In recent years, the Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) industry has experienced explosive growth, revolutionizing the way consumers and businesses approach purchases. As traditional credit models evolve, innovative BNPL startups are emerging to meet the growing demand for flexible payment options. These companies are not only transforming e-commerce and retail but also expanding into new sectors and markets. From business-to-consumer (B2C) to business-to-business (B2B) solutions, and from established markets to emerging economies, these are the top BNPL startups to watch.
Top BNPL Companies to Watch
Every year, new startups pull to the forefront of their industry through exciting innovation and industry-disrupting business models. We’ve rounded up the most exciting BNPL startups of 2024 that startup-lovers, investors, and aspiring entrepreneurs should follow.
Disclaimer: With so many exciting startups launching and growing worldwide, we aren’t able to cover them all. Furthermore, the startups that are listed below are not officially ranked and are listed in no particular order.
1. Capchase
- Location: New York, New York
- Founder(s): Miguel Fernandez Larrea, Przemyslaw Gotfryd, Ignacio Pubul, Luis Marqués
- Founded In: 2020
- Funding: Debt Financing, $1.1 Billion
- Investors Include: Dolik Ventures, Calm Ventures, GTMFund
Fintech startup Capchase has made an entry into the growing BNPL market with the launch of Capchase Pay, a business-to-business (B2B) BNPL tool. This move aims to assist companies in achieving shorter sales cycles, improved top-line metrics, and a reduced workload for their finance departments. Capchase Pay stands out in the realm of B2B solutions by completely eliminating the friction typically associated with payment terms negotiation.
2. ZOOD
- Location: Lausanne, Switzerland
- Founder(s): Mehrzad Michael Khoi, Martin Muransky
- Founded In: 2015
- Funding: Series C, $54.5 Million
- Investors Include: Zain Ventures, Planet N Group, French Partners
ZOOD offers both online and in-store shoppers the option to pay off their purchases over 90 days in up to four installments. Within this period, no interest or fees are charged. The startup focuses specifically on the largely untapped buy-now-pay-later markets in Central Asia and MENA.
3. Aplazo
- Location: Mexico City, Mexico
- Founder(s): Angel Pena, Alexander Wieland
- Founded In: 2020
- Funding: Series B, $130 Million
- Investors Include: Kinderhook Partners, Volpe Capital, Audeo Ventures
Aplazo is a Mexican startup providing a BNPL service that gives approved customers five fortnightly interest-free payments at affiliated online and physical stores.
4. Addi
- Location: Bogota, Columbia
- Founder(s): Santiago Suarez, Daniel Vallejo, Elmer Ortega
- Founded In: 2018
- Funding: Series C, $457 Million
- Investors Include: Andreessen Horowitz, Village Global, Foundation Capital
Addi is a Latin American startup with its roots in Colombia and expansion plans that include Mexico and Brazil. The innovative startup has predominantly focused on the online shopping space and will need to put its funding to good use as it faces some stiff competition from competitors in these regions.
5. Tabby
- Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Founder(s): Hosam Arab, Daniil Barkalov
- Founded In: 2019
- Funding: Series D, $1.54 Billion
- Investors Include: Bluepool Capital, Fox Ventures, Saudi Venture Capital Company
Tabby offers buy now, pay later services in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The platform allows customers to split their purchases into interest-free installments without requiring a credit card. Tabby partners with various retailers across multiple sectors, including fashion, beauty, and electronics, to provide flexible payment options to consumers while helping merchants increase conversion rates and average order value.
6. Scalapay
- Location: Milan, Italy
- Founder(s): Simone Mancini, Johnny Mitrevski, Raffaele Terrone
- Founded In: 2019
- Funding: Series B, $899 Million
- Investors Include: Growing Capital, Moore Capital Management, Poste Italiane
Scalapay is a fintech startup that is making waves despite a slow start in the BNPL space. Since its launch in 2019, the company has expanded its services to nine European countries. Its offering includes online and in-store purchases with three installments and zero interest.
7. Zilch
- Location: London, England
- Founder(s): Philip Belamant, Serge Belamant, Sean O’Connor
- Founded In: 2018
- Funding: Debt Financing, $452 Million
- Investors Include: Lotus Capital Ventures, Chaos Ventures, eBay Ventures
Zilch differentiates itself from many in this space in that it doesn’t only provide its services at retailers with which an agreement has been made. This has been the downfall for many BNPL startups, as customers don’t always find the curated list of stores offered comprehensive enough for their needs. By providing the freedom of using the service anywhere the customer chooses to shop, Zilch is very likely to see a far greater uptake.
8. Billie
- Location: Berlin, Germany
- Founder(s): Dr. Christian Grobe, Dr. Matthias Knecht, Aiga Senftleben, Michael Hartmann, Jörg Asmussen, Artem Demchenkov, Julian Koster
- Founded In: 2016
- Funding: Series C, $348 Million
- Investors Include: Dawn Capital, GR Capital, Klarna
Billie focuses on the B2B space, but the major game-changer for this startup has been its partnership with Klarna. The Scandinavian fintech company Klarna has exploded in the BNPL B2C space in the last few years and when it sought to expand its offering into B2B, Billie was seemingly the obvious option.
9. Bumper
- Location: London, England
- Founder(s): James Jackson, Jack Allman
- Founded In: 2013
- Funding: Accelerator, $100 Million
- Investors Include: Tech Nation Group, Marubeni Ventures, Suzuki Global Ventures
Bumper definitely takes the title of “most unique offering” on our list, with the sole focus of this BNPL startup being automotive purchases. The company makes repair and maintenance costs for vehicles more manageable by offering terms at zero interest. Not only is it touted as unique, but its CEO, James Jackson, also claims it has been profitable from the outset — an impressive startup achievement.
10. Resolve
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Founder(s): Christopher Tsai, Brian Nguyen
- Founded In: 2017
- Funding: Series A, $96 Million
- Investors Include: Insight Partners, Operator Stack, Affirm
Resolve offers B2B, BNPL solutions that focus on streamlining the net terms process for both buyers and sellers. The company’s platform provides automated credit checking, invoicing, and collections, allowing businesses to offer flexible payment terms to their customers without taking on additional risk or administrative burdens. Resolve aims to improve cash flow for businesses by accelerating payments while simultaneously offering buyers more flexible payment options — ultimately helping to facilitate smoother B2B transactions.