Linedata, a global provider of asset management and credit technology, data, and services, today announced it is providing global buy-side asset managers with institutional-grade access to crypto and digital asset order execution. This is made possible through a new collaboration with Liquid Mercury, a leading digital asset and cryptocurrency trading technology provider, via Liquid Mercury’s order execution management system.

A recent report commissioned by Linedata highlighted a clear shift in traditional asset managers seeking more exposure to digital assets, following the lead of private equity, VC and alternative managers. Eighty-three per cent agreed or strongly agreed that offering crypto assets is a competitive advantage and 68% agreed or strongly agreed on the need to embrace crypto to keep up.

However, the main challenge is a lack of experience in crypto operations among traditional managers, which the Linedata – Liquid Mercury collaboration will directly address. According to a report by PwC and the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA) 64% of respondents said that they lack knowledge of digital assets. 

The collaboration will equip Linedata’s clients with market intelligence and trusted access to crypto liquidity via Linedata’s Longview OMS software, opening up a wide range of new investment and trading opportunities for the first time. This includes unbiased access to dozens of high-quality liquidity pools in crypto markets and up to 20,000 asset pairs, a wide range of assets that trade globally including spot, futures, and options, institutional style workflows and automation, and integration with the custody partners of Linedata’s customers.

“Both Liquid Mercury’s and Linedata’s teams have deep experience within traditional capital markets, which was a driver to work together and help provide institutional access in the crypto market,” said Tony Saliba, CEO of Liquid Mercury. “This partnership will supply Linedata clients with access to a whole new asset class, with the institutional trading capabilities that they demand.”  

“We are thrilled about our collaboration with Liquid Mercury,” noted Timothée Raymond, Global Head of Technology and Innovation, Linedata. “Liquid Mercury has a proven track record of building solutions specifically for institutional asset managers. Our customers will benefit extensively from the partnership which leverages tailored order management and trading workflow capabilities in the crypto asset space. This is part of our ongoing commitment to expand the functional coverage of our solutions through strategic partnerships, to ensure that we continue to bring new value to our customers.”

Zaggle, India’s leading B2B2C SaaS FinTech providing integrated card products bundled with SaaS-based business spend offerings, today, announced the launch of Zoyer to simplify and automate business-to-business payments for Enterprises and SMEs.  Zoyer unites accounts payable and credit card payments onto a single platform to enable enterprises to streamline business-to-business payables for effectively managing operating cash flows and maximizing business performance.

The latest innovation is another step in actualising Zaggle’s vision to become a global digital bank that addresses the complete financial management, payments and credit flow needs of enterprises and SMEs. Currently, Zaggle’s multi-product suite is deployed by some of the largest corporates and SMEs in India to manage employee expenses and channel incentives tightly integrated with prepaid cards from leading banks in the country.

Business-to-business (B2B) payables are estimated to be a US$2 trillion opportunity in India. Today a significant proportion of spending is entrenched in paper-laden, manual and complex processes, which hamstrings the ability of finance, procurement, and technology teams to effectively manage operating cash flows. A cloud-native platform, Zoyer improves efficiencies by automating the complete accounts payable lifecycle including supplier onboarding, PO issuance, invoice capture, three-way reconciliation, payments and advanced reporting.

The platform supports multi-payment rails real-time account to account and card rails enabling businesses to make payments from within the same platform. Zoyer uniquely embeds Zaggle branded card products such as Founders Card and corporate credit cards directly into accounts payable workflows for seamless payments. The integrated credit card offering enables corporates to securely and efficiently manage a range of transactions including vendor payments, and utility and tax (GST) payments. Corporates benefit from optimised processing costs via earned rebates and cashbacks with the added benefit of access to immediate credit to improve working capital and better manage liquidity positions.

Speaking on the launch Raj N, Founder, Zaggle, stated; “We are excited to launch Zoyer to drive the next stage of development in our digital banking journey and deliver real value to our customers. B2B enablement to track, monitor, issue and manage credit and access to credit for the enterprise and SME segments represents a trillion-dollar market opportunity and is ripe for disruption. At Zaggle, we are continually striving to deliver best-in-class digital solutions to become the preferred one-stop B2B payments and credit provider for enterprises and SMEs. Zoyer reinforces our ongoing commitment to empower businesses with solutions engineered to optimise core financial management processes and strengthen organizational resilience.”

Speaking on the launch, Avinash Godkhindi, CEO, Zaggle, said; “Enterprises and SMEs have a significant need to digitalise B2B payment processes so they can rapidly adapt to changing market dynamics. But the segment remains vastly underserved by incumbent solutions and limited self-manageable credit cards or corporate cards. We are proud to bring a functionally rich, business spend management platform with credit/corporate card capabilities that make capital-efficient growth a reality. Beyond digitalising core invoicing and payment flows, with Zoyer, we are laying a strong growth foundation by enabling businesses to manage liquidity through better allocation of working capital and providing an immediate credit line tied to credit cards.”

Speaking on the launch Sathish N, CPO, Zaggle, said; “Zoyer is part of a rapidly growing portfolio of innovative financial management SaaS solutions that Zaggle is launching for the enterprise and the SME segment. Zoyer is a natural adjacency for us, which makes our spend management offering more complete and just perfect for Zaggle to get into corporate spend cards and credit cards. Zaggle positioned Zoyer as the single source of truth on everything “Expense” for businesses that we serve. Additionally, a platform-centric approach allows us to layer on allied Zaggle branded and third-party products to meet evolving financial needs of businesses, minimising the need for investments in multiple systems, he added.”

Zoyer offers a mobile-first, data-driven decisioning, API-first technology platform that is tightly integrated with CMS platforms to enable continual and efficient credit management within the business workforce. In the initial launch, five critical personas and their pain points will be addressed. These will be further enhanced, basis a robust research-based 12-month roadmap in place. Built over the Amazon cloud, Zoyer’s customers can deploy the full-stack platform with minimal upfront investment and a competitive ‘pay as you use’ commercial model.  The unique features built into the platform include:

• AI and ML-based touchless invoice processing workflows eliminate manual tasks and improve straight-through processing
• Support for multiple payment modes, including corporate credit cards, real-time payments, and bank transfers in line with business needs
• Embedded credit card and virtual card offering provides opportunities to earn cash back and rebates on spend
• Integrated analytics offers insights to power continuous process improvement and optimise spends
• Assured compliance with in-country invoicing, data archival, and taxation regulations
• API-first architecture for seamless integration with existing ERP and accounting systems as well as payment processors, banks and third-party added value service providers

Planck, a leading AI-powered data and analytics platform, recently closed a $23 million funding round to continue its mission of empowering commercial insurers with real-time and accurate insights. The financing, which brings the company’s total to $71 million, was led by Vintage Investment Partners and all existing financial investors, including Team8, Greenfield, Arbor Ventures, Viola, 3L Capital, HDI and Nationwide, alongside private angel investors.

“By partnering with Planck, commercial insurance carriers and their agents can achieve breakthrough levels of improvement in their processes and profitability by having clear, real-time views into their underwriting and business risks that are not available from standard industry data flows and typical providers,” said Gary Gregg, former Executive Vice President of Liberty Mutual Group, advisor and investor in Planck’s latest round. “Insurer partners will reap the benefits from these insights to greatly improve their customer experience, operations, and bottom line.”

The financial backing allows Planck to act quickly on opportunities that arise in today's changing market and will specifically bolster the development of additional products that complement the platform, along with continued geographic expansion. Planck recently launched solutions like its underwriting risk search engine, which solves the shortcomings of traditional research methods, and Prospect Intelligence which helps carriers expand into new markets, reduce customer acquisition costs, and drive growth.

“Our record acceleration and the confidence of investors during this economic uncertainty is a strong indicator of the platform's value and necessity,” said CEO and founder Elad Tsur. “We are energized to continue our journey of bringing the most advanced AI-powered insights to the financial services industry across the globe, and thankful for the ongoing trust of our customers and partner community.”

Among others, six of the top ten commercial insurance carriers in the U.S, as well as top carriers in Europe and Japan are already benefiting from Planck’s offerings

Groupe BPCE subsidiaries Payplug, the omnichannel payments solution designed for SMEs, and Dalenys, the payments partner of choice for major names in e-commerce, are joining forces with the aim of becoming the leading French fintech in the European payments market.

The operation marks a milestone in Groupe BPCE’s digital and payments strategy and its central goal of accelerating the development of the Group’s payment activities in support of the digitalization of commerce. The combination of these two fintechs specialized in payment services will create a front-ranking player boasting enhanced industrial and innovation capabilities and complementary expertise.

Operating under the Payplug brand, the new combine will be France’s largest provider of payment solutions for digitalized commerce, with transaction volumes exceeding €10 billion, close to 400 staff and a 20,000-strong client base comprising SMEs (Faguo, La Maison de l’Astronomie) and large retailers (Maisons du Monde, Veepee, kiwi.com).     

Payplug, a new brand uniting the best in user experience and top-quality performance in payments

Under the general management of Payplug co-founder Antoine Grimaud and housed within BPCE Digital & Payments, the new combine will focus strategy on two factors that make the difference for traditional merchants, online merchants and fintechs:

Card online payment, with an emphasis on performance and optimization of conversion rates, thanks to Dalenys’s data expertise and close ties with BPCE Payment Services, and with particular expertise in strategic sectors like retail, gaming and travel;
Omnichannel payment, where the aim will be to radically simplify user experiences and build on PayPlug’s existing offering and extend it to in-store payment.
The new Payplug will consequently leverage the expertise and maturity acquired by the two companies since their launch in 2012 and subsequent acquisition by Groupe BPCE in 2017. Recognized for the quality of its service and client relationships, Payplug has built up a strong position in France and Italy on the SME market by simplifying payment, thanks to the compatibility of its modules with over 20 online e-commerce platforms. Working with major retail names, Dalenys commands a strong reputation for performance on acceptance rates in Europe and particularly on the French market.

The operational merger of Payplug and Dalenys makes compelling sense at a time when the payment expectations of final consumers are converging. With frictionless payment, guaranteed split payment and mobile payment through the likes of Apple Pay or Google Pay now a must, merchants need to upgrade their buying experiences fast. In all cases, they want to do it simply and fintechs are an increasingly obvious way to provide the agility needed by merchants of all sizes.

For Antoine Grimaud, CEO of Payplug “We are very proud today to announce that Payplug and Dalenys are joining forces with the aim of becoming the go-to payments partner for traditional merchants, e-merchants, SMEs and large corporations in both France and Europe. Our strong fit and shared values are set to reinforce our unique position in the market. Our teams stand ready to redefine payment performance in order to help our clients grow their businesses faster in France and Europe.”

For Pierre-Antoine Vacheron, CEO Payments of Groupe BPCE “The merger of Payplug and Dalenys marks a new stage in Groupe BPCE’s strategy of offering merchants a leading French alternative for digitalizing their sales and payments, either directly or via the Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Epargne networks. Underpinned by the two companies’ combined know-how, a 400-strong workforce and critical size, the new Payplug will further reinforce its attraction in the payments market and maximize synergies with all the lines of expertise housed within BPCE Digital & Payments, while continuing to apply the same exacting standards of excellence and performance.”

Lightyear, the new European investment platform founded by ex-Wise Martin Sokk & Mihkel Aamer, is backed by Sir Richard Branson and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Today, the company announces a huge upgrade to the product with a range of new stocks from UK and European exchanges, as well as global ETFs.

UK customers will have access to all their local favourites as well as stocks and ETFs listed on exchanges in Germany, Paris and the Netherlands from October 17th.

Customers in Europe were given access to some European instruments and ETFs in July, and will now be able to access UK stocks listed on the London Stock Exchange

Press release, London, 09:00 (BST) 15 September 2022. Today, European investment platform Lightyear announces a new product update with a huge range of instruments from UK and European exchanges, as well as global Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) going live in one month's time.

From Tesco to Vodafone, and Vanguard to iShares, a huge selection of investors' local and global favourites will be released in the app from October 17th onwards. After securing a full European investment licence earlier this year, the company is now ready to launch these European instruments to customers in the UK, and bring some of the most popular UK stocks to retail investors all over Europe.

Lightyear was founded by ex-Wise duo Martin Sokk and Mihkel Aamer to bring a global mindset to the European investment world. Customers around Europe traditionally have not had good access to investment opportunities outside their home country. With the exception of access to the US markets, connections between Europe’s most popular exchanges have been limited and costly. Today’s announcement signals a step change for retail investors in Europe to be able to invest in companies they care about and build a global portfolio with little-to-no fees.

The new instruments feature stocks listed on exchanges all over Europe including the London Stock Exchange, Euronext and the DAX. Some of the UK’s household names like Tesco, Lloyds and Unilever are included in the first launch of UK stocks, alongside some popular European stocks such as L’Oreal, Heineken and Société Générale.

The rollout of Exchange Traded Funds marks the company’s expansion into fund-based products. An ETF is a collection of hundreds or thousands of stocks or bonds, which is managed by experts in a single fund that trades on major stock exchanges, like the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. They are widely considered a great way to diversify a portfolio and a good entry point for newer investors, combining the benefits of diversified mutual funds with real-time pricing, but without high barriers to entry or minimum investment amounts.

Lightyear recently raised a $25M Series A equity round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Sir Richard Branson to power its expansion into 19 new European countries. The company’s seed investors, Mosaic Ventures, Taavet+Sten and Metaplanet also took part in the round alongside a number of new and existing angel investors.

The fresh $25 million in funding supports the company’s expansion across Europe. Starting with 19 countries in the Eurozone alongside the UK, Lightyear became the first neobroker to unlock most of Europe in one move. With no trading fees, no account fees and no custody fees, Lightyear entered most European countries as the most competitively priced investment platform on the market. The only fee on Lightyear is a simple, flat 0.35% fee for currency conversion.

Martin Sokk, Co-founder and CEO at Lightyear, adds: “One of our primary missions has always been to offer the people of Europe a low cost way to build a global portfolio. Rolling out this new range of international and local stocks, alongside ETFs, is a very big step towards that. We’ve been launching new markets and product features at an incredible speed, having been live for just 12 months and already operating in 20 markets. We couldn’t be happier to bring our customers even more opportunities to build diversified portfolios on Lightyear, consisting of companies closest to their hearts, that they use in their everyday, as well as fund-based instruments.”

Turaco, the leading insurtech driving mass market insurance adoption, has announced the close of a $10 million Series A equity round led by AfricInvest, via the Cathay Africinvest Innovation Fund, and existing investor, Novastar Ventures. The round also included participation from Enza Capital, Global Partnerships, Zephyr Acorn, Operator Stack, Asi Ventures Limited, and Push Ventures.

Founded in 2019, Turaco is a distributor, broker, and key customer interface between the underwriter and the end consumer. The insurtech company’s mission is to free people from the fear of financial shocks caused by unexpected health risks. Turaco is able to achieve this through a B2B and B2B2C business model, forming partnerships with top tech-enabled companies with a large pool of customers or staff in emerging markets, including some of the continent’s most trusted brands such as Sun King, One Acre Fund, Tugende, M-KOPA and VisionFund. Through its active partnerships, the insurtech has designed and delivered a suite of bespoke medical, life, asset, and vehicle insurance packages that have already covered over half a million lives across Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda.

In Africa, 90% of people have no formal safety net to catch them if they get sick or are in an accident. Insurance is still very much in its infancy. Most African insurance underwriters and intermediaries use rigid systems that do not allow for integration with external partners, with many still using paper-based processes. Turaco is building in a largely untapped sector, opening up an extremely large market and innovating for mass market consumers by providing a cutting-edge solution that will drive inclusive insurance.

Targeted at underserved customers and low-income earners, Turaco embeds its service as a white-labelled offering that is bundled with a partner’s core product or service while integrating with their existing payment processes to collect premiums. With a robust API integration which allows for easy collaboration with its external partners, Turaco enables companies to integrate insurance into their products and services efficiently and at no additional risk or cost. For example, in 2019, Turaco partnered with M-KOPA, a fintech platform that provides digital financial services to underbanked customers, to embed insurance with M-KOPA’s products for the company’s customers and direct sales representatives. Now active in three countries, insurance is used to drive revenue, as well as customer and agent retention and resiliency.

Since launch, the technology-enabled insurance platform has grown to become a market leader at the forefront of innovative insurance solutions. Turaco products are priced at ~$2/month, with straightforward terms & conditions and a fully digitized claims process that allows claimants to file via WhatsApp or phone call, paying out in less than three days via mobile money.

Commenting on the raise, Turaco CEO and co-founder Ted Pantone said, "We are proud to help drive insurance adoption, especially among low-income earners. 90% of our customers have never had insurance before, but the surprising thing is that people really want to buy insurance! They just don’t have easy access to products that really work for them. This investment enables us to scale our business to serve millions of insurance customers across our current markets and beyond. We are thrilled to have these great new investors join our team for this next season of growth.”

Patricia Rinke, Investment Officer at AfricInvest commented, “In our interactions with Ted and his team, we could see a great vision and flawless execution coming together. The company’s innovative distribution model responds to the unmet demand in the African insurance sector, and we look forward to working with Turaco as they continue to build on their early success.”

Yassine Oussaifi, Partner at AfricInvest and co-head of CAIF said, “As the insurance penetration in Sub-Saharan Africa remains below 3%, one of the lowest rates globally, we believe Turaco has developed the tools and know-how to fill this gap and reach low-income earners with products adapted to their needs, thus being a critical part of the push to help shield the most disadvantaged from unforeseen financial burdens and shocks. We are pleased to support Turaco as it scales further and has a positive impact on the continent.”

Olúwatóyìn Emmanuel-Olubake, Investment Director at Novastar Ventures added, “Turaco has grown over 300% since Novastar’s initial investment in 2020. We are excited to continue partnering with the exceptional team at Turaco and welcome new investors including AfricInvest, Global Partnerships and Enza Capital to this journey. This capital will help the company to further grow its world-class team, develop new products, accelerate partnerships and access new markets in service of its goal to mitigate the impact of daily shocks for millions of vulnerable people across Africa.”

There are over 500 million mobile subscribers in Africa, most of whom are uninsured. The latest round of funding places Turaco in a strong position to address this untapped market, doubling down its expansion efforts through strategic partnerships. As a result, Turaco will continue to power innovation in inclusive insurance as well as stand firmly at the forefront of the continent's rapidly growing insurance sector.

Today, Flywire Corporation (Flywire) (Nasdaq: FLYW) a global payments enablement and software company, is announcing the availability of its integration with Universitas XXI, a university management system focused on servicing higher education customers throughout Spain and Latin America. Universitas XXI will extend Flywire’s digital education payments platform into its student information system, enabling a seamless payment experience for students and administrators, and supporting both international and domestic payment flows.

Flywire integrates directly into the Universitas XXI software, helping universities to automatically power every transaction, ranging from initial application fees, all the way through to tuition payments. Within the familiar Universitas XXI software, students and families can easily track and make payments in native currencies, and university accounting professionals will be able to see and access all payment information within their system of record. Flywire plugs directly into the Universitas XXI platform, helping universities to streamline upgrades and to ensure complex compliance standards, as well as tax considerations, are always up to date.

Both Spain and Latin America continue to be popular academic destinations for international students. Boasting 76 universities, Spain is the top choice for students taking part in the EU’s Erasmus+ study abroad program, and in light of the Spanish government’s proposal to ease the visa requirement process for students and recent graduates, the country is committed to attracting additional international students. Likewise, Latin American universities are fortifying their strategies to recruit more inbound international students. The most recent research from UNESCO suggests that Latin American countries are receiving almost as many students as they are sending students abroad.

As the demand for higher education experiences in Spain and Latin America increases, there is mounting pressure on universities to provide a streamlined payment experience for students and families. According to a Flywire report of students in Spain and Latin America, students studying in Spain would like to see more flexible, simpler, and more affordable payment options. Of those surveyed in Flywire’s report, 86% believe that the ability to pay their tuition digitally, in their local currency, and/or via their preferred payment method, would improve their higher education experience and reduce the stress involved. Additionally, 80% of students in both Mexico and Peru believe paying for their tuition in instalments would make their education more affordable.

For universities in Spain and Latin America, it can still be difficult to manage student payments originating from different countries and in different currencies. Finance teams would need to manage domestic and international payments in different systems, and reconciling international payments typically requires a lot of manual effort for university staff and can complicate student registration. This all creates complexity and friction for both students and university staff, which is exactly what the integration between Flywire and Universitas XXI solves.

For students and families, the integrated solution provides a highly-tailored, convenient and secure digital payment experience, which can be customized by university, country, and currency. For institutions, can consolidate the multiple payment options they offer, which accelerates funds flow, eases reconciliation and streamlines operational efficiencies. Additionally, institutions can create custom payment plans to provide students and families with greater flexibility. Additional benefits of the integrated solution between Flywire and Universitas XXI for institutions include reduced inbound contact volume, accelerated processing around student visas, and significantly reduced merchant processing fees thanks to more payment options.

“As Flywire continues our growth in Spain and Latin America, we’re thrilled to partner with Universitas XXI, who bring meaningful relationships with reputable universities and extensive knowledge of the Spanish and Latin American markets,” said Sharon Butler, EVP of Education at Flywire. “Through our powerful, seamless integration, we are able to deliver exceptional payment experiences for students and institutions alike – and we’re committed to building on this foundation as the partnership continues.”

“Our integration with Flywire enables us to elevate our offerings and provide even greater value to our customers,” said Manuel Rivera, Director of Communication and Marketing at Universitas XXI. “We look forward to our continued partnership to better serve the Spanish and Latin American markets.”

Teslar Software today announced the launch of its indirect lending solution, which empowers community financial institutions to offer indirect lending services to local businesses and consumers in a way that’s quick, efficient and digitally optimized. Joe Ehrhardt, CEO and founder of Teslar Software, demoed the solution Monday at FinovateFall in New York.

Teslar Software is helping community institutions fill the gap that currently exists for medium-sized purchases with its indirect lending solution. Teslar’s indirect lending product allows community institutions to partner with local businesses to offer financing options to their customers for purchases like power sports, outdoor equipment, lawn and garden, furniture and more. Institutions can extend their presence further into the community and drive more loans back to the institution. Plus, the end customer gains an easy, convenient way to access financing through a trusted, local financial institution.

“Traditionally, many community financial institutions have shied away from offering indirect lending, which is a missed opportunity,” said Joe Ehrhardt, CEO and founder of Teslar Software. “By simplifying, digitizing and automating this process, we’re helping institutions grow and diversify their portfolios while also offering valuable new services and options to their business customers. We enjoyed officially unveiling Teslar’s indirect lending solution this week at FinovateFall, highlighting the need for community institutions to enhance their digital lending strategies to better serve local communities.”

Teslar’s solution enables small business customers to apply for a loan with minimal documentation and bankers to deliver automated decisions within seconds. The process is highly efficient, as a single bank employee can handle multiple loans at once. And the solution is driving value for all parties: it’s easier and quicker for borrowers to secure financing, businesses can offer strong options from a local financial institution, and institutions can drive new business, reaching new prospects and areas of business.

Broadway, a leading provider of high-performance front-office solutions, today announced support for trading Eris BSBY Swap Futures within Broadway’s flagship suite of fully hosted SaaS trading solutions. Offered by CME Group, Eris BSBY Swap Futures (Eris BSBY) allow market participants to forecast and hedge rates on the 3-month Bloomberg Short-Term Bank Yield Index (BSBY). The feature is currently live and available to all Broadway customers.

“Broadway is committed to investing in new technology and partnerships to ensure we offer our clients the most complete functionality and support to power their fixed income trading operations,” said Brad Small, Head of Product of Broadway. “As our clients focus on migrating from Libor to SOFR as the benchmark US interest rate, we are excited we can offer them timely access to innovative new interest rate derivatives such as Eris BSBY that allow them to stay ahead of critical priorities and maintain their competitive advantage.”

First announced by Bloomberg in early 2021, BSBY addresses banks’ requests for a credit-sensitive interest rate to manage the spread between their costs of funding and their interest earned on loans. Based on transactions of unsecured instruments used by banks to fund themselves, BSBY incorporates credit sensitivity into term rates of 1, 3, 6 and 12 months.

“As more banks add BSBY to their suite of interest rates used in commercial loans, Broadway’s support for Eris BSBY allows them to hedge these exposures using their preferred front-office trading solution,” said Michael Riddle, CEO of Eris Innovations, a futures product development company that licenses the patented product design to CME Group.

Eris BSBY Swap Futures are listed on and subject to the rules of CBOT.

Claimer, a fintech startup making it frictionless for companies to claim financial incentives from the government, is announcing that it has raised a $4.2m seed round today.

The round was led by Project A Ventures, with participation from Moonfire Ventures, helloworld.vc and a group of tier one angels that includes Errol Damelin (co-founder, Wonga), Matt Clifford (Chairman, Advanced Research and Invention Agency), Ian Hogarth (ex-CEO, SongKick), Harry Briggs (Partner, OMERS Ventures) and follow-on investors Ben Holmes (ex-Index Ventures) and TrueSight Ventures.

Governments set aside billions in innovation incentives for startups and scaleups globally, but the barriers to accessing them are high. Whether it’s tax credits, grants, or other local tax reliefs, applying for them is difficult. The eligibility criteria and application process is often complex and time-consuming, requiring specialist knowledge that tech companies do not have. Notably, the current more challenging VC market environment is expected to only increase the demand for non-dilutive funding, as startups look to maintain their pace of innovation.

By building accessible government financing infrastructure, Claimer is able to make the experience of claiming innovation incentives 10x easier. By abstracting away the massively inefficient data entry and communication inefficiencies of R&D tax credits and grant applications, customers are instead given more time, more focus, and more money to build their businesses.

“We’re building Claimer to be the de-facto way for startups and scaleups to claim incentives from the government, starting with R&D tax relief”, said Claimer CEO Adam McCann.