If you’re a fan of e-commerce, then you’ve probably heard of Api Europe. It’s a startup that’s working to build a community for the global eCommerce industry. Currently, it’s raising funds from investors for its initial stage. However, it’s not the only e-commerce company that’s making waves. Other startups, such as Yapily and Currency Cloud, are also gaining popularity.
Currency Cloud
Currencycloud is a payments technology company that is unafraid to admit that it is not exactly a fintech unicorn. The company has raised over $61 million in total. It is one of the early movers in the fintech space. In a nutshell, the company demonstrates that the international payments industry is one ripe for the picking. And it is a very large one.
This multi-currency payment platform offers a slew of services. They include an embedded B2B cross-border payment solution and a no-stack foreign exchange solution. As of the time of this writing, the company has processed over $50 billion in payments to over 180 countries. Their customers include some of the biggest names in Fintech, traditional banking, and payment service providers.
Among their notable clients are the likes of Visa, Starling Bank, Azimo, Dwolla, and Monzo. Moreover, this money transfer startup has a robust platform, with more than 40 currencies to choose from, and an impressive portfolio of prepaid services.
Yapily
Open banking startup Yapily has raised $51 million in funding led by Sapphire Ventures to supercharge the roll-out of its open banking API. The company focuses on the official APIs of European banks, allowing companies to use the company’s proprietary open banking software to access user accounts, send payments and retrieve account data. Currently, it supports more than a thousand banks in eight countries, including the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy and the Nordics.
The company’s open banking software is licensed to high-growth fintech companies in the UK. In addition, it is currently working with more than a thousand banks and financial institutions in Europe, and aims to expand operations to the Baltics and the United States by the end of the year.
Sapphire Ventures
Yapily is an open banking fintech, based in London, UK. It develops and licenses an API that connects businesses to thousands of banks in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. These APIs enable merchants, developers, and other businesses to share financial data and initiate payments.
Yapily plans to expand its presence across Europe. In order to achieve this, it has secured a $51 million Series B round led by Sapphire Ventures. This will allow the company to continue investing in its market-leading infrastructure, while also entering new markets.
Sapphire is one of the leading technology-focused venture capital firms in the world. The firm’s investment strategies focus on scaling companies and partnering with visionary management teams. It has invested in more than 170 companies worldwide and has closed a total of 30 IPOs.
Fund VI
Sanofi has recently announced its intent to create a standalone company, which will combine its API commercial activities with its European API production sites. The new company will be debt free, and will focus on maximizing future investment capacity. It will be headquartered in France, and will employ 3,100 employees.
Sanofi’s current API business primarily fills spare capacity at six European manufacturing sites, and is not in the business of making generic drug APIs. By creating a standalone company, Sanofi will be able to retain a small stake in the new company’s operations. In the event that the company is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange, Sanofi will own 30% of the new company.
EuroAPI is an API development and manufacturing company. While it is not a generic drug API manufacturer, it is one of the largest contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMO) in the world. As such, it is well-positioned to take advantage of the uptick in CDMO demand in Europe.
Opportunity Funds
Sapphire Ventures is a leading venture capital firm with over eight billion dollars in assets under management. It has invested in more than 180 companies worldwide, partnering with visionary management teams to scale them into global enterprises. A key part of the Sapphire strategy is focusing on scaling venture funds. In addition to its three investment platforms, Sapphire has a portfolio growth services division that helps portfolio companies find customers and grow beyond capital.
Finally
Sapphire has also established a European office and plans to expand its investment activities in the region. The firm recently hired Abhishek Lahoti, a former partner of Atomico, as an international expansion center of excellence. He will lead the company’s European investment efforts, including its recently launched Portfolio Growth team.
