Defiant, a new early-stage venture capital firm, is emerging from stealth mode today with a bold vision to disrupt the traditional venture capital landscape. Founded by childhood friends Joseph Pizzolato and Cam Rail, the firm has already secured $30 million in funding and plans to raise up to $70 million for its initial fund.

Based in London and Lisbon, Defiant is focused on investing in early-stage startups in the B2B SaaS and fintech sectors, with a specific interest in the "late seed" or Series A stages. What sets Defiant apart from other early-stage VC firms is its willingness to lead or co-lead funding rounds, with investments ranging from $1 million to $10 million per deal.

Pizzolato, who has a background in investing with firms like Felix Capital and Vitruvian Partners, is joined by Rail, who brings a unique perspective from his experience in market making and prop trading. Rail also founded and sold his own startup, Stackup Risk, to Creativemass.

Defiant's approach to investing is centered around the use of data and technology to identify promising startups. The firm is building its own suite of products, including Morpheus, an internal tool that analyzes pitch decks to extract relevant data, and Blueprint, a platform that helps founders understand how their startups stack up against the competition. This data-driven approach is a key differentiator for Defiant, with Pizzolato stating that the firm dedicates a third of its budget to product building.

"Our thesis is that the future of venture is going to be pretty different to what it is today. And it's going to be a lot more technologically enabled, a lot more sophisticated around the use of data, AI products," Pizzolato told TechCrunch.

Defiant's products are designed to provide a competitive analysis of startups, allowing the firm to identify over-performers and under-performers. The firm's macro analysis product, currently in development, will help identify the next big investment themes based on large data sets.

Defiant has already raised money from a range of investors, including family offices and individuals from the tech industry, such as general partners at Atomico, Cherry Ventures, and Salesforce Ventures. With its innovative approach and significant funding, Defiant is well-positioned to make a significant impact in the early-stage investing space.

As the firm looks to build a portfolio of 15 to 20 high-performing startups, it will be interesting to see how Defiant's data-driven approach plays out in practice. With its focus on B2B SaaS and fintech, Defiant is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for innovative solutions in these sectors.

As the venture capital landscape continues to evolve, Defiant's emergence is a significant development that could have far-reaching implications for the industry. With its commitment to technology and data, Defiant is poised to disrupt the traditional venture capital model and create a new standard for early-stage investing.