Picus Capital is an early-stage technology investment firm with a long-term investment philosophy. We work together with daring technology companies to build successful, global companies challenging the status quo and shaping tomorrow. We want to become the closest partner of our portfolio companies by working together on key strategic decisions and operative challenges. As a privately financed venture capital investor with long-term and flexible capital we are looking for exceptional founders who are committed to building category leaders throughout the next 5-10+ years. We invest in early-stage technology ventures with a focus on financial services, HR, energy & climate, healthcare, logistics & mobility, real estate & construction, crypto & web3, deeptech and e-commerce. Picus makes initial investments in pre-seed, seed and series A ventures thereby starting to work together with entrepreneurs in various stages of their companies ranging from ideation phase to initial traction. We follow a very long-term investment approach investing significant amounts throughout the lifecycle of the companies. We have invested in over 50 companies to date. At Picus we work in a culture combining the discipline of a financial investor with the creativity and pragmatism of an entrepreneur. We follow a comprehensive and well-structured investment approach in order to identify the most attractive and ambitious investment opportunities in our target industries and geographies. Within our core investment team every member has a distinctive industry competence and a functional or geographic focus. We are working closely together with our portfolio companies to develop large and successful market leaders. This comprises in particular leveraging our marketing & sales expertise and our global market perspective to provide strategic advice, providing HR management to grant access to top talent, connecting our portfolio companies with our broad B2B & investor network as well as supporting the fundraising process.

Picus Capital

TWO39 Ventures is a Bonita Springs-based venture capital firm that primarily targets B2B SaaS companies. TWO39 Ventures was founded in 2020 by Aaron Stafford and is based in Bonita Springs, Florida.

TWO39 Ventures

Viola Ventures (formerly Carmel Ventures) is a venture capital firm that invests in Israeli-related early stage companies with significant ideas that can lead to transformational companies. Founded in 2000 by [Avi Zeevi](https://www.crunchbase.com/person/avi-zeevi) and [Shlomo Dovrat](https://www.crunchbase.com/person/shlomo-dovrat), Viola Ventures manages over $1.2B across six funds, and is the only Israel-based VC fund with seven investing partners solely dedicated to early-stage tech investments. This allows for unique depth and diversification that spans across a wide range of backgrounds and verticals. With over 20-year legacy in Israel’s vibrant technology ecosystem, Viola Ventures is known for repeatedly backing global tech companies and unicorns, such as ironSource, Payoneer, Lightricks, Redis Labs, and Outbrain. The fund holds a substantial share of Israel’s significant exits, including Actimize, RedBend, ECI, Samanage, Perfecto, Tapingo, and more. Viola Ventures invests in exceptional teams with a strong focus on AI technologies looking to transform traditional markets, the semiconductors and deeptech industries, and consumer facing products.

Viola Ventures

Colchis Capital Management, L.P. is a boutique alternative investment management firm headquartered in San Francisco.  The firm was founded by Robert and Edward Conrads in 2005 and is currently dedicated to the emerging direct lending sector on a global basis.  Colchis leverages deep credit expertise, proprietary technology, and financial structuring experience to invest in various credit products originated by direct lending platforms.

Colchis Capital Management

SignalFire is a complete redesign of the modern venture firm based on six years of careful study, development, and iteration on how to fuel today's entrepreneur. Their distributed network approach gives access to some entrepreneurs, product, and engineering leaders in virtually every key discipline and industry, provided by a centralized team of investors and engineers trained at General Catalyst, Bessemer, KPCB, Google, and Yahoo. They have developed a centralized infrastructure to help with recruiting, business development, customer acquisition as well as educational and community events. They invest in leaders with an uncommon passion and perspective for leveraging data and technology solutions to upend substantial markets.

SignalFire

Link Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in early stage direct-to-consumer companies.

Link Ventures

The 7wire Ventures’ vision is to use the power of mobility, connected devices, the cloud, and sophisticated analytics to further advance industries like healthcare and education. We like to make a difference in things that matter.  The firm was founded on the concept of disrupting the status quo—supporting new ideas, technologies, approaches, and business models for solving society’s most important problems.  7wire Ventures provides funding and operating guidance to companies that challenge the “way things are done.” Through the creation of new businesses, investments in early and growth stage companies, and by complementing funds with insight and experience, we have a track record of transforming great ideas into world-class companies.

7wire Ventures

Lorimer Ventures is an operator led investment firm backing bold entrepreneurs building exceptional B2B startups.

Lorimer Ventures

New Enterprise Associates is a global venture capital firm that focuses on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors, and geographies. With over $19 billion in cumulative committed capital since the firm’s founding in 1977, NEA invests in technology and healthcare companies at all stages in a company’s lifecycle, from the seed stage through the IPO. The firm's long track record of successful investing includes more than 210 portfolio company IPOs and more than 360 acquisitions.

New Enterprise Associates

PayZen

PayZen is a healthcare fintech startup that aims to tackle the growing patient payment responsibility problem. The mission-driven company together with its superior technology and a new approach enables patients to pay their out-of-pocket medical bills over time with convenience and transparency. While Medical Providers should be able to focus on providing healthcare services rather than financial services. The company achieves better financial outcomes for both patients and providers through Smart Medical Payment Plans And Non-Recourse Patient Financing. Ariel Rosenthal, Itzik Cohen, and Tobias Mezger co-founded the company in San Francisco, California in 2019.

Buy Now, Pay Later

PayZen Hires Praveen Chandran, Ex Affirm, Google, & Paypal As Chief Product Officer To Turbocharge Growth

OverviewPayZen is a BNPL platform that aims to provide affordable healthcare using financial technology, AI, and machine learning. The platform creates customized payment plans (up to 60 months with no interest or fees) for patients based on their affordability and provides funds regardless of their credit scores. Providers are expected to pay upfront to integrate the platform with the hospital’s revenue cycle systems and processes; the providers or hospitals are also pre-funded on the payment plans without recourse. Along with this, PayZen also offers the “Care Card” for pre-service payments and pharmacy expenses. The company claims its platform has improved patient collections by at least 30% and has increased patients’ accessibility to healthcare.Key customers and partnershipsIn August 2022, PayZen signed a deal with the Iowa Hospital Association (IHA) and its subsidiary ServiShare, as the preferred patient financing provider for IHA’s network of 117 hospitals and 17 health systems.Funding and financialsIn <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/14738">November 2022 </a>, the company raised USD 220 million in funding via a USD 20 million Series B funding round led by 7wireVentures and a USD 200 million warehouse credit facility from Viola Credit. The proceeds were used to expand its credit lines and develop its technology further.

Openpay is an Australian BNPL platform launched in 2016 offering flexible payment plans with deferments ranging between 2-24 months for transactions from AUD 50 to AUD 20,000 (approximately USD 36-USD 14,600). The platform focuses on the automotive, healthcare, home improvement, memberships, and education industries. In December 2019, Openpay was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, raising AUD 50 million (approximately USD 35 million) in the process. This was roughly two years after it had to abruptly cancel its initial IPO plans and raised AUD 10 million (approximately USD 8 million) instead.Openpay’s B2C solution offers equal weekly and bi-weekly installment plans at no interest, with longer terms typically offered for larger ticket purchases. Its proprietary risk management technology drives the platform’s credit decisions, and it integrates with leading e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, PrestaShop, Magento, and WooCommerce. Furthermore, Openpay has a B2B trade account management solution that is separate from its BNPL service.Openpay generates revenue through merchant fees, which represent a percentage of the transaction value, customer fees (including late fees), an initial establishment fee, and a recurring plan management fee.Initially available in Australia and New Zealand, Openpay expanded its operations to the UK in June 2019, followed by a US launch in December 2020 under the brand Opy. However, it withdrew from the UK BNPL market in March 2022 citing its inability to compete in the market. It also revealed that it will continue to offer longer-term repayment plans for dental procedures and car repairs in the UK through partnerships.Key customers and partnershipsIt entered the veterinary market in the US via a partnership with ezyVet, which provides cloud-based software for veterinary professionals, and its plans are expected to be available on ezyVet platforms by early FY2022 in the US. It partnered with contactless payments firm Everyware in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/5954">October 2021 </a>to offer the first-ever Pay-by-Text BNPL solution, followed by a tie up with American Express in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/7084">December 2021 </a>.Openpay secured a strategic partnership with the payments processor Worldpay and Cross River Bank. As a result, Openpay’s payment plans were integrated with Worldpay’s payment gateway as the merchant acquirer for Openpay in the US, while Cross River was expected to serve as <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/5806">Openpay’s lender </a>for consumer financing loans to US customers, meaning it will fund and originate all loans on Openpay’s US platform. However, in July 2022, Openpay announced that it’s ceasing operations in the US market owing to economic headwinds stemming from rising interest rates and deteriorating consumer sentiment.

Openpay

PrimaHealth Credit (PrimaHealth) is a BNPL solution designated for elective medical procedures such as cataract surgery, orthodontic work, dental care, LASIK, and addiction treatment. PrimaHealth’s credit decision-making is handled in-house using proprietary credit underwriting models. With PrimaHealth, patients would pay 25% to 50% of the cost upfront, and the residual cost, running from USD 300 to USD 24,000, can be repaid over 2-4 months. PrimaHealth’s interest rates range from around 0% to 25% APR with an average loan size of USD 1,800 across all types of procedures.As of December 2020, PrimaHealth was available in Arizona, California, Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas, and plans to expand across all 50 states by 2021.

PrimaHealth Credit

Laybuy is a New Zealand-based BNPL provider offering its services in Australia, the US (beta launched in December 2020), and the UK through a partnership with the streetwear retailer Footasylum in 2019. The platform partners with Experian, a multinational credit bureau, to help with its credit decision-making. Through Laybuy, users can make online or in-store purchases over six weekly payments with no interest charges if paid on time. The in-store offering is facilitated by Laybuy’s “Tap to Pay'' digital card, available in Australia and New Zealand as of March 2021 and launched in August 2021 in the UK. The platform has an average customer transaction limit of GBP 240, and any missed payments will result in the user account being suspended and a late fee of USD 10.In FY2022, the platform reported gross merchandise volume (GMV) of NZD 868 million (~USD 600 million), reflecting 47% YoY growth. The platform’s revenue grew by 45% YoY to NZD 47.1 million (~USD 32.8 million). The UK operation accounted for the majority (~60%) of GMV in FY2022, improving on its ~50% share last year. The company also revealed that total active customers increased 23% YoY to 931,000, while total active merchants grew 50% YoY to 13,700. Laybuy was listed on the ASX from September 2020 to March 2023, after which it was <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/15915">delisted</a>.Laybuy issued <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/30597">receivership notice</a> in June 2024 due to financial pressures and economic challenges affecting its operations in New Zealand and Australia. The company stated that Laybuy Group Holdings Limited, Laybuy Holdings Limited, and Laybuy Australia Pty Limited were placed for receivership on 17 June and that its UK entities remain unaffected.Key customers and partnershipsIn May 2023, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/976316">​​ </a>Laybuy collaborated with New Zealand-based Centrix, a credit bureau, to develop a credit reporting system, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/18326">PayWatch </a>. The company also <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/18595">partnered with Eventfinda </a>, an event ticketing and marketing platform, to embed its BNPL solution and offer flexible payment options for event tickets. Laybuy secured partnerships with merchants such as Rakuten, AWIN, and Sovrn, giving users access to more than 5,000 merchants in the UK, including WHSmith, Asos, Nike, Marks &amp; Spencer, Amazon, and eBay.

Laybuy

Tamara is a Saudi Arabian BNPL platform provider offering customers the option to pay in 30 days or in three installments over 60 days at zero interest, making it Shariah-compliant. Tamara settles payments with merchants weekly for a commission-based fee, charging a late payment penalty of SAR 25 (approximately USD 7) from customers. These charges are capped at a lower rate between SAR 150 or 25% of the total transaction value. In September 2020, Tamara established a partnership with the e-commerce platform Salla, extending its reach to more than 10,000 merchants on the platform. As of June 2021, it operates in Saudi Arabia and the UAE with offices in Germany and Vietnam. In July 2023, Tamara <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19954">secured a permit </a>to operate its flexible payment services from the Saudi Central Bank following a trial period of operation within the Saudi Arabian regulatory framework.Key customers and partnershipsThe company claims to be the market leader in the BNPL space in Saudi. It reported that its transaction volume grew 170% month-on-month and its customer base increased 180% month-on-month over the six months preceding its Series A round. As of January 2023, the platform had serviced over 9 million registered users and had over 30,000 merchant partners, including partnerships with firms such as IKEA, Jarir, Shein and Namshi.<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/27305">In March 2024</a>, Tamara partnered with UK-based <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/615710">Uqudo</a>, a digital identity verification platform, to enhance privacy and security on digital transactions. <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/25271">In January 2023</a>, the company partnered with Egypt-based <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/497895">Paymob</a>, a payment gateway platform, to provide an integrated solution that facilitated installment payments for customers in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.Funding and financialsIn <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/24016">November 2023</a>, Tamara secured up to USD 250 million in debt financing from Goldman Sachs and Shorooq Partners. It comprises an incremental debt financing of USD 200 million of senior debt provided by Goldman Sachs (bringing its senior warehouse facility up to USD 350 million, an increase from USD 150 million raised in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/17139">March 2023</a>) and USD 50 million mezzanine tranche led by Shorooq Partners, which brings the total warehouse facility up to USD 400 million. The company earmarked the funds to service its growing BNPL product demand and invest in developing new products and services.

Tamara

Fly Now Pay Later is a UK-based consumer credit provider regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The platform provides its services exclusively to the travel sector through a direct-to-consumer app (Anywhere) and an integrated checkout solution. The platform allows consumers to spread the cost of travel over a maximum of 12 months, with a limit of GBP 3,000 (approximately USD 4,200). The plans’ interest rates vary depending on the applicant's borrowing history; therefore, users may incur a one-off credit transaction fee. The payment plans can be applied to flight bookings, hotels, and car hires.The company has partnered with travel brands such as Lastminute.com, TravelUp, Kayak, LycaFly, and Trivago.The company secured GBP 55 million (approx. USD 75 million) in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates?industryIds=58">debt funding </a>from Atalaya Capital Management. The round follows its extended Series A round worth GBP 10 million (approx. USD 14 million) in May 2021. The debt infusion is earmarked to support its expansion efforts in the US, which it entered into in 2020.

Fly Now Pay Later

The providers plug into merchant checkouts and convert business purchases into installments.

These platforms integrate with the merchant’s e-commerce checkout and primarily offer the BNPL solution through their app. Consumers are restricted to shopping at merchants integrated with the provider in most cases.

These providers integrate with the merchant’s e-commerce checkout. The service is offered through the provider’s app or a virtual card that facilitates in-store application, including non-partnered retailers.

These companies offer merchants and financial institutions a white-label product to provide in-house BNPL solutions.

Solutions can use AI/ML to improve the quality of underwriting tools used in assessing consumers

Use of blockchain technology for customer screening is an emerging area

<div>
 
 Healthcare-focused flexible payments provider, PayZen, has secured USD 232 million in a Series B funding round. The lead investor was New Enterprise Associates (NEA), along with 7wireVentures, SignalFire, Viola Ventures, and others. The round comprised of USD 32 million in equity and USD 200 million from a credit warehouse facility provided by Viola Credit and other insurance companies. PayZen's total funding now exceeds USD 472 million.
 The funding is planned to be utilized to support PayZen's growth and aid its market expansion. As a part of the funding deal, NEA's co-CEO Mohamad Makhzoumi will be added to PayZen's board of directors.
 Over the last two years, PayZen has seen a 6-fold annual growth, registering a 100% customer retention and 132% net retention rate. The company plans to introduce new AI-driven offerings aimed at addressing patient affordability. This move is expected to sustain its growth momentum into the latter half of the current year.
 
</div>

PayZen

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