Oak HC/FT is a venture and growth equity investment firm that focuses on healthcare information services and financial service technology.   The firm focuses on driving transformation in these industries by providing entrepreneurs and companies with strategic counsel, board-level participation, and access to our extensive network of industry leaders. Oak HC/FT partners are peerless in delivering returns for investors and growing innovative businesses. Over the past decade, the partners at Oak HC/FT have had 20 realizations with 6 companies achieving valuations in excess of $1 billion. Oak HC/FT is led by the Healthcare and FinTech team of Oak Investment Partners as part of Oak’s strategy to develop sector-specific funds and continue its legacy of building best-in-class businesses.

Oak HC/FT

Costanoa Ventures leads Formation, Seed, and Series A stage investments in companies that change the way the world does business.

Costanoa Ventures

SVB Capital is a venture capital investment arm of [SVB Financial Group the](/financial-organization/svb-financial-group) holding company of Silicon Valley Bank. SVB Capital specializes in fund of funds and direct investments. Within fund of funds, the firm invests predominantly in top brand firms with a small allocation to smaller VC firms. For direct investments, it seeks to co-invest in equity rounds sponsored by other venture capital firms. The firm prefers to invest in the technology sector in the United States. SVB Capital was founded in 2000 and is based in Palo Alto, California.

SVB Capital

XYZ Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that supports startups build companies in the fintech and insurtech industries.

XYZ Venture Capital

Westcap is a venture capital and private equity fund manager with over half a billion in assets under management. It works alongside with its partners to provide the right balance of strategic, operational, and financial support. Its comprehensive approach to fund management aligns identified capital sources with specific investment opportunities to create unique and highly successful niche investment funds. Westcap was founded in 1994 and is based in Saskatoon, Canada.

Westcap

Highnote

Highnote is the world’s most modern card platform, purpose-built to grow customer loyalty, engagement, and revenue through embedded card issuance experiences.  With an all-in-one platform and a fully integrated issuer processor built from scratch to address the use cases of today and tomorrow, Highnote gives you unparalleled control, flexibility, and speed to realize your customer vision through innovative embedded finance experiences.  Utilizing the developer-friendly Highnote platform, product and engineering teams at digital enterprises of all sizes can easily and efficiently embed virtual and physical payment cards (commercial and consumer prepaid, debit, credit, and charge), ledger, and wallet capabilities into their existing products, creating compelling value for users while growing revenue and building a unique and differentiated brand.

Founded by former PayPal veterans John Macllwaine and Kin Kee, Highnote is a white-label, cloud-based infrastructure platform for SMBs to issue and process payment and loyalty cards. The platform enables users to offer virtual, physical, and tokenized cards, and also create bank accounts to enable bank transfers and payments. Highnote’s platform runs on low-code APIs, making it more appropriate for SMBs that have smaller developer teams. The company launched a <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/23012">consumer credit card program and card management services </a>in October 2023, which allows users to collaborate with application decisioning, account aging simulation, customizing configurations, and credit-specific program management services.

Democratizing financial technology with a suite of API-based solutions

FinTech Infrastructure

Audio Collaboration Startup Highnote Scores $2.5 Million Raise With Support from Dropbox Ventures, Plots AI Buildout

Founded by former PayPal veterans John Macllwaine and Kin Kee, Highnote is a white-label, cloud-based infrastructure platform for SMBs to issue and process payment and loyalty cards. The platform enables users to offer virtual, physical, and tokenized cards, and also create bank accounts to enable bank transfers and payments. Highnote’s platform runs on low-code APIs, making it more appropriate for SMBs that have smaller developer teams. The company launched a <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/23012">consumer credit card program and card management services </a>in October 2023, which allows users to collaborate with application decisioning, account aging simulation, customizing configurations, and credit-specific program management services.Highnote claims to offer greater flexibility than typical card-issuing platforms. It can reduce the time taken to launch the card to less than a month, from the standard 4–8 months, owing to its tech stack, embedded fraud detection, pre-integrated banking partners, and the fact that it functions as both the card issuer and processor.The Highnote infrastructure also lets the end-users monitor and manage their cards/finances better. It also provides issuing companies with card management controls such as turning the cards on and off and adjusting spending parameters.Key customers and partnershipsHighnote received a full certification as a Visa issuer processor in August 2022. Along with the certification, the company also joined Visa’s Fintech Fast Track program - designed to help FinTechs better integrate with Visa to deliver payment solutions - as an enabler in the US.Funding and financialsThe company came out of stealth in September 2021 and announced that it had raised USD 54 million in seed and Series A funding combined. The funds were to be invested in growing its product and engineering teams, broadening its platform to include instant credit issuance and full-stack acquiring, and in global expansion.

Cross River Bank provides a white-label banking-as-a-service (BaaS) platform for enterprises, combining banking services, payments, and marketplace lending infrastructure to build fintechs. Its solutions comprise demand deposits, savings accounts, credit and debit cards, and payment clearing services, including automated clearing house (ACH) and real-time payments. The company also provides banking and payment infrastructure for the crypto industry, including risk management services for its crypto clients. Key customers and partnerships As of December 2020, the company had over 400 employees, and had entered into more than 30 partnerships. Moreover, as of March 2021, the platform had been used to support over 375,000 small businesses through the paycheck protection program (PPP).Cross River Bank teamed up with UK-based BaaS provider <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/421515">Railsr </a>in January 2019 to launch a common API for their platforms to be used globally. As of April 2022, Cross River had over 80 clients including lenders such as Affirm, Best Egg, and Upstart, neobanks such as <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/220119">Revolut </a>, and blockchain-based payment processing platform GreenBox. The platform reportedly originated over USD 24 billion in loans per annum, around 10x the value of loans it originated in 2015. Cross River Bank has expanded its operations by acquiring Betterfin, a platform offering lending-as-a-service (LaaS) solutions, in November 2021. Through the acquisition, Cross River Bank leveraged Betterfin’s software to digitize parts of the small-business lending process (such as origination and underwriting).The company partnered with <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/1643">American Express </a>(Amex) to enable FinTechs to issue credit cards through Cross River Bank, on the Amex network, while also providing select Amex benefits to the FinTechs.Funding and financials The company <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/9458">raised USD 620 million in funding </a>co-led by Eldridge and a16z, at a valuation of over USD 3 billion, to invest in product developments, recruitment, international expansion, and boosting strategic partnerships.

Cross River Bank

Synctera was co-founded in 2020 by Peter Hazlehurst, the former head of Uber Money, who previously led the development of Google Wallet. The company offers an API-based infrastructure platform for community and regional banks to find and partner with FinTechs. This enables FinTechs to leverage the former’s licenses to embed FDIC-insured mobile checking, debit cards, savings accounts, and payment innovations, among other features. The API platform offered to the banks will then be sold to the FinTechs to code on. Although the end customers interact with the FinTechs, they legally belong to the bank.<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/8117">Synctera mainly charges the banks </a>based on the interchange fees they earn (half of the interchange fees, as of January 2022) from the services provided. It does not charge them an initial amount to use the platform. Moreover, the platform also embeds fraud-as-a-service and charges FinTechs on a per transaction basis (4 cents per transaction) should they choose to use it. It subsequently shares that revenue 50/50 with the banks.The company launched the “t-minus10” project in January 2022, which offers a live sandbox for FinTechs to build apps, test, and go to market, enhancing their access to banking partners. It subsequently launched a “Smart Charge Card” (APIs to build, launch, and issue charge cards) and “White-label Banking App” (a codebase for developers to build embedded banking products or neobank apps) infrastructure in October 2022.Key customers and partnershipsIn February 2022, Lineage Bank (a community bank in Tennessee) and GoGetr (FinTech aiming to promote health and wealth management) became the first companies to launch a banking solution using the Synctera platform. As of March 2023, the platform was working with around 50 fintechs, of which 14 were live (including Wayapay and Float). Synctera reportedly had over 20 implementations set for launch in the following two months.Synctera announced a new card issuing and management infrastructure offering (Card-as-a-Service), in July 2021, which it developed in partnership with Mastercard and leading card issuing infrastructure disruptor, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/64287">Marqeta</a>.Funding and financialsIn March 2024, Synctera raised USD 18.6 million in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/27244">Series A1 extension</a> co-led by Lightspeed and Fin Capital. The company earmarked the funds to support business growth by facilitating more complex use cases across the US and international markets. The company also <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16980?industryIds=53">raised USD 15 million</a> in funding led by NAventures in March 2023, to invest in expanding the platform’s use cases and broadening its geographic footprint beyond the US (including expanding to Canada). Meanwhile, Synctera has also partnered with the National Bank of Canada to enable companies to launch FinTech apps and embedded banking products in Canada.

Synctera

Based in the UK, Weavr, formerly known as Open Payments Cloud, was spun out of payment provider Ixaris in 2019. Weavr offers the infrastructure for enterprises to embed banking services across various industries, including education, fitness, logistics, etc. Weavr’s “Meta” platform combines multiple banking and payments partners in one platform through application programming interfaces (APIs). Using the APIs, enterprises can embed virtual banking services such as card payments, fund transfers, and international banking accounts.Weavr expanded its operations to Singapore in November 2022, as part of its global expansion plans.Key customers and partnershipsAs of July 2021, Weavr’s customers included Finway, Thanks Ben, and MySkillCamp, among others.In October 2019, Weavr partnered with payment service providers Global Processing Services (GPS), Paynetics, and iDenfy to enable developers to create and run sophisticated and streamlined payment experiences for their European customers through Weavr.Funding and financialsWeavr <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/8647?industryIds=53">raised USD 40 million </a>in Series A funding in February 2022, led by Tiger Global, less than a year after <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/4166">raising GBP 4 million (USD 5.5 million) </a>in seed funding in July. The funds were earmarked for business development and recruitment to support Weavr’s expansion to the US market, while also supporting its continued expansion in the UK and Europe.

Weavr

MX offers an open finance portal, data connectivity application programming interface (API), and MX platform API for banks, credit unions, and other financial service providers. The company’s solutions allow its clients to utilize financial data to reduce fraud, approve loans faster, and improve their customer experiences. In addition to APIs and connections, MX also offers a range of capabilities, including data aggregation, analytics, financial feed insights, wealth and investment services, and verification services. MX looks to enable banks and financial institutions to launch next-generation services and apps that automate and personalize financial experiences. As of January 2021, the company noted that it worked with more than 2,000 banks, credit unions, and FinTech companies, and its platform reached over 200 million end-users. Moreover, it also powered 43 of the top 50 digital banks as of the same period. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/8753?industryIds=53">February 2022, MX partnered </a>with <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/361160">Rize </a>, to enable users to access Rize’s banking infrastructure to build, launch, and scale financial products through a single API, thereby reducing the development time and cost. In January 2021, MX raised USD 300 million in a Series C funding round led by TPG Capital, at a valuation of USD 1.9 billion. The newly raised funds are to be invested in improving MX’s capabilities, expanding its global presence, and increasing its workforce. In January 2021, MX noted that its headcount tripled over the past two years, reaching 550 staff members. The company appointed Shane Evans as interim chief executive officer (CEO) in January 2022, to prepare the company for an IPO or sale (at a valuation of over USD 5 billion) and oversee its growth.

Bankable is a banking-as-a-service (BaaS) infrastructure provider allowing financial institutions and corporations to utilize its API to integrate banking services. It provides a platform for its enterprise customers to offer modular banking services, including ledger management (process data from multiple banks to support cash management for global corporate affairs), digital banking, payment cards, and e-wallets. The company expanded its platform by <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19662">acquiring Arex Markets </a>in June 2023, to embed working capital solutions (such as flexible invoice financing, corporate credit cards, lodged cars, and revolving credit). The company has a global presence, with operations spanning from the US to the Middle East as of January 2021. Bankable noted that the expansion of its global footprint also helps its European and US FinTech clients expand their operations internationally. Key customers and partnerships In January 2020, the company partnered with the diversified FinTech infrastructure provider <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/85350">Plaid </a>, which enabled Bankable’s customers to use Plaid’s tech to connect to more than 15,000 banks in the US and Europe. Funding and financialsIn April 2019, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/13061">Visa </a>invested an undisclosed sum in Bankable and entered a partnership with the startup. Through the partnership, Visa members obtained access to Bankable’s platform, while Bankable used VisaNet (Visa’s electronic global payments network) to extend its international payment and banking solutions.

Bankable

Platforms that allow FinTechs to integrate banking services such as opening and maintaining accounts, facilitating card payments, etc.


Platforms that enable FinTechs to integrate a range of payment-related services such as one-time payments, subscriptions, and receipt management for domestic and cross-border transactions.


Companies that enable organizations to embed anti-money laundering (AML), identity verification, and know-your-customer (KYC) solutions.


Platforms that allow FinTechs to integrate lending services,  by typically applying AI/ML technology to a spending analysis to analyze creditworthiness.

Companies providing APIs and integrations for FinTechs to access securities markets, facilitate transactions and clearing, and provide insights to help end-users manage their finances.

May specialize in promoting inclusiveness in financial services, primarily in the investment and lending spaces

AI/ML can improve the quality of their offerings, such as using AI/ML to reduce biases

Used for payment completions, accessing banking and transaction data, and providing financial insights, among others

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

DISRUPTOR_PRESENT

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 <ul>
 <li>Highnote, a payment and loyalty cards-issuing platform, has expanded its product offerings with the launch of a consumer credit card program and card management services.</li>
 <li>The consumer credit card program provides users with collaborative application decisioning, account aging simulation, customizable configurations, and credit-specific program management services. Its comprehensive credit capabilities manage various tasks and processes between FinTechs, brands, banks, and their customers.</li>
 </ul>
</div> Analyst QuickTake: Highnote announcing the launch of a consumer credit program is concurrent with leading card issuing infrastructure platform <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/64287"> Marqeta </a> ’s launch of a new credit card-issuing platform for consumer and commercial credit card issuance and programs.

Highnote

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