Hard Yaka

Hard Yaka is an investment firm based in Crystal Bay, Nevada, founded in 2010. It pursues technology investments across private equity and venture capital, including buyouts and distressed opportunities, and it frequently seeks majority stakes. The firm focuses on digital transformation infrastructure, including portable identity, payments, marketplaces, and regtech, and also backs early-stage opportunities in exchange space startups, targeting verticals within exchange markets as well as horizontals such as messaging and payments across exchange sectors.

Pep Gomez

Partner

Jun Hiraga

Managing Partner

Kevin Leiske JD

Partner

Margaret Slemmer

Investor

Katie Sullivan

Partner

Past deals in Finance

Emerge

Series A in 2024
Emerge is a financial management tool for businesses. It is a digital-only banking option designed to help Kiwi businesses operate more quickly, economically, and efficiently.

CFX Labs

Seed Round in 2023
CFX Labs is a fintech company specializing in cross-border payments and embedded wallet technology. It supports global payment processing and offers MoveMoney as a key platform for accepting and disbursing electronic payments from credit cards, debit cards, bank accounts, and digital wallets. The company provides value-added services including know-your-customer compliance, currency conversion, settlement, risk management, reconciliation, reporting, remittance, and fraud prevention, enabling users to streamline payment workflows and, in some offerings, monetize foreign exchange slippage. Operating in a heavily regulated environment, CFX Labs emphasizes security and regulatory compliance and maintains a private ownership structure with a small team.

Arf

Seed Round in 2022
Arf is a liquidity platform designed for financial institutions engaged in cross-border payments. It offers short-term, revolving, and digital asset-based credit lines aimed at enhancing access to liquidity for these institutions globally. By providing a cross-border settlement banking platform for international money transfers, Arf eliminates the conventional capital-intensive models prevalent in the industry. The company focuses on delivering digital asset-based working capital and settlement services, featuring native on-ramp and off-ramp capabilities for licensed money service businesses and financial institutions. This approach enables users to transfer funds without hidden fees and at transparent, fair exchange rates.

Decaf

Seed Round in 2022
Decaf is a digital payment platform that facilitates secure and transparent transactions using blockchain technology. It enables users to send and receive money instantly, with each transaction recorded immutably on the blockchain.

Movii

Series C in 2022
Founded in Bogotá in 2017, Movii is a fintech company dedicated to providing financial services to the unbanked population. Through its digital payment application and rechargeable debit card, Movii enables users to manage their money safely, pay bills, transfer funds, and purchase goods online or via mobile devices.

Movii

Series B in 2021
Founded in Bogotá in 2017, Movii is a fintech company dedicated to providing financial services to the unbanked population. Through its digital payment application and rechargeable debit card, Movii enables users to manage their money safely, pay bills, transfer funds, and purchase goods online or via mobile devices.

AnChain.AI

Series A in 2021
AnChain.AI is a California-based provider of AI-powered cybersecurity, blockchain data analytics, and risk and compliance solutions. It connects wallet addresses and cryptocurrency transactions to real-world entities to support KYC/AML, quantify risk, and secure endpoints across multiple public and private chains. The company offers a Transaction Analytics Platform with automated alerts, anomaly detection, and user profiling, alongside a Smart Contract Auditing Sandbox for Solidity contracts. It also provides Crypto Ransomware Response capabilities that trace adversaries and minimize losses along the monetization lifecycle. AnChain.AI serves exchanges, custodians, protocols, issuers/miners, wallets, financial institutions, investors, hedge funds, and enterprise security teams. Founded in 2018, it is headquartered in California.

Securitize

Series B in 2021
Securitize operates a platform for issuing and managing digital securities, offering issuer services (issuance, document handling, investor communications, accreditation), investor services (onboarding, wallet management, investor dashboards, token distribution), and support functions (fiat and crypto escrow, custody). Founded in 2017 and based in Redwood City, California, the company aims to modernize capital markets by enabling ownership, management and trading of digital securities across equities, funds, fixed income and real estate, with a global, compliant framework that increases transparency and liquidity and streamlines processes. It positions itself as an SEC-registered transfer agent integrated with multiple regulated US marketplaces and provides KYC/AML and capital management services.

Olyn

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Olyn operates a platform designed for content creators to host, distribute, and monetize their media securely. It offers seamless integration, one-link streaming, direct consumer sales, and control over geo-distribution and pricing.

Coinme

Venture Round in 2020
Coinme operates the largest licensed cryptocurrency cash exchange in the United States, providing a nationwide network of bitcoin ATMs, a digital wallet, and exchange services. Through partnerships with Coinstar and MoneyGram, customers can buy and sell bitcoin with cash at thousands of locations in 48 states. The company also offers an enterprise-grade API and tools that enable legacy financial systems and merchants to crypto-enable their operations, along with consumer products to buy, store, and manage digital currencies. Founded in 2014 and based in Seattle, Coinme aims to broaden access to digital currencies and facilitate easy, secure transactions.

StandardC

Pre Seed Round in 2020
StandardC offers a modular platform for streamlined compliance processes across identity verification, due diligence, and ongoing monitoring. Serving various industries including banking, lending, and real estate, StandardC's transparent pay-per-use pricing model ensures accessibility to businesses of all sizes. The platform integrates seamlessly with enterprise software, minimizing disruptions while maximizing efficiency.

Kava Labs

Seed Round in 2019
Kava Labs Inc. is a provider of interledger solutions, focusing on enhancing the interoperability of blockchains, wallets, and exchanges. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Kava operates a decentralized platform that offers a comprehensive range of financial services tailored for cryptocurrencies. As digital assets gain wider acceptance, Kava aims to fill the gap in traditional financial offerings by providing products such as money markets, loans, stablecoins, and high-yield accounts for crypto assets. By leveraging autonomous software, Kava's platform eliminates the need for intermediaries, allowing users globally to access financial services without incurring additional fees. This approach enables users to optimize their digital assets and generate returns in an evolving financial landscape.

SportBLX

Venture Round in 2018
SportBLX is an investment platform founded in 2018 and headquartered in New York, designed to allow fans and investors globally to acquire shares in unique sports assets. The platform facilitates the process of identifying athletes, teams, or racehorses willing to sell a percentage of their on-field earnings or equity. It provides users with the tools to review and research these offerings before making investments. By enabling ownership in sports-related assets, SportBLX bridges the gap between fans and the financial aspects of the sports industry.

Snowball Money

Seed Round in 2018
Snowball Money operates a crypto investment automation platform that simplifies access to professionally curated portfolios, enabling users to invest like accredited investors. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, the platform provides a single, safe, and easy-to-use solution for investing in tax-optimized crypto portfolios or bundles that generate interest. It allows investors to earn high yields without the need to register with multiple exchanges or manage different wallets, streamlining the investment process in the crypto markets.

Trim

Series A in 2018
Trim is a personal finance assistant that aims to enhance the financial health of Americans through its automated services. The application analyzes users' spending habits, negotiates bills for services such as cable and internet, cancels unwanted subscriptions, and provides spending insights and recommendations. By leveraging these features, Trim has successfully saved its users over $60 million. The company is supported by a team with extensive experience from renowned organizations and backed by notable venture investors. As Trim continues to expand its offerings, it remains focused on helping individuals manage their finances more effectively and achieve greater financial stability.

Lightning Labs

Seed Round in 2018
Lightning Labs develops advanced financial infrastructure using cryptography, blockchains, and smart contracts. They are known for Lightning Network Daemon (lnd), a leading implementation of the Lightning Network protocol, and Neutrino, a platform enabling fast blockchain transactions on mobile devices.

Empyr

Venture Round in 2018
Empyr, Inc. is a San Diego-based company that operates an online-to-offline advertisement platform designed to connect digital engagement with real-world purchases. Established in 2011, Empyr specializes in card-linked offers, enabling national brands and digital publishers to track online advertisements that lead to offline sales. By integrating directly with major credit card associations, Empyr allows consumers to earn cashback at offline merchants simply by using their debit or credit cards. This platform provides a seamless experience for users while offering publishers the ability to generate revenue from each purchase and allowing merchants to link offline sales to specific online marketing efforts. Empyr collaborates with a diverse range of partners, including notable names in technology, banking, and hospitality, thereby tapping into the significant potential of the $3 trillion offline commerce market driven by online activity. The company has raised $35 million through its parent organization, Mogl, and currently employs 60 individuals.

Finerio Connect

Seed Round in 2017
Finerio Connect is a developer of a personal finance platform that helps financial institutions unlock the value of their data. The platform offers open finance, data analysis, and personal finance management APIs, enabling banks and other lenders to tailor services and insights. It specializes in creating custom budgets, monitoring and tracking expenses, viewing financial information, and linking bank accounts, while analyzing consumption patterns. The solution supports planning and controlling consumer spending and increasing savings by transforming disparate financial data into actionable insights.

Kore

Seed Round in 2017
KoreConX, founded in 2016 and based in New York City, offers a comprehensive platform designed to streamline the process of raising equity capital for companies. Its services encompass shareholder management, boardroom management, cap table management, portfolio management, and compliance management, all integrated into a single user-friendly interface. This approach facilitates efficient contribution, management, and distribution of corporate information and financial documents among all parties involved. The platform enhances deal preparations, decision-making, and investment management while ensuring security and compliance through a secure and auditable environment. KoreConX's solution is tailored to meet the needs of businesses looking to optimize their organizational processes, whether in raising capital, conducting board meetings, or improving shareholder communications.

Trim

Seed Round in 2015
Trim is a personal finance assistant that aims to enhance the financial health of Americans through its automated services. The application analyzes users' spending habits, negotiates bills for services such as cable and internet, cancels unwanted subscriptions, and provides spending insights and recommendations. By leveraging these features, Trim has successfully saved its users over $60 million. The company is supported by a team with extensive experience from renowned organizations and backed by notable venture investors. As Trim continues to expand its offerings, it remains focused on helping individuals manage their finances more effectively and achieve greater financial stability.

Sure

Seed Round in 2015
Sure develops and operates an online platform that enables users to purchase various types of insurance coverage from renowned providers. Founded in 2014, the company is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Kickpay

Seed Round in 2015
Kickpay Inc., established in 2014 and headquartered in San Francisco, operates an online marketplace that facilitates invoice trading. The company connects businesses with investors, allowing businesses to sell their outstanding invoices at a discount for immediate cash flow. This service enables companies, particularly those in the hardware sector, to access financing options previously unavailable, fostering faster growth by improving liquidity and reducing reliance on traditional lending sources.

AppZen

Venture Round in 2015
AppZen develops AI-driven solutions for back-office automation, specializing in automated expense report compliance and auditing. Its platform reviews expense reports in real-time, cross-checks data with external sources, detects policy violations and fraud, and ensures IRS rule and FCPA regulation compliance. Serving various enterprises globally since 2012.

Knox Payments

Venture Round in 2014
Knox Payments Inc. is a payment processing company that specializes in facilitating ACH transactions, allowing customers to make direct payments to merchants using their existing bank accounts. Founded in 2013 and based in San Francisco, California, Knox Payments differentiates itself by prioritizing speed and efficiency in online checkouts. The company offers a service called Connexus, which enables users to pay merchants by logging in with their online banking credentials, eliminating the need for users to create new accounts. Through its innovative approach, Knox Payments provides a streamlined and secure payment solution for both merchants and consumers.

Marqeta

Series B in 2013
Marqeta operates a modern card issuing and payment processing platform that enables businesses to create customized payment solutions using open APIs. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Oakland, California, with an additional office in London, Marqeta's platform allows users to build, issue, and manage digital, physical, and tokenized payment cards. The company provides a range of services including virtual cards, real-time fund transfers, spend controls, and data analytics solutions. Marqeta serves various industries such as e-commerce, lending, on-demand services, and digital banking by offering flexible and scalable payment infrastructure. It is certified to operate in 40 countries globally.

Visible Market

Seed Round in 2012
Visible Market Inc. is a financial data visualization platform that offers financial information products for mobile devices. The company was formerly known as Related Market LLC. Visible Market Inc. was launched in 2010 and is based in New York, United States.

Coinbase

Seed Round in 2012
Founded in 2012, Coinbase operates a platform enabling merchants and consumers to buy, sell, and store cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin. It offers products such as Coinbase Wallet, USD Coin, Coinbase Pro, and custody services. The company is headquartered in San Francisco.

Startup Stock Exchange

Seed Round in 2012
Startup Stock Exchange (SSX) is a service provider that facilitates the trading of startup and small business shares on a public stock exchange. Founded in 2011, SSX offers brokerage and listing advisory services, connecting these companies with global investors. It operates using the legal framework of the Dutch exchange but manages all interactions between investors and companies, acting as a licensed listing adviser, broker, and shareholder. SSX caters to investors and companies that are aware of and comfortable with the high risks associated with startup investments.
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