Imperial Innovations is a technology commercialization and venture capital investor that focuses on technology. Imperial Innovations no longer invests in startups and now functions as the technology-transfer office of Imperial College. Imperial Innovations is focused on commercialising leading UK academic research sourced from the 'golden triangle' formed between Cambridge, Oxford and London. We are a technology commercialisation company that combines the activities of technology transfer, intellectual property protection and licensing, company incubation and investment.  Innovations is focused on commercialising the most promising UK academic research across a broad range of technology sectors, and has developed particular expertise in: therapeutics, medtech, engineering and materials and information communication technology.

Imperial Innovations

Firestartr helps the most promising digital entrepreneurs take their companies from seed stage to Series A and beyond.  Beyond providing capital, they draw on their entrepreneurial successes and senior operational experience with leading technology companies to support sustainable growth in their portfolio. Their deep domain expertise, combined with an unrivalled network of advisors, enable us to make meaningful connections at the right time and propel companies with hands-on support.

Firestartr

PBX Innovations founded paybox the first mobile payments company globally, now invests into promising teams and technology.

PBX Innovations

Wayra UK provides access to networks and capital, turning start-ups into scale-ups. Wayra scales start-ups by giving them access to investments and to business development opportunities with some of the world’s largest companies.

Wayra UK

SOSV is a global, deep tech venture capital firm that operates the HAX and IndieBio startup development programs focused on human and planetary health. SOSV invests $500,000 in startups at their inception as they onboard either HAX or IndieBio for a 4-6 month period designed to accelerate the raise of their next institutional round. SOSV joins the later rounds of HAX and IndieBio graduates.  HAX, based in a 35,000 sq ft facility in Newark, NJ, is equipped with machine tools, 3D printers, chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering labs, as well as on-staff engineering and design experts. SOSV's IndieBio has locations in NYC and San Francisco, both of which offer extensive services and facilities to founders including on-site BSL-2 labs, well equipped lab benches and hoods, and advanced lab equipment, such as chromatography equipment.

SOSV

LeadX invests in market-leading European B2B companies providing innovative digital solutions to consumer-facing companies. We leverage our specialist expertise and industry networks in the consumer and technology sectors to add value above and beyond pure capital to the entrepreneurs that we back. These resources enable our partners to scale faster and more efficiently. We partner with innovative entrepreneurs digitising the consumer industries. We target European mature businesses generating over €10 m in revenues and are growing at over 30% CAGR. Our vertical focus on consumer industries and strong industry knowledge and networks allow us to support companies effectively and position ourselves as preferred partner to work with.

LeadX Capital Partners

Touchstone Innovations create, build and invest in pioneering technology companies and licensing opportunities developed from outstanding scientific research focusing on the ‘Golden Triangle’ of London, Cambridge and Oxford.   Their robust strategy and fully integrated business model, proven over many years, begins with original idea and extends through intellectual property (IP) protection, company formation, seed funding, incubation, scale-up and supportive investment.  This provides us with a unique insight into leveraging early-stage research and turning it into substantial, high-quality, well-managed and well-funded commercial businesses.  They help scientists and entrepreneurs to commercialise their idea by protecting and licensing intellectual property, leading the formation of new companies, recruiting high-calibre management teams and providing and supporting investment.  They provide continuity of funding from start-up to scale-up, with initial investments from seed stage onwards. They remain an active investor throughout the lifetime of their portfolio companies, with the majority of their investment each year going into businesses they have lived with and understood for some time. This strategy substantially de-risks investment scale-up in their portfolio companies.  Touchstone Innovations is at the forefront of UK early-stage technology investment. Alongside their co-investors they have leveraged over £1.5 billion to help drive high technology innovation in the UK.

Touchstone Innovations

Hard Yaka makes early round investments in exchange space startups. Candidates are either verticals in particular categories of exchange markets or horizontals providing services (i.e. messaging or payments) across exchange sectors.

Hard Yaka

IP Group's core business is the creation of value for its shareholders and partners through the commercialisation of intellectual property originating from research intensive institutions. Their strength lies in managing this process from finding suitable intellectual property to commercialise to either helping develop businesses and create value out of them, or identifying and establishing appropriate commercial partnerships to do so. IP Group's extensive expertise in this area combined with its inside knowledge of both industry and finance have enabled the group to create a formidable track record of consistently delivering excellent results for their companies, for their partners and for their shareholders.

IP Group

Yoyo Wallet

Yoyo Wallet is a U.K.-based mobile wallet startup that enables its users to pay for their goods with their smartphones. The company currently processes over 150,000 monthly in-store transactions by combining payment and loyalty via an easy scan. It also provides a marketing platform for retailers that enables digital customer engagement in-store. The multi-retailer mobile wallet offers loyalty programs and rewards offerings it can automatically deliver to customers based on buying patterns. Launched in 2013, Yoyo Wallet receives funding from Taavet Hinrikus and TransferWise.

Yoyo Wallet is a mobile payment and loyalty platform that enables customers to make payments, earn rewards, receive personalized offers, and access digital receipts through a simple QR code scan. The company's technology utilizes a double tokenization system, where payment details are securely stored by a trusted provider and tokenized twice, ensuring enhanced security. Yoyo Wallet operates two distinct applications: a retailer app that provides insights into customer behavior and preferences, enabling targeted marketing campaigns, and a consumer app that facilitates loyalty program participation, payments, and rewards redemption.

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Yoyo Wallet Reviews

SA start-up wiGroup joins forces with UK payments firm Yoyo

Digital Wallets

Mastercard

Mastercard’s mobile payments service ‘Pay by Bank app’ is entering into a strategic partnership with payments, marketing and loyalty commerce platform Yoyo to deliver the most secure, fast and personally rewarding payments experience to its customers.

Yoyo Wallet is a mobile payment and loyalty platform that enables customers to make payments, earn rewards, receive personalized offers, and access digital receipts through a simple QR code scan. The company's technology utilizes a double tokenization system, where payment details are securely stored by a trusted provider and tokenized twice, ensuring enhanced security. Yoyo Wallet operates two distinct applications: a retailer app that provides insights into customer behavior and preferences, enabling targeted marketing campaigns, and a consumer app that facilitates loyalty program participation, payments, and rewards redemption.
The platform integrates with point-of-sale systems, transforming anonymous shoppers into identifiable customers with defined purchasing habits. In October 2020, Yoyo Wallet merged with South African startup wiGroup, creating a global loyalty company serving clients across the UK, Europe, Africa, and Australasia. The merger enabled the combined entity to leverage resources across regions and invest in a consolidated software-as-a-service (SaaS) product.

Dwolla is a leading provider of payment services specializing in account-to-account (A2A) payments. The company offers an innovative API solution called Dwolla Connect, designed for mid to enterprise-sized businesses. Dwolla Connect simplifies the process of replacing legacy, batch-based technology with modern infrastructure, enhancing the management and reconciliation of payments across multiple financial institutions. With Connect's bank-agnostic approach, businesses can leverage their existing commercial accounts at top US banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo, to effortlessly initiate payments by embedding Dwolla's API into their existing applications and payment flows.
Dwolla Connect serves a wide range of industries, such as financial services, lending, banking-as-a-service, marketplaces, and insurance, among others. Its API-first approach enables businesses to effortlessly integrate A2A payments into their apps or connect with existing ERP/cash management systems, offering a centralized location for payment information. Dwolla Connect provides substantial time and cost savings by allowing businesses to embed a single API, avoiding multiple bank integrations and simplifying their treasury management.
Over the years, Dwolla has expanded its offerings, introducing products like Dwolla Balance, a digital wallet solution, and exploring new payment methods and value-added services. The company has partnered with industry leaders like MX, a leader in open finance APIs, and Mastercard to enhance its payment capabilities and offer consumers more choice in managing their money.

Dwolla

Papaya is a SaaS fintech company that provides global payroll and payments technology through its comprehensive platform called Papaya Payroll OS. The platform automates payroll processes, ensures compliance, offers flexibility, and provides robust security features. Papaya's integrated approach connects data and processes from various HR and enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools, creating a single source of truth. This turns payroll, a company's biggest expense and liability, into a strategic asset that enables growth at scale.
One of Papaya's key offerings is a personal portal that empowers employees with convenient access to their payroll financial information. In March 2023, the company introduced a mobile app as part of this portal, allowing employees to securely view and manage their payslips, work-related documents, and bank account details on the go. This app caters to the growing trend of employees accessing payroll information via mobile devices, with 53% of employees doing so as of March 2023.
Papaya's technology has been recognized by leading global analysts for its disruptive approach in workforce management and payments. The company has received accolades such as being included in the Forbes Cloud 100 and CNBC's Top Startups for the Enterprise.

Papaya

Citcon is a leading global payment gateway and service provider, offering innovative solutions that enable businesses to accept payments from consumers using various mobile wallets, payment apps, and methods. The company's technology empowers merchants to expand their customer base and streamline the payment process, enhancing the overall shopping experience. Citcon's platform allows merchants to securely process millions of payment transactions daily from over 200 payment methods, including popular digital wallets like Alipay, WeChat Pay, PayPal, and Venmo.
Founded in 2015, Citcon pioneered as the first authorized US merchant acquirer for WeChat Pay and Alipay, two of the most widely used mobile wallet providers in China. Over the years, the company has expanded its partnerships to include more than 20 global wallet providers, reaching over 2 billion mobile wallet users worldwide. Citcon's technology integrates seamlessly with various point-of-sale (POS) and ecommerce systems, making it accessible to merchants across diverse industries.
Citcon's solutions cater to the needs of businesses of all sizes, from Fortune 1000 companies like L'Oréal, Hermes, and Nordstrom to major retailers such as Macy's, Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts, and Revolve. Its platform is deployed at over 30,000 merchant sites and locations globally.
In October 2021, Citcon closed a USD 30 million Series C funding round, backed by leading global investors such as Norwest Venture Partners, Cota Capital, Sierra Ventures, Sonae, and East-West Bank. The company has expanded its presence with regional offices in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia to serve its global clientele better.
Citcon has also diversified its offerings to include cryptocurrency payments. In May 2021, the company partnered with Flexa, a leading pure-digital payments network, enabling merchants worldwide to accept cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Dogecoin as payment options.

Citcon

PayNearMe is a leading bill payment platform provider that enables unbanked consumers to make cash payments for various services. The company's technology generates a barcode that consumers can take to participating merchant locations within their vicinity. At the store, customers scan the barcode, provide cash to the cashier, and receive a receipt confirming the payment. This innovative solution solves the challenge of accepting cash payments in an increasingly digital world.
PayNearMe's platform supports multiple payment methods, including cash, credit/debit cards, and bank accounts. The company has built an extensive merchant network of over 40,000 retail locations across the US, including partnerships with major chains like Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy, Walmart, and Family Dollar Stores. By March 2022, PayNearMe had expanded its network by nearly 50% over the previous 12 months, with the addition of nearly 9,000 Walgreens and Duane Reade locations.
PayNearMe offers a seamless payment experience for customers while enabling businesses to increase foot traffic and potential incremental sales. The company focuses on partnering with convenience stores, dollar stores, grocers, and pharmacies, as these merchant categories align well with their business model.

PayNearMe

Paydiant was a company that provided a cloud-based white-label mobile wallet platform enabling merchants and banks to deploy their own secure mobile wallet solutions under their brand names. Its patented technology allowed merchants to integrate mobile wallet functionality, including mobile payments, loyalty programs, offers, and e-receipts within their existing mobile apps.
The platform assisted merchants in acquiring new customers and increasing sales by delivering targeted offers and personalized loyalty programs directly to consumer mobile devices. Payment credentials were never stored on users' phones but instead securely held in a PCI-compliant data center, enhancing transaction security.
Paydiant's flexible platform supported various payment instruments like debit, credit, gift, and private-label cards while providing valuable insights into customer spending behavior. It facilitated seamless integration with existing point-of-sale systems across popular smartphone models, eliminating hardware upgrade requirements. The company's technology was compatible with emerging standards like Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
In March 2015, Paydiant was acquired by PayPal to bolster the latter's in-store mobile payment capabilities and enable merchant partners to build branded mobile wallets integrated with PayPal's services.

Paydiant

These enable users to utilize their wallets for various transactions at virtually any merchant that accepts digital wallet payments without any restrictions on usage.

These enable users to carry out transactions at a selected list of merchants and locations. Merchants may need to set up predefined agreements with digital wallet issuers to accept payments from the wallet.

These are typically developed by merchants themselves and allow customers to use their wallets to make payments at the merchants’ own stores. Users are unable to use these wallets for transactions outside the issuing merchant.

Companies that offer white-label solutions for businesses and fintechs to set up their own digital wallet offering.

Leverages AI/ML to conduct various AML/KYC checks on customers and transactions processed through digital wallets

Yoyo Wallet

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