BlackPeak Capital, Catalyst Romania lead EUR 10 million round for Leanpay

Leanpay, the Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) and Point-of-Sale (POS) lending platform, has secured EUR 10 million in a Series B funding round led by BlackPeak Capital, followed by Catalyst Romania Fund II, both as new investors. They were joined by South Central Ventures and Lead Ventures, which had already invested in previous rounds.

The funding is meant to accelerate the company's development.

"This investment is a testament to our team's hard work and commitment to delivering a superior user experience. It will enable us to solidify our market leadership in Slovenia, scale our operations in Romania and Hungary, continue to roll out innovative services, and attract top talent to our growing team to become the digital consumer lending champion in the Central & Eastern European region," Miša Živić, Leanpay co-founder & CEO, explained.

"This investment will improve Leanpay's capital structure and decrease overall financial risk. Additional funds will enable greater investment potential and strengthen the financial stability of all companies in the Leanpay group," stated Tilen Zugwitz, Leanpay co-founder and CFO.

Originating from Slovenia, Leanpay is also present in Romania and Hungary. It has 120,000 customers, more than EUR 200 million in consumer loans issued, and cooperates with more than 1500 merchant partners. Last year, the company's revenue grew 2.5 times, while since the Series A, the company's revenue growth has been fourfold.

"The shift in consumer behavior towards flexible payment methods like BNPL is increasingly influencing daily life for all generations and reshaping the e-commerce landscape, which is pivotal for both businesses and customers alike. We are excited to partner with Leanpay, a Slovenian leader in responsible POS lending and a pioneer in the third generation of BNPL solutions in our region operating an asset-light model," said Niklas Pichler, managing partner at BlackPeak Capital.

"We are seeing great potential for Leanpay in our region, and it was a natural move for Catalyst to participate in this investment round, especially since we can help create significant additional value in the company in one of the key markets of Eastern Europe, Romania. We have specific expertise in the team, we have the local network, and we can bring together multi-channel opportunities for Leanpay here, as we have already started to do, in the months leading up to the investment," Marius Ghenea, managing partner at Catalyst Romania, explained.

Catalyst Romania is a fund manager that launched the first private equity and venture capital fund dedicated to Romania in 2012, financed through JEREMIE. The fund manager prioritizes investments in rapidly growing sectors, including technology & internet, media & communications, and technology services.