.
Vertical: businesses that own complex, end-to-end workflows, often in highly fragmented markets. The opportunity in private markets and banking is substantial here.
Distribution: AI is changing not only what financial products can be offered, but also how those services are delivered to customers. I’m drawn to opportunities at the intersection of software, services and product, including AI-native compliance, audit and bookkeeping providers that can serve as trusted intermediaries.
What investment trends are you most excited about over the next year?
AI will continue to create exceptional businesses, but I think we’ll start to see a clearer distinction between the long-term winners and companies that have benefited from the initial wave of enthusiasm.
From a fintech perspective, I’m most interested in seeing which businesses can move beyond early adoption and demonstrate real durability. Many companies have benefited from customers experimenting with AI, but the more meaningful test will be whether they get through renewal cycles, remain a budget priority when spending comes under scrutiny and become embedded in core workflows.
Over the next year, I expect that process to separate those with genuine, sticky demand from those that have yet to translate early interest into durable revenue. Those are the companies we want to back.
What does a typical day look like for you?
No two days are the same, which is one of the things I enjoy most about venture investing. My time is usually split between supporting our portfolio companies, meeting founders, evaluating new investment opportunities and progressing live deals.
Alongside that, I also spend time fundraising and supporting wider activities such as industry events, media opportunities and thought leadership.
What's one thing you're particularly proud of outside work?
Completing the London Marathon is something I'm especially proud of. I've also run several half marathons, but finishing the marathon was a real personal milestone and a challenge I'll always remember.
What is one piece of advice you’ve received over the years that has stuck with you?
One idea I keep coming back to is the distinction between conviction and certainty. You need a point of view strong enough to act on, but not so fixed that new information can’t change it. That feels particularly important in venture, where you’re making judgments with incomplete information. I try to hold both at once - the conviction to act and the curiosity to always keep questioning.
Thank you for joining us today Phoebe. To find out more about Phoebe and her areas of focus you can check out her team profile page here.
