Amsterdam-based fintech startup Klearly raised €6M led by Global PayTech Ventures

Amsterdam-based fintech startup Klearly has successfully closed a seed funding round of €6 million. The investment was led by Global PayTech Ventures, with notable participation from Antler, Elevate, Shapers, and distinguished angel investors, including former executives from Mollie and Adyen.

Company Overview

Founded by a team of innovators—Sam Koekoek, Eva Rosa Bian, Geus Walder, Guy Griv, and Edan Dil—Klearly is committed to empowering entrepreneurs through an intuitive payment solution that turns smartphones into card terminals. This way, there is no need for extra hardware, making the payment process for SMBs more streamlined.

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Funding Details and Investor Insights

The company reached an important inflection point on its growth trajectory. This funding round was led by Global PayTech Ventures, a well-known investment company that backs disruptive fintech companies. Other investors that participated in this round included Antler, Elevate, Shapers, and several leading angel investors including former executives at two of Europe’s leading payment platforms, Mollie and Adyen.

This substantial funding is evidence that these investors are confident about the vision for in-person SMB payments that Klearly represents.

Strategic Objectives After Funding

The infusion of fresh capital has brought forth several strategic initiatives by Klearly:

• Improvement of the Platform: Spending on research and development, which will further automate payment procedures and enhance the user experience.
• Geographical Growth: Expanding its presence in other European countries beyond the Netherlands, with a vision to become the digital payment provider for SMBs across the continent.
• Diversify to Industry: Extend into different sectors including taxicab services, restaurants, and canal cruises to serve a greater customer base.

Klearly Invented Payment Solution

Klearly’s application integrates with smartphone hardware devices. The mobile devices become the card terminal without support equipment. This company is transparent through a transaction-based fee from which there are no sneaky subscription charges attached.

Unlike other payment solutions, which need dedicated card terminals, Klearly’s technology is directly accessed from users’ smartphones. The company has designed its solution specifically for small and medium-sized businesses to address the distinct operational needs of these businesses.

Market Adoption and Growth

Klearly has shown remarkable growth metrics since its launch:

• Merchant Onboarding: Successfully onboarded 4,000 merchants, which indicates good market acceptance.
• Transaction Volume: Achieved a 500% increase in payment volume in 2024, becoming one of the fastest-growing in-person payment providers in Europe.

Read also: Parafin, a San Francisco-based fintech startup raises $100M funding

Effect on Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

Through the use of Klearly’s platform, SMBs will enjoy:
Reduced operational costs. No need for additional hardware; this cuts upfront and maintenance costs.
Increased mobility. The smartphone-native application enables businesses to accept payments anywhere, thereby increasing flexibility and customer satisfaction.

Better financial management. They get more insight into the data and, hence, can take better-informed business decisions.

Leadership Insight

Klearly is an innovative payment company that seeks to empower entrepreneurs. As noted by its founder and CEO Sam Koekoek, “Klearly replaces outdated, bank-supplied hardware with data-driven technology that works on any device—Android, Apple, or modern terminals. We focus on the SMB market but work with bigger partners like Bolt. We are serving big partners who, in turn, serve SMBs.”

Future Outlook

With the recent funding, Klearly is poised to accelerate its mission of transforming in-person payment processing for SMBs across Europe. The company’s innovative approach and commitment to addressing the unique needs of small and medium-sized businesses position it favorably in the evolving fintech landscape.

Summary

 Amsterdam-based fintech startup Klearly has raised €6 million in a seed funding round led by Global PayTech Ventures, with participation from Antler, Elevate, and Shapers. The company aims to transform in-person payment processing for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across Europe by offering a smartphone-native application that eliminates the need for traditional card terminals.