Finvena News

Klearly, a Dutch fintech startup specializing in in-person payments, has raised €6 million in a seed funding round to fuel its expansion across Europe. Known as the preferred partner for major taxi companies in the Netherlands, Klearly replaces traditional bank-supplied hardware with technology that allows businesses to accept payments directly on their phones. Since its inception, Klearly has made significant strides, onboarding 4,000 merchants and achieving a remarkable 500% growth in payment volume in 2024. In a groundbreaking move, it was also selected by Apple as the first fintech globally to launch the Tap to Pay feature on iPhone. CEO Sam Koekoek emphasizes Klearly’s mission to empower SaaS partners by seamlessly integrating payments into their platforms. “We leverage existing hardware and streamline pricing to make in-person payments simple, accessible, and transparent,” Koekoek explains. The funding round, which builds on a €2.1 million pre-seed raise in May 2023, was led by Global PayTech Ventures, founded by former Mastercard Europe President Javier Perez. Other notable participants included Antler Elevate, Shapers, and prominent angel investors such as the former CEO of Mollie and the former COO of Adyen. Martell Hardenberg, partner at Antler Elevate, highlighted the market potential, noting that 40% of POS systems in Europe remain disconnected, with €7.9 trillion in annual POS volumes. “The market is ripe for disruption with integrated solutions,” Hardenberg stated, adding that Klearly’s technology and customer-centric approach position it to become a billion-dollar player in the payments industry. With this funding, Klearly aims to expand its innovative payment solutions, further disrupting the European POS market and paving the way for streamlined, tech-driven in-person payment systems.