Pile
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
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Sections to complete：02 · 05
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
Pile (Pile Capital) was a Berlin fintech founded in 2022 by Jessica Holzbach, the co-founder and former chief customer officer of business bank Penta. It launched as a crypto-as-a-service API for neobanks and fintechs (raising a €2.8 million pre-seed led by Anthemis' Female Innovators Lab and Barclays, with backers including N26 co-CEO Maximilian Tayenthal), then pivoted in 2023 to treasury management for high-growth startups and venture funds — a timely move after the Silicon Valley Bank collapse exposed startup cash-risk. Holzbach later sold Pile to Vivid Capital.
02 / FAILURE REASONS
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03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Company founded
Jessica Holzbach founds Pile in Berlin after leaving Penta; it raises a €2.8 million pre-seed for a crypto-as-a-service API platform.
- Pivot to treasury
After the SVB collapse, Pile pivots to treasury management for high-growth startups and VCs, launching out of closed beta.
- Sold to Vivid Capital
Holzbach sells Pile to Vivid Capital, about two years after founding the company.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN / AFTERMATH
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